Which detector would be better SD2100 or a new Minelab Eureka?

[Keen Ken]

I am wanting to have a go at finding some gold.
I have an old Minelab SD 2100 and a vlf minelab goldseeker 15000
Is there any advantage buying a new Minelab Eureka over what I already have?

I like the goldseeker but feel it is out dated and have found no gold with it to date.
The SD 2100 is my dads old unit and he never found gold with it either.
Should I persist with the SD 2100 with may be a smaller coil or go for the Eureka?
I don't wish to sell Dads SD 2100 if I can help it for sentimental reasons.

Does anybody have a second hand eureka for sale.

Please dont pitch me the new GPX bla, bla, bla....... There is just no money for such a machine and I'll be saving for mounths to get a Eureka if at all.

I don't wish to hire as it takes time to learn a new machine.

If you are employed by Minelab please don't bother answering.

 

[Mystyk59]

I know that you will get a few differing opinions but personally if the ground where you are going is fairly mineralised then i would stick with the sd as the pi machines handle the mineralisation better than the vlf ones.And though i could do with the money i cant bring myself to part with my sd2000! It will always be my backup machine. But what i was thinking about was getting a mod done to it now and again when i could afford it. there are a couple of really good modders around. And i stick to dd coils with mine as it has manual gb which is a nightmare.I know what you mean about saving up as well, i gave up smoking , drinking and all other little luxuries for 4 months to get my 4000 I managed to save 3 grand and was lucky enough to get a as new hardly used one through a mate in Vic.Just after that i was laid off at work .So maybe thats an option to get a mod done now and then. And if you find a patch that hasnt been flogged by gpx detectors you will find gold there.

 

[axeman]

Hi keenken, I own a Eureka gold which I haven't any gold with yet, I suppose I'll have to go to a nugget producing area were I may have more luck. Although I haven't used the SD2100 I think it would be a better machine. Mick

 

[Keen Ken]

Thanks Mick and Mystk,

It's nice to get some straight honest answers with out all the hype.

I am still getting used to the SD 2100.
I like my Goldseeker as I am still finding coins deeper than other detectors,getting deeper targets others have missed.
It's a pitty I cant get a vlf coil that is submersible for it and sheilded for salt conditions.

Kind regards from Keen Ken

 

[WalnLiz]

G'day Keen Ken....you say you want to have a look for gold....You say you're thinking second hand minelab Eureka....you say if you work for minelab don't bother answering...did you by chance know that some guys working for minelab may actually be very capable of giving expert advice on the " Eureka".. no one says you have to take their advice but to tarnish them all with a vindictive brush may only lead to existing minelab users being hesitant to give their advice freely.. :|
I have nothing to do with minelab... but do know some wonderful people who sell minelab and are recognized as experts in their field. I for one don't mind getting a second opinion from some of these chaps ...and if ever you may require any repairs it certainly can only be beneficial to be civil to them....You could always buy a Bounty Hunter....heard somewhere that they aren't too bad..Cheers Wal

 

[KeeponDiggin]

Hey Ken, i own an SD2100, have a look through the thread under Minelab and see the gold ive found
i for one learned quickly to listen to the smaller noises, once your ear gets tuned you will recognise all sorts of tones the machine makes mate, mine tells me when im on Hot ground and small target sounds all have one outcome Dig em.
i do have to agree with Wal to a degree in saying not everyone who works for the company is going to flog you a machine, hence offer sound advice on a topic you may not know the answer too
i have no endavour to ugrade as im finding bits a GPX would be finding practice, research and more of both, actually........ it never stops

Good luck out there mate

 

[Keen Ken]

Thank both to WaL and keepopdiggin, I don't mean to discredit minelab, I now have two of their detectors.
Yes, they are smart guys, in many respects.
Can't I ask for an "unbiased" opinion"?

 

[Nugget]

Hey Keen Ken, of course you can ask for an unbiased opinion, that's what where all about here. I think it might have been a wording issue , no harm done.

 

[WalnLiz]

Hi Keen Ken....mate. if you ask for an unbiased question in an unbiased way I"m sure everybody on the forum will be only too happy to give their opinion. I went from the Vlf machines to to the PI machines when the 2100's came out ....they are still a great machine as Mystyk59 and Keepondiggin have said. I found more than my share with my first 2100 and so long as you stick to the dd coils you "WILL" find gold. Take the time to bury some small targets in the most mineralized soil you can find and listen carefully to the target responses. PI is definately the way to go if your serious about getting "consistent" gold....will shout u a beer when we meet up...best of luck,Cheers Wal.

