Minelabs are great but warnings are out.

[goldentruth]

I went on ebay, I found an authorized seller sayin beware of GPX 4000 & GPX 5000 models selling cheeper.
A rash of "Knock offs" are being sold: MADE IN CHINA ! Australlia's Minelab Company are getting bad reports about the knock offs with fake Electronics & bogus Serial Numbers. The High Quality Minelab top of the line models are getting hit hard and the customer lose! Minelab has set up a toll free number for you to call and check the serial number before you buy so you don't get stuck with a counterfit piece of junk and loss of $$$.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[The-Bone]

Really Bones?
ok just look at John Deere, agricultural thats a necessity, however u do a price comparison, hp for hp, bell for bell, whistle for whistle, tractor for tractor n low n behold ur payn more just 4 the 'green paint' after all that bein said, we dont deserve 2 b price gouged or ripped-off by jerks...we all earn our dollar. o n i think that 'golden' is just tryn 2 lookout for fellow MDers, not 2 get ripped-off by jerks mis-leading info 2 get our hard earned $$$...
kgunn

John Deere must be doing something right to have people spend extra money for just green paint...or maybe they make a superior product? My point is that in a free market no one can just charge whatever they want. Competitors keep prices in check. If Minelab can charge $5000 for a machine there must be a market for it or they must hold exclusive patents

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Treasure of Victoria Peak - Grab it through Amazon!

[Frankn]

Jason, I think I got you by at least 10 years.
Detectors now a days are an assembly line item. The cases are moulded or formed by machines. The boards are made by machines. Most of the circuit boards are designed by computes. The tubing is formed by machines. Yes they are packed by hand no matter what they cost. Minelab has an offshore production line. There top 5000 is built on several prior models so the engineering cost is minimal.
Whites is probably the only totally made in USA left I don't know if First Texas is produced in USA with USA parts or not but they sell a lot of detectors under various brand names. When I buy, my primary concern is dept and location of target. The rest is bells and whistles as far as I am concerned. Frank

 

[The-Bone]

Well you say a lot there...
But All the other Manufactureres seem to make out OK with their $1000 machines....
But Minelab decided they needed a $5000 dollar machine...
Maybe they will go Bankrupt if they stop selling these expensive machines
But Tesoro has been making top of the line detectors with LIFETIME Warranties since they were
founded and their not bankrupt yet.... and none of their machines cost $1000 dollars..
I don't know....
there is something to be said about Kmart and Walmart and Target all charging similar prices for
similar items even though they carry different names....
or American Airlines matches prices with Southwest or Delta for similar flights over similar routes...
It's how this country works...
But of course if I tell you my shoes are made with gold instead of Walmart's shoes being made of lead
then maybe I can sell my shoes for 5x more... if your willing to pay the price there will always be people or companies willing to sell it to you.

I wouldn't really call Tesoro 'top of the line'. They make good ultra lightweight machines. They offer nothing but single frequency machines with no or not so very good displays. Most of their units don't even ground balance in discriminate mode. They offer a lifetime warranty but if you don't have a display and keep your machines fairly utilitarian they shouldn't need much warranty work. In fact, Tesoros lifetime warranty may very well be what prevents them from offering a state of the art unit.

 

[iCandy]

Jason, 30 years? How old are you?

 

[kgunn]

babbling thats like the pot calling the kettle black..
furthermore i wasnt changing nothn..
have a nice day,

kgunn

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Minelab has detectors in all price ranges, the last time I looked they were not making anyone buy their $5000 gold detector, people buy them because they want them and believe they are worth the cost. If you don't want to spend the money don't.....

By the way, I highly doubt there is a 100% made in america detector including Whites, the odds all the electronics in Whites come 100% from USA is close to nill...

Some people are willing to pay $25,000-$30,000 for a car, talk about a rip off........................

 

[Lakemonster]

Frankn brings up a valid point on chinese tech.

I have it on the authority of an unnamed person in the MD tech loop that First Texas and Fisher both tend to buy container loads of surplus chinese electronic components and then design the machines around what they get in the containers (basically). I cant prove the statement.... so take it for what it is ... unsubstantiated.

I cant imagine a Chinese firm taking MD manufacturing or development to heart. Simply because when they run the contract piece count.. they just switch over to manufacturing the next contract of alarm clocks or cell phones etc...

When you have a dedicated manufacturer to the MD industry... then R&D guys build machines around specific components they believe are going to work best according to the design.... instead of just buying up surplus op amps and the like and building it around what part availability is cheapest.

 

[woof!]

