Whites Goldmaster 24k Metal Detector Review

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The White’s Goldmaster 24k (GM24k) is one of the best gold prospecting metal detectors from the brand. 

They took the GMT and added upgrades to improve your chances of finding gold without hurting the budget. 

It has a long list of high-end features that intermediate and expert users will drool over.  Increased sensitivity, new, patented technology, and induction balance equals more gold. 

Update: In June 2020, Whites’ announced that they were suspending their operations and later that year, in October, Garrett Electronics announced their acquisition of White’s Electronics. As a result, the White’s Goldmaster 24k is no longer available. Check out our other gold detector reviews for some great alternatives.

Our Verdict: The Goldmaster 24k is a high-tech VLF gold detector.  It has many advanced features that allow it to detect even the smallest nuggets and flakes that you would otherwise miss with larger coils or inferior detectors.  For all those hoping to strike it rich, the GM24k can help you out with that. 

Who is the White’s Goldmaster 24k Best Suited to?

The GM24k is best suited to intermediates and experts.  The upgraded features may cause a lot of confusion and difficulty for the beginner.  However, this metal detector is under $1000 and is very attractive to both beginners and seasoned users. 

If a newbie really wanted to start off with the GM24k, it’s highly recommended that they read the user manual and watch online tutorials to get to know their high-end machine.  Additionally, because it’s a VLF detector, it may prove to be easier to use.  It’s also best suited to those who want a gold detector that also performs well for finding other items like coins. 

How Does the White’s Goldmaster 24k Perform?

The Goldmaster 24k is a high-performing detector.  It’s a VLF detector operating at 48 kHz and can be said to be less sensitive than other gold detectors, but it’s certainly much higher than your generic, all-purpose metal detector. 

It has multiple ground performing features that will provide one of the smoothest experiences when searching in various terrains from stream beds to large rocks.  What about hot rocks?  No problem – it has an Iron/Hot Rock mode that allows you to keep searching in these areas that would prove to be any other inferior detector’s undoing. 

Features & Benefits

Increased Coil Voltage

The GM24k comes with a new and improved searchcoil.  It’s a 6” x 10” DD coil with a 54% increase in coil voltage over the GMT.  This sensitivity increase is definitely proven when you start picking up the smallest bits of gold, even if it’s encased in quartz – yes, it’s been done before. 

The smaller size of the coil and the Induction Balance technology may not be as powerful as Pulse Induction for deep earth detecting or for extremely large targets, but if it’s gold and it’s there, the White’s detector will see it and alert you to its location. 

XGB Ground Tracking Technology

Most of us know that sensitivity is only one part of the equation to being successful in detecting gold.  In fact, it’s the ground that gets you first and can either have you rushing back to quiet soil or decreasing sensitivity to the point of fruitlessness.  The Goldmaster 24k has more than one tool in its toolbelt to deal with ground minerals. 

The default setting of the GM24k is the XGB (Xtreme Ground Balance) Tracking.  This is the automatic ground tracking mode that allows quieter and stable operation over a wide variety of soil conditions from ferrous to alkali.  It also has faster tracking speed, and it can track multiple ground points simultaneously which are improvements over previous models. 

TracLock is a “manual” setting of sorts that allows the user to lock in the current ground phase.  You can activate it while in XGB and when you hit a target, lock in using TracLock to zero-in on the gold.  While you have tracking locked, you can activate Ground Grab as you continue sweeping and searching during the hunt. 

It will display the current ground phase and strength directly under the coil, so you’ll always have an idea of the type of mineralization under foot. 

Ground Scan

Tracing paystreaks and placer deposits can lead you to dry creekbeds and the like, and often, there are other mineral deposits that came through with the original lode.  Using Ground Scan will help you determine where the strongest mineralization is. 

In this mode, a bar that increases from right to left indicates ground strength with full bars indication strongest mineralization.  The 2-digit number on the display is the ground phase value.  Knowing these numbers and marking where appropriate will help you find small nuggets when you sluice or dry wash. 

