why not put the gc-1023 over that test bed of your .it might not quite reach your deepest targets ,after all its only 8" coil,but whatevers in range it will do very well on. -they used to be $60 ,but i think about $130 is todays price . AUTO GB that works spot on ,and good iron disc,set it to 4.5-5 and small nails are gone .
recovery rate is mindblowingly fast for a budget detector that was introduced over ten years ago .theres even a tone id mode that works well.
after testing i,m sure you will declare its got all the qualities a beginner machine needs .only thing i can fault on build quality is the stem has play when swung .something like 15mm bottom entering 17mm hole .that 2mm gives it a wiggle that feels cheap.and the plastic on the rear armrest /stand is a bit thin.but i have never miss-treated any machine i own .theres just no need .
I made my two feel loads more solid today , i just got a roll of black tape few times around the bottom shaft where it enters the larger diameter upper stem until the clearance was just touching . now its solid when i swing .six inches of black tape and it feels almost european .
here in europe theres a 10" spider coiled version and a 12" big coiled version that have thicker armcup construction and stronger stems ,niether of which i,ve tried but they might hit your deepest targets ,but might loose the super sensitivity the 8" posesses.
