Dear Metal Detector Manufacturers...

[Silver Simon]

It is 2015. We love your products and use them for hours upon hours outside. Isn't it time for ALL models to have waterproofing on the control unit? It is the brain of our machines, and those who do not have a model with waterproofing are forced to fear the rain or the edge of bodies of water. I'm pretty sure most people would gladly pay a small premium to have waterproofing on any metal detector they wanted to buy.

That is all.

 

[Slingshot]

Amen!

 

[Phantasman]

It is 2015. We love your products and use them for hours upon hours outside. Isn't it time for ALL models to have waterproofing on the control unit? It is the brain of our machines, and those who do not have a model with waterproofing are forced to fear the rain or the edge of bodies of water. I'm pretty sure most people would gladly pay a small premium to have waterproofing on any metal detector they wanted to buy.

That is all.

I think Fisher already heard that request since the F22 and F44 are sealed to 24" underwater, making them surely weatherproof.

 

[Skippy SH13]

I agree! I'd be willing to pay an extra $10 for a 6"-24" water seal. Seriously, we're not trying to replace the 10' waterproof models, we're just afraid of rain and water drippage!

-Skippy

 

[Silver Simon]

I agree! I'd be willing to pay an extra $10 for a 6"-24" water seal. Seriously, we're not trying to replace the 10' waterproof models, we're just afraid of rain and water drippage!

-Skippy

Exactly! Detectors for underwater purposes can remain in their own league.

 

[longcut]

Hell I just wish I had one I could use in a drizzle ............ I ain't planning on getting my feet wet ...

 

[parkgt]

Why not include reasonably priced wireless headphones or module for same on the list. Are there that many people that really enjoy being tethered to their detector. Once you experience wireless detecting it is hard to go back.

 

[peterh]

Stick the control box in a clear plastic bag or buy a better detector. Simple really

 

[here4themoney]

If other brands put out quality waterproof machines in the $500-$1000 price range it would have made my decision to buy the AT Gold a lot harder. Being waterproof was the biggest reason I went with it, they are losing lots of sales to the Garret AT's because of it.

BTW.. Thrilled with my Garrett AT Gold, it's been great for me.

 

[el padron]

Every thread pertaining to this subject has been closed or completely erased.
(1 after 600 posts and over 22,000 views)
Historically the manufacturers have sold "dreams" to inexperienced people that pay thousands of dollars for cheaply made machines that are purposely under innovated and extremely overpriced.
As of late, the subject pertaining to obvious lack of quality and value has been gaining ground resulting in substantial retail slowdowns and some progress has begun to occur.
There is still a lot of overpriced purposely under built garbage out there, but it no longer flys off the shelf.
Quality equipment will not come easily to the Industry leader's customers. They are used to huge profits that have come very easily.
One manufacturer has thus begun to price their new hand held models in the tens of thousand of dollars.

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

Boom

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Every thread pertaining to this subject has been closed or completely erased.
(1 after 600 posts and over 22,000 views)
Historically the manufacturers have sold "dreams" to inexperienced people that pay thousands of dollars for cheaply made machines that are purposely under innovated and extremely overpriced.
As of late, the subject pertaining to obvious lack of quality and value has been gaining ground resulting in substantial retail slowdowns and some progress has begun to occur.
There is still a lot of overpriced purposely under built garbage out there, but it no longer flys off the shelf.
Quality equipment will not come easily to the Industry leader's customers. They are used to huge profits that have come very easily.
One manufacturer has thus begun to price their new hand held models in the tens of thousand of dollars.

Wrong, in fact the opposite is true, Codan, parent company of Minelab reported 70 million in detector sales last physical year and reports for this year which end in June 30, 2015 have sales and profits even higher.

Codan Limited (ASX: CDA) has been one of the surprise favorites of the recent reporting season after it reported a 12% lift in revenue, a 33% lift in underlying net profit to $6.01 million, and a 1.5 cent per share interim dividend for the first half of the 2015 financial year.

The solid half has culminated in a 28% lift in the share price over the first two months of the year, but shareholders must be wondering if it can go even higher in 2015.

 

[happycamper08]

People worry about a shower to much. P.S. Hunting in the rain SUCKS!

 

[SouthFLdigger]

People worry about a shower to much. P.S. Hunting in the rain SUCKS!

That is true but if you get caught in one of the nasty sudden downpours we get here in South FL your detector is toast even with a bag over it. So i welcome the addition of inexpensive O rings and case design allowing your detector to get soaked or submerged. furthermore for those who hunt near the beach like i do, salt in the air mixed in with small microscopic debris will work its way into all detectors that do not have these o-rings. Eventually destroying electrical connections and damaging PCBs, this is especially true when salt finds its under IC legs and other surface mount components. This will even change tolerance levels and accuracy of circuits, sodium is a conductive metal. So i think the push for weatherproof/ waterproof machines is a great one and brings peace of mind.

 

[el padron]

Wrong, in fact the opposite is true, Codan, parent company of Minelab reported 70 million in detector sales last physical year and reports for this year which end in June 30, 2015 have sales and profits even higher.

Codan Limited (ASX: CDA) has been one of the surprise favorites of the recent reporting season after it reported a 12% lift in revenue, a 33% lift in underlying net profit to $6.01 million, and a 1.5 cent per share interim dividend for the first half of the 2015 financial year.

The solid half has culminated in a 28% lift in the share price over the first two months of the year, but shareholders must be wondering if it can go even higher in 2015.

I'm not wrong at all,

Here's the results of 3 minutes worth of research.
Codan has declared that Minelab sales have declined significantly after a record 2013, They also report strong action against counterfeiters in 2014. That means people are actually opting to risk buying copies of their products rather then pay the huge unreasonable price tags.Fiscal reports are reported for the past.
No projections have been made for obvious reasons.
The radio communication division has done well due to new state and federal agency demand.
Their investor relations department is aggressively seeking new investors, as of last the stock price has closed below $1.15

Stocks at that range are prone to much volatility so the recent appreciation can be attributed to many factors.

This is an ultra small Cap company and quite frankly, take it from someone who knows, the financials look scary.

Also Minelab is not the only manufacturer whose sales have declined in 2014,. At the wholesale level the sentiment is a lot clearer.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Bull... People are buy Chinese counterfeits because they think they are getting the same detector for less money....

 

[lockster99]

Uhgg...please lock it now...please.

 

[el padron]

Uhgg...please lock it now...please.

And here you see a perfect example of the market demographic that has made this perfect storm possible for so long...

 

[el padron]

Uhgg...please lock it now...please.

That or another dealer losing his back..... LOL

 

[deepclaw]

* Waterproofness plus bundled waterproof carry bags please, without the obnoxious branding (or at least far smaller branding).
* Big rubber bumpers on the detector to protect the 'brain' from knocks and everyday use.
* Lighter-coloured casings so they don't heat up so much in the blistering sun (keeping batteries and electronics cooler)
* the end to ridiculously marked-up accessories (I can dream)