GPX6000 Versus GPZ7000

[Araratgold]

Good test. erfect:
However, what that shows me is just how damn good the ZED is with it's standard coil, considering that it uses a transmit winding of only about 13x7 inches, compared to the mono on the 6K that is about 16x12 inches !
Try that test with a 17 or 20 inch spiral wound X Coil ( which will have a transmit winding closer in size to the 6K ) and I think you will find the ZED will be way out in front.

Rick

 

[PeterInSa]

I think (as a Z owner) where the 6000 shines is finding the .05 and smaller nuggets at some depth..

 

[GemQ]

I think (as a Z owner) where the 6000 shines is finding the .05 and smaller nuggets at some depth..

Peter,

May want to check my next video, pulled a nice 18g with the 6000. Agree though its dynamite on the small stuff.

 

[Goldchaser1]

I think (as a Z owner) where the 6000 shines is finding the .05 and smaller nuggets at some depth..

Peter,

May want to check my next video, pulled a nice 18g with the 6000. Agree though its dynamite on the small stuff.

Don't make us wait to long

 

[sheepsta]

My body doesn't like the 7000 . I'm looking forward to getting a 6000 and getting a few more hours in before all the aches kick in

 

[Dave's Office]

I've been told that older model GPZ detectors need regular system updates, could any experienced Z users please let me know if that's true and how it works and does it make 2nd hand Zs worth buying or not. Cheers Dave

 

[user 22230]

From all reports the Z certainly handles EMI better than the 6000, EMI being a big issue in FNQ in latter part of the day. Myself personally for the dollars, the only thing that would swing me from a Z to a 6000 would be if weight was my number one consideration factor in my purchase. .

 

[user 22230]

Dave fro

I've been told that older model GPZ detectors need regular system updates, could any experienced Z users please let me know if that's true and how it works and does it make 2nd hand Zs worth buying or not. Cheers

Dave m my experience no ? Update in any case is as simple as plugging into a comp and it's done.

 

[mbasko]

I've been told that older model GPZ detectors need regular system updates, could any experienced Z users please let me know if that's true and how it works and does it make 2nd hand Zs worth buying or not. Cheers Dave

There's only been 3 x firmware updates for the GPZ7000 since release. 2 in 2015 & 1 in 2017. Any machines built prior to 2017 that weren't updated could be if you wanted to but some users preferred not to & have no issue with how they preform.
Any machine built after the 2015 updates will have them (2015 updates) factory installed & any after the 2017 update will have them all installed.
As Diginit says it's not a big job to do it & plenty of GPZ users on here could talk you thru it if needed.
https://parts.minelab.com/category-s/207.htm

 

[Dave's Office]

Thanks Gav and mbasko for the advice, I'm checking out a second hand Z so you've sorted out any concerns in that department for me. Cheers from Dave

 

[Hawkear]

I recently looked at buying a 6000 but balked at the cost.
My specific concern was whether the 6000 was better than any other detector (2300, 7000, 5000) in any specific detecting ability. Is it just an all rounder - good at everything but not the best in any?

 

[mbasko]

I recently looked at buying a 6000 but balked at the cost.
My specific concern was whether the 6000 was better than any other detector (2300, 7000, 5000) in any specific detecting ability. Is it just an all rounder - good at everything but not the best in any?

Very hard to answer Hawkear. In certain conditions or aspects the 6000 can be better than all those (2300, 7000, 5000) same as in other conditions or specific tasks the 2300, 7000 or 5000 may be better than the 6000.
I don't think any one Minelab detector is an all rounder capable of completely replacing the others. The 6000 & 7000 certainly tick a lot of boxes but so do the 4500/5000 in that regard. Depending on area, detector knowledge, usage etc. etc. is the biggest factors in what will suit YOU best. Can't really go wrong with any of them if your willing to learn them.
Best bang for buck IMO is still the GPX4500 albeit now not available new but the GPX5000 price should steadily drop to replace it in that category.
In saying that I won't be getting rid of my 6000 anytime soon though. Love it

 

[Moneybox]

I recently looked at buying a 6000 but balked at the cost.
My specific concern was whether the 6000 was better than any other detector (2300, 7000, 5000) in any specific detecting ability. Is it just an all rounder - good at everything but not the best in any?

I see the cost as important if it's going to spend a lot of time in the cupboard but if you have the chance to get out often and know where you are likely to find gold then I think you need the best you can get.

Apart from the Equinox 800 all of our detectors have paid for themselves but we use them and we've used them enough to have the confidence to go out and know we'll come home with gold. It's a very rare occurrence for us to come back home without gold but that's because we have the best detectors we can get and we've been at it long enough to know where to look. I never bought a GPZ7000 because I never saw the advantage over my GPX4500 however I bought the GPX6000 because it is a master of fine gold that my old detector couldn't detect.

As mbasco says, any of these detectors will find you gold but some detectors are better suited to the area you are working in and only experience with each will help you there.

 

[Hawkear]

Thanks all for your views. I will keep the 6000 on the radar waiting for further info on where it fits into the gold detector hierarchy.
A thought occurred as to whether our forum has ever attempted a rating system for the big four detectors. I had a go at one as below and tried to put some values out of 10 for some of the qualities for each detector. I left off price to just look at performance related issues.
I have had personal experience with the 7, 23 and 5 but none with the 6 so could not attempt any values for that.
Maybe interesting if someone more computer savvy than me could establish an on line version of a similar table so that each of our members could add their value and overall consensus values achieved.
An average value of a sufficiently large enough number of people can be very close to the true value. Its called the "wisdom of the masses" and has been demonstrated by experiments when large numbers of people were asked to guess the number of jelly beans in a large jar. Despite some wildly varying answers, when all were averaged out the answer was remarkably close to the true number despite most of the guessers having no idea.

