GPX 6000 vs GPZ 7000: Which Is Better?

GPX 6000 vs GPZ 7000: Gold Detectors Face-Off in the Australian Goldfields

If you’ve spent any time prospecting for gold in Australia – especially around the famed Victorian goldfields – you’ve likely heard the debate: Minelab GPX 6000 or GPZ 7000? Both of these detectors are heavy hitters (pun intended) in the gold-finding game. Each has its loyal fans and its own list of strengths and quirks. So, which one shines for what? Let’s take a deep-dive into comparing the two, focusing on their gold-finding performance on shallow vs deep targets and fine flakes vs big nuggets, all in the context of Aussie detecting.

Meet the Contenders: Minelab’s Gold-Finding Heavyweights

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, a quick intro. Minelab’s GPZ 7000 has been around since 2015 and earned a reputation as a powerhouse for depth – some prospectors even dub it the “king” of gold detectors. It introduced a new technology called Zero Voltage Transmission (ZVT), promising a big leap in performance – up to 40% deeper detection compared to the previous GPX series. On the other side, the Minelab GPX 6000 is a newer kid on the block (released in 2021) packing Minelab’s latest PI (pulse induction) tech known as GeoSense-PI. The GPX 6000 was designed to be lighter, simpler, and extremely sensitive to small gold – almost like a “greatest hits” combination of several earlier Minelab gold machines.

In short: The GPZ 7000 is often hailed for extreme depth and big nuggets, while the GPX 6000 is praised for light weight, ease of use, and tiny gold sensitivity. But there’s a lot more to it, especially when you’re out roaming the Golden Triangle in Victoria. Let’s break down each detector’s personality.

GPX 6000: The Lightweight Gold Vacuum

The GPX 6000 is often described as a “gold vacuum cleaner” – turn it on and start sucking up those bits of gold that others left behind. Minelab clearly designed this machine with both beginners and seasoned hunters in mind. Weighing only ~2.1 kg (about 4.6 lbs) including its battery and coil, it’s significantly lighter than the GPZ 7000’s ~3.3 kg weight. In practice, this means you can swing the GPX 6000 all day without feeling like your arm is falling off. For prospectors trudging around the Australian bush – sometimes in 40°C heat – that lighter weight is more than a luxury; it’s nearly a necessity. As one user cheerfully put it, the GPX 6000 is a pleasure to detect with “simply for the sheer pleasure of... something so light.”

But don’t let the slimmed-down design fool you – the GPX 6000 packs serious punch. Its new GeoSense-PI technology automatically adapts to ground conditions in real-time, keeping the detector stable and quiet even in mineralized soils. And it’s super sensitive. This machine excels at sniffing out small gold. We’re talking sub-gram nuggets, little flakes and “picker” nuggets that older detectors or less sensitive models might miss. In fact, the GPX 6000 will happily ping targets so small you might need tweezers to pick them up. Its sensitivity to tiny gold is one of its standout strengths – “the GPX 6000 will pick up even the tiniest pieces of gold, ensuring nothing is left behind.” Many prospectors report that it hits gold of a few tenths of a gram (or smaller) at shallow depths with a loud, clear signal. It’s like a Gold Monster 1000 and SDC 2300 combined, but with more power and depth than either – “almost like a Gold Monster, SDC2300 and GPX5000 in one upgraded machine… better than all of them, while being lighter”.

Highlights of the GPX 6000:

Ultralight & User-Friendly: Weighs ~2.1 kg and has a very simple control layout. Few settings (basically just sensitivity level, threshold on/off, and ground type) mean even a novice can get the hang of it quickly. It’s pretty much switch on and go – the automatic ground balancing and noise cancel do a lot of the work for you. No complicated menus here, just a straight-up, easy experience.

Small Gold Specialist: The 6000 is terrific on small, shallow gold. Tiny sub-gram nuggets give clear signals that “boom” under the coil. In fact, many Aussie prospectors have revisited supposedly “worked out” patches with the GPX 6000 and pulled out little nuggets that older GPX models or even the GPZ had missed. It’s truly a vacuum for fine gold bits.

