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 $$$.

 

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[U.K. Brian]

The Lobo Supertrac has to be ground balanced in the all metal mode to work correctly and only ground tracks in all metal which may be what the gold hunter wants but is not ideal for general searching. Very sensitive but lacks depth.

Tesoro were rather late in producing detectors, way behind Whites. Even C & G Technology which could be called the forerunner to Tesoro wasn't early on the scene.

Interesting thing about the foreign clone detectors is I met someone who had bought a Whites in Malaysia from one of the clone outlets and it was totally genuine but cost around half the list price. May years back I was on holiday in the U.S. and the new model Suzuki Swift had just hit the market. In sterling it was £3000, the same car back home was £6000. Same car except the U.S. version had cost more to make as it had to be converted to left hand drive. I assume they were trying to grow market share.

When you watch CNN reports from different parts of the world you will see lots of BMW's. Its not that the locals are rich its just that the manufacturers are prepared to make small profits to up sales. Likewise detector manufacturers who have a product that cost very little to produce are prepared to sell at little profit as they know that Western prices would almost stop sales in poorer countries.

So if you go out East don't write everything as cloned or copied check them out you could get a bargain.

 

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[goldentruth]

The Lobo Supertrac has to be ground balanced in the all metal mode to work correctly and only ground tracks in all metal which may be what the gold hunter wants but is not ideal for general searching. Very sensitive but lacks depth.

Tesoro were rather late in producing detectors, way behind Whites. Even C & G Technology which could be called the forerunner to Tesoro wasn't early on the scene.

Interesting thing about the foreign clone detectors is I met someone who had bought a Whites in Malaysia from one of the clone outlets and it was totally genuine but cost around half the list price. May years back I was on holiday in the U.S. and the new model Suzuki Swift had just hit the market. In sterling it was £3000, the same car back home was £6000. Same car except the U.S. version had cost more to make as it had to be converted to left hand drive. I assume they were trying to grow market share.

When you watch CNN reports from different parts of the world you will see lots of BMW's. Its not that the locals are rich its just that the manufacturers are prepared to make small profits to up sales. Likewise detector manufacturers who have a product that cost very little to produce are prepared to sell at little profit as they know that Western prices would almost stop sales in poorer countries.

So if you go out East don't write everything as cloned or copied check them out you could get a bargain.

Thanks for the keen info about overseas, it does make sense but I hear it is better to deal with a registered/authorised dealer if you are buying new and not over the internet Sight/Unseen. (one ebay seller warns of a foreign accent to watch out for.) I have seen a name brand tool sub'ed out and be a pile of crap because it was made in Mexico or parts of Asia, I'm sayin SOMETIMES not the same. By the way you are right about the Lobo lacking depth but at least is shown to detect up to 5 gr. small. Good MD hunting.

 

[U.K. Brian]

Also should say that you can safely buy a Lobo for use in the U.S. and know that it works just as well on the very small but valuable ancient coins throughout Europe where lots of other detectors fall down.

 

[George (MN)]

The counterfeits I saw advertised on the chinese site are actually made by a man in Indonesia. He will countefeit almost any brand/model. Except for some of the cheapest models the minimum order is 3 of the same model, pricing essentially 3 for 1.

Those $5,000 Minelabs do have an extra something in them, but are more detector than most of us could use. I saw a video of a guy using a several thousand dollar Minelab for coin hunting a very old site. He got a nice signal that turned out to be a coin over 200 years old at 20" .Then he got kind of an iffy signal, it was another coin over 200 years old at a depth of 22"! Arrest & hobby ban if we dig that deep in manicured park?

Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[okdiggermark]

@George: I will have to agree with you on that......I'm convinced digging huge holes would be very much frowned upon. And can you imagine carrying a full sized spade with you in a City Park? LOL!

 

[Smudge]

@George: I will have to agree with you on that......I'm convinced digging huge holes would be very much frowned upon. And can you imagine carrying a full sized spade with you in a City Park? LOL!

Sad part is, if used correctly, a shovel plug will be less noticeable and cause less damage than your average handheld trowel will.

When the shovel plug is put back in the ground, the is almost not trace of it at all.

Dankowski uses this method often and I'm amazed how clean it is to use.

But you guys are right, the mere appearance of a shovel in a park would send people into a mad froth!

 

[okdiggermark]

@George: I will have to agree with you on that......I'm convinced digging huge holes would be very much frowned upon. And can you imagine carrying a full sized spade with you in a City Park? LOL!

Sad part is, if used correctly, a shovel plug will be less noticeable and cause less damage than your average handheld trowel will.

