Treasure hunting can easily become an addiction. Never knowing what you might find, if anything at all, generates extreme curiosity. Then when you do finally find something you only hope it has some value or great history to it. Metal detectors are the perfect treasure hunting companion (aside from your sibling who just so happens to share the same addiction). One company that makes it easy for newcomers to give metal detecting a try is Minelab.
Minelab has been producing metal detectors since 1985 and is the world leader in providing metal detecting technologies for consumers. We had the opportunity to test out one of their newly released GO-FIND 60 metal detectors; the consumer model. This model is perfect for anybody who is new to metal detecting. We are always up for an adventure and loved the idea of spending the day at the beach. We hit the beach in the early morning hours in search of treasures and before we knew it the sun was setting. Here’s how the GO-FIND 60 performed.
Key Features:
- VLF (VFLEX) Technology
- Frequency/Transmission- 7.8 kHz
- 10″ waterproof Monoloop Coil
- Internal speaker & 3.5mm headphone jack
- Visual Display 60mm x 36mm (2.36″ x 1.42″) LCD
- Backlight monitor
- Smartphone Pro App
- 3 Levels of Depth Indication
- 4 Detect Modes
- 4 Find Icons – Nail, Foil, Ring, Coin & Treasure
- Audio tones- Low, Mid1, Mid2, High
- Automatic Tracking Ground Balance
- Audio & Visual Pinpoint Mode
- 5 Levels of Sensitivity
- Length – Collapsed: 21.9 in / 555 mm Extended: 51.4 in / 1305 mm
Design:
The greatest thing about the GO-FIND 60’s design is its collapsibility. Most detectors don’t do this and make it difficult to transport them. MineLab really has a great consumer level metal detector here. We were able to strap this one to the outside of a backpack (where we would usually put a camera tripod), hop on our bikes and go. The overall length of the detector can be adjusted for different heights and arm lengths so adults and children can both enjoy using it.
Function:
To get the most out of the detector, it is best to have it calibrated before use by a product specialist at any of your local dealers. They are helpful to get you started off the right way and can answer any questions you may have. The GO-FIND 60 is one of three in the GO-FIND series. This one has the maximum number of detect modes, depth indication levels and sensitivity levels. While it isn’t a high end professional detector, it was still able to find buried items. A couple great features are the pinpoint mode and depth indicator. Once you get a signal that their may be a treasure, you can switch on the pinpoint mode and it will help you find almost exactly where it is buried. 
Then you can use the depth indicator to find out how far down it is. The Find Icons on the screen will give you a better idea of what you may be digging for. But be aware that many times items will give a false signal. Wanting to see how it compared to other consumer detectors, we took it out to test it with another basic metal detector. We quickly noticed that the other detector actually found the buried items faster at first pass over (even with the sensitivity turned down), but the PinPoint mode and depth indicator on the GO-FIND 60 was able to bring us closer to the exact location of the items. So if you go very slowly and keep your sensitivity level up as high as possible without getting all the constant “trash” signals, you should be able to find many treasures.
Pro App:
Pro App:The GO-FIND Pro App comes free with this model of the GO-FIND series. All you have to do is download the basic app to your smartphone (which is also free) and then when it links up to the detector it automatically updates to the Pro version. Once the app is synched with the detector it is fairly easy to use. Once you are good to go with the Pro App, it is fun to use. It will give you a bit more information on what the detector may have found, like coin identity, and even has Google Maps capability and allows you to take pictures and store them with notes about your find. The app is not necessary though, just an added bonus for your fun filled adventure.
Ease of Use:
Set the length adjustments to fit you, turn on the detector and you are good to go. Besides syncing the app in the beginning, there isn’t anything else for you to do but enjoy your treasure hunting. This model comes with a digging shovel, ear buds and a smart phone holder. They pretty much provide all you need for a successful hunt. Use the app to get a more detailed reading on what may be buried below. Play around with the sensitivity levels and detect modes to suit the area you are searching in for optimal performance. We use it mostly for beach hunting, so we had to turn the sensitivity down to weed out all the false signals from any trash. We ended the most of our testing sessions with lots of bottle caps, a few coins, and a cheap ring. No gold or diamond rings this time.
Value:
At about $300, this detector is a great deal for newcomers. It will keep you entertained outdoors all day. The bad part is that you may become addicted like we have and want to quickly upgrade. For families and those who just want to have some fun, this metal detector should be perfect. You may need to get more than one as it is difficult to share it once you get started.
Buy Now: $315 or to learn more: MineLab.com
- Collapsible and easily transportable.
- Pin Point function.
- Easy to use.
- A lot of false readings and missed finds.
Hi,I bought a Minelab go find40 last Monday 15/9/2015,I took it down to the beach on the Tuesday,after two hours searching I found twenty beer bottle caps and €4 in coins,the depth was great,the discriminating was terrible,the bottle caps were reading as coins,I took the machine Into the water,after five minutes the machine developed a two tone siren noise,which never stopped,I contacted the dealer who suggested I disconnect the coil to see if that was the problem,the only problem is,you can’t disconnect the coil,so I’ve sent the machine back and swapped it for a whites machine.I think the go find has teething trouble which néeds to be sorted out.Incidentally I went back down to the beach the following day with a Tesoro cutlass,where I found over €50 and no beer caps.
Hi Tony,
I haven’t experienced any major issues with the GoFind 60. I did use it in the water for short times, but just stayed along the shore. The GoFind series are definitely for very basic detecting and extreme beginners. Yours may have had a glitch. They are still so new that there may be bugs they have to work out. I’m glad you were able to find a detector that worked out for you though! Happy hunting!
Hi Beth,your right about the go find being a basic detector,what I liked about it was how compact it was,hopefully minelab will sort out the problems and maybe a chance to be able to change coils,because if the coil on my machine was the problem that’s the machine kaput because you can’t change coils.H H Tony
Hi I had the same thing happen to me?????? I got a re placement
I have got the same problem. The alarm goes off everything I open the detector. You think minelab will replace it?
The mine lab 60 is not that good. Get a lot of mis findings. It says there is something then there is nothing. But the pin pointer of mine lab is one of the best ever
For the money can’t go wrong I have a ctx3030 that cost thousands of pounds uk
Still throws up false signals at the beach .
This is a no pressure ,holiday detector great for beach days
With the kids at this price worth every penny
You have to remember the costing of this machine
Is low end but the fun is high end da
Hi I have a 6 and 8 year old, wife and dog and we all enjoy the Go Find 60, we actually bought 2 plus the Pro Find 35 pin pointer a few days ago. We are all extremely happy with it. On our very first outing on Surfers Paradise Beach for 1.5 hours of searching we found the following:
$2 coin, small cigarette lighter, 3 can opening tabs, a rusted little clip, 4 bottle lids, but we were really impressed that it picked up a small plastic wire that is used to seal plastic bags that the paper had disappeared and the wire rusting it really was a needle in haystack but showed the accuracy and depth about 7 cm pick up. This is my first time out we only had two false readings being a blue metal foot path near sand (entering beach) and when son hit sand with detector…. oh and the times my six year old kept approaching us with her detector on setting off a symphony of beeps from both machines. The pin pioneer on the 60 made it easy for the 35 to find. The depth indicator appeared pretty good. As a total newbie first time out we had a fantastic time, both my kids are addicted as is my wife and I really had some great fun together. I seriously think we will get our moneys worth just in the value of fun and family time together, son is wanting to go to gold fields! 😉
Hello. I would like to buy a go find 60 machine but my country is preventing the importation of such devices. Can you deliver it to me? Thank you I am from Saudi Arabia