Does Minelab say the real-life detectorists participated in the development of the Go-Find? Here is a Go-Find 20 vs Go-Find 40 comparison and what is the worst in them.
In features of the Go-Find 20 and Go-Find 40, the manufacturer specifies the length – 555mm (a minimum one, when collapsed). So both detectors must be equal.
The difference. Only the Minelab Go-Find 20 corresponds to this figure. The Go-Find 40 is noticeably shorter.
However, the compactness isn’t impressive anyway. For example, the Garrett ACE 250 when disassembled is only 1cm longer than the Minelab Go-Find 20. And if you remove the ACE 250 coil from the shaft, the device will have shorter length than the Go-Find 20.
How did Minelab manage to make the detectors of different lengths from equal components? The construction is one-to-one. If desired, the replacement parts can be shifted from one model to another.
In practice, the Minelab Go-Find machines are inconvenient. The handle, being highly positioned, swings the detector while sweeping. The battery compartment door creaks under the hand. There’s no armrest at all.
It’s impossible to hunt with the Minelab Go-Find without using a fixing strap on the armrest. This is because the very same strap serves as an armrest.
The construction doesn’t have a single metal component. The shafts are creaking and vibrating. The plastic camlocks are ready to break down at any moment.
Why has Minelab made a square coil? What is its advantage over elliptical or round one? This coil gives little detection depth. For instance, the 10 Monoloop (Go-Find 40/60) has less depth than the Garrett ACE 250 with the 6.5×9 ACE PROformance coil. But it should be the opposite.
The difference. The 8 Monoloop (Go-Find 20) and 10 Monoloop (Go-Find 40/60) coils vary only in size. The increase in depth resulting from this difference is slight – a few centimeters for the targets like coins. As for the rest these coils are equal.
What I like about the Minelab Go-Find metal detectors is the screens. They are contrasting, in direct sunlight everything can be seen perfectly.
The difference. The Go-Find 40 screen has a backlight (the latter is great!).
The difference. The Minelab Go-Find 20 has no pinpoint mode… Of course it’s possible to hunt without this mode, but in order for that to be effective, you need experience. The newbies have no such experience. Well, all correct: if there is no button, then there are no questions. Let them hunt.
Discrimination. Here, the manufacturer hasn’t cheated anyone. You can effectively hunt even with the minimal Go-Find 20. For accuracy in iron rejection the device is equal to the Garrett ACE 250 (sometimes it’s even better).
All metals in the Minelab Go-Find are divided into 4 groups (4 icons on the detector screen). The first one corresponds to iron. The rest are non-ferrous metals.
The difference. The Minelab Go-Find 20 discrimination mode allows elimination of 1 group only. The Minelab Go-Find 40 does the same for 1 or 2 groups.
The difference. The Minelab Go-Find 40 has Bluetooth… In my opinion, it’s a useless feature (the way in which it was implemented by the manufacturer). The metal detector screen and control buttons are duplicated on a smartphone display. Very simple geolocation features available. Has Minelab decided to collect statistics about its users with this app?
The difference. The Minelab Go-Find 40 also has an upper scale (a LED strip above the screen). This one will probably be useful for a newbie. But I don’t perceive it while hunting. By the way, these LEDs can’t be seen in the sunlight.
More info about the Minelab Go-Find 20 can always be found here (news, videos, tests, comparisons) and on Knowledgebase pages (specs, features). All content related to the Minelab Go-Find 40 is here and here.
Don’t miss it! This is my personal experiment – another coil for the Minelab Go-Find 40 (photo review and video test).