China Metal Detectors NOT Copied/Priate Models

[topdogintampa]

Just my input on China built units...

I have a Garrett AT Pro, a Teknetics Gamma 6000 and a China made Treasure Commander TC3X which is just a Ground EFX MX300 with the camo finish. I like the TC3X alot and find myself using it as much as the others if not more. It's very user friendly and has a very short learning curve compared to the other two. Works just as well but has a few drawbacks also as most all detectors do compared to much higher priced units. Those being the permenant coil and it's a bit on the heavy side compared to my other two. But it also has pro's like the large backlit color touchscreen and the coil led spotlight for hunting in non-daylight hours. I can't do that with the other two.

I have gone into more detail in the "other brand forum" on my take with it. I just took it with me on a little trip up to Maine a few weeks ago. It's built just as well and I got it very cheap($150, 1 day used) and I would buy another for the same $ all day long....

I knew going in I would have no warranty on it or repair place to send it to if it has a issue down the road either, but the price offered a very good risk to reward imo...I'm very happy with it and will be rockin' on the beaches in the am! Heck, I may even use the ATP for a bit too....

T

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

In the 8 years I have been detecting I have yet to see a single coin floating in the air. What matters is how it does on targets in the ground, not coins in the air,..,

 

[sycotoad]

In the 8 years I have been detecting I have yet to see a single coin floating in the air. What matters is how it does on targets in the ground, not coins in the air,..,

No problems pulling old half pennies out of the ground 9+ inches, so its no CTX but for $140 its far better value than anything else in that price range -

As for air tests, make of them what you like - I in fact manage to get useful information from watching these on youtube and not once have I come away looking for floating coins - Thats just

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

No problems pulling old half pennies out of the ground 9+ inches, so its no CTX but for $140 its far better value than anything else in that price range -

As for air tests, make of them what you like - I in fact manage to get useful information from watching these on youtube and not once have I come away looking for floating coins - Thats just

My excal gets maybe 6 inches on air test but I pull targets over 15 - 20 inches deep out of ground at beaches... Air tests do not tell you how a detector will respond to real targets in real ground conditions, with that said all that matters in the end is that your happy with your detector.....

 

[sycotoad]

My excal gets maybe 6 inches on air test but I pull targets over 15 - 20 inches deep out of ground at beaches... Air tests do not tell you how a detector will respond to real targets in real ground conditions, with that said all that matters in the end is that your happy with your detector.....

Yes sir - I love my Minelabs as well - The only reason I looked toward China is the simple fact that US manufacturers have made it a lot harder for foreigners to purchase US made detectors. I for the life of me cannot see a problem with someone from NZ buying from a reputable dealer in the USA, as I know my money goes directly to Americans - But by stopping that process, where else are foreign buyers supposed to go to ensure the money flows back to the states? - Personally I think the US manufacturers have dropped the ball on this as China don't care whom they sell to -

Thanks for your informative posts TH & Happy Hunting

 

[LuckyLarry]

Well sycotoad, you need to re-read my statement. I didn't give my opinion, I stated a fact, my experiences, it's what I have personally experienced, not that it's totally all-inclusive. And of course as fella said, you misquoted me a bit, as people often do.

As Bill Clinton might have said, "it depends on what your definition of "cheap" is..

 

[woof!]

LuckyLarry, I think you missed sycotoad's point. He knows (by now anyhow) that everything we manufacture apart from a couple of under-$100 models (which are of no interest to him personally anyhow) are made right here in El Paso.

His complaint is that he can't buy a T2 from a USA dealer, but can buy a clone from China. He'd rather have the real thing. I can't exactly sympathize with everything he's said, but I can sympathize with that much.

When a manufacturer establishes a marketing & distribution system over wide region, the middlemen (distributors/dealers) often want exclusive territory protection as part of the deal. Some manufacturers rely heavily on the concept of exclusive territories, and others tend to emphasize a free-for-all arrangement with little or no territorial protection. Neither way is either right or wrong, nor will either way make everyone involved happy. It's a matter of what makes the most sense given the circumstances. A manufacturer may do it one way in one region and another way in another region. In the case of FTP-Fisher, we tend to prefer exclusive territory distribution.

Regarding the matter of counterfeits and clones, obviously we have little control over that. The Chinese government supports counterfeiting and cloning, it is what it is. What the counterfeiters & cloners do isn't much influenced by how we operate our distribution system, it's driven by the desire to imitate the success of a physical product. Sometimes we look at the bright side: if our products were krap, we wouldn't have a counterfeit & cloner problem.

