Minelab GPZ 7000 Review ...Testing the Minelab GPZ 7000 Metal Detector in the WA Goldfields

Here is a video of a 21 Grammer found at 450-500mm in calcrete.

NOTE: if this video is not playing in portrait on your mobile device change it to landscape mode.

As usual, our Minelab GPZ 7000 review is unbiased - we purchased the new machine at full price to test it and then develop training for use in our Gold Prospecting Seminars in Cue West Australia.

We have no affiliation with Minelab so you can be sure that what we say is how we see it!

Since this nugget was found we have found nuggets much deeper and tested them with a GPX6000 and standard coils on the GPX5000 - the GPZ 7000 DEFINITELY finds deeper gold that others miss.

Your decision to purchase or not will however be based on the cost of the machine compared to what ever perceived benefits the GPZ 7000 has over the GPX 5000  and GPX 6000 for finding gold.

Post your own Minelab GPZ 7000 Review - Have your Say.

Do you Agree or Disagree with what we think about the Minelab 7000?

Why don't you add your Minelab GPZ 7000 review to the bottom of this page there is a lot of people just like you that are trying to work out whether to invest the $AU9800 in this machine?

Help them make their decision either way.

...Help them out by including your review at the bottom of this page - at Here My Unbiased Minelab GPZ 7000 Review.

Minelab GPZ 7000 Review - First Impressions

In terms of design, features, settings you cannot compare the GPZ 7000 with the GPX 5000 model, the SDC 2300 or the new GPX6000 machines.

They are poles apart, so we will attempt to provide a comparison based on different criteria so it can help you make a more informed decision on whether to spend the  $10700 price that Minelab charge for the GPZ 7000 machine .

Comparison Between the Minelab GPZ 7000, GPX 6000 Minelab GPX 5000 and Minelab SDC 2300 Metal Detectors.

Note however that these detectors are used for different circumstances e.g the SDC2300 is for small gold close to the coil and is designed that way - it is not for Deep gold detecting! So how you view these criteria will depend on the main use you want for your metal detector!.

Comparison Criteria.

Detector Comments.
Cost
  • (1)SDC 2300 - $4000 Second hand around $2500-$3000
  • (2)GPX 5000 - New $5000 Good Second hand with all the fruit $3000
  • (3)New GPX 6000 - $8000 Second Hand $7000
  • (4)GPZ 7000 - $9800 Second Hand $7000+

    • Holy Guacamole Batman! - you have to be a serious semi-professional (or a millionaire) OR using the GPZ 7000 and the GPX6000 on a permanent basis to justify the cost of the machine!

    However now the GPX6000 is available the prices have dropped for the GPZ 7000 so you need to make a decision based on other criteria if you are looking at the 6000.

    Remember the old accounting term of payback period though - We have had payback on the 7000 and 6000 a few times over.

Printed Manual
  • (1)SDC 2300 - Yes printed
  • (2)GPX 5000 - Yes Printed
  • (3)GPZ 7000 - Quick Start Guide printed and manual is Digital which you must print yourself.
  • (4)New GPX 6000 - Quick Start guide and Print yourself Manual.

    • Looks like Minelab are penny pinchers on this one - Seems to be the standard thing now where manuals are digital or print yourself.

Out of the Box Setup and Use.
  • (1)SDC 2300 - Unpack switch on and go - real simple.
  • (2)New GPX 6000 - Its pretty simple plug it in and go. HOWEVER, warning, make sure you check the machine is working, there has been some real problems with the coils not functioning properly and having to be being replaced - check it before you leave the shop!
  • (3)GPZ 7000 - Unpack and switch on - A bit more to do with setup but still pretty simple after you work out the new harness.
  • (4)GPX 5000 - A Little bit more fiddly, and Ok if you understand the settings of the 5000 otherwise there is a learning curve.
Weight of Machine and Comfort in Use.
  • (1)New GPX 6000 - The LIGHTEST of the lot BUT you will still need to use a harness to detect for long periods of time.
  • (2)SDC 2300 - 2.3 kg but can be tiring because it has no harness.
  • (3)GPX 5000 - 2.4kg with Commander 11" coil - can be balanced well and does not cause tiredness when set up and the harness used properly.
  • (4)GPZ 7000 - 3.32kg - it is heavy and difficult to balance - forget the hype about how Minelab spend a whole pile of design energy on the ergonomics - this is a beast!

    • 40% additional weight in the 7000 does have an effect, this is not for older folk or those that have arm, shoulder, hip or back weaknesses. Make sure you hire and try before you buy to test how it will impact on you physically! GPX 6000 will need a harness though.

Learning Curve and Experience to Master.
  • (1)New GPX 6000 - This is the simplest of the lot to understand and use and it will ping the small gold quickly and loudly for the new detectorists.
  • (2)SDC 2300 - Simple, switch on and go.
  • (3)GPX 5000 - Settings can take some learning especially if you are brand new to the GPX and you dont like factory settings!
  • (4)GPZ 7000 - Equal to the 5000 because there is a trickiness in quietening the Detector down in highly mineralised or salty ground.
Small Gold Sensitivity
  • (1)New GPX 6000 - Excellent, the best of these detectors AND it has depth with small gold.
  • (2)SDC 2300 - Excellent but no depth.
  • (3)GPX 5000 - Excellent particularly with after market coils like the NuggetFinder Sadie or 12x7" Mono.
  • (4)GPZ 7000 - Excellent and with more depth than the 2300 and 5000.

