VIDEO : ALGOFORCE E1500 FEATURES AND FIELD TESTING
When a new metal detector or detector company comes onto the market, we make it our business at Detect-Ed to find out everything there is to know about them! In the case of AlgoForce, they have seemingly sprung up overnight with their new E-1500 PI metal detector, what follows is everything we know about this new PI so far as well some of our impressions from a few days of testing the AlgoForce in the Aussie Vic Golden Triangle.
First Gold Found with the AlgoForce E1500 in the Golden Triangle*
Who is AlgoForce?
A brand new Metal Detector company based in Australia, AlgoForce has made a serious entrance to the prospecting market with the new AlgoForce E1500 PI detector!
Some people might be understandably suspicious of any new company but a phone call with Alex (the man himself) at Algo Force made it obvious that this was a serious (and real) company. Alex is an ex Minelab engineer and worked on the GPX 6000 during his time there. Alex is the owner and designer at AlgoForce and is clearly passionate about his business, his main goals for the next few years are to continually develop the technology with intentions to expand his range of products.
What is the AlgoForce E1500?
Put simply, the AlgoForce E 1500 is a low cost, low weight, Pulse Induction gold prospecting metal detector. There is however a lot more to the new Algoforce than its price tag, the E1500 also offers a few technological advantages and interesting features not seen on other metal detectors.
Gold Detecting:
First and foremost E1500 is a Pulse Induction metal detector built specifically for gold prospecting in difficult mineralised soil. The slogan for this new detector reads “VLF Sensitivity, PI Power, Affordable Excellence”. Essentially this slogan means that the AlgoForce has similar sensitivity to small gold that VLF detectors are known for, yet maintains the punching power of Pulse Induction detectors through difficult mineralised soil.
Treasure/Beach Detecting:
Algoforce also says: “The E1500 excels on the beach, proving to be a versatile tool for searching fine jewellery, coins, rings, and other treasures”.
Although the Algoforce is not waterproof, it shows great promise as an exceptional beach detector, especially in highly mineralised beaches where even multi-frequency VLF detectors struggle to get any depth.
In addition, the conductive target ID could certainly be a useful tool for estimating a target's size and composition. A recent YouTube video of the AlgoForce E1500 demonstrated incredible stability over wet sand as well as very accurate target ID on buried coins. Both of these characteristics certainly point towards the E1500 being an excellent beach detector for wet sand detecting.
Most Interesting Features of the AlgoForce E-1500?
AlgoForce E1500 Price:
One of the most striking aspects of the E1500 is its extremely interesting price point. If you've ever owned or thought about buying a powerful PI detector then you’d know that they aren’t cheap!
At this point in time gold prospecting PI detectors start at $4,400 Australian dollars and it has been this way for a long time. The Algoforce E1500 however, starts at $2,275 AUD without coil or battery (as of March 2024). New search coils are available for the E1500 from $300-$600 and the battery power banks are readily available which means that a fully functional E1500 can be had for around $2,600 (or less if you go for a used coil).
The E1500 Weight:
Pulse Induction metal detectors are renowned for being weighty which can make them very uncomfortