Golden Mask 1+

Great value

Vince in Holland -
I am surprised to see that their isn't a review on the Golden mask 1+ (18khz) yet.
Let me be the first then.
Having used the GM1+ for over a half year now I feel confident enough to write a good review.
Before the GM1+ I have used a Fisher F2, and also have had a few outings with the XP Goldmaxx Power.
Compared to my Fisher F2 the GM1+ is quite heavy but also more sturdy build.
Balance is different as the coil is quite heavy due to the fact that it is filled with raisin.
But this works really well with me.

The stem is strong and stiff, there is no 'swing' or movement when you search.
It's a "turn on and go" machine, no frills.
At first I was kinda afraid I would miss the digital VDI numbers I was used to with my Fisher F2, but I really don't.
Set up is easy: Turn it on, set the threshold to a slight buzz or just below it, and set the disc.
I normally set the threshold to around 8 to 9, and the disc I keep between 2 and 3 for just discriminating iron. At the default 4 you also discriminate foil, but then might miss the small hammies and small gold.
The response time and iron recovery is lightning fast! Comparable to the XP GMP and clearly faster than my mate's White's DFX which costs over 3 times more!
Depth from this machine is impressive, in the soil I mostly search on (river clay) it penetrates 30-50 percent better than my F2 on average sized targets, up to over 100 percent on really small stuff like those tiny paperthin hammered silvers.
In air tests the difference is a lot less, maybe only 20 percent . But who ever searches in air!??

When I used my F2 my findings were on average around 20-40 percent less than my mates who are using top end machines.
Since I have my GM1+ this is history.
True, it's a spartan machine, only one tone and analogue.
But after some training, your ears and brains will prove to give a better judgment (to dig or not to dig) than what a digital chip tells you on a screen.
For its prize, best value you can get.

Jan 30, 2012

28 Yes
1 No

Was this helpful to you?