Minelab SDC2300 or GPX4000 / GPX4500 / GPX5000

[user 7268]

Going home with any gold no matter how small is better than going home with non
Ideally it is good to see the Gpx / SDC and Z go over the same nugget at the same place .................. I was quite surprised to see the differences between machines gold type pending that the coils were swung over. Did quite a lot of this last trip as the Z owner was also keen to see how his machine compared over the same nugget beside the GPX and SDC.

 

[vstrom]

Hi bogger so you did a lot of testing on all three so in your opinion what where the shining factors for each one .

 

[user 7268]

Well far from an expert and indeed just the novice but I have simply found that for me there is no one machine currently available that does it all. Have said it before and will so again but I would no matter what ever part with my SDC as no matter when, it has always delivered. There is an article by Steve Hersbech I think his name is and he says it in as much as he doesn't own three or four machines because he likes spending money it's just each has it's application and he chooses and uses the applicable machine at the appropriate time. Wish I had the ground knowledge to do that ...................... I just walk and sweep the same area twice with two different detectors But it works and puts gold in the pocket so all's good until experience lets me do it otherwise.
Amazing or daunting when you see one machine scream over something that another barely if at all see's but has happened several times now and at first I thought something was broken.
From my findings and what I have seen they are all great machines but each is better than the other application pending.
ps Thought I best answer the question ..................... I reckon they all shine but if you want a machine that will almost guarantee you go home with something nearly every time then my monies on the little "Blue Baby" It would find a speck of fly dirt on a footy oval ................... and does
My recent trip GPX ................... with all the "Good" coils ZERO ............................ SDC every piece that I found but do add here that once more experienced and a better operator with the GPX that ratio may well change as my knowledge of best settings to use increases. SDC ??? well that's easy to use, you just walk along and the nuggets jump onto the coil

 

[vstrom]

Thanks for the feedback bogger sdc will be joining me soon.

 

[user 7268]

Thanks for the feedback bogger sdc will be joining me soon.

No problem as said just a novice opinion but regards the SDC you simply can't go wrong buying one as it will compliment any other detector you ever buy in the future in any case.
Enjoy

 

[user 4485]

SDC ??? well that's easy to use, you just walk along and the nuggets jump onto the coil

In the right areas that is just about true :lol:

 

[vstrom]

Got the F1A4 level 3 does the rest so sdc will be my go to at end of day or shallow ground and on bike.

 

[Maltisau]

Hi all,

I have read through all of the old posts regarding the best types of detector available and I am pretty certain I should go for a sdc2300 over the 4500. Since I have no detector experience I thought I might ask our vast pool of brains on this forum if I am on the right track.

I live in Kyneton and plan to prospect close to home: Castlemaine, Blackwood, Daylesford etc. I also love panning creeks so I want a detector that I can run over my tailings so I am not wasting my time looking for that once in a lifetime alluvial nugget.

I know the sdc is waterproof, which is a major reason for my choice of detector and I will be working over shallow ground most of the time.

So, if someone offered you a choice between a sdc or a 4500, would you go for the sdc and maybe later buy a gpx or z?

Would a sdc be the best option for the type of terrain/ground I plan to swing over?

I have been prospecting for less than a year, doing it tough with just a pan but I seem to have a knack for finding gold. Yesterday, out of the blue, my parents rang and said they want to buy me a detector. They also said get a good one. I could probably go for a 5000 but I don't want to be greedy. First thing I thought was sdc or 45. They are both excellent machines apparently and very similar in price so it is a tough decision for a noob like me.

Are there any glaring inconsistencies in my reasoning? Anyone have a good reason for NOT choosing a sdc given my situation?

I noticed a couple of bargains have been snapped up recently...DOH! Hopefully something suitable will pop up before the forum gathering at the end of October so I can pester everyone with noob questions

 

[Maltisau]

Crickets...

I must have posted in the wrong spot. Maybe a moderator could move this post to the appropriate area please?

Thanks,
Malcolm

 

[Heatho]

Looks like the right spot to me mate? I can move it to the detecting for gold section if you like?

 

[Maltisau]

Nah that's cool. Thanks for your reply Heatho.