 

[Keen Ken]

Thanks Wal,
I wrote what I wrote not out of being biased against minelab, it's just that any time I ask a question about a detector on any forum several try to talk me into a new minelab detector. Thats why I wrote what I wrote.
I might add I was very pleased to recieve the positive responses I recieved, thank you guys.

I don't get such responces from people selling Garrets, Whites (they have a PI Machine as well) or Fisher to name a few.
I don't want to start a fude with anyone.

In Fact my first nugget was found with a Garret ADS Deepseeker in 1979 or some time around that,
I didn't find the ground ballancing a problem as others did and this detector is still operational (now modified).
Dad was with me on that trip and found 3 small pieces right next to mine with his Garret A2B,
My piece weight 0.40 of a GRAM, yes it did find small gold, Dads 3 pieces would have bairly made 0.02 of a gram each and that was over 30 years ago.

I haven't found any gold with my 2 minelab detectors and I have had one for over 22 years.

There are other good detectors out there, I know how good minelab detectors are but nearly every responce I was getting was from someone trying to sell me one.
It kind of bugs you after a while.

If I had $6000 to spare I would by a boat and go fishing!

Sorry to offend anyone, that wasn't my intention at all.

 

[Nugget]

No offence taken here. To be honest I'm 100% behind you in regards to the common Minelab responses on other forums, that's the very reason why this one was formed, to get away from all that rubbish and focus more on the hobby at hand

Glad we could be of assistance.

 

[WalnLiz]

Thanks for the explanation Ken ...and as Nugget said ...we are a unique forum here, where nobody is seen to be above the rest, which isn't the case on many other Forums out there. I can see where you could get frustrated with the crap some of these other forums dish out ....and It's the same reason I myself don't bother with those kinds of forums any more :| ....and believe me Ken...I wouldn't like to see them here either. What's great here is we all use different detectors with different levels of experience and that's why the advice is not biased and hopefully never will be. Ive just purchased a new Whites PI and they are only a fraction of the Minelabs price.....I will do some serious testing on this machine and let you know if they are as good as they are perceived to be...Best of luck...Cheers Wal.

 

[Keen Ken]

Thanks again Wal,
I am really looking forward to the out come.
Any chance of doing a field comparison?
I'm sure everybody would be interested.

 

[WalnLiz]

Sure will Ken...will put both through a rigorous comparison under every imaginable condition to see how close they are in a real life situation. I'll be able to give you an honest opinion about the comparison and won't be listening to any outside opinions. :| As soon as Ive scrutinized both machines side by side, using the same coils on each, Ill give you a report. good thing about the whites right from the start is they're less than 1/3 rd the price of the 5000.Cheers Wal.

 

[Outlander51]

Hi Wal,

I am looking at buying the Whites detector you talk about here. As with others I am on a budget and cannot afford to get a 5000. I was wondering if you have done the comparison yet and if so what have been your results?

 

[WalnLiz]

G'day Myles,

Been flat out organizing trips and haven't done a serious comparison as yet. Have given it a good swing and on face value it's ticked many of the boxes. It found gold on its first trip and doesn't take long to work the machine out. Haven't tried it in super hot ground but will give it a serious flogging over in WA soon.

In WA I'll do a serious comparison with the 5000 as i want to compare them in difficult ground. I'll get the whole procedure and a detailed opinion onto a You tube vid.

Cheers Wal,

 

[Outlander51]

Hi Wal,

Yep can't wait to see what your results are. I am thinking of buying the Whites TDI Pro (Oz
Series) - is that the detector you are going to test? I'm happy to hear that they are easier to learn than say a Minelab and I'm happy to hear that it has performed well in ground in NSW as that would be where I am detecting.

 

[WalnLiz]

Yeh Myles, It's the TDI Pro Oz.

Cheers Wal,

 

[Rambling rude]

Hi Keen Ken, in Doug Stones "Gold Prospecting". The red covered book...there are several paragraphs dedicated to comparison of SD2100 and SD2200, and the older Garret's and whites. You might find it helpful.

Cheers Rambling rude

 

[Keen Ken]

Thanks for the info Rambling rude