Fast and Fun: Because it’s lightweight and well-balanced, you can swing it faster and cover ground more easily. This makes the GPX 6000 an excellent patch-finder. You can wander around the Victorian bush, quickly scouting for a new gold-bearing spot. As one forum member noted, it’s “light and easy to swing” and great for finding a patch and then also “cleaning up” the small pieces. The quick recovery and sharp signal response help you pinpoint targets rapidly, which adds to the “zippy” and fun feel of using the 6000.

Drawbacks of the GPX 6000:

Limited Extreme Depth: While the GPX 6000 can find surprisingly large nuggets at decent depth, it does have its limits. On very deep, heavy nuggets, it generally can’t match the raw depth of the GPZ 7000 (especially if the GPZ is outfitted with a big coil). Even Minelab acknowledges the 6000 is not primarily a deep-seeking monster – some experts find it struggles a bit on the biggest deep targets. In side-by-side tests on Australian soil, users have found that the GPX 6000 might miss or only faintly hear a nugget that the GPZ hits clearly at depth. For instance, one experienced hunter reported a scenario where a ~5 gram nugget buried about 15 inches down was easily detected by a GPZ 7000, but the GPX 6000 couldn’t hear it at all until some soil was removed (essentially needing to get the coil closer by digging). In that case the GPZ had roughly a four-inch depth advantage on that target. So, if your goal is punching as deep as possible for large “retirement nuggets” underground, the 6000 isn’t the absolute king – it gives up a bit of depth to its big brother.

Noise in Challenging Ground: The GPX 6000’s high sensitivity can be a double-edged sword in highly mineralized or electrically noisy areas. The Victorian goldfields are notorious for iron-rich “hot” ground and also the occasional pesky EMI (electromagnetic interference) from power lines or thunderstorms. The GPX 6000 tends to be a bit chatty or chirpy in such conditions, especially with the standard Mono coil. Several users note that in “damp or noisy ground” the 6000 can start spitting false signals, and if there’s even moderate EMI around, you’ll probably need to swap to the supplied 14″ Double-D coil for stability. The DD coil tames the noise and even allows an “EMI cancel” and salt-ground cancel feature, but it’s a heavier coil and slightly less sensitive to the tiniest gold. In practice, this means if you’re detecting during a stormy day or on certain super hot ironstone hills, you might have to sacrifice a bit of the GPX’s lightness and small-gold edge to keep it stable. It’s not a deal-breaker – the machine does auto Noise Cancels in a few seconds and balances ground quickly – just something to be aware of. The GPZ by comparison often runs quieter in difficult ground (more on that soon).

Price and Extras: It’s worth a quick mention that the GPX 6000 is still a premium detector in price. In Australia, it’s been retailing in the ballpark of AU$8000 (give or take) for the full kit. That’s cheaper than a GPZ 7000 new, but still a big investment for hobbyists. The good news is it comes with two coils (11″ Mono and 14″ DD) included, and recently Minelab-certified aftermarket coils have become available (Coiltek’s Goldhawk and Nugget Finder’s Xceed series) to give you more size options. Still, for beginners the cost can be a hurdle – you’ll want to be serious about gold hunting to justify a GPX 6000.

In summary, the GPX 6000 is like a sports car: light, fast, and incredibly sensitive, especially suited for shallow to mid-depth hunting and sniffing out those sneaky little bits of gold hiding in mineralized ground. It’s ideal for prospectors of all levels who prioritize convenience and covering ground without sacrificing much performance. Many veteran gold hunters in Australia use the 6000 as their everyday detector for patch hunting, and they absolutely clean up on small gold with it. But now let’s talk about the GPX 6000’s bigger, older sibling – the one that comes out when you’re serious about deep ground and big nuggets.