 

[B5MECH]

Ill pipe in I'll be looking at those three when my ATGold makes me enough park/beach money to get one, all three you've said are the goods, when I get to that point I'll be trying to go on a minelab training day so I can try them out, from what I've learn't here the sdc is the easiest to use and seems to pick up the really really tiny stuff that the others except the 7000 don't seem to pick up but the 4500 and 5000 go deeper, but the sdc it fully waterproof and seen people surf hunting with.
Its a hard decision to make at that price so I'd do the training day just to make sure if I were you
Everyone has there opinion and we all know what opinion's are........
What works sweet for some may not be the sweets for another
I hope that helps
You've chosen the right area of detectors anyway
Maybe have a look through the "gold detecting show and tell" in METAL DETECTING FOR GOLD section
Good luck with the decision

 

[Norvic]

For a beginner the SDC is the choice no doubt. Then once you have a few nuggets under the belt, and you are hooked, the Zs the way. I know the Xs are good, but they are not for a beginner. The SDC is easy, and the Z is the present ultimate. To me they are the two choices.

 

[Maltisau]

Thanks guys

I had not thought of doing a training day. Brilliant idea!

I feel more confident now going with the sdc. I am actually more of a panning type guy so a waterproof option seems like the best choice at this stage. I was also worried that the gpx's might have too steep a learning curve for me.

A few months ago I took a borrowed sdc for a 5 minute swing when I showed my father in law a promising spot. I found a piece of bird shot straight away while my f.i.l. only found foil and large chunks of iron. He was convinced that the thing was broken. Later I took him to Sailors Creek and again he found nothing while I pulled out a couple of nice pickers from my pan. By then he had given up. He said he heard a signal from someone's unfilled hole but didn't dig because he assumed it was another piece of foil. I went back the next day and panned a 0.15g picker from the same hole

I just found out today that I have access to 150+ acres of quartz hills on private land across the road from a gold mine. It has never seen a prospector since the old days. Methinks that will be the perfect spot to cut my teeth on the sdc. Happy days!

Cheers

 

[Pig Iron]

Hi Maltisau - I am also new to the caper and went with the SDC. Have not regretted it for one minute. Im one who has not got the experience so to get out of the car, turn on the machine and start detecting is what appealed to me. Later on perhaps the Z but i couldn't justify that outlay.
The SDC gets gold. It also gets other rubbish at depth so it will deliver if you are over the target. Its not the only machine out there but for me it is a ripper starter that sees you wanting to get out as often as possible.
Cheers and good luck with the decision.

 

[Mickybees]

I'd go the 4500

 

[Guest]

The 2300 is my first detector and I love it, you pretty much turn it on and off you go. I can't speak to whether it is the best detector, but for a newcomer I think it probably is the best choice if you can afford it.

As for the training day, I didn't even bother with it when I got my 2300, I went on a tour with Mark and Ronda from Gold Prospecting Australia instead and basically got them to teach me one on one for the whole day and I got to ask all the questions I wanted, it was really good. It's not free like the training day, but then again, you don't have to share the instructors with a large group of people so it was value for money imo.

 

[old hand]

What every you decide on you want to be finding gold regularly ,so a sdc will do that
or a 4500 you can change the coils and it has greater depth a little bit harder to use, both detector are around the same price new at the moment regards john

 

[Maltisau]

Thanks guys. SCD 2300 it is!

I have been reading the threads on the 45's and they seem a little complicated for a beginner. Plus I won't be able to afford to buy extra coils etc.

I started with a $12 pan, found a couple of grams with that which justified the outlay for a Supersluice pan. Up to about 9 grams now so I have a long way to go before I have enough gold to buy a detector. Thankfully I have very generous parents who have offered me my choice of detector. I'll do the same with the sdc. When I find enough gold with that I will think about buying a Z

I like to aim high but I will be happy if I can find one speck with the detector. For me it's all about getting out into nature and occasionally meeting like minded people. Money has never been a priority for me. Once the necessities are taken care of I'm more than happy.

 

[Heatho]

The SDC will serve you well mate, they are a great unit, wish they were available when I first got into gold detecting.