Silver,
Minelab hasn't made a "DUD" Detector that I know of. I have had SEVERAL Minelabs. Never had one that gave me any problems that weren't "operator issues"....... and I am not easy on detectors. My Excals went in salt water as well as beaches. I don't coinshoot in parks. I detect in the desert and in the mountains.
Garrett for a loooong time has been my favorite "entry level" detector with the ACE 150, 250, 350. Problem is, they sat on their respective butts. The only company out there pushing the metal detecting technology envelope has been Minelab.
Mike
Gollum, can you show me where Minelab is pushing the envelope?
Years ago, I had both the Excalibur and the Explorer, which were top of the line then. Minelab really seemed to have something in their multi frequency tech. Even Fisher came out with the dual-freq CZ line.
The first of my 3 sons was born then, and I sold off my Minelabs. Now it seems Minelab is aiming for the mass market with the single freq X-Terra and now the Go-Find. But new tech?
Minelab did a great job with the CTX, but its strong points are features, such as wireless headset, GPS, etc. But, same old Minelab tech, not cutting edge, and its overpriced.
Garrett's AT series is very popular, but it seems to sell primarily on its water resistance. It has rather ordinary features and performance. Its main selling point seems to be its the best performing, water resistant detector at the best price. I am not denigrating its performance, but it seems to sell on useful features, not eye-opening performance.
Now Minelab has the Go-Find. Another one-trick pony. It folds compactly and it says Minelab on the side. Another version of the Ace 250.
I would like to see something that combined the features and performance of the CTX, the ruggedness of the Fisher M66, and the compact storage of the Go-Find, for under $1000.