GPZ 7000: The Deep-Seeking Heavyweight Champ

If the GPX 6000 is a nimble sports car, the GPZ 7000 is more like a fully loaded 4x4 truck – built to handle the roughest ground and go deeper into the goldfields than anything that came before. This detector earned almost legendary status upon its release, chiefly for the huge depth it could achieve on gold targets. Minelab’s bold claim was up to 40% deeper detection than the prior GPX series (a claim many field users found believable under the right conditions). In Aussie terms: patches that had been “flogged” by GPX 4500/5000 detectors suddenly started producing big deep nuggets again when the GPZ 7000 arrived. It made old goldfields “new again” by reaching gold that was out of range for earlier machines. The secret sauce was its ZVT (Zero Voltage Transmission) technology, which is neither pure PI nor traditional VLF – it’s a unique beast that gives a more constant magnetic field in the ground. The upshot is extremely high sensitivity and depth, especially on larger gold. The GPZ comes standard with a big 14" x 13" Super-D coil, and there’s an optional enormous 19" coil for even more depth on large targets. In recent years, smaller coils (down to 12" and even 10") have also become available through third-party manufacturers, which help the GPZ with finding small gold. With the standard coil, though, the GPZ 7000 was already capable of hitting surprisingly small bits – one prospector in Victoria noted he found pieces as tiny as 0.07 grams at about 1.5 inches deep with his GPZ. Not bad for a coil the size of a dinner plate!

Strengths of the GPZ 7000:

Unmatched Depth on Big Gold: This is the #1 reason people invest in a GPZ. In known gold areas like Bendigo or Dunolly, if you suspect there are large deep nuggets lurking under iron-hard clay or beneath basalt wash, the GPZ gives you the best shot to find them. It has earned a reputation as “the titan” of gold detectors for good reason. Users frequently report finding multi-gram or ounce-sized nuggets at depths that would leave other detectors silent. In one comparison, a skilled operator found that a GPZ 7000 with the stock coil could hear a sizeable nugget deeper than a GPX 6000 could, estimating about a four-inch depth advantage in very hard, mineralized ground. Another Aussie operator from Northeast Victoria shared that with his GPZ he recovered 1 gram nuggets at over 12 inches deep in highly mineralised soil – and even a 0.35 g piece at 6+ inches – which is impressive for such a small bit in bad ground. The GPZ’s depth ability, especially on anything weighing a gram and up, is in a league of its own. If it’s down there and you swing over it, you’ll get a subtle but telling signal. As targets get deeper, the GPZ’s signal responses tend to remain smoother and more intelligible than lighter machines; one user noted that on deep targets, the GPZ’s signal clarity “catches up and eventually surpasses the [GPX] 6”. In other words, at shallow depths the 6000 might beep louder, but when the gold is deep, the 7000 gives a clearer whisper that stands out from the background.

Performance in Difficult Ground: Australian goldfields soil can be incredibly challenging – mineralized clays, ironstone, “hot rocks,” and even salt flats in places like Western Australia. The GPZ 7000 was engineered to handle this kind of ground. It has an advanced automatic ground balance that can track through very mineralized ground with ease. The machine also boasts a whopping 256-channel noise cancel feature, which yields excellent immunity to ambient noise and EMI. Many users comment how stable and quiet the GPZ runs – you mostly “hear the gold, not the ground” once it’s properly tuned. In practice, this means the GPZ often remains quiet and calm in spots that might make a GPX scream or require constant adjustment. For example, if the soil is wet after rain (which usually enhances ground signals), the GPZ can still run smoothly in its “Difficult” ground setting, whereas a GPX 6000 user might need to flip to the DD coil or lower sensitivity. In fact, some prospectors mention that in “damp or noisy ground… the Zed will come into its own” – it handles those tough conditions gracefully.

