GPZ 7000

Had a lend of a 7000 today, must say didnt like it....SO heavy....i found it noisy, and if you put it in difficult ground mode you lose so much depth.

Yes it will find tiny targets...but so will a 2300.

wilddog wrote:Had a lend of a 7000 today, must say didnt like it....SO heavy....i found it noisy, and if you put it in difficult ground mode you lose so much depth.

Yes it will find tiny targets...but so will a 2300.

In my efforts to gain some realistic feedback about the 7000, I enquired with about 6 to 7 people who were selling theirs, all were taking losses on their machines ranging from $1000 to $1500, and all commented pretty much on the same line, the machine was good on small gold and species, all commented that they found it way too heavy for prolonged use, also it was time consuming to ground balance and at times was hard to get it to run quietly.

As far as the sdc2300 goes, after two trips and fitting it up with a b&z booster, it will find small gold on well flogged ground and lots of it, probably 60-80 pieces so far, all sub grammers, can't comment on bigger pieces at depth as I haven't found any as yet, I still think the best combination currently is either a gpx4500/5000 for open ground and depth and an sdc2300 for flogged ground and scrapings.

au-fever

Thanks guys for feedback. Bob

Im just glad i didnt buy one............

au-fever wrote:
As far as the sdc2300 goes, after two trips and fitting it up with a b&z booster, it will find small gold on well flogged ground and lots of it, probably 60-80 pieces so far, all sub grammers, can't comment on bigger pieces at depth as I haven't found any as yet, I still think the best combination currently is either a gpx4500/5000 for open ground and depth and an sdc2300 for flogged ground and scrapings.

au-fever

Have to agree with you there AU-fever   , that's why i swing a 5k & 2300

wilddog wrote:Im just glad i didnt buy one............

You wouldnt be on yer own there Wilddog


Pete

I'm starting to wonder about the "Wonder Machine" but until I can get out and have a go with it, I really can't give an honest opinion.

yep still on the fence myself.
having owned one since day dot i am yet to see the miracles that were stated. personally i think it has more to do with detecting slower and being more thorough with technique that the smaller bits and perhaps some bigger bits are being found on old patches especially.
here in Kalgoorlie there are a lot of good operators getting rid of them whether they have been a little premature i don't know but it definitely plants a bad seed in your mind about the machine.

Versatility verses convenience in this case, IMO.
What i mean by this is that the 5k has many different coils, verses just the 1x14" round like the 7k.
Make no mistake, the 7k is hands down a better machine than the 5k for convenience, signal response on certain size gold at certain depths on certain ground, I have seen time and time again the 7k easily out preform the 5k on target responses.

If you want to be on top of the game, find the most gold in the shortest possible time, are not concerned about ultra tiny pieces then the 7k will do that, it will pull more gold on the same ground then the 5k will assuming you are not working on a salt lake of course, People complaining about the weight of the detector do not have it setup correctly its that simple.

This doesn't mean the 5k is not worth buying, the detector is very versatile with the amount of coils which gives the user the ability to get great depth on a larger coil as well as tiny pieces with a small coil, changing coils takes time, but if you are working a patch who cares right, if you are patient and have the time, you can work an area very thoroughly and not leave much behind with the 5k.

The other thing that one should keep in mind, is the target response on the 7k is different then the gpx series of detectors, this takes time to get use to, just as it would if you were going from a vlf to a PI response, some people can't cope with that and instantly dismiss something they are not use too, this goes the same for new technology, the operator is responsibly for the machine.

The last point is price justification, some people are unable to justify or even afford the 7k, this makes the 5k a good choice for these people, I'm in this basket, i can't afford to upgrade, Though I'm happy with the 5k performance and for what i do.
So you may ask what brought me to my conclusion of the 7K being a better machine perhaps ?
Well i have 2 friends who both were 5k users and who are full time prospectors, this is their livelyhood, both of them use the 7k as their primary detector, also my father has both the 5k and 7k, but he uses the 7k as primary.

I have done hundreds of signal response tests on targets before being dug with the 5k vs 7k with different coils, different timings and settings, 95% of the time the 7k was better.

Just my prospective at the end of the day.
Cheers

It was not my point to bag the gpx7000 but rather my enquiries were to try and get some feedback from people who actually have owned and used one, rather than the here say by those who have not, all of the people I spoke with have owned and used one and have all had similar things to say as I previously stated.

One of the points of the machine that I personally would not like is that in the lack of ability to change coils if and when desired, I have been in the game long enough to know that the ability to change the coil size or type depending on varying ground conditions can mean the difference between getting gold or not getting gold, changing coils takes only a minute or two and only a minor inconvenience, but I want the flexibility to be able to do so, no matter what the banter says no "one" coil will do the job of all the coil choices I currently have.

If you are young and fit bloke or an amazon woman you might be able to swing a 7k all day with the standard coil, but most of us old farts might start the day with a 16" coil but by beer o'clock I am usually down to the 11" or 8", remember I said this was the primary reason the people I spoke with said they were selling their machines, granted they were not professionals probably but if you cant swing a detector comfortably you will just not want keep at it particularly when you are in pain or just fatigued so you will more than likely not put in the time anyway, the reality is that comfort and concentration go hand in hand, and your concentration level while you are detecting can mean the difference between hearing or not hearing a target.