 

[LuckyLarry]

Yes I know Woof, years ago I was pc production supervisor for a business that manufactured/improved Whites circuit boards - after I quit working for the Department of Defense as a tech designing the Mark 48 Nuclear Torpedo Guidance System. Those times were in the late 70's- early 80's. Even then there were discrepancies about how and where what was made, how they were distributed, or what had parts and components made elsewhere, to include some items made in other countries (as per metal detector creations, but not Federal Defense items). My point was about the (higher end) Bounty Hunter detectors, although I didn't say that directly. And of course I could have added to my statement an implication that when I say "made", I also mean "designed." Nevertheless, in short and in full, (I personally) have not ever seen a Chinese metal detector design (or clone) that matched the ability of a good (meaning higher end) Bounty Hunter metal detector. My point was only relative to but not necessarily matching or mirroring sycotoads point - about not being able to buy one here or somewhere else.. And I might add that so far, the Chinese "clones" almost always use inferior parts and are tossed together (fairly often) by little children too, a practice which I abhor. Thanks for the education Woof..

 

[sycotoad]

And I might add that so far, the Chinese "clones" almost always use inferior parts and are tossed together (fairly often) by little children too, a practice which I abhor. Thanks for the education Woof..

Thanks for your replies guys - As for you Dave J, you probably have heard this many time before, but you are my hero - honestly

Anyways as for child labor, its been going on for years in Indonesia for both UK & US buainesses

As for Chinese metal detectors, if you do your homework you can find reputable companies that CAN make quality gear - As I have mentioned before, corporate America know this - However, those that are getting into buying the counterfeit metal detectors thinking they are getting a bargain are the ones getting burnt - Whilst I conducted my own investigation into the Chinese copies/clones I stumbled across the manufacturer of the GF2 and was blown away by performance and quality - It certainly blew my BH Land Ranger & Discovery 3300 away, but I am not going to go running around stating that the GoldFinder2 metal detector blows away mid-high range Bounty Hunters as Fact - clearly its NOT as I haven't tested the GF2 against all the BH line-up -

Like I have said on many occasions - all we want to be able to do is to buy direct from the USA until NZ has their own dealer/distributor - This ensures the money is going to where it should be...

Yes Dave J I would love nothing more than a T2 however I was hoping you would put out your very own signature series - The Dave J Limited Edition

Anyways guys, as usual I love speaking with you all and my apologies to you LuckyLarry for my bluntness & rudeness for miss-quoting what you said - For that I am very sorry & I hope I didn't cause you any offense -

Happy Hunting Guys & Stay Safe

 

[LuckyLarry]

NO need for apologies sycotoad, and no offense taken either. And too, thank you too for the education, I always enjoy learning from those with experience, wisdom, and education like you and Woof....

 

[Red James Cash]

Are any of the China detectors worth purchasing?

If the detectors are anything like the crap sneakers they send over here,buy one you might get a months use out of it.

 

[sycotoad]

If the detectors are anything like the crap sneakers they send over here,buy one you might get a months use out of it.

Fortune cookie time -

always best to buy your sneakers by the two - as hopping everywhere wears shoe out very quick

 

[sssmiller]

First off - I don't dislike Bounty Hunter metal detectors - either US made or Chinese made ones

As for clones I am no expert but I do look into as much as I can before I pass on information - I have always taken the approach to NOT rubbish any metal detector until I have at least tried it -

A college and I purchased two Chinese metal detectors from two different manufacturers to see how good/bad they actually performed & compare them against each other - They were a counterfeit T2 & the GoldFinder2

The fake T2 was absolute cr@p - The soldering work on the pcb was shocking and the wires they used were too light - The entire unit wobbled when you swung it - It was just terrible - We boxed it up ready to send to FT in the USA as Mike Scott wanted people who had these to send them in for testing

The GoldFinder2 on the other hand is a totally different story - As seen on youtube, they do airtest coins 15"+ - They are well made and perform very well indeed - The workmanship on the inside is also of a high standard & the entire package is backed up by fantastic customer service - Parts are readily available if you should damage anything - We also boxed this unit up to send to Mike............However what stopped us from following through and sending our findings and machines to FT was the fact that Dave J stated that he would crush any copies that FT received, so we decided that we could not afford to donate that much $$ to them -

Kinda sad really as I live in NZ, yet was passionate about FT and was doing everything I could from here to try and help the company I felt loyal too -

I have no-where near the experience many of you have but I am an addicted passionate detectorist non the less & have owned 30+ detectors in the 30 months I have been involved in this hobby - Certainly not an expert in one or other, however it was more important to me to secure a complete package that suited where I live -

The Chinese managed to do that - If I was living in the USA it would be a different story

No I am NOT saying China have the best machines as that couldn't be further from the truth, however if you feel comfortable spending around $800 for a T2 that's all good but you can get a GoldFinder2 for around $140 + shipping and it operates & looks 100% like a T2, but performance is around 85% -

So to sum up, I believe $140 to be a cheap Chinese metal detector (+ UR30 Headphones) that is well worth the money -