Versatility (Small Gold to Big Gold): Early on, some people assumed the GPZ 7000 was only good for big nuggets at depth and might miss the tiny stuff. But experience has proven that wrong. With the standard coil, the GPZ can absolutely find small bits – maybe not quite as easily as a GPX 6000 can, but it’ll get them. Minelab themselves advertise the GPZ as having “maximum sensitivity on all gold, from sub-gram pieces through to those elusive ‘retirement nuggets’”. The difference is that very small gold might sound like faint “whispers” on the GPZ, whereas the GPX 6000 might scream on the same tiny bit. However, thanks to newer smaller coils (like the Nugget Finder 12" Z-Search coil), the GPZ’s small gold capability has improved significantly in the field. One Australian detectorist called the 12" coil a “game changer” for the GPZ – suddenly those sub-gram bits give much sharper signals, closing the gap where the 6000 excelled. So the GPZ with a small coil can almost match the 6000 on the little stuff, while still retaining its edge on larger deep finds. Many experienced hunters actually use both coils: the stock or 19" for maximum depth when needed, and a smaller coil to work trashy or shallow areas for little pickers. Bottom line: the GPZ 7000 truly can be a one-machine-does-it-all, from crumbs to multi-ounce nuggets, if you know how to tweak it and don’t mind swapping coils. And unlike the GPX 6000, which currently tops out at a 17" coil, the GPZ can leverage that massive 19" coil for extra depth, giving it a physical advantage in covering ground and punching deep.

Trade-Offs and Quirks of the GPZ 7000:

Heavy Weight & Ergonomics: There’s no sugar-coating this – the GPZ 7000 is a beast to swing. At over 3.3 kg (7.3 lbs) with its standard coil and battery, it weighs roughly 50% more than the GPX 6000. After a few hours on the goldfields, you will feel it. Virtually every GPZ user ends up using a harness, bungee cord, or “swing arm” support to help handle the detector’s weight. It’s manageable with those accessories (and Minelab’s Pro-Swing harness does help distribute the load), but you won’t be casually poking around in dense scrub or climbing steep diggings with the GPZ as effortlessly as you would with a GPX 6000. This weight factor is a big reason some people opt for the 6000 despite the GPZ’s performance; as one Aussie digger put it, “if weight is your major issue, go the 6. If it’s not, the 7 would be my choice.” Carrying the GPZ through thick Victorian mulga or up and down mine tailings is a workout. You may also find you need to swing slower and more deliberately – not just because of weight, but because the GPZ’s coil needs controlled motion to fully “see” those deep targets. It’s a detector that rewards patience and good technique.

Complexity and Learning Curve: The GPZ 7000 is loaded with settings, menu options, and features. It has multiple timing modes, manual tuning options, mapping GPS features, and more. For seasoned detectorists, this level of control is wonderful – you can fine-tune the machine for specific ground or target types. But for a beginner, the GPZ can be intimidating. There is a simple menu and even built-in guide sequences (Minelab tries to make it usable “out of the box”), but realistically a newcomer might take quite a while to master all the nuances. In contrast, the GPX 6000 feels like a point-and-shoot camera vs the GPZ’s DSLR with lots of knobs. Some users have joked that using the GPZ 7000 effectively is like “learning to drive a manual transmission” – once you learn it, you love the control, but it’s not as plug-and-play as the 6000. Minelab themselves note the GPZ’s high-tech elements might intimidate some newbies. That said, plenty of beginners have started on a GPZ and done well; you don’t need an engineering degree, but expect to spend time reading the manual and practicing. One must also use good coil control and go “low and slow” over the ground. As a forum poster succinctly put it, the GPZ requires you to work “slower and more methodically… paying attention” to the signals. If you rush or swing it like a lightweight VLF, you won’t get the best out of it. So the GPZ is best for those willing to invest time and effort into their craft.

Cost and Practicality: The GPZ 7000 is one of the most expensive detectors on the market (often around US$8000-$9000 / ~AU$10,000 new). Buying one is “buy once, cry once” proposition for many – you pay a premium for that top-end performance. And as mentioned, you might eventually want a smaller coil (like the 12") which adds extra cost. For many casual prospectors, that’s hard to justify. The GPX 6000, while still pricey, usually comes in a couple thousand dollars cheaper. Another practical consideration: the GPZ is a bit more cumbersome to travel with. It doesn’t collapse as compactly as the GPX 6000. If you’re hiking into remote areas or hopping on a plane to WA, the GPX’s portability is a plus. The GPZ’s stock shaft can be packed down, but it’s larger and the battery is external, etc. Minor details, but worth noting if you plan to cover a lot of territory.