VSAT

VSAT (Variable Self Adjusting Threshold) is the manual ability to adjust the recovery speed of the threshold when you’re in quickly changing mineralized soil.  It also improves the detector’s ability for target separation with a little more speed in compromise of overall depth when you’re investigating a good object from a false signal. 

Iron/Hot Rock Cancellation

First off, there is an iron discrimination feature called Iron Cancel.  It allows you to cancel out unwanted metals or signals from heavily concentrated mineralized soils.  You can use Iron Cancel in both Beep or Zip modes by pressing the Nail icon beneath the display.  Its use may very well be justified when searching in high trash areas, old mining camps, changing ground minerals, and high concentrations of both cold and hot rocks. 

A word on hot rocks.  Negative hot rocks will produce distinctive signals through the Goldmaster.  They will sound like a “boing.”  On the other hand, positive hot rocks can be very small and often produce a signal like metal.  There are few things you can do to cancel out these false signals.  XGB will automatically track and cancel some out. 

Ground balance over the rocks and use TracLock to lock it in.  Increasing the SAT (Self Adjusting Threshold) will decrease the detector’s response to it.  Iron Cancel could silence them out, but it must be seen as a last resort. 

Limitations

Not for Beginners

The GM24k may very well be a great metal detector for all types of users willing to learn its in-depth and incredibly advanced features, but from the get-go, it’s not beginner friendly.  This really isn’t a con as it’s designed for gold prospectors that know how and where to hunt.  Their experience and knowledge would help them to maximize all the detector’s features in these especially difficult terrains. 

Popular Questions

Is the Goldmaster 24k Waterproof?

The searchcoil and shaft are waterproof and can be used in shallow water, but the control box is not waterproof.  It’s vital that you do not swing the coil up above the control box as water can trickle down and destroy the electronics.  Another note to be aware of is if you use the detector on wet sand or saltwater, be diligent about washing off the debris and minerals.  Damage due to salt is not covered under the warranty. 

What Accessories are Included with the White’s Goldmaster 24k Detector?

This is the standard package that includes the Goldmaster 24k, 6” x 10” DD searchcoil, StarLite headphones, and a Nugget Scoop.  There is a 2-year limited warranty on the White’s metal detector that starts from the date of purchase.  The warranty is transferable, so it will remain in effect regardless of who owns it.  Be sure to keep or acquire proof of purchase/proof of original purchase date and the warranty card. 

What Type of Batteries does the GM24k take?

The GM24k metal detector requires 8x AA batteries to operate.  Alkaline are recommended because they can provide more than 40 hours of operation.  If non-alkaline or rechargeables are used, it will minimize operating time to 30-35 hours.  A battery icon will also indicate battery life. 

Can a Gold Detector Detect Coins?

The nice thing about VLF detectors is that they’re very efficient for detecting a broad range of targets.  Since this has a much higher frequency than entry-level VLFs with a very low frequency, and it also has a small searchcoil, it’s very good at finding small items like coins and jewelry.  Its increased sensitivity is able to detect metals of all kinds, and even the weakest and faintest signals can be heard.  Target ID and discrimination will help to further investigate the type of target that’s detected. 

Conclusion

The White’s Goldmaster 24k has a lot going on.  It’s packed to the max with every feature you can have on a metal detector, maybe except the 3D color display and pulse induction.  But, it’s not that kind of detector now, is it? 

It’s a premium VLF model at a heck of a price.  Intermediates will need patience as they learn how to use the many features and experts may be able to dive right in.  For the price, the Goldmaster 24k is worth every penny.  With its fancy trappings, it’ll soon pay for itself. 

Further Reading:

• AmySports MD3030 Metal Detector Review
• Aquascan Aquapulse AQ1B Metal Detector Review
• Bounty Hunter BHJS Junior Metal Detector Review
• Bounty Hunter Discovery 3300 Metal Detector Review
• Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro Metal Detector Review

Last update on 2024-10-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API