the garret infinium

i keep finding titbits on the garret infinium being a good gold finder. any thoughts from the experienced?

If that is what you have read then that is what it probably is.
Yes it will find gold. Yes it all but ignores hot rocks. yes it will find gold through solid iron ore. yes it will ID iron from gold to the depth of the target. yes it is waterproof to a couple of hundred feet.Yes it will find gold in salt lakes and at the beach. Yes it has a significant learning curve. yes it will run for around 15 hours on the smell of an oily rag. Yes it is unique in that you will not find another PI metal detector anywhere else on the planet that has the same combined versatility and detecting ability as the Infinium....... NO IT is not as good as a 6000 dollar ML PI on small nuggets (less than 0.5 gm)
If you care to brouse the forums you will find a great many pages written re the Infinium.

No mention of "16 year old technology in a one year old box" yet? It works but it's a little behind the times. Also: a little heavy out of the water as it was designed to be neutrally buoyant.

mikeagain wrote:i keep finding titbits on the garret infinium being a good gold finder. any thoughts from the experienced?

Had one for about a year and would not use one again. Not in the same class as a minelab. A mate of mine buried a 22 slug and the infinium could not detect it yet his extreme picked it up well. I have nothing against Garrett as the make some good coin machines but the Infinium is not, in my opinion, a great gold machine. Minelab develop their machines for the aussie gold fields but when Whites brought out the TDI and Garratt brought out the Infinium and the newly released AT Gold all these machines had to be modified to work in our goldfields. Minelab have a much better range of coils as well.
Paul

ps, you don't need a $6,000 minelab to kill it getting small gold, a cheap extreme will kill it as well.

I believe the Infinium was released in 2002 not 16 years ago.
If you couldn't detect a 22 slug with it you were not holding your mouth right........ Mine will go 8 inches give or take a couple of inches depending on interference and ground on a 22 long rifle projectile not inc the shell.

Adrian ss wrote:If you couldn't detect a 22 slug with it you were not holding your mouth right........ Mine will go 8 inches give or take a couple of inches depending on interference and ground on a 22 long rifle projectile not inc the shell.

That's a bit rough isn't it. The OP asked for opinions and I gave him mine and I don't recall putting down anyone who owns an Infinium. Ask two experienced people such as JP or Granite and they will say the same.

If someone gave me a detector to use - the Garrett Infinium might take a little to get used to. There's two guys I detected with last year using them and they surprised me with some of their target recovery although none of us found gold with a detector during those days particular days with any of our machines. I liked the Infinium and would happily hang one on the wall at home. The main attraction for this machine is that it is a PI detector. The LS stands for Land & Sea and it performs very well for people recovering targets in the water. You'll want to rig up some sort of Bungee cord for use out of the water.

The technology on the Infinium is still around 16 years old (Garrett probably repackaged it into the Infinium) so it wasn't so much designed from the ground up like many other detectors. However, I believe the machine went through several charges (2?) to the motherboard over the last 6 years. We found them a little desensitized and unsuitable for detecting small (sub .22 caliber slugs) sized targets in the soil at any depth. I know it has a DD coil (probably not quite as sensitive as a comparable Mono on a Minelab PI) but perhaps the guys I was out with needed to spend more time learning their detector? How do you find yours Adrian? You've been using them for a while, haven't you? I always find the .22 slugs which are fairly common everywhere to be a great gauge for just about any detector. It's a small yet rarely deep target. I still get surprised at how hard they are to separate from the clump of soil in your hand when you dig them... the dirt covers them perfectly like it does a nugget. Same sound too.

paulf wrote:

Adrian ss wrote:If you couldn't detect a 22 slug with it you were not holding your mouth right........ Mine will go 8 inches give or take a couple of inches depending on interference and ground on a 22 long rifle projectile not inc the shell.

That's a bit rough isn't it. The OP asked for opinions and I gave him mine and I don't recall putting down anyone who owns an Infinium. Ask two experienced people such as JP or Granite and they will say the same.

G/Day Paulf.

"Not holding your mouth right" is not a "Put Down" it means something similar to Finger Trouble, as in, not having mastered the detector, or, making a simple mistake that anybody unfamiliar with something might make.

No "Put Down intended".

nero_design

G/Day Nero-.

A few people have tried to claim that the Infinium is just the Seahunter in a prettier case.

The Infinium is completely different to the Seahunter Different ccts n way different coils n different/extended capability. I have written a lot about the Infinium over the past 4 years or thereabouts and spread it over most of the forums but high percentage was on the old Aussie Infinium Forum that encountered problems a couple of years ago and much of the postings were lost to the twilight zone and I have lost the insentive to re do them all.

I have not been near a goldfield for a long time now but I can say that my machine is very sensitive and has handled all ground types that I have thrown at it including some of the severest iron ground you will ever encounter. I just potter about the beaches now and the Inf is my prime detector there having religated my Sov and the 15 inch Wot to the cupboard. Anybody who has used a Sov at the beach knows how good it is in those conditions and the Infinium has ousted it simply because it is deeper detecting is WP and only requires ground balancing once or twice throughout the day. I dig all targets and rarely use discrimination. The machine is not for everyone but it will do me for a while yet.
If I ever get to the gold fields again, my Infinium and my V-Sat and even my ole Faithfull GS 15000 will clean up everything the Minelabs have left behind....... .........Which may not be much the way things are going these days

The simple answer to the question is: an old Minelab SD2100 is at least as good as a new Infinium on gold, and a lot easier to use. But on coins the Infinium is hard to beat, especially on the beach.

Cheers, Jim

mikeagain wrote:i keep finding titbits on the garret infinium being a good gold finder. any thoughts from the experienced?

When the Infinium LS was released they sold in shipload after shipload after shipload (info given at the time),
so it should not be to hard to find an owner of one of those and get a demo/try.

There is nothing like first hand experiences, it eliminates all guesswork.

Mine is still in use, I'm in Cairns.

ivanll

Thanks for clearing that up Adrian, I did not think it was like you to attack. As I stated though I had one for a year and really tried to get the hang of it. Trouble was I was using it just for gold searching and most fans of them probably use them in several areas of detecting. The waterproof DD coil was heavy and the stem they supplied wobbled. Also, as you know, they will not pick up .2 grammers and such like a minelab will and while some of its fans might say this is not important I have worked so many areas with a small coil and have done very well with tiny bits and it only takes a few of these to add up. There is an area in Bendigo called Adelaide Hill and I worked one area near that for months with a GP3000 with either a 8" mono or a 10x5" DD and got alot of gold there (over 200 bits) but not many of these would have been over .5grams. If I lived back in Melbourne and my main hobby was beach detecting with maybe the odd chance of going to a gold field then yes I would own one but as a dedicated gold machine, no. Garrett, Whites and such all make great coin machines but all of their gold machines have struggled with our grounds and have needed extra developement. The Whites TDI was another case of this and even Tony at Goldsearch Aust. will tell you how frustated he was waiting for the Pro model to come out. Garrett has done nothing new with the Infinium or another PI for 10 years now and their latest gold machine is another VLF which is in the process of being 'updated to' suit here. Trouble is, both Garrett and Whites have such a big market in the States and European countries that it is probably not worth there time to spend money just to sell a few machines here and I don't blame them for that. I am really interested in getting the Garrett AT Pro for a coin machine so please don't think I am just a dedicated Minelab user who sees other brands as crap as I don't, but I have used and owned both the Infinium and TDI and honestly believe that if you want a machine just for gold then get a minelab as you can pick up an extreme cheap enough now.
Paul

i cannot get over how generous you people are in your help. all so logical in explanation. thank you. my main question to you all is this. i am a retiree who could purchase the top ml but is trying to be as conservative as i can at my time of life. i can only buy one unit but which one is the most practical for a gold fossiker who may like to look around an old bush hut?

my name by the way is mike dunningham from gladstone and would be more than happy to meet some of you once i take off on my little camper. what a wonderful world. again thank you

one other thought to consider is which machine would suit wading about in the creeks and rivers while they flow.?