Frankn brings up a valid point on chinese tech.

I have it on the authority of an unnamed person in the MD tech loop that First Texas and Fisher both tend to buy container loads of surplus chinese electronic components and then design the machines around what they get in the containers (basically). I cant prove the statement.... so take it for what it is ... unsubstantiated.

The reason the unnamed person is unnamed, is because the story is false.

--Dave Johnson

 

[gleaner1]

Never give a sucker a break.

 

[[email protected]]

Fact - Most electronics today are made in China. You could see 5 to 10 different brand names that all come from the same manufacturer in China varying in price.

What makes anyone think metal detectors are exempt from this?

The John Deere example is dead on. You're paying for the name.

Is a Harley more technologically advanced than an Asian speed bike that offers way more and is half the price? A Cadillac?

No, you're paying for the name.

What makes you think metal detectors are exempt from this?

I'm tired of hearing people use the comparison of cadillac vs pinto when talking about detectors.

Both get you from point a to b?

Sorry, I would rather keep driving my Suzuki Swift. Why? The cost to buy is cheap, the fuel millage is unbelievable, I've never had to fix one thing and if I did, the repair costs are a fraction of what it would cost to fix a caddy, parking is a breeze, insurance is cheap, and no one wants to steal it.
Heck, I can even drive down ATV trails through the bush and take that car where no caddy owner would ever go.
You couldn't even give me a cadillac and if you did, I'd sell it in a heartbeat!

Sorry, most "top of the line" detectors are backed with nothing but hype.

 

[okdiggermark]

Hmmmm.....Wheat Bread, or White Bread? They're both good, but everyone has different tastes. However, unlike eating a sandwich, one needs to feel a "trust" in our detectors and we all have different tastes and expectations from our machines. Just my 2¢...

 

[TORRERO]

Well you say a lot there...
But All the other Manufactureres seem to make out OK with their $1000 machines....
But Minelab decided they needed a $5000 dollar machine...
Maybe they will go Bankrupt if they stop selling these expensive machines
But Tesoro has been making top of the line detectors with LIFETIME Warranties since they were
founded and their not bankrupt yet.... and none of their machines cost $1000 dollars..
I don't know....
there is something to be said about Kmart and Walmart and Target all charging similar prices for
similar items even though they carry different names....
or American Airlines matches prices with Southwest or Delta for similar flights over similar routes...
It's how this country works...
But of course if I tell you my shoes are made with gold instead of Walmart's shoes being made of lead
then maybe I can sell my shoes for 5x more... if your willing to pay the price there will always be people or companies willing to sell it to you.

I wouldn't really call Tesoro 'top of the line'. They make good ultra lightweight machines. They offer nothing but single frequency machines with no or not so very good displays. Most of their units don't even ground balance in discriminate mode. They offer a lifetime warranty but if you don't have a display and keep your machines fairly utilitarian they shouldn't need much warranty work. In fact, Tesoros lifetime warranty may very well be what prevents them from offering a state of the art unit.

Ok, so we will refraise that to say ... One of the Major Metal Detector Manufacturers in the US.
Maybe it's more likely that what you have is a "top of the line detector" and everyone else has something of inferrior quality made by a subquality not top of the line manufacturer, because they paid less...

 

[The-Bone]

Ok, so we will refraise that to say ... One of the Major Metal Detector Manufacturers in the US.
Maybe it's more likely that what you have is a "top of the line detector" and everyone else has something of inferrior quality made by a subquality not top of the line manufacturer, because they paid less...

not at all...i run with a Whites M6 for my land hunting with no plans to upgrade anytime soon

 

[iCandy]

Hmmmm.....Wheat Bread, or White Bread? They're both good, but everyone has different tastes. However, unlike eating a sandwich, one needs to feel a "trust" in our detectors and we all have different tastes and expectations from our machines. Just my 2¢...

Charmin or Angel soft? There both good, but we have different choices. But unlike wiping, we must put our trust, our heart & our soul in our detectors...(as i shed many tears)We all have different ways of wiping (front to back & so on). We all wipe differently...& have expectations from our toilet paper. Just my fiddy €...

 

[okdiggermark]

@Adrian: ROFLMAO!!!!!!!

 

[Keppy]

Fact - Most electronics today are made in China. You could see 5 to 10 different brand names that all come from the same manufacturer in China varying in price.

What makes anyone think metal detectors are exempt from this?

The John Deere example is dead on. You're paying for the name.

Is a Harley more technologically advanced than an Asian speed bike that offers way more and is half the price? A Cadillac?

No, you're paying for the name.