When the shovel plug is put back in the ground, the is almost not trace of it at all.

Dankowski uses this method often and I'm amazed how clean it is to use.

But you guys are right, the mere appearance of a shovel in a park would send people into a mad froth!

You are totally correct. I could dig extremely clean looking plugs with a shovel but yeah........people would FREAK OUT.

 

[Mark S.]

Not defending anything here just bringing up a point to consider.

The first time I saw a minelab explorer I made this statement and it still holds true. I am in the moldmaking industry. The minelabs are way over engineered as far as the packaging goes. Every plastic piece on the detector is a molded part. When you count them up there are quite a few.

Each part requires an injection mold. They are not cheap. The initial cost must be amortised into the run of parts. If you are talking a cell phone or ipod where there are millions made then the cost per part is very small. When talking the very limited market of metal detectors the cost per part is very high. This is one reason for the high costs of Minelabs.

Most other detectors brands use a number of off the shelf componets. Such as tubing for the shafts. Vacuum formed coils which is a far cheaper process (my shop does that too). Even the coils on the minelabs are injection molded.

Again this does not answer the question of the counterfeits but it does explain alot of the minelab prices. Although the GPX series is WWWWAAAAAAYYYYYY over the top. I cannot even imagine my wife's reaction if I told her I was going to spend over $3000 for a detector.

 

[goldentruth]

Not defending anything here just bringing up a point to consider.

The first time I saw a minelab explorer I made this statement and it still holds true. I am in the moldmaking industry. The minelabs are way over engineered as far as the packaging goes. Every plastic piece on the detector is a molded part. When you count them up there are quite a few.

Each part requires an injection mold. They are not cheap. The initial cost must be amortised into the run of parts. If you are talking a cell phone or ipod where there are millions made then the cost per part is very small. When talking the very limited market of metal detectors the cost per part is very high. This is one reason for the high costs of Minelabs.

Most other detectors brands use a number of off the shelf componets. Such as tubing for the shafts. Vacuum formed coils which is a far cheaper process (my shop does that too). Even the coils on the minelabs are injection molded.

Again this does not answer the question of the counterfeits but it does explain alot of the minelab prices. Although the GPX series is WWWWAAAAAAYYYYYY over the top. I cannot even imagine my wife's reaction if I told her I was going to spend over $3000 for a detector.

I understand, set up costs for lay-up mold model design to copy and casts for vacume from of heated plastic and or extrusion,(I once worked for Disney) it would be costly for a "hack" but at $5,000 to $6,000 original asking of what Minelab asks, some are tempted to produce knock-offs.
I know my gal would go ballistic at even hearing the price of 5 to 6 grand, she would show me the door for some air and only to return when I come back to work. I never saw it comming where a MD would cost the same as a good car or motorcycle. Even in 1980 I bought a new Honda Goldwing GL-1100 for $3,000 cash out of crate and built in 30 days set up with zero miles... and now MD's 4,5,& 6 grand? Times have certainly changed.

 

[Jason in Enid]

One point that many seem to be lost on, those $5000 GPX detectors are not just an overpriced Compadre. They are designed as prospecting tools. Thier ability to eliminate mineralization and background EMI is above anything else in the industry. They are for locating the tiniest pieces of gold in the worst ground conditions in the world. They operate completely different from any other line of detector on the market.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

understand, set up costs for lay-up mold model design to copy and casts for vacume from of heated plastic and or extrusion,(I once worked for Disney) it would be costly for a "hack" but at $5,000 to $6,000 original asking of what Minelab asks, some are tempted to produce knock-offs.
I know my gal would go ballistic at even hearing the price of 5 to 6 grand, she would show me the door for some air and only to return when I come back to work. I never saw it comming where a MD would cost the same as a good car or motorcycle. Even in 1980 I bought a new Honda Goldwing GL-1100 for $3,000 cash out of crate and built in 30 days set up with zero miles... and now MD's 4,5,& 6 grand? Times have certainly changed.

Cost the same as a good car, have you seen the price of a car lately? LOL..... The detectors are the top of Minelabs line... When I retire, if I do retire in Az, I will pick one up to go gold hunting, just like other Minelab products they hold their value for years...................

 

[TORRERO]

One point that many seem to be lost on, those $5000 GPX detectors are not just an overpriced Compadre. They are designed as prospecting tools. Their ability to eliminate mineralization and background EMI is above anything else in the industry. They are for locating the tiniest pieces of gold in the worst ground conditions in the world. They operate completely different from any other line of detector on the market.

