Fisher Labs Gold Bug-2 Metal Detector with 6 1/2" Elliptical Search Coil

I made purchase of the GB2 because of what I researched it can do. It has been stated to be able to find gold as small as a pin head. The GB2's ability to locate gold say 0.02 grams is on or 1 inch near the surface. Reported depth is around 4 to 5 inches with a 1.0 gram nugget. I wanted the 6 1/2 inch search coil that is very small because the larger coil looses the ability to see the smaller gold. I needed a detector that has a smaller search coil and the GB2 is it.The GB2 is not a perfect detector as with any other in comparison. If the decision is the GB2 or the GMT or the LOBO a person can not go wrong choosing any of these detectors. I own a GMT and it can give the GB2 a challenge. As for the LOBO as I have read it will detect deeper by what I assume to be around an inch or so but at the risk of finding no small gold. The GMT will go deep and find small gold too. If there is very high mineralization all detectors will struggle unless it has the ability to ground balance it out. There is a limit to the design of the GB2 as with the others. Taking the GB2 to the beach may not be a good idea but it should work there, but not as well as in a low mineralized area. The GB2 is stated as being able to find invisible gold. This type of gold is spongy or that which is running through quartz that some detectors may or can not find. Whatever the case I had to get a GB2. There is a newer version that I will call GB3 but it is not being well recieved. The operating frequency is lower and the coil is round again. It would be nice of Fisher to make available a small round coil for GB2 but at a low price though. The original GB had the small round coil.The detector is light. It is packed with the two 9 volt batteries already there. Assembly is pulling the composite rod down and joining the upper and lower shafts then unpluging the cable and wrapping it up in place. Nice, it is good to go. The control boxes housing is plastic. The batteries are held in place with little plastic doors held on by a thin plastic line. I don't like plastic and will have to be careful here. Here is where the GMT shines. Construction is much better. You can't go wrong with the GMT, but you will still want a GB2.Update: There is a plastic plug for the headphone jack. It's there to help control debris from getting in. The plug keeps falling out and I'll keep pushing it in till it either stays or breaks. As I said, It's not a perfect detector and I don't like plastic.

I really love this detector. It performs exactly as advertised. Gold, gold, gold! I have been using it here in Southeast Alaska. Can't wait to find enough gold to pay for it.

Pros:* Finds smaller pieces of gold than anything else on the market. We're talking pinhead size.* Lightweight for all-day swinging.* Can use rechargeable 9V batteries to save money; I've been using them with good results.* Simple, pick up and go, minimal set-up. Sensitivity to 10 (always), Mineralization typically on Normal, Audio Boost On. Easy manual ground balance as needed.* Gold and lead make a distinct sound that you can learn to identify even without using iron discrimination, although that feature works great as well.* Really stable for a VLF machine and once you're used to it you can pick out targets even in horribly mineralized ground.Cons:* Using regular 9V batteries can add up the expense, expect to use 2 every 16 or so hours of use.* After 2 years my iron discrimination switch has stopped working and I will have to send it for repair (5-yr warranty).* Is not pulse induction or a GPZ so realistic depth for nuggets is limited to under 10-12 inches.* If you forget to periodically check the handscrew that holds on the coil it can come loose in the field and fall off.* 9V batteries seem to barely fit into the battery compartments, the thin plastic battery doors have to be forced closed, it's hard to tell if they're latched, and can pop open without warning. Strange and unwieldy design that can make it difficult to remove batteries, but also leaves the possibility of the compartment popping open and depositing your battery onto the ground.This machine I've been using for the past couple years as a beginner and weekend hobbyist, and it's found enough gold to pay for itself and then some. I am upgrading to a Minelab to find bigger, deeper gold but I am definitely keeping this and using it in certain situations. There are niggling annoyances with some design aspects but there is a reason it is known as the best VLF detector out there. Its ease of use is good for beginners and it's good for trashy areas as the iron discrimination works quite well. And all three coil sizes are good for different uses.

I went back and forth between this detector and ones that cost 3 times less than the Gold Bug 2. This detector arrived with a bent rail that made putting together a pain. Now I have to send it back and hope they don't think I did this. At almost $500 I expected something a bit more well made and this does not look like it will stand use in a desert. Very disappointed in the quality. The battery compartments look like they will snap any moment, I can deal with only one velcro strap enclosed as I can buy another but it's the principal of the matter that this is suppose to be NEW equipment.What I received looks used but just resealed in plastic.

Very nice, very effective detector. Check out "ask Jeff Williams" on youtube.