Opinions on Gold Bug 2

[mikebourgeois]

I love detecting and for my normal everyday out and about I have my Makro Kruzer... but I'd like to go search out some gold up north and I'm not sure what a good system would be for me to use. Now I know my Kruzer can find gold but I don't think it's designed for it specifically and really if I want to go up north and find nails, pans and debris I'll just bring the Kruzer and I'll have heaps to take home with me.

So with the above blah, blah, blah I want to know what y'all think about the Fisher Gold Bug 2 as a intro/intermediate system for gold prospecting. I've looked around and seen others but most it seems are either way out of my price range or a good system that is wearing too many hats to truly specialize and do it's best for finding some treasure for fun and conversation. Any thoughts please... either tell me what you think of the Gold Bug 2 or perhaps you think there is a better machine that isn't going to run me more than a grand Canadian and is in the intro/intermediate level.

thanks for your thoughts.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Slowtaknow]

I don't speak from personal experience, but i did research a bit myself prior and these stood out as best bang for buck, gold bug 2, whites gmt, minelab sovereign gold i think it was called? And the tesoro lobo super trac. Also the nokta au gold if you can find one used, all of these can be found used and usually cheaper than msrp, but some people won't let nothing go for cheap.

 

[Goldwasher]

Gold Bug 2 is a great machine.

Your still gonna find a bunch of nails ans trash. It's just how it is. When your hunting gold.

 

[AllenJ]

The Gold Bug II is a great machine, my son has one and loves it. As an into/intermediate machine I think if you do your homework it should work fine, it was my son's first detector and he's had good luck with his.

Other machines you might want to consider are Minelabs Gold Monster 1000 and White's 24k. Both get really good reviews and have proven to be good nugget shooters. I picked up a Gold Monster earlier this year and even though I've yet to put it over a piece of gold I've been very impressed on its performance handling bad ground.

 

[russau]

I was thinking of asking a friend of mine that's also unable to go prospecting about buying his Gold Bug 2........ It's easily over 20 years old but it still works. What would be a fair offer for him and Myself ?? I don't want to low ball him OR shaft myself..

 

[Rick K]

If it’s a GB2 and not an original Gold Bug, then anything from $250 - $500 depending on condition is likely.

 

[Nevada Prospector]

I have used a Gold Bug II for about 10 years and have found several nuggets with it. My brother also uses a Bug with a lot of success. I recommend it highly but you will have to deal with hot rocks more than with a Pulse Induction detector.

 

[Amarok530]

The Gold Bug II is a great machine, my son has one and loves it. As an into/intermediate machine I think if you do your homework it should work fine, it was my son's first detector and he's had good luck with his.

Other machines you might want to consider are Minelabs Gold Monster 1000 and White's 24k. Both get really good reviews and have proven to be good nugget shooters. I picked up a Gold Monster earlier this year and even though I've yet to put it over a piece of gold I've been very impressed on its performance handling bad ground.

Like Dad said, I love it. Within minutes of my first use I was quickly finding shot and nails. It can be tricky in highly mineralized areas, but it is worth it and becomes easier with time and knowledge. I pulled a flake out of a crevice last year with my GB2 and am still amazed that it could hit on something so small.

 

[oneguy]

From what I've read and heard that machine has proven itself well over time......

 

[Hard Prospector]

Used a GB2 and found gold with it, bought a Gold Monster and found more gold with it. Sensitivity about the same, Monster WAY EASIER TO USE and has good discrimination. Both near the same price...........buy the Monster.

BTW; Whites 24k effective but not better
than the Monster nor as user friendly

 

[alaskaseeker]

A very powerful liteweight metal detector put a magnet on your pick ir digging tool to remove the iron targets.l I've found hundreds of bits with mine.. 6" coil is a killer... I quit looking for the small pieces started putting the signals in a small bucket I carries along to sluice later. You will waste too much time looking. You have to stay on top of the GB... Geo

 

[AZADAM]

BTW; Whites 24k effective but not better
than the Monster

Is that statement from personal experience? What led you to that conclusion?

 

[DaveVanP]

Nokta is a sister company of Makro, and the Nokta AU Gold Finder is a variation of the Makro Gold Racer that has been "tweaked" for nugget hunting. It does NOT have a digital readout/VDI, but does have a red/green LED for indicating ferrous/non-ferrous. It has knobs and switches rather that touch pads, similar to the GB2. One professional MD'er reviewed it as "...what a Gold Bug 3 would be, if Fisher made one...". It's priced about 10% lower than a GB; about the same as the GB Pro. I have researched the AU, but haven't used one.

 

[signal_line]

XP ORX Wireless and SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Used a GB2 and found gold with it, bought a Gold Monster and found more gold with it. Sensitivity about the same, Monster WAY EASIER TO USE and has good discrimination. Both near the same price...........buy the Monster.

BTW; Whites 24k effective but not better
than the Monster nor as user friendly

Ditto!

 

[TerryC]

I own the GB2 and the Monster. BOTH will get the job done in excellent fashion. If you're plug-n-play, do the Monster. If you're a Gizmo-Guy, the GB2. I tend to favor (slightly) the GB2 only because of my years of experience with it. ╦╦C