Minelab SDC2300 or GPX4000 / GPX4500 / GPX5000

[Westaus]

I'm voting the 4500. I'm sorry but the SDC coil is just too small for WA. My wife found some real tiny ones with the SDC, but I was doing more "power walking" with the 4500.

If you are on a patch and going low and slow, the SDC for sure. If you are hunting for a patch, then the 4500 would kill the SDC in WA. You just could not cover the ground that the 4500 will cover.

In NSW, we are mainly going over other peoples patches so the SDC kills it. If you had access to private property the 4500 would be better.

I'm a big fan of the no cords and point and shoot with the SDC, but in WA you need to cover a lot of ground. If you were picking up crumbs for a living then yes, the SDC, but patch hunting would be easier with the 4500.

Vote 1 4500!!!! lol

Thanks mate, what would you do if the talk of a larger coil was true. Would you still go the 4500?

At the moment I need quick and easy to use. Small as I may fly to the Nth or Kal so the compact of the SDC is really appealing.

Still not 100% but leaning to SDC this also means I can let my son/daughters use it if I upgrade. No chance of getting the Mrs out there. Too many flies.

 

[Moneybox]

Whichever one you buy you're unlikely to be unhappy as long as you count on getting another later you really have nothing to lose.

 

[Twapster]

Agree for quick and easy to use- the SDC kills it, yes its really the coil size.

If the coil was twice the size, id be sold.

 

[user 7268]

Whichever one you buy you're unlikely to be unhappy as long as you count on getting another later you really have nothing to lose.

Yes it's the old no one machine does it all scenario Not much point in making the coil twice the size on the SDC as then it would be in the same boat as the big boys in that all the little nooks and crannies it can now search it couldn't do
The thing I love about the SDC is when using the so called "big gold getter" machine and getting a little disheartened at the end of the day due to no luck I can pull out the SDC and even the little yellow tiddlers put a smile on my face that otherwise wouldn't have been there. Golds gold as they say and the little bits add up and also change the frame of mind in that one then looks harder and with more concentration leading to bigger and better finds I've found
I'm sure all those that are honest here could recall many days that unless they were going to take up a business as either a Farrier or a Munitions maker have returned after a big day out with nought else

I'm not sure if many of you realize just how the SDC got it's name ? ........................... it stands for Simply Does it Constantly

The wife also loves the SDC as she says it makes me a happier man that returns to camp at night

 

[PhaseTech]

Agree for quick and easy to use- the SDC kills it, yes its really the coil size.

If the coil was twice the size, id be sold.

Yes the GPX's main advatange over the SDC and Zed is the ability to swap coils. Mount a mid sized elliptical mono, tweak a few settings or select Patch mode and you're good to go and cover a lot of ground. In medium motion you can sweep at a pretty brisk pace and not lose much depth.

A 14x9 or 14x7 on the SDC would potentially be very interesting, and cover more ground per sweep, especially at depth. My question is would it gain enough depth to totally replace the GPX with a similar size coil? My gut says in very hot ground that is likely, but in milder ground probably not.

Getting slightly off topic, but just crystal balling here, if a more suitable patch hunting coil did come out for the SDC I could see myself running two machines. One with stock coil set up with wireless headphones for patch cleaning, and another SDC set up with the larger coil, locked on Sens 5 with an external speaker/booster combo all mounted on the machine. A grab and go set-up.

But until that happens, or we get more coil options for the Zed, my 5000 is staying put.

Just don't forget, regardless of what you swing, the user is still the prospector, the detector is the tool.

 

[HarryHoudini]

Thanks guys

I had not thought of doing a training day. Brilliant idea!

I feel more confident now going with the sdc. I am actually more of a panning type guy so a waterproof option seems like the best choice at this stage. I was also worried that the gpx's might have too steep a learning curve for me.

A few months ago I took a borrowed sdc for a 5 minute swing when I showed my father in law a promising spot. I found a piece of bird shot straight away while my f.i.l. only found foil and large chunks of iron. He was convinced that the thing was broken. Later I took him to Sailors Creek and again he found nothing while I pulled out a couple of nice pickers from my pan. By then he had given up. He said he heard a signal from someone's unfilled hole but didn't dig because he assumed it was another piece of foil. I went back the next day and panned a 0.15g picker from the same hole

I just found out today that I have access to 150+ acres of quartz hills on private land across the road from a gold mine. It has never seen a prospector since the old days. Methinks that will be the perfect spot to cut my teeth on the sdc. Happy days!

Cheers

If you need help with the private access let me know Happy to help

 

[Wishfull]

The sdc will find foil, nails, lead you name it metal wise, just dig every target. I found an aluminium tin top at 600 mm deep with my sdc a 5 cent piece at 18 inches in wet sand under a large rock.