This is a very interesting thread. Being a noob.. I do mean noob as I have about an hour of hands on detecting experience, this does interest me. I dont know all detectors, but I'm learning, just as everyone else has.
Since the stress of units are cost to quality, shouldn't the Goldfinder2 be compared to detectors in it's same cost class and to those that it mimics? That would give a better "bang for the buck" comparison.
As I said, I'm quite green in this hobby, but I know a little about about the Chinese manufacturing process and the political side of why they are so well at what they do. They are educated with Engineers and designers around every corner and manufactures in little basement sized warehouses.
China is Communist (sorta), but in global economics, competition will always be present. So with as many competent manufactures they have, the more competition they will have as well. And the less designers pay to have their products made. Quality control isn't effected "where" this is done, but how it is managed. The USA has been doing this for decades. Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, General Electric, is just a few manufactures that control a large source of products being produced. There are just fewer, highly educated Americans opening manufacturing plants in their basements. American designers have relied on patent licenses and outsourcing the manufacturing, even if it was done in the USA, it was still outsourced. And when outsourced, odds are, quality will suffer. Even in USA made products.
Large manufactures need to make profits also. The best way to buy a good product, regardless of the origin where it's been made, is to study the design and make sure it's built by a competent manufacturer that stresses on quality control. The majority of those products are usually made out of smaller group manufactured products where most or even all of the process is done in house. But not always.


David

 

[ivan salis]

remember a few things - (1) -the bitter taste of poor quality lingers much longer than the sweet taste of a cheap price (2) typically you get what quality you pay for --pay crap , get crap (3) if you do not support your countries business's , you can not expect your country to do well --every dollar you spend on "knock off" / rip off pirate copy type items undermines legit companies ,,,you can only support the "good guys" or the "bad guys" pick one..

 

[ivan salis]

and remember "American market" items made in china * by llarge usa companies often have living on site --American quality INSPECTORS .. to insure that their quality standards are met for parts / items made there... the look alike "knock off brands" might look like a ------(fill in the blank ) but the insides often are way less .. like I say you deal with "knock off crooks" you get to deal wit the devil you support

 

[sycotoad]

remember a few things - (1) -the bitter taste of poor quality lingers much longer than the sweet taste of a cheap price (2) typically you get what quality you pay for --pay crap , get crap (3) if you do not support your countries business's , you can not expect your country to do well --every dollar you spend on "knock off" / rip off pirate copy type items undermines legit companies ,,,you can only support the "good guys" or the "bad guys" pick one..

Very emotional post - lets see - you are a "bad guy" if we purchase Chinese made gear

YET

we are the "good guy" if we buy from a US supplier who manufactures in China
American Corporations in China

next it will be 'you're either with us or you are with the terrorists" - all getting a bit tired of this misinformation -

By the way - I can confirm the the GF2 performs to the same standard as the original T2 (green machine) - so in this instance, its a bargain @ $140 + shipping - FREE GF2 UR30 headphones

 

[sycotoad]

and remember "American market" items made in china * by llarge usa companies often have living on site --American quality INSPECTORS .. to insure that their quality standards are met for parts / items made there... the look alike "knock off brands" might look like a ------(fill in the blank ) but the insides often are way less .. like I say you deal with "knock off crooks" you get to deal wit the devil you support

Considering you have NOT looked at the inside of a GF2 you do not know what it is you are getting worked up about -

As for 'knock off crooks' - again this is pure speculation on your part - First Texas have known about GF2 for years - They also know about the very similar Viking being sold by their FT distributor in the Ukraine without any conflicting issues at all -

The very same manufacturer of the GF2 makes the Vikings >>>>>

Now asides from knowing the respective companies legalities of which we both do not, we can only base our results/rants on our findings - considering you have not taken the time to look into testing/reviewing the GF2, then it clearly shows your posts are purely based on emotions -

 

[Phantasman]

It may work as good.

I don't buy stolen stuff. Not illegal knockoffs, I don't purchase pirated video's, etc. etc. My morals don't have a price. I'd rather live with something less and legal rather than promoting thieves and crooks.

Sure FTP is aware of the T2 knockoffs. And they are acting on it. http://www.tekneticst2.com/Press Release Dubai Counterfeit Raid -- 06Oct2013.pdf

Might want to read this forum.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/teknetics/381323-first-texas-cracks-down-counterfeit-ring.html

 

[steve1357]

Somebody on ebay has a Goldfinder for sale, says its the same as a T2. Fortunately, nobody is bidding on it.

 

[sycotoad]

great stuff - personally there is no need for the GF2's to be in the USA anyway - you can already get the legendary T2's so for those of us around the world who not only have issues getting a Teknetics T2 we also have to ship the entire unit back to the USA if we need a simple repair done - in many cases that is not viable because of the shipping costs -

GF2 ships parts to your door & sell their metal detectors to anyone who wants them - easier to get than a T2 - cheaper than a T2 & you can buy parts if needed - they clearly label their product so NOT to confuse anyone that its a fake T2 as clearly its not - their sales & support team seem to be efficient and friendly as well

making life simple