Results Of Nugget Detector Survey

[Steve Herschbach]

A week ago I started an informal survey on seven US metal detecting oriented prospecting forums including this one.

The survey was not meant to prove anything per se. I was basically just curious to see what the detectors were that were employed to actually find gold nuggets in the last year.

The survey has many shortcomings. It only polls people who were on the US forums in the last week who cared to respond. The forums have tended as a whole to be Minelab oriented and so it is not surprising results might skew in that direction. Still, I got a large number of responses and so some conclusions can be drawn.

I eliminated duplicate and joke responses. I eliminated a couple borrowed units. It was winnowed down to just detectors that found gold for their owners in the last year. Everything else was pretty straight forward. The only thing of note is I put a couple Gold Bug SE responses under the Gold Bug Pro because they are basically the same detector. The SE was just a precursor model. Everything was compiled on a spreadsheet and totaled.

114 people responded as having used 220 detectors to find gold nuggets. That is an average of a couple detectors per person but the reality is a lot of people owned three detectors, and then quite a few just one detector. In general you could say many nugget hunters own a couple PI detectors (or a PI and a GPZ) plus a good VLF detector. If you really want to generalize things your could say people own a couple Minelab PI type detectors and a Fisher VLF. The Gold Bug 2 and the Gold Bug Pro were the runaway favorites in the VLF category.

Tesoro is conspicuous in their absence. Only one Lobo ST listed. I was a bit surprised to see not one Garrett AT Gold listed. Except for a few ATX units Garrett is pretty much a no-show. White's does a little bit better but still only just over a dozen units out of 220. The TDI PI models are the most popular alternative to the Minelabs with 8 listed.

As I noted Fisher totally dominates the VLF detectors with the Gold Bug 2 and Gold Bug Pro. And I was surprised at the very large numbers for both the SDC2300 and GPZ7000. The GPZ in particular due to it being very expensive and out for only the last 6 months. The adoption rate is phenomenal in my opinion.

Here are two sets of results. The first is simplified for easy digestion. I have lumped similar models together and not listed onesies and twosies. The second list is the full per model breakdown. Make of it what you will, and thank you for participating!

Simplified Results:

51 GPX5000/4500/4000
33 GPZ7000
33 SDC2300
32 Gold Bug 2
15 Gold Bug Pro
13 GP3500/3000/GPExtreme
8 White's TDI/DIPro/TDISL/SPP
5 White's GMT/GM3/VSAT
5 Nokta FORS Gold
4 Makro Racer
4 X-Terra 705
3 Garrett ATX
3 XP DEUS


Full Results:

33 GPZ7000
33 SDC 2300
32 Gold Bug 2
31 GPX5000
15 Gold Bug Pro
11 GPX4500
9 GPX4000
6 GP3000
5 GPExtreme
5 FORS Gold
4 Makro Racer
4 X-Terra 705
3 Garrett ATX
3 White's GMT
3 White's TDI
3 TDI Pro
3 XP DEUS
2 GP3500
2 Fisher F19
2 CTX3030
1 TDI SL
1 White's SPP
1 Troy X5
1 XT17000
1 SD2200V2
1 SD2100V2
1 Tesoro Lobo ST
1 White's GM3
1 White's V/SAT
1 Minelab F1A4
1 Garrett Scorpion

 

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[goldenIrishman]

Interesting stuff there Steve. As I've been in the market for a new detector, I might be able to use the results to convince the better half to let me drop a little more cash than had been planned on for the new unit. While I doubt she'll let me go for the GPZ7000, I should be able to convince her to let me upgrade to something a little more high end.

 

[Loco-Digger]

I was surprised to not see the T2 on the list

 

[Steve Herschbach]

T2 is huge is Africa but not much used as a gold detector in the US. Probably more people using a F75 in the US for nugget detecting than the T2 due to results I have posted in the past with the F75. They are basically the same detector. In both cases though serious prospectors do not need the extra capability they offer so the Gold Bug 2 and Gold Bug Pro dominate with those actually out getting the gold on a regular basis.

You can poke lots of holes in the results on minor details but the broad picture is relatively accurate and reflects what I see in the field when I meet other serious nugget hunters.

 

[63bkpkr]

Thank you Steve...................63bkpkr

 

[Loco-Digger]

T2 is huge is Africa but not much used as a gold detector in the US. Probably more people using a F75 in the US for nugget detecting than the T2 due to results I have posted in the past with the F75. They are basically the same detector. In both cases though serious prospectors do not need the extra capability they offer so the Gold Bug 2 and Gold Bug Pro dominate with those actually out getting the gold on a regular basis.

You can poke lots of holes in the results on minor details but the broad picture is relatively accurate and reflects what I see in the field when I meet other serious nugget hunters.

I hope you didn't take it that I was poking holes, it's just that I heard the T2 was great for finding gold and was just curious.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

No, I am the one poking holes as I do not want people to read too much into it other than the big picture.

In theory you can find gold with all kinds of good detectors on the market. But the core active nugget hunters do migrate towards machines that produce. Multipurpose detectors all tend to give up a slight edge and so they are fringe units compared to the dedicated gold models.

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

This is great information, Steve! Thanks for posting. With the current Minelab specials on gold units, I'll bet the numbers will increase over the next 12 months.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com

 

[Terry Soloman]

I thought your poll was extremely imaginative and well thought out Steve. It really solidifies what pro's have known for a long time - Minelab pulse induction nuggetshooters are the best in the world, and everybody that has ever seriously hunted gold nuggets has swung a Fisher Gold Bug II at some point on the claims.

I think the poll also points to how closely gold hunters pay attention to their fellow electronic prospectors and miners. Word-of-mouth is still strong in the metal detecting and nuggetshooting clans. Nice job Steve, and thank you!

 

[Lanny in AB]

Steve,

Thanks for the time and effort to put it all together. It was very revealing to me as well: I like to see what the real workhorses are, and I'm having my eyes opened a bit by the 2300. Your other data gives me something to think about as well.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[NeoTokyo]

Nokta, Marco and Deus are still pretty new so I expect their numbers will increase as well because they are very solid gold hunting units.

Thank you for putting the poll together Steve.

I have had a few of those detectors but still no gold from any of them.... Its either the places I go or my hearing damage. x_x

 

[N7XW]

Great job Steve. Surprised the Infinium isn't on the list though.