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Gary's Detecting.co.uk 
Golden mask 1 metal detector from Bulgaria the first UK review
Latest Golden Mask news !! now you can buy direct from the manufacturer at
a new 2010 price only £199
follow this link
mdetectors.com
As you can see the Golden Mask 1 is a scaled down version of the Golden Mask 3 which was on test late last year and I would like to say it is has gained my highest respect.
Originally the Golden Mask range was designed for the Bulgarian market so I have requested some changes to suit our desired target range.
It was a real pleasure to talk to the designer about small tweaks that would suit our conditions. Without any fuss I got an e mail to say your prototype machine is ready with modifications to test .
As many of you know I am a big fan of simple machines that do the business, I like to leave the gadgets to others and spend my detecting time digging up targets... valuable time can be wasted by pressing buttons or accessing menu's.
The GM1 control panel
As you can see it uses the same control box, coil, stem and battery charging system as it's big brother the Golden mask 3, the 10" widescan coil and finely tuned
circuitry will give the GM1 more than enough performance.
This prototype Golden Mask 1 (made to my specifications) is going to be perfect for searching ancient sites and very sensitive to hammered coins, while still maintaining excellent depth on bigger targets.
Operating the Golden Mask 1 is simplicity itself... set the threshold...set the discrimination and go...no need for backlights, no need for meters...It's time to go back to the old detecting days when you used your ears and common sense.
The Golden Mask 1 has a very precise iron rejection and clear audio sound...very much like the Tesoro Silver sabre but appears to have lots more power.
Initial tests
My initial air tests have been very interesting, recovery speed is excellent combined with good depth, I had imagined it to be a "HOT" Tesoro Silver Sabre but it's not, the quickness and aggressive target response reminds me of the Compass Goldscanner,Troy X5 and Tesoro Tejon.
A short walk across my test area in the garden confirmed what the air tests had suggested....this is a very sensitive machine ....
With a low discrimination setting the Golden Mask 1 clicks and spits over iron targets which won't appeal to some not so experienced users....however hard core detectorists with productive land who know about detectors will appreciate the advantages this type of machine can offer.
Originally I set the GM1 up as I would have the GM3...threshold to a faint hum then back it off to about number 8, discrimination at 4.
These settings are far to extreme for this model, after a little experimenting I found the threshold could be set at 1 and still give excellent performance, the fast target separation allowed me to detect several non ferrous targets with ease. As we all know the garden is not an ideal place to evaluate a machine but I wanted to see how the Golden mask 1 performed in a very junky environment.
Out and about
I managed a quick 2 hour search on a small roman field, the Golden mask 1 performed very well 1 Roman coin gave itself up and about 10 other non ferrous targets like buttons and small pieces of lead.
It was Saturday morning and the family were all going to watch football so I decided to have a look at a pay as you go dig as it was near to me and my local field had just been ploughed and harrowed, it had rained the night before making the "lightly disked" soil like a mud bath. After about 20 minutes of digging up old tractor parts and modern junk, it occurred to me why had I paid a tenner to dig on a rough piece of
re claimed land when I have a rough piece of land of my own for free, I went back to the van and quickly made off to try and salvage the rest of the day.
When I arrived at the site it was harrowed but the heavy rain had made it very hard going but just detectable.
I kept scraping the mud off my boots with the spade and then clean the spade with my boots and so on. I used a plastic card to clean the mud off bottom of the search coil when it got to heavy.
I managed a 3 hour search before it got to much, the sticky mud was so energy sapping. It was a really good session the Golden Mask 1 performed very well and managed to find me a good pouch full of non ferrous targets including 4 Roman coins one of which was a worn silver Denari.
Verdict so far
This little machine is just what we have been waiting for, it offers fantastic value for money and to be honest makes some other machines in and above this price range look silly, if you are new to the hobby or a seasoned detectorist with ancient sites the Golden Mask 1 will have a place in the armoury.
Personally if I wanted to buy a Golden Mask I would ignore the Golden Mask 3, 3+
and Golden Mask 2, the smart money is on the Golden Mask 1 it will suit all your
detecting requirements.
The best place to buy a Golden Mask 1
I have no doubt that those who like to moan will pick fault with silly bits and pieces, sadly from people who have never seen or used one!!
The new 2010 price is €225
(To Gary's detecting viewers) which equates to around £199
plus post for a Golden Mask 1 you won't beat it for value and performance.
For the best price, fast dispatch and genuine warranty buy direct from the
manufacturer
mdetectors.com
Just mention Gary's detecting when you order
We are still getting out and about whenever we can, today Bazza wanted to try an old site where we found a purse drop of about 12 Henry II hammered coins some years back while reviewing the original Gold Maxx, since then we have made several visits to this pasture site with different machines, the last being the T2 which proved quite successful.
Today I managed to get some fragments of coins, what really impressed me was the audio signal...one would expect when searching a beaten out area to listen for the tiny squeaks and faint signals that everyone had missed...there are no such signals with the Golden Mask 1 even the tiny coin pictured below sounded loud and clear.
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Metal detector field tests are one persons opinion..on the day...on a particular site, they are not telling you to rush out and buy the machine....please use these independant reviews as a guideline other than a manufacturers report. |
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