justifying detector cost

[leadnugget]

i was reading a comment from bfloyd4445, it got me to thinking that it might be
an interesting discussion topic.
how long did it take you to find enough gold to pay for your detector.
ill start.

mid 90s. Tesoro Diablo II Gold Demon, new, cost $350. paid for itself in about 3 months. sold it for $200.

1999 or so. whites goldmaster 2, bought used on evil bay, for $225 shipped. loved this detector.paid for itself in less than a month. gave it to a Friend.

2001 or so. minelab gp extreme. bought used for $1400. took about 5/6 months. still have it.

2019. goldbug2, bought used $500 maybe 3 months. still have it.

2021. minelab gm1000. bought used on evil bay. 700 shipped. 2 maybe 3 months. going to keep it.

2021. minelab gpx5000. bought used, $2000. used it about 5 or 6 times found 1 nugget and sold it for $2500.
it is/was a good detector but too heavy for me and wasn't getting used.

2021. minelab gpx6000. $6000. have not used it yet. if you are thinking about getting one you might wait a few months till
dealer supplies catch up, you might be able to negotiate a better price. plus that will give me less competition in the gold fields for a few months

i don't know how long it will take to find enough gold to pay for this, but it will be my main detector for the next 5 to 10 years.
Amortization over 10 years would be $600 a year plus whatever i would get on resale, so whatever.

actually, to be fair, the nice people on wall street paid for my gpx6000 and my Honda side by side.
its been an amazing year for stocks.

 

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[beekbuster]

whites gmz cost me 250 dollars no gold, sold it for 250. fors found my first piece, about 3 pickers total before i sold it.....
went big, cuz i wasnt going home---- bought an sdc, recouped its cost in 6 months, though I got lucky with a 1 ouncer. paid for itself 3x over before i sold it.....
45 took 2 trips, about 8 hours of detecting time on 2 consecutive saturdays. Once again I got lucky.... then paid for itself 3x over in the next year...... still have it
the z is a little over half way and its been a year, though I have not been out in a looooong time.
all work and no play makes me a dull boy.... i wipe my tears with pictures of dead presidents....

 

[CASPER-2]

ones years (2012) worth of gold finds (earrings and some returns missing)

 

[Matthews940]

I've finally found a hobby that can make me money, rather than throwing it at car parts and never recouping. Anything that gets me off the couch, away from the TV and outdoors is money well spent in my opinion.

 

[GoDeep]

ones years (2012) worth of gold finds (earrings and some returns missing)

Impressive haul! Are those primarily beach finds?

 

[Lenrac2]

Ours will likely never pay for themselves but the enjoyment we get is priceless.

 

[beekbuster]

ones years (2012) worth of gold finds (earrings and some returns missing)

I would feel gods judgement if I sold a pendant that I found of the cross or Jesus. Seems sacrilegious to me.

 

[beekbuster]

I've finally found a hobby that can make me money, rather than throwing it at car parts and never recouping. Anything that gets me off the couch, away from the TV and outdoors is money well spent in my opinion.

my detecting has offset the cost of my unfruitful deer hunting trips over the last ten years..... Now that I deemed deer hunting for the birds, I should see a better cost/benefit analysis from my hobbies. Sold all my gold and bought a boat with it.... and first trip to the coast netted me a sack of big blacks and a 15lb ling.... now thats what I call a good trade off.

 

[Shawnboylk]

Makro simplex I go with buddies with Garrett at pro all the time and it?s nothing better then the simplex. And wayyyyyy cheap

 

[minerjosh]

The justification goes like this...I earned my money and I'll buy whatever I want to buy with it. P.S. at least its not crack.

Tesoro lobo, found a 5.8 gram nugget second day out with it. Had it for a couple years, paid for itself in gold and i gave it away, makro gold racer found lots of pickers and small nugs i didnt keep track, gave it away, gpx 5000, i didnt keep track but ive probably found close to an ounce...maybe 3/4. I paid 3200 for the unit, sold the unit for 2500. Equinox...i havnt used enough yet...no gold yet. Gpx 4500 i paid 2699. Still pretty new to me i havnt been out with it very much at all but im at 3.2 grams so far

 

[bug]

The cost of the Minelabs is not all that bad, if you consider that they hold a solid resale price even with expired warranties. Your actual cost to hold the detector for a couple years may be very little after you sell it. Some people above even made money on them.

 

[CASPER-2]

All beach finds - most from places a lot of others thought were hunted out
I hunt all metal and slower than most when possible
I see guys trying to hit spots in one day - they crank discrim. and go a mile a minute
lot of that gold was 1-2 ft deep - lot is "old gold"

Impressive haul! Are those primarily beach finds?