Hi Mike, When I began detecting in 1979 I bought what was the best detector on the market at the time. It was expensive at that time and hard for me to raise the cash to buy it but I have never regretted it.

Many who bought cheap machines soon gave up and never detected again. Since then I have always bought the top-of-the-line detector as soon as it hit the market and always found enough gold to pay for that new machine many times over.

If you can afford it buy the best there is and at this stage that is the Minelab GPX5000. You will never look back.

Once you have a new machine use it until a better one hits the market then trade your old one in, it won't cost more than about $1,500 or $2,000 to trade up.

As for coin hunting, you can buy a new coin and relic detector for around $300,00. And thats what most people do: The best gold detector for gold that you can afford and a low range coin detector to begin with.

Cheers, Jim

granite2 wrote:Hi Mike, When I began detecting in 1979 I bought what was the best detector on the market at the time. It was expensive at that time and hard for me to raise the cash to buy it but I have never regretted it.

Many who bought cheap machines soon gave up and never detected again. Since then I have always bought the top-of-the-line detector as soon as it hit the market and always found enough gold to pay for that new machine many times over.

If you can afford it buy the best there is and at this stage that is the Minelab GPX5000. You will never look back.

Once you have a new machine use it until a better one hits the market then trade your old one in, it won't cost more than about $1,500 or $2,000 to trade up.

As for coin hunting, you can buy a new coin and relic detector for around $300,00. And thats what most people do: The best gold detector for gold that you can afford and a low range coin detector to begin with.

Cheers, Jim

Good advice from Jim there Mike, I can't give you advice on the infinium because I have never owned one but the advice given to you by Adrian ss and Ivanll would be well worth the read because I have read there posts in the past and they both have good knowledge on the infinium out in the field.

( I am a retiree who could purchase the top ml but is trying to be as conservative as i can at my time of life. )

Mike I took a quote from your post, and if you are only comming into metal detecting, and want to chase the gold as well as run a metal detector through some creeks or at the beach why don't you look at maybe buying a Minelab GP3500 and a Infinium so that way you get the best of both worlds and the price of both will more than likely come under the cost of a brand new GPX5000. I have seen good nick 3500s for $2600 on ebay and I think the infiniums are less then that, the blokes on here will have a better idea on the price for the infinium than I do. With the GP3500 it would be a good start for you and not to expensive for a beginner and if you want to upgrade trade in or sell it yourself. Also make sure the GP3500 is standard no Mods, as Minelab won't touch it if it needs a service or repair.


Cheers Brian.

brian and jim and all you others that took the time to advise me i thank you. after reading your thoughts on the matter i will buy two units,probably the 4500 and the infinium. its good to have made a decision having had access to your knowledge. in return ,to those of you that may be interested my field is the fx market. over eight years i have developed software and have written an ebook on how to trade successfully using paper or real money. this information i always give free but have been finicky in who i gave it to but i must say ,in this case,that to all those that have written to me seem like clear thinking folk and it is yours if you think i can be of value in this department.

cheers mike

G/Day paulf,

Some good clear thinking in your last post.

mikeagain ,

The 4500 is excellent for you primary gold machine.
The Infinium will be a good choice for the rivers and lakes if gold is your target but because the rivers and lakes are generally chockers with iron junk it may not be the best choice if you will be mainly hunting coins and jewelery; Some discrimination ability would be handy for that type of detecting if metal detecting is new to you and so an Excalibur or maybe an A T Pro (WP to 10 feet) or possibly or an Tesoro Tiger Shark would be usefull(freshwater only for the tiger shark).

