Anytime I can help guy!
June 02, 1998 at 13:38:05
In Reply to: Re: SD 2100 - match head size nuggets at three feet or more - Minelab ad.
posted by Lanny in AB on June 02, 1998 at 09:30:15
Lanny,
You made some good points. I try to make informed decisions when I plunk my money down, based on facts, not hype. All too often, people get swept up in the hype and lose touch with reality. You can't teach reality what it is, reality just keeps right on being reality, and beats you over the head.
When Fisher introduced the Gold Bug 2, the Gold Bug was the Worlds leading seller. The Bugs continue to lead the field in global sales if the figures I've seen are accurate. I noticed a SD 2000 for sale the other day for $350, another for $375. A Gold Bug 2, purchased in 1995, for $525 out the door, sold for $350. They were state of the art in 1995, the Gold Bug 2 still is. My concern with Minelab is that they seem to bring products to market before the R&D is done.
Does it really matter how well a given brand operates in Australia, if it chokes in Nevada, Arizona, or California? Don't get me wrong, the SD 2100 has its place, but it isn't an all around machine. At best, it occupies a small niche, in a micro-market. Australia has less than half the population of California, in a land area the size of the US. Florida has a greater population than Oz, higher metal detector sales, and more detectorist. Buy what works here in the states if this is where you hunt. Al once stated in a post that there are perhaps five top gold machines. I agree, and none of them are imported. The SD 2100 is in a class by itself, and should not be counted with the others.
My partner and I use sever different machines for changing conditions. The Lobo LST may be the best all around land machine on the market, the more I play with one the more it grows on me, it's head and shoulders above the XT 17000. The XT 17000 at 6.4 kHz, using an 11" coil does a pretty decent job once the iron has been removed from a patch. The difference in depth between the SD with an 8", and the XT 17000, with an 11", isn't worth the cost difference. I want to check out the LST with an 11" coil, it may be a winner. I keep an open mind, when something better comes along, I'll be one of the first to have it.
My partner has a JW Fisher Pulse 8X. With the 10" or 16" coil, it is hard to beat when the alkali and mineralization is extreme. You can't pinpoint with the 16" coil, but you can always find the nugget after spreading out the heap, with another machine.
Time for lunch. Happy hunting!
Viper
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