Detector	Achievable stability	Ease of use.	Depth assessment	Sensitivity assessment	versatilty
GPZ7000	8​	5​	9​	8​	7​
SDC2300	8​	7​	3​	9​	5​
GPX6000
GPX5000	9​	9​	8​	7​	9​

Achievable stability. How smooth can the threshold be made for normal detecting ranges.
Easy of use. Eg how heavy, how balanced, cord connections etc
Depth assessment. How deep can it go for say a 5 gram nugget.
Sensitivity. How small a nugget can be detected.
Versatility. How easy is it to adapt to different conditions salt, deep, shallow ground etc.

 

[Dave's Office]

An update about my To-ing and Fro-ing about the 7 v 6, I've purchased a 2nd hand 7 from an old mate at Paynesville who now finds it too heavy and has bought a 6 and I'll be picking it up when I get over there in mid April. Thanks again to all the members that have given me advice on the this thread. Cheers from Dave

 

[Dave's Office]

An update on the update, I've had 2 days detecting with the Z after a couple of lessons from old mate here in Paynesville, well I haven't found anything to brag about yet but I've found 5 pieces for about 2gms worth and I'm pretty happy with that and I'm enjoying the challenge of trying to master the "Beast", seek and ye shall find, hopefully.

 

[Gold1hunter]

I've been running the 7000's since 2015 currently running a 2021 model & have just bought a 6000 (charging as I write), arriving in Forsythe QLD today so will take it out for the first time tomorrow. Going back to a couple of spots I absolutely hammered with the 7000 a year ago. So it's going to be an interesting exercise as I couldn't find anymore with the 7000

 

[Ship of fools]

I got a 6 as soon as they became available, one of the first released.
The very first thing I did was go over a mullock heap that I know I had gone over with the five thousand, I pulled 12 shot gun pellets out of that meter square, about three to four inches deep! I was left scratching my head, what had I been doing wrong with the five thousand?
I continued the day on ground I had been over with the five ( auto one no threshold) quickly found two small bits, then a patch of hot ground that just seemed different! I dug that up took it home panned it for six very small bits. The rest of the afternoon turned into my best day to that point! Beaten on the next two consecutive days!
I had trouble with the 11 inch coil, it would overload on start up and shut down but I knew this was because it was a hot coil. Eventually the coil died and replacement came very quickly but it’s a lot closer to the DD coil than the original coil, no more hot patches to pan.
I’ve recently got a good deal on a second hand seven and the few hours I’ve spent with it I’ve found it to be cumbersome, meant for open plains. Unfortunately the seasons give us tall grass and new growth.
The pro swing harness is uncomfortable and can’t carry water or anything else you need.
In my mind the six ihard to beat on all points.

 

[davent]

I got a 6 as soon as they became available, one of the first released.
The very first thing I did was go over a mullock heap that I know I had gone over with the five thousand, I pulled 12 shot gun pellets out of that meter square, about three to four inches deep! I was left scratching my head, what had I been doing wrong with the five thousand?
I continued the day on ground I had been over with the five ( auto one no threshold) quickly found two small bits, then a patch of hot ground that just seemed different! I dug that up took it home panned it for six very small bits. The rest of the afternoon turned into my best day to that point! Beaten on the next two consecutive days!
I had trouble with the 11 inch coil, it would overload on start up and shut down but I knew this was because it was a hot coil. Eventually the coil died and replacement came very quickly but it’s a lot closer to the DD coil than the original coil, no more hot patches to pan.
I’ve recently got a good deal on a second hand seven and the few hours I’ve spent with it I’ve found it to be cumbersome, meant for open plains. Unfortunately the seasons give us tall grass and new growth.
The pro swing harness is uncomfortable and can’t carry water or anything else you need.
In my mind the six ihard to beat on all points.

I find the 7000 a much better over all machine. I use a backpack with a small plastic loop on the shoulder, and it has a thin waist band. I hook a bungy to the clip and adjust it so it takes the weight of the machine. I can swing the 17 x 13 , search all day, with a heap of water and other stuff in my day pack. Best day with the 7000 so far is just shy of 10 oz, I also have a 6000 (paid for by the 7000) its a good machine for clean up, patch finding or use in the wet season when the grass is long, but during the dry season, it's pretty much the world's most expensive pin pointer!

 

[user 22230]

I find the 7000 a much better over all machine. I use a backpack with a small plastic loop on the shoulder, and it has a thin waist band. I hook a bungy to the clip and adjust it so it takes the weight of the machine. I can swing the 17 x 13 , search all day, with a heap of water and other stuff in my day pack. Best day with the 7000 so far is just shy of 10 oz, I also have a 6000 (paid for by the 7000) its a good machine for clean up, patch finding or use in the wet season when the grass is long, but during the dry season, it's pretty much the world's most expensive pin pointer!

Dave thanks for confirming my thoughts which are the six may be good or bad but for me certainly not better than the Z . At the price of a 6000 I'll stay the Z and in fact look at another Z second hand for less outlay than a 6000 and run a small coil on it. Personally the weight is no issue with good harness and correct bungy unless I run the 19" coil. From my impression your pretty happy with the 17 x 13 coil which I believe is lighter than the Z's 17"?
For anyone that has issue with pro swing harness having now used DD Leathers new harness for a few days have found it much better than the Pro Swing with "J" struts. The back pick holder makes me feel stupid for how long I've been walking around with a pick in my hand I mention this as a good set up is the make or break as far as spending comfortable hours swinging. The only thing better is the sudden new strength one finds when a little nuggie appears in the scoop.