5 minutes will not tune you in to an sdc or any detector for that matter.. a week maybe ?

Search those hills slooooowly.

 

[VicGoldHunter]

Il be buying either one very soon as my first detector but im not sure which one to go for, i think il buy second hand and it will mainly be used in the Golden triangle as i live in VIC, i've heard people say the sdc2300 is a much better beginners machine what is your opinion on which i should go for?

 

[BigWave]

The SDC will generally get you onto the gold much faster unless you can get good training on the 4500 and go out with someone who knows good areas and knows the 4500. There's quite a big learning curve with the 4500, but you have a huge range of coils to choose from as your skill levels rise. Watch out for Chinese fake 4500s though - there's many popping up on ebay, and they're next to fuseless (f*&#k@%g useless). There's been many PA threads on spotting fakes and ensuring a genuine buy, still many get caught out. Your mate's SDC is great value if still under warranty.

 

[old hand]

How often will you go detecting ,how far do you have to travel and are just learning
I only ask as if you are traveling from Melbourne just for a weekend now and then and want to go home with some gold then a SDC is most likely the best way to go regards john

 

[Chuky boy]

Get the sdc. Go to surfaced area anywhere in triangle. You should find gold first trip out

 

[VicGoldHunter]

How often will you go detecting ,how far do you have to travel and are just learning
I only ask as if you are traveling from Melbourne just for a weekend now and then and want to go home with some gold then a SDC is most likely the best way to go regards john

A couple times a month id say with a few camping trips here and there, about 1.5 hours to the golden triangle

 

[old hand]

These days you can pick up a SDC or newer 45 for about the same price ,I have had both as I live in the GT I go out every week ,the SDC will find very small gold only one coil at this stage ,45 choice of many coils great depth will pick up small gold ,but on the small stuff the SDC wins. If you go away for a weekend and want to come home with gold then the sdc . Check with coiltek they are very helpful when the SDC was released the had a detector that people could try in the field ,I do not know if they still do that but its only a phone call regards john

 

[peterau]

I used both the SDC and a 5000 this year in the west ( people tell me the 4500 and the 5000 are as good as each other). Included in my finds were a couple of ounces of small stuff ( 6-10 bits to the gram), I love the SDC but also this year the 5000 coupled with a new coiltek 11" Elite was a real weapon and I was quite happy to use either one on the little stuff. For Vic I guess the ability to sometimes look deeper might be a plus, but they will both find you small gold if you put your coil over it.

 

[Mick64]

I'm also following this post as I'm also looking at both these machines and some very good replies from those who have posted. what coil could you put on the 4500 to make it come up par or close with the SDC on the small stuff ?

Mick

 

[old hand]

Hi Mick first I must say I do test for nugget finder
I have used a 11 inch elite on a new 45 a good combo, must work slow with any newer coils to find the small deep gold
the 12 evo or the 14x9 either of these would be OK
my self I prefer the 15 spoked evo regards john

 

[Chuky boy]

I'm also following this post as I'm also looking at both these machines and some very good replies from those who have posted. what coil could you put on the 4500 to make it come up par or close with the SDC on the small stuff ?

Mick

Any 8 inch coil or even the Sadie are probably the closest thing for finding the small stuff compared to the sdc. I find it hard to take my 8 commander mono coil off as it doesn't miss too much small stuff but it punches ok on the deepish larger stuff.

 

[GaryO]

I went through this dilemma about 6 months ago on deciding which way to go. I was swaying toward a 2300 but ended up thinking i didnt want to be always on the lookout for shallow ground everywhere i went just searching for small gold.
I went the 4500 in the end and although im pretty experienced with detectors there is a bit of learning involved but i found the basic settings are pretty easy to get you going and with time and practice you can experiment with coils and settings as you become more comfortable .
I ran an 8 inch mono coil on very low and smooth settings which im sure werent using anywhere near its power potential and still managed a nice little piece on my first outing , so im confident when set 100% right it will definitely keep you in the hunt for most of the small stuff out there while still having the ability to punch down deep for bigger nuggets .
I just found the versatility in the long term outweighs any brief concerns about learning the machine

Gaz

 

[VicGoldHunter]

What price should i be looking at a second hand sdc2300, brand new it's still a little to much for me, there was one that sold on ebay today for $2700 used once it said but didn't come with much and had no warranty.

 

[GaryO]

They are still fetching good money , 2500 is probably the lowest average you will find . Perhaps you could wait and see how many unwanted xmas holiday units come on the market in late January and hope to get one at least with some warranty left.

Gaz