    • This is a difficult criteria to judge because you will not be buying the GPZ 7000 specifically to find small gold whereas the 2300 is specifically for that task and the 5000 is very sensitive to small gold. The 6000 is very sensitive and loud for small gold and smaller deeper gold - better than the 2300.

Large Deep Nuggets.
  • (1)GPZ 7000 - Great we have been finding good gold at depth with this machine that the 2300 does not hear and unless you are a expert with the 5000 and use different coils the 5000 will struggle to get..
  • (2)New GPX 6000 - Marginally less effective as the 7000 in our opinion BUT it finds plenty of gold at depth.
  • (3)GPX 5000 - Have tested with big coils and the machine will ping them.
  • (4)SDC 2300 - Not what the detector is for.
Noise and difficult Ground.
  • (1)New GPX 6000 - Very easy to settle down and quiet, the quietest of the lot BUT make sure your coil is working ok when you buy it otherwise you can get a very noisy experience.
  • (2) GPX 5000 - quiet and can easily remove noise even on salt.
  • (3) GPZ 7000 - This has improved since our first review. Minelab have put out supplemental instructions, updated software on this and a Ferrite which is used in the Ground Balance process.
  • (4) SDC 2300 - Noisy but the signal still comes through strong.

    • The Minelab 5000 can be tuned so there is no extraneous noise, this is extremely important because if there is any extraneous noise apart from your threshold hum you are definitely leaving gold in the ground!

    However the 6000 is simpler to use and remove noise without impacting on signal nose.

Audio
  • (1)New GPX 6000 - Very loud signals, even the speakers without headphones are pretty loud. I use headphones all the time now with this machine, remember it is bluetoothed now so no wires to the machine.
  • (2)GPX 5000 - After market Amplifiers and speakers lift this to second place.
  • (3)GPZ 7000 - The wireless speaker is patchy with annoying breaks in transmission but okay audio if worn on the shoulder close to your ears.
  • (4)SDC 2300 - Not for the deaf.

    • If you are using headphones you are not getting all the target sound and unless you have excellent hearing will miss small targets - external speakers are essential in our opinion and the only time you should not use them is in windy or stealth conditions.

    The GPX6000 is the best in this criteria.

Ground Balance
  • (1)New GPX 6000 - Simple to use the best in this criteria. You do get some false noises due to the sensitivity of the machine.
  • (2)GPZ 7000 - do it wrong and you upset the algorithm in the machine and introduce a lot of noise into the machine but updates to the software have fixed this issue.
  • (3) GPX 5000 - Quick Track button and simple.
  • (4)SDC 2300 - Quik track button.
After Market Gear and Protective Bags
  • (1) GPX 5000 - Heaps of excellent after market coils gear, bags.
  • (2)New GPX 6000 - This machine does not require much but you will need a harness and new coils are coming onto the marketplace.
  • (3)SDC 2300 - Not a lot but good to see some amplifiers, external speakers and coils now arriving on the marketplace.
  • (3)GPZ 7000 - The Nuggetfinder Z coil was a great improvement.

Minelab GPZ 7000 Review - Should you Buy a New Minelab GPZ 7000

This will be a decision you need to make after reading this Minelab GPZ 7000 Review and others below - I think it should be based on a number of criteria such as

  • Price - dont buy it if you are not really financial.
  • Amount of Use - Only buy if you will be using it all the time and not just a one trip warrior.
  • Physical strength and capacity - If you have physical problems then it is a heavy machine and will affect you.
  • Type of detecting you want to do - If you are OK with small gold that you don't have to dig too deep for then you don't need the GPZ 7000. The GPX 6000 is far superior or - at a much smaller cost the SDC2300 if money is an issue.
  • Financial Payback Time - There is a lot of detectorists out there in the WA goldfieds now and the Minelab GPX 6000 will find the gold that other detectors have left behind. It may be small stuff - but the finds build up quickly to a nice return.

If it helps your decision in any way, Udo has not been using the GPZ 7000 and I have been doing all the testing.

Udo uses the Minelab GPX6000 exclusively now.

One advantage is that you can metal detect small gold and large deep gold nuggets with the one Metal detector by simply changing the settings. This eliminates buying and changing coils which is necessary with the Minelab GPX 5000 and earlier models.

However the GPX6000 is finding plenty of gold nuggets with the standard mono  coil now so if you can afford this machine - go for it.

Minelab 5000 Second Hand

Right now there is a lot of Minelab 5000's coming on to the market second hand with plenty of additional parts supplied. So it may be a good time to upgrade to the 5000 if you do not have one.

Beware Counterfeit Minelab Metal Detectors 

Just beware when you are buying a second hand machine that the scum of the world are not taking advantage of you.

There are MANY Minelab detectors that are counterfeit, I would imagine you can find these on Gumtree or Ebay but just beware and make sure that you buy legitimate machines.

Buy form a Minelab Dealer and pay the slight premium for protection.

See this page Counterfeit Minelab Metal Detectors


Do You think the Minelab GPZ 7000 Metal Detector is Value for Money?

What is your experience of the GPZ 7000 is it value for money, are you finding extra gold, is it noisy?

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What Other Visitors Have Said

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Learnt a lot in Cue. 
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