What makes you think metal detectors are exempt from this?

I'm tired of hearing people use the comparison of cadillac vs pinto when talking about detectors.

Both get you from point a to b?

Sorry, I would rather keep driving my Suzuki Swift. Why? The cost to buy is cheap, the fuel millage is unbelievable, I've never had to fix one thing and if I did, the repair costs are a fraction of what it would cost to fix a caddy, parking is a breeze, insurance is cheap, and no one wants to steal it.
Heck, I can even drive down ATV trails through the bush and take that car where no caddy owner would ever go.
You couldn't even give me a cadillac and if you did, I'd sell it in a heartbeat!

Sorry, most "top of the line" detectors are backed with nothing but hype.

You spoke the truth there..... I have said that also but every one thinks the more you pay the better it is............ And we know that is a bunch of crap................ I had a Suzuki X90 and sold it about 4 years ago ...... By the way that's a car ........... Boy do i miss that car like you said Suzuki makes a great little car.......................... Good on gas cheap on repair's and it almost never had to be repaired ......... Not like the dam americian made car i have now it always needs something...... But i am going back to Suzuki..............

 

[okdiggermark]

@ Keppy: how bout some Angel Soft & White Bread? LOL

 

[goldentruth]

Jason, I think I got you by at least 10 years.
Detectors now a days are an assembly line item. The cases are moulded or formed by machines. The boards are made by machines. Most of the circuit boards are designed by computes. The tubing is formed by machines. Yes they are packed by hand no matter what they cost. Minelab has an offshore production line. There top 5000 is built on several prior models so the engineering cost is minimal.
Whites is probably the only totally made in USA left I don't know if First Texas is produced in USA with USA parts or not but they sell a lot of detectors under various brand names. When I buy, my primary concern is dept and location of target. The rest is bells and whistles as far as I am concerned. Frank

How Do frank: Ya forgot about Tesoro made in Arizona,USA. (To kindly add). I love "Made in the USA!" label my friend, Happy hunting.

 

[goldentruth]

Well you say a lot there...
But All the other Manufactureres seem to make out OK with their $1000 machines....
But Minelab decided they needed a $5000 dollar machine...
Maybe they will go Bankrupt if they stop selling these expensive machines
But Tesoro has been making top of the line detectors with LIFETIME Warranties since they were
founded and their not bankrupt yet.... and none of their machines cost $1000 dollars..
I don't know....
there is something to be said about Kmart and Walmart and Target all charging similar prices for
similar items even though they carry different names....
or American Airlines matches prices with Southwest or Delta for similar flights over similar routes...
It's how this country works...
But of course if I tell you my shoes are made with gold instead of Walmart's shoes being made of lead
then maybe I can sell my shoes for 5x more... if your willing to pay the price there will always be people or companies willing to sell it to you.

I wouldn't really call Tesoro 'top of the line'. They make good ultra lightweight machines. They offer nothing but single frequency machines with no or not so very good displays. Most of their units don't even ground balance in discriminate mode. They offer a lifetime warranty but if you don't have a display and keep your machines fairly utilitarian they shouldn't need much warranty work. In fact, Tesoros lifetime warranty may very well be what prevents them from offering a state of the art unit.

I got a friend who has over 10 grand in his own collection ofMd's, Minelab,Whites Etc. He made a statement in his oppinion that TESORO Lobo Super traq is in the top 5! They have a computerized ground balance circut built in. (I don't know how you can say most dont ground balance in discriminate when I own a early production model I don't have that problem ) They started when very much the same time Whites did early in their production early 80's Mini-Gold Rush times. I like what works and try to buy USA made like I have said before. When ever Minelab drops their price, I may check them out then if the best is within reach to be honest. (I don't want to sell the farm as my buddy Kgunn would say!)

 

[goldentruth]

Thanks for all the input/replys. We just have to watch out for bootleg/knock offs of minelabs and others.
My partner bought 14K Stamped rings on ebay and saw the "member: had over a thousand sales all with 100% rating, then he saw many complaints in the same week before he received his shippment , he told me he was starting to sweat, when the rings came, he cut one and found the Chineese Company had gold plated the rings and could not get his money back. Kinda like the Chineese getting suckers with the Bogus MD's.

Back where I come from, they used 2 hang theifs in Shasta County N.Cal... Now hangin is 2 good for um now partner. (Maybe they are still mad because right after 1850 the City of Red Bluff passed a law: making it illegal for Chinnese to Gold Mine, Any caught would be arrested, hung or shot!) (Must be some kind of payback now?)lol.