Personally I don't feel that the price would be the primary consideration for me whether to buy one or not to buy one, although I am still wondering how they justify the asking price? as I have paid for each detector I have owned over and over again with the gold found, but having said that I have been able to use the machine for whatever length of time I wanted to, and set up how I wanted it to be with no limitations, put simply I really feel that this machine is limited to a smallish group that can use it for long periods and can exploit its strengths, and think that it may be of more interest and better used by the professional than the recreational detectorist.

au-fever

My problem with the 7000 is the screen. It is hard to read in normal daylight and also I find it can be difficult when checking in and around trees and bushes by snagging on branches. There is a lack of accessories like protective covers etc for this machine. Sure there is only one coil but it is very sensitive and I have found the smallest of gold (0.03g) with a very clear signal response 50mm down. Unfortunately the largest piece I have found is only 4.5g in rock about a 200 mm deep. In total in the last 5 weeks of swinging it daily I have found about 170 plus pieces for 63g. I find the coil can be difficult to pin point with sometimes. Yes the machine is heavy, we all know that, but as has been said many times you must set up the harness correctly to help this. You will notice I said "help", because there is no getting away from the weight and when digging a target, I find it gets tiresome handling the machine by pinpointing etc when it is a small target and being difficult to find in the hole.
However, I do like the machine and don't regret buying it but am a little disappointed with the way it handles or should I say doesn't handle salty areas.
You have to wonder about those that have sold their 7000 after only a month or two. How can they have formed a serious opinion? Sounds like they thought they were buying another GPX and weren't prepared to learn how this new technology worked.

Hi Guys, many thanks for your thoughts and experiences on 7000. I have purchased one and heading out today for a month to try it out. Will kerp you posted and again, your inputs have been appreciated and invaluable. Cheers Bob

au-fever wrote:put simply I really feel that this machine is limited to a smallish group that can use it for long periods and can exploit its strengths, and think that it may be of more interest and better used by the professional than the recreational detectorist.

Whilst you raise a very valid point, if you cant walk with the detector because it's too heavy it makes things difficult, you are indeed correct that concentration is a key fundamental to detecting, and if you are not comfortable then you wont be concentrating at all on your signal response.

A few things to take into consideration, whilst one of my friends is a young guy who is fit and could no doubt swing the 7k without a harness, my old man having spondylitis is by no means a young man who can do backflips all day, but is able to swing the 7k for a good 8 - 12 hours, with tea/beer breaks of course.

Most members on here know of UTBN as he is a valued contributor to the forum. himself and martin recently put up a post on the 7k harness setup, people that know UTBN, also know he has a crook leg, but he manages to swing that 7k all day, i would imagine if he didn't have the detector setup correctly then he would indeed struggle also.

Though just like anything, comfort is paramount at the end of the day, and if you are unable to make it work, then sometimes it's best to stick with what you know works for you, gotta be able to walk the ground after all to find the yellow.

Cheers

good points there Rarebreed but your dad did come in for the beer and /or tea quite a few times each day lol. but he did well i must say. jase is just a machine that is well oiled and serviced regularly and there's no stopping him when he is on the gold. i struggled to keep up with him and im 100% fit. just go with whatever machine you're comfortable with as confidence is a big part of it also, that's why i always go back to the 11 inch mono on my 5k. there are a lot of happy 7k owners out there keeping to themselves and rightly so. good luck on your trip Big Gem, its a different machine to what your use to so be patient and the rewards will follow.
Cheers
Martin

Yer the old man likes a good tea break

Good luck out there Big Gem, hopefully you give the machine a good work out :)

Hi guys, we have been out of Meekatharra for some two weeks and yet to be convinced it is better than the 5000. Then, we found a 0.02 of a gram of gold some 5 inches deep, that made me think this could be something different. Presently in another area and wlll go over old patches and advise results. Bob

BIG GEM wrote:Hi guys, we have been out of Meekatharra for some two weeks and yet to be convinced it is better than the 5000. Then, we found a 0.02 of a gram of gold some 5 inches deep, that made me think this could be something different.  Presently in another area and wlll go over old patches and advise results.  Bob

0.02g = is about $1.00 worth of gold, that's just 10699 more bits that size to equal it's purchase price.

If that really came from 5 inches deep then that is one sensitive machine.

Hi Guys, After your comment AussieAU, Joan checked with me and realised she had typed the weight incorrectly. It should have been stated as 0.2grams. Joan is my personal secretary, wife, cook etc., but I am realising that as she gets older, I will have to check her work. Apologises for error. Cheers Bob

BIG GEM wrote:Hi Guys, After your comment AussieAU, Joan checked with me and realised she had typed the weight incorrectly.  It should have been stated as 0.2grams.  Joan is my personal secretary, wife, cook etc., but I am realising that as she gets older, I will have to check her work.  Apologises for error.  Cheers Bob

Thanks Bob, that makes much more sense, as I have found 0.2g size nugs at 4 & 5" deep with the 7000 also.

I have just read though the comments, I have nothing against the 7000 as I haven't used it, but a friend has and his comment also was that it is a heavy unit to use, yes he has found gold too, but he uses a 4000 and still finds gold. I feel that unless you are full time detecting it doesn't justify buying the 7000, to have it sitting in the cupboard for 48 -50 weeks of the year, I feel that it would be better to hire the 7000 for a week and use the 4500/5000 which you already own, and for $500 a week hire, makes more sense than out laying $10,700, just think how many times/years you can hire the 7000, so while fresh in the mornings use the 7000 and change to your lighter detector when you tire. that's my opinion
Goldseeker