What is a genuine Minelab?

Hi guys
I was just looking on the net for a detector and i had a quick look on "trade me" its about the best place to buy stuff here in N,Z there,s not usually that much of a selection of detectors on there but i found a gpx4500 there at a more than reasonable price seemly only used a couple of times however after i hit the buy now....i saw this link at the bottum of the page.... www.minelab.com/asia/products/gold-detectors/gpx-4500
asia!
but when i copy the link it appears to be a ligit minelab page...any thoughts guys..?

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Careful boaraxa, sounds like the guy I contacted here on ebay, a little while ago,
it was some sort of scam and he got kicked off.

Thanks guys
i wont be parting with any coin just yet..! it,s a used1 i havent herd back from the guy yet im hopeing it,s not dodgy
gess il just have to wait and see the thing that grabed my attention was that compared to most gpx4500 it was pretty cheap that and the bit in the link that says asia/products i thought minelabs were made in oz,y so why is the word asia in the link...maybe the asians just put them together!!

My GPX5000 purchased locally from well known local dealers, states on the box Australian Designed and 'MADE IN MALAYSIA'. I dont know that can be read too many different ways....Hoo Roo

Still have the box my 5000 came in, Clearly states Australian design, Made in Australia. I don't know too many ways you could read into that!
Cheers~Chris.

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Yeah, they are MADE IN MALAYSIA, part of Asia, but then, so is China.
Also Minelab don't sell cheap 2nd hand detectors.

Take care!

Larry303. I think you should check your invoice, and then double check your serial numbers with Minelab Australia.
Chris.

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Mine says.... (on the box)

DESIGNED BY MINELAB ELECTRONICS AUSTRALIA
ASSEMBLED FOR MINELAB ELECTRONICS, AUSTRALIA UNDER CONTRACT BY SUBSIDIARY OF PLEXUS CORP, USA.
MADE IN MALAYSIA

Hope someone can explain why some boxes say Australia and others Malaysia

Maybe it is about time someone from minelab steps up to the plate to explain these differences....

I'd have it a guess that when our Aussie dealers are in short supply and the detectors are in hot demand they source them from USA?
My thoughts only.
Cheers~Chris.

Xenon, your wording is identical to mine and the bottom line is "MADE IN MALAYSIA" purchased from one of the largest dealers in Victoria....and my Serial numbers are registered with Minelab Australia.....
Chris why does that mean that they may source from USA?...have you considered they may come direct to Australia from Malaysia where they are actually made...Plexus Corp USA appearantly has two Manufacturing Factories in Penang...so how many Aussie workers are employed in Salisbury S.A or elsewhere in Australia in an actual factory 'manufacturing' all their metal detectors?... and not simply designing/repairing etc or who makes the Minelab Commander coils under contract?..........I think the answers may be fairly obvious, but doesnt make their machines any less reliable does it?....Hoo Roo....... .....

Yes, my machine is registered with ML too. But I have whipped off an email to ML anyway just to find out what is going on and to shed some light on this mystery. Will post their reply when I get one from them.

I hear what your saying Larry, so why does my and fencejumpers 5000 state "Made in Australia" The Minelab yanky branch outsourced to Malaysia almost 2 years ago?
I read something on Google well over 12 months ago, which stated the new Malaysia branch was only producing duds at the time? If that statement was true, there would have been so many complaints from Australia "There was never such an issue in Australia"
Going back less than 12 months ago I read on another forum over in Yanky land, No one in USA couldn't even get a 4500 within a 6 month time frame.
I'll leave it there, and hope someone with Authority can shed some light on this subject.

xenon wrote:Yes, my machine is registered with ML too. But I have whipped off an email to ML anyway just to find out what is going on and to shed some light on this mystery. Will post their reply when I get one from them.

Did the same, but I think you will find that Minelab get a lot of their stuff made outside Australia.

Adrian SS

The GPX 5000s are now made in Malaysia by Plexus as per the packaging, AFAIK on initial release they were made in Australia hence the differences in peoples detector boxes.

Read HERE for more info,

JP

there are still new 45s around there are a few in maryborough coiltek for over $4500 i think they are...
cheers
stoppsy

xenon wrote:Mine says.... (on the box)

DESIGNED BY MINELAB ELECTRONICS AUSTRALIA
ASSEMBLED FOR MINELAB ELECTRONICS, AUSTRALIA UNDER CONTRACT BY SUBSIDIARY OF PLEXUS CORP, USA.
MADE IN MALAYSIA

Hope someone can explain why some boxes say Australia and others Malaysia

Maybe it is about time someone from minelab steps up to the plate to explain these differences....

And is about time that someone from Minelab explain to us why we pay $6500 for a metal detector made in Malaysia.
Now that we discover that the 5000 is made in Malaysia, we must consider it as an Australian product or cheaper copy made somewhere else ? Where they have product control in Australia or in Malaysia? What is the difference with a cheap copy made in China of which we have so much fear and the same applies to the coils.
Cheers
Goldquest

Thanks JP for clearing that one up.