After you have been detecting a while you will have discovered that using discrimination is not the best way to go when looking for gold because small gold and some not so small bits can give a signal just like iron rubbish. but when you are learning it is nice to be able to tune out some of the rubbish and be a bit selective as to what you want to find. However it is without any doubt that you will recover far more good targets by digging all signals.... It just means that you will have to carry a big junk bag.

Just some thoughts.

granite2 wrote:The simple answer to the question is: #1. an old Minelab SD2100 is at least as good as a new Infinium on gold, and a lot easier to use. # 2. But on coins the Infinium is hard to beat, especially on the beach.

Cheers, Jim

HI Granit2
Sorry but I jus couldn't let this one go un touched

# 1. NO UT IZN"T!
# 2. I AGREE WIF VAT.

I got the first Infinium No1 ever sold in Australia personally, from Phil Stearnes GMC Adelaide in 2003...Bogene got the second..I use my GPX 5000 for gold detecting and wouldnt use it for anything else...I still use my Infinium which has been upgraded twice without big expense to todays specifications,something you cant do with a Minelab <unfortunately>..if I was travelling around Australia and wanted an all purpose WEATHER PROOF detector which is an all rounder and could only take one it would without hesitation be the Infinium...if I was only going to goldfields the Infinium would be left at home..simple as that and I have multiple DD and mono coils for both....so I've been using my Infinium now for 8 years WITHOUT A SINGLE PROBLEM..how many Minelab owners could state that and I guess I now know how to set up an Infinium....AA battery's that the Infinium uses are as cheap as chips when on discount sale and they go forever in the Infinium....both machines have their merits and I dont get strung up like a Xmas Turkey to carry an Infinium and they are much lighter for women to carry...I have found gold with the Infinium <not much> but I have found nuggets at 6"<1.1gram>..however the GPX5000 is unsurpassed as a gold detector BAR NONE or nothing and I love mine and have had no problem with it to date.....Hoo Roo
P.S. any Infinium owner/operator who could not find a .22 slug at reasonable depth should look at themselves,particularly their hearing.. as Infinium's luv metal...its why they are great <the best> coin/ring shooters....I would believe it could miss a very small nugget <sub gram> but I will never believe it could miss a larger over 1 gram+ nugget at reasonable depth....particularly with an 8" round Mono....the standard 14 x 10" DD should be pensioned off IMO....

mikeagain wrote:brian and jim and all you others that took the time to advise me i thank you. after reading your thoughts on the matter i will buy two units,probably the 4500 and the infinium. its good to have made a decision having had access to your knowledge. in return ,to those of you that may be interested my field is the fx market. over eight years i have developed software and have written an ebook on how to trade successfully using paper or real money. this information i always give free but have been finicky in who i gave it to but i must say ,in this case,that to all those that have written to me seem like clear thinking folk and it is yours if you think i can be of value in this department.

cheers mike

If gold prospecting is your main interest a 4500 would be an excelent staring point, while on this track I would not go with the Infinium LS but instead a Gold Bug Pro with a 10x5"DD waterproof coil and a long bottom stem as the coil has a 6.6ft long wire and can reach from here into next week, very handy when in a waterway for checking up the bank.
Good for rubbish areas small gold pickers are like coil candy, fine for coins in parks and beach work, will GB right at the water edge.
Has different size coils available,.......run on a single 9Volt battery.............and it is Light.

My choice, my fun machine, it's always at the ready for a quick search.

ivanll

Thanks Adrian and Larry for your post. Just to make it clearer Larry, when I tested the 22 slug against the extreme both got it close to the survace but once it went deeper the extreme, with the minelab 11" DD, blitzed it. The Infinium got no signal at all yet it still was loud and clear on the extreme. It was only a small slug. Have noticed that there is a 3"x7" dd available for it now so would be interesting to see how that would go on small bits.
Paul

hello ivanll. the gb pro checks out really well. thanks for that.

cheers mike