All that said, many professional prospectors in Australia absolutely swear by the GPZ 7000 despite the weight and cost. They’ll gladly carry the load because they know it might find that life-changing deep nugget that a lighter detector could miss. In skilled hands, the GPZ still “does do everything – at the expense of price and weight,” as one user put it. It remains the go-to for deep gold hunting and has proven itself on Victoria’s infamous “deep lead” gullies and buried ancient stream beds where gold can lie well beyond a foot down.

Head-to-Head: Shallow vs Deep, Small vs Big – Where Each Shines

Now let’s directly compare the GPX 6000 versus GPZ 7000 in typical prospecting scenarios. It really comes down to what kind of gold you’re after and the nature of the ground you’re hunting.

Hunting Tiny/Shallow Gold: If your goal is to recover as many small nuggets as possible from the near-surface (say the top few inches of soil), the GPX 6000 is tough to beat. It’s extremely hot on those little nuggets and gives a very obvious response on them – often a loud, sharp zip sound that’s easy to recognize. One Aussie operator observed that on “small, shallow gold” the GPX 6000 gives a “booming target response” whereas the GPZ 7000, by comparison, gives a “smooth, clearly audible response” – both will detect the gold, but the 6000’s signal might catch your attention more readily on tiny bits. The GPX 6000 also has the advantage of allowing you to cover ground quickly and get under and around bushes without much hassle, increasing your chances of wandering across those scattered flakes. This is why many prospectors say the GPX 6000 is excellent as a “patch finder.” You can cruise around an old field with the 6000, pick up a bunch of sub-gram pieces that previous machines left, and effectively sniff out a new patch of gold. In the Victorian Goldfields, where a lot of the easy big nuggets were found in the 1800s, much of what’s left (for detectorists) are these smaller bits in topsoil or digs’ mullock heaps – here the 6000 truly shines. In fact, some users who own both detectors will first thoroughly work an area with the GPX 6000 and then come back with the GPZ – and often the GPZ “hasn't picked up any more targets” that the 6000 missed (especially if the gold in that spot was mostly small/shallow). That illustrates how effective the 6000 can be at “cleaning up” the gold within its depth range.

Chasing Deep or Larger Nuggets: On the flip side, if you suspect there’s a big lump of gold lurking deep down – perhaps beneath some basalt layer or in a gully’s wash – the GPZ 7000 is the detector you want in your hands. The GPZ simply detects deeper on all target sizes (but especially on bigger, denser nuggets) than the GPX 6000 can in most cases. To quantify it generally: the GPZ might hit a large nugget 2 feet down, whereas the GPX 6000 might only reach that same nugget at, say, 18 inches or less. In one real-world test in Western Australia, a prospector reported that the GPZ 7000 consistently detected targets that the GPX 6000 couldn’t initially hear – “the 7000 [was] better on depth on all size targets”, with the GPX only responding after a few inches of soil were removed. In very deep ground, the GPZ had at least a 4-inch advantage, if not more, on certain nuggets. This kind of difference can mean everything when you’re searching for that once-in-a-lifetime nugget that’s just on the edge of detection. Also, consider coil size: Minelab’s 19″ coil on a GPZ is a depth monster but there is no comparably large coil for the GPX 6000 (its largest is a 17″ mono). More coil surface area = more depth on big targets, generally. So the GPZ enjoys a hardware edge for deep seeking. If you’re working areas of known deep leads or undisturbed old ground where gold might be lurking well below the surface, the GPZ increases your chances of hearing those faint deep whispers. Many advanced users actually adopt a two-pronged approach: they use the GPX 6000 to find a new patch or the shallower bits, then once the easy pickings are gone, they’ll “bring out the big gun” (GPZ 7000 with a larger coil) to probe for any deep nuggets under that patch. This combo can be deadly productive – the 6000 ensures no small gold is left, and the 7000 checks if a multi-ouncer was hiding just a bit too deep for the 6000’s reach. If you can only choose one approach, think about what you prefer: grabbing more small gold versus gambling on fewer but potentially larger deep gold.