Goldquest, you have a very good and valid point there, below is a snippet from the Minelab web site....

"Minelab metal detectors are yet another sign of the global market we live in, designed in Australia, some made in Australia, and some made in Malaysia by an American owned company, from parts sourced from all over the world! One thing that remains constant, is that Minelab products are always designed and manufactured to world class standard."

Now, going by what the ML site states, ir seems the long running arguement of "BUY AUSTRALIAN" is no longer a valid arguement as "our hard earned dollars" now seems to be going into the pockets of "THE US BASED COMPANY OF PLEXUS" who own the Malaysian factory.

Now, with this fact in mind, are we all not going to be better off buying our metal detectors from the US, seeing as it seems Plexus (A US company) are now the manadacturers of all of ML"s metal detectors. There should not be a problem with warrenty issues seeing as they are made under the ML flag, and even if you do end up paying about the same for the detector if you import one from the USA (by adding in the cost of shipping, insurance and tax at customs)etc, you will end up with alot more for your money seeing as the US shops seem to throw in many many extras, worth well over a grand just as a sweetener for their customers.

Not to sure I would trust a "Chinese made detector" quite yet. The Chinese are brilliant at reverse engineering products, but I dont think the 5000 has been around quite lonh enough for them to prefect that baby yet......But, it is only a matter of time. ML's secrets lie in their microchips, what is stopping them ripping the data off the chip and using it? Copyright/patents... HAHA....The Chinese have never worried about little things like that.

Hi Guys,
My 5000 box too says that it was made in Australia.

Hi
This is confirming my long held belief that all minelabs are made in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory by Ompa Lompa’s.
With no Union’s and the constraint threat that if they don’t produce lots of 5000’s they will be deported to Malaysia “where the Government said they won’t be flogged”
yerrr we all believe that. lol.
Regards Neale

oh dear, now something else has "popped up". Remember when you couldn't buy a GPX4500 because of the "rush" in Sth Africa or somewhere? Well ONE of the M/Lab dealers, here in W.A., has just informed me that he has learned that "the arabs". (who bought up everything they could lay their hands on last year. or was it the year before?) Have now returned with a heap of surplus stock that they hadn't managed to sell. This surplus is now being offered at greatly reduced prices. TRUE?.......I don't really know! But, it would certainly explain why there are such great differences in prices from area to area.

THE PLOT THICKENS!

adaduam wrote: oh dear, now something else has "popped up". Remember when you couldn't buy a GPX4500 because of the "rush" in Sth Africa or somewhere? Well ONE of the M/Lab dealers, here in W.A., has just informed me that he has learned that "the arabs". (who bought up everything they could lay their hands on last year. or was it the year before?) Have now returned with a heap of surplus stock that they hadn't managed to sell. This surplus is now being offered at greatly reduced prices. TRUE?.......I don't really know! But, it would certainly explain why there are such great differences in prices from area to area.

THE PLOT THICKENS!

My question wasn't about the difference in price in different areas, I wonder if the GPX-5000 is made in Malaysia shouldn't cost less instead of costing $ 6,500, as the labor costs a tenth of what it costs in Australia?
Can someone explain.......
Cheers
Goldquest

And for those not still in constant denial mode about where they are all currently made, any official response would likely be <but dont hold your breath for any other response from Minelab I think JP has just been given the go ahead to make it clear to us all> ....likely official response would be.....and if they were still made in Australia in lieu of Penang, Malaysia, they would cost you even more than the current $6500.......I would have thought however that with the ever strengthening Aussie Dollar that imports <yes thats what they now are> would be well and truely starting to reflect the cheaper cost to import similar to all imported electrical goods..however if you were Minelab would you not try and keep this low key for as long as you can and keep improving not only your own bottom line profit, but also give more strength to the bottom line of Aussie dealers for as long as you can...........and you're hardly going to have either coming out and spruiking about their better financial deals now being experienced.......and yes this is all supposition on my part after living in the real business world for the past 42 years...and if I'm dead wrong it is easy to be rectified by a statement setting out the true facts...
My Casio state of the art watch and GPS etc are all made in Malaysia these days but they also came down greatly in price making them more competitive....however thats what happens when you actually have competitors....and not a monopoly binding all stakeholders...Hoo Roo ....

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Did any one actually read the Minelab link JP put up? It states they are made in Australia and Malaysia!

someday wrote:Did any one actually read the Minelab link JP put up? It states they are made in Australia and Malaysia!

Yes I read it but it stated that "metal detectors" were made in Malaysia. Clever wording from ML but this it what it means

At the end of the page it states made in both country's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Minelab metal detectors are yet another sign of the global market we live in, designed in Australia, some made in Australia, and some made in Malaysia by an American owned company, from parts sourced from all over the world! One thing that remains constant, is that Minelab products are always designed and manufactured to world class standards.

As some previous posters reported, some has the MADE IN AUS" sticker on them so it seems likely that the first batch or two were indeed built here but then outsourced to Malaysia.......Something that will happen all the time from now on