You know, at today's gold prices, if this could pick up the fine gold chains on the beach, and all the really small gold lost on the beaches, then you might actually get your money back in a few weeks of hot hunting....
Just one thing though....
I would never leave that baby in a car... somewhere.... where someone else could get to it..
that would really be painfull....

 

[Jason in Enid]

Yes, they would probably make great beach machines. You would be doing a LOT of digging though. Some people prefer less sensitivity so that they can just dig the rings that are close to the surface.

 

[goldentruth]

Yes, they would probably make great beach machines. You would be doing a LOT of digging though. Some people prefer less sensitivity so that they can just dig the rings that are close to the surface.

I agree, Minelab are the Mercedes of MD's. Nobody I have seen yet has said their Non-Minelab goes deeper on search for depth but I think the price is too high. Very few have made enough gold in one year to pay for its self, I only have heard a estimation of if they keep going good but not that they have. I believe a few have truthfully. A lot of people think in a year is like going to be free. I am only saying it can take some time, Knowing your machine, luck and don't forget work too or we all would be buying several to boot.
I did quote saying buying a good car, I did not say a new car... With 5 to 6 grand what I have seen GPX 5000 go for a good car would be a middle/newer type lightly used Honda as a good value car. You can't take anything from the Minelab GPX 5000 my friend.

 

[kgunn]

so golden did u get ur answer...

kgunn

 

[NICKO 66]

G''Day All new here, i have one thing that is really bugging me, its all about the FAKE MINELAB 5000.. i have read so much on this... why have Minelab not put up a video comparing the FAKE GPX 5000 to the REAL GPX 5000.. ON A FEILD TEST...could someone please let me know why..
There is so much wright up on them, but i have not seen a simple video comparing the both out on the feild or air test.
I would of thought of how big MINELAB are that they would buy a fake GPX5000 to show that it does not work...
If ther is a video out there showing them working and the Fake GPX 5000 not working like the real one , then can someone post it
thanks Nicko 66 downunder

 

[The Governor]

I wonder what's in these machines electronics wise? If these Chinese manufacturers are recreating the housing for these detectors, surely they'd be able to just clone the Minelab (parts that aren't with patents or create their own), and just make something as good or better than Minelab for a fraction of the cost. I know a lot of the capacitors and boards used in our English speaking countries are from various Asian countries.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

G''Day All new here, i have one thing that is really bugging me, its all about the FAKE MINELAB 5000.. i have read so much on this... why have Minelab not put up a video comparing the FAKE GPX 5000 to the REAL GPX 5000.. ON A FEILD TEST...could someone please let me know why..
There is so much wright up on them, but i have not seen a simple video comparing the both out on the feild or air test.
I would of thought of how big MINELAB are that they would buy a fake GPX5000 to show that it does not work...
If ther is a video out there showing them working and the Fake GPX 5000 not working like the real one , then can someone post it
thanks Nicko 66 downunder

Minelab has no intention of putting out a video comparing the two and I can't blame them.... I personally have no intention of buying a cheap chinese knock off of any detector, Minelab or otherwise... I have been buying Minelabs for 6 years and still very happy with the quality of what I have received. I currently own 2 excals, Etrac and a sov gt at the moment and I have sold an excal, safari and a custom waterproofed sov gt in the past... So far I have not been disappointed in any of the minelabs I have bought.

 

[huntsman53]

I wonder what's in these machines electronics wise? If these Chinese manufacturers are recreating the housing for these detectors, surely they'd be able to just clone the Minelab (parts that aren't with patents or create their own), and just make something as good or better than Minelab for a fraction of the cost. I know a lot of the capacitors and boards used in our English speaking countries are from various Asian countries.

The Chinese are not interested in making a metal detector that really works as that will cost them more money to create the counterfeits! They are only interested in what it takes to make the metal detector give off a signal that can fool the vast majority of inexperienced Md'ers. Also, most countries are afraid to enact Laws to prevent the sales or importation of these and other counterfeited items as most do billions of dollars or other currencies in trade with the Chinese and the Chinese government refuses to act upon these Counterfeiters as they know that they have all of us over a barrel due to the trade imbalance and monies owed to them!


Frank

 

[scotty544]

The Chinese are ripping off everything electronic that we make so metal detectors are just one of many products that they rip off. They also make cheapo knock of ipads, and anything else they can get the blueprint for. Trust the old saying," if it sounds to good to be true it prob. is!" As far as price gouging goes, if you look at whats in a md, I think that they are all way overpriced. the manufacturer prob. has about $300 in a $1500 detector. Add in r&d of about another $100 and then the mark up at the local level. I figure that half of the $$$ is pure profit.