Ground Conditions and Adaptability: The Victorian goldfields present a mix of ground conditions – from relatively mild loamy soils to insanely mineralized red clay with ironstone (not to mention variable hot rocks). Overall, the GPZ 7000 is more forgiving and adaptable in tough ground. Its ground tracking is excellent and it can handle “Variable” or “Difficult” soil settings without too much sensitivity loss. The GPX 6000 does a great job too thanks to GeoSense and auto-ground balance, but it may require a bit more user intervention (noise cancel, lower sensitivity or switching to DD coil) when the soil is nasty or the EMI is bad. Notably, in salt-rich ground (like some shallow salt lakes or wet saltbush flats), the GPX 6000’s DD coil mode can actually cancel the salt signals – a handy trick the GPZ doesn’t have. However, such situations are relatively rare in Victoria (more common in WA). In general, if you’re detecting around Victorian sites like Wedderburn or Kingower with lots of iron minerals, the GPZ will likely run smoother and let you hear faint targets better through the ground noise. Meanwhile, the GPX might chatter, but again, using the DD coil or dialing back sensitivity can tame it. It’s a bit of a trade-off: the GPX 6000 might require more frequent adjustment in variable ground, whereas the GPZ, once properly balanced, cruises along steadily. One user succinctly compared it: “In good to average ground, the [GPX] 6 is a pleasure to use. In damp or noisy ground, ... the Zed will come into its own.” So for the Victorian goldfields which often go from mild to wild ground in the span of a gully, either detector can cope – but the GPZ gives you more confidence in ugly ground, while the GPX gives you that agility to adapt quickly (swap a coil, quick ground balance, etc.).

Recovery Speed & Trashy Areas: Another practical point – if you’re detecting in an area littered with iron junk (say around old diggings or camps), the GPX 6000 might have an advantage in recovery speed. It responds quickly and can separate targets a bit more like a VLF detector would. The GPZ, due to its powerful detection field, can sound off on a lot of deep iron and might encourage you to dig very deep holes for rusty nails or bullets. (Of course, both machines will detect all metals – neither has true discrimination for iron in the typical prospecting modes, though the GPX 6000’s DD coil has an iron rejection feature of limited use). If you’re a beginner especially, you might find you dig fewer giant holes with the GPX 6000, simply because it doesn’t hit the ultra-deep small signals as much. Meanwhile a GPZ could have you chasing a faint target that turns out to be a tiny bit of wire a foot down. This isn’t a “performance” difference per se – it’s a consequence of their capabilities. Seasoned users often joke that GPZ users become expert hole diggers! That said, many will happily dig those faint signals on the chance that any one of them could be a big nugget. Just keep in mind your environment: for patch hunting in old timer sites with loads of junk, a GPX 6000 might let you work a bit faster and more selectively (using your ears to gauge target size/shallowness). In cleaner, remote ground with less trash, a GPZ will sniff out every possible signal, and you won’t mind digging them.

Which Detector is Right for You?

By now, it’s clear that both the GPX 6000 and GPZ 7000 are superb gold machines – they just have different personalities. Choosing between them really boils down to your personal prospecting style, your physical tolerance (and maybe fitness level!), and the type of gold hunting you plan to do.

For Beginners or “Everyday” Prospectors: The GPX 6000 is often recommended as the better choice for those just getting started or those who want a more relaxed detecting experience. It’s lighter, simpler, and you’ll have a shorter learning curve. You can pretty much turn it on and be confident you’re getting excellent performance without endless tweaking. It’s also superb for finding the maximum number of nuggets – particularly in Aussie goldfields where smaller gold is abundant. If your aim is to accumulate grams by finding lots of little bits (with the occasional surprise bigger bit), the GPX 6000 will serve you very well. It’s also the detector you might prefer if you often go out for casual hunts, or you’re covering rough terrain where agility matters (hiking steep ridges, navigating thick scrub, etc.). Comfort and convenience are big here – many people simply detect longer and more frequently with a lighter machine, which in turn leads to more gold found. One user on the forums shared that his GPX 6000 “paid for itself 3/4 of the way in about 40 hours of use” thanks to all the gold he found so quickly, largely because the machine was so enjoyable to use that he was out detecting a lot. So, for an enthusiast who wants to maximize fun and still have top-notch gold capability, the 6000 is a brilliant choice.

For Serious or Niche Hunters: The GPZ 7000 tends to attract the more seasoned prospectors, or those who are laser-focused on deep gold. If you’ve got some experience under your belt and you’re chasing that next level challenge, the GPZ might be calling your name. It can be the ultimate tool in the right hands – the difference between finding a big nugget or walking right over it. In places like parts of Victoria and Western Australia, there are deep ancient river channels and pockets of ground that have given up large nuggets to GPZ users after everyone with a GPX had assumed nothing was left. If stories of multi-ounce nuggets make your heart race – and you don’t mind lugging a heavier detector – the GPZ 7000 is extremely compelling. Just be prepared for the workout and the need to truly learn the machine. Many prospectors keep both a GPZ and a GPX unit: they might use the GPZ when systematically working known productive ground, and keep a GPX 6000 handy for roaming or when they get tired and want to swing light. But if you must pick one and you know you want the deepest-seeking detector available, go for the GPZ. As one experienced Aussie put it, “I have never had a 6000, but after having the Z (7000) for 12 months, the 6000 would have to be pretty special for me to change”. That speaks volumes about the confidence the GPZ can give you once you’ve mastered it.

Aussie Goldfields Focus: In Victoria specifically, a lot of gold is relatively shallow (within the top 0–12 inches, especially on hilltops, in detector scraped areas, or around old diggings). There are also many small species (tiny nuggets often <0.1 g) scattered in topsoil that are essentially the leftovers after decades of detecting. The GPX 6000 is like a sniper for those – it will significantly increase your finds of sub-gram gold in worked areas. On the other hand, Victoria still harbors deep lead systems and potholes of ground with larger gold, often just beyond the reach of older detectors. The GPZ’s ability to punch into that “new ground” beneath the old patches can’t be ignored. For example, the famous Wedderburn “Hand of Faith” nugget (27 kg monster found in 1980) was about a foot or so down – easy work for a modern GPZ, but found with older tech by sheer luck. One can only imagine how many more big ones lurk a bit deeper. The GPZ gives you that edge to potentially make such a find. So if your prospecting in Victoria involves a lot of exploring historic areas for crumbs, lean GPX 6000; if it involves searching known deep ground or less-touched zones for a potential big score, lean GPZ 7000.

Finally, a note on enjoyment vs. exhaustion: The best detector is the one you are comfortable using for long stretches. A GPZ 7000 sitting in your garage because you’re too tired to use it is finding zero gold. A GPX 6000 that you do take out because it’s easy and fun will be the one filling your jar with nuggets. Many users absolutely love the GPX 6000 for this reason – “sheer pleasure of detecting with something so light” was a common sentiment. Others say the thrill of hearing that faint GPZ signal that turns out to be a deep nugget is unmatched. So it really comes down to what motivates you.

In a perfect world (and deep pocketbook), having both detectors is the ultimate solution – use each where it excels. But since most of us have to choose, I hope this comparison helped clear things up. To recap in simple terms:

The GPX 6000 shines for speed, ease, and smaller gold (shallow bits, covering lots of ground, less fatigue, newbie-friendly).

The GPZ 7000 shines for maximum depth and confidence on bigger gold (serious exploration, slow thorough hunting, handling tough ground, with a physical cost in weight).

Either way, both detectors have proven themselves across the Australian goldfields. Whether you’re swinging a 6000 or a 7000, if you put yourself on good ground and keep that coil low and slow, you’ve got a shot at gold. And in the end, that’s what it’s all about – getting out there and enjoying the hunt. Happy detecting, and may the nuggets be plentiful!