Minelab GPZ7000 Versus A GPX5000

[aussiefarmer]

I have a 7000 i believe its a better machine in a few ways , but if i had my money again i would buy a 5000 simply due to weight , i have used both and its possible to do an extra hour two with a 5000 without becoming as fatigued.
It is also possible to buy a few extras to make the 5000 very close to the 7000.

In all honesty covering more ground per day and feeling fresh will get more gold than dealing with harnesses, hipsticks and what not. Imo.

 

[user 4485]

Ive read some less than positive stories in the early days of the Z being released that makes me question if it really is the pinnacle of detectors available.

I am considering a purchase of either for use in the GT, and the opinion of those far more experienced than me is very welcome here. 10k is a lot of money as far as Im concerned!

Thanks.

I wouldn't put much stock in the early stories where some people struggled to adapt to the new technology & interface of the GPZ. There were some GPZ's that did have issues but these were a minority not the norm. There's also been software updates since plus there's also a lot more information available to help people adapt or start out with one now.
I've owned both & IMO the GPZ is superior in ease of use/user interface & is also more sensitive as standard to small gold at better depth/s.
It is heavy though as per AF & you do need to use the harness, bungy etc.
The biggest pitfall of the GPZ is definitely price. If you don't think you can afford one I wouldn't be recommending you try to stretch your budget as the GPX is a very good detector too, lighter weight & has a much better selection of coils (with no modifications needed).

I currently use a GPX4500 that I'm more than happy with. The newer spiral wound coils can close the gap a lot (but still don't give you a Zed) & you don't have to have $8-9-10k tied up in a detector. I use mine wirelessly with the battery in the control box cover so there are ways to modernise the GPX a bit too but then that puts weight back into it so I use harness, bungy etc. anyway. You can get light weight batteries though.

Both machines have pros & cons so you really need to weigh up your personal wants/needs to make the best decision.

 

[grubstake]

With all the information on the internet appearing to state a GPZ7000 is the superior detector to the GPX5000, I would love to hear the experiences of prospectors who have owned both. Do you really believe that the GPZ7000 outperforms the GPX5000, or is it just marketing? Ive read some less than positive stories in the early days of the Z being released that makes me question if it really is the pinnacle of detectors available.

All of which you can safely ignore if you want to get objective opinions of the actual merits/demerits of a machine, because exactly the same thing happened when the SDC2300 and later the Gold Monster were introduced. A few months later, after people had taken the time to understand the machines better, learnt to use them correctly and racked up some successes, more realistic appraisals of their worth started to become available.

Experienced, considered opinions as above from aussiefarmer and mbasko are the ones you want to study carefully before you part with your money IMHO, not the complaints of early adopters keen to bag a machine before they've actually got to grips with it.

 

[madtuna]

I own both (+ a 2300) and I haven't used my 5000 in over 12 months.
The 5000 and the 4500 are both brilliant machines, it's just for me and my situation the 7000 has enough of an advantage to warrant using it over the 5000.

As for the weight, back when I was using a garrett A2B, it was heavy...until I got used to it. My XT17000 was also heavy...until I got used to it.
The same was for my extreme, my 4500's, my 5000's and yep for the 7000 also.

Once I got used to it I can detect all day every bit as long as I can with the 5000. The one I actually struggle with for muscle fatigue is the 2300 and that's only because I don't use it as much as I do the 7000.

Would I feel disadvantaged if I had to go back to a 5000 only? Probably not, but it would be hard having used a 7000. When gold is getting harder to find and when you rely on it for your income you want every advantage you can muster and at the moment for me the 7000 has that advantage.

 

[Franco]

Awesome feedback!

Im glad the early reports from those trying a GPZ7000 are no longer relevant.

I must admit that I really like the idea of losing the harness from my back. Im not as fit as I used to be!

 

[Rockhunter62]

Hi Franko,

I have the 7000 and have never used the harness (still brand new in it's bag in a shipping container). I just use a bungy clipped onto my camel back and I have no problems using it all day when I can get a whole day off.

Cheers

Doug

 

[Goldtarget]

Not everyone bagged the GPZ. Meta and BN went out with the gpz/sdc combo and was lucky enough to get an invite in the first couple of days. Even back then those 2 were using new and old tech to find more gold. Would be interesting to hear from them now after all this time has passed.

This thread has has some add ins from JP and quotes from Steve H for what its worth.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11052

 

[aussiefarmer]

To clarify the weight issue i might only get out detecting once every couple of months so i push a 8 or 10 hour day in , definently not match fit.
If your going regularly the weight may not be such a issue, using the wipper snipper doesnt seem to help build the right muscles either

 

[PhaseTech]

What I like about the 5000:

- Fine tuning options
- Coil selection
- Audio options
- Balanced
- Easily customised, eg accessories
- Cancel & Iron Reject (both missing on SDC & GPZ)

What I like about the GPZ:

- Less false signals
- Covers a lot of target sizes with the one coil
- Superior performance on specimens and any reefy & unusual shaped gold
- Built in Wireless
- Light weight battery considering run time
- Cable is protected

Which do I prefer to swing? GPX. Which one has found the bulk of my gold the last 2 years? GPZ.

The GPZ is a gold vacuum but you need to listen to it and take your time. It can produce some unusual signal responses at times so you need to learn to trust it.

 

[Allan h]

I have all3 the 2300 for pinpointing for the 7 on larger targets the7 is a shocker in in deep holes the 5 with a twelve inch nugget finder is a killer in vic to central qld for fnq 7 and the 2300 is the only machines I use funny gold up there wait for reports from old hand he is testing some gold I gave him that 45 and 5 were nearly silent the 2300 and 7 big noise one gram in container cheers

 

[Claypipe]

A slightly different question, if you already have an SDC2300 and are inclined to keep it, which of the GPX5000 or GPZ7000 would better complement it?

Thanks Ron

 

[Allan h]

Thanks Ron thats a big question flip a coin in vic 7000 in fnq even the 2300 had trouble pinpointing leaf gold the 7000 found just a pain looking for it

 

[Rockwall]

Thanks Ron thats a big question flip a coin in vic 7000 in fnq even the 2300 had trouble pinpointing leaf gold the 7000 found just a pain looking for it

As long as you leave the bigger ones for me! :beer:

 

[Guest]

just go the seven if u got 10G as neadad phase tec said less false signals 1 coil does the job i had all three 2300, 5000 ,7000 if u operate a microwave at home u won't have any trouble operating the 7 after period of time ,been all over aussie with them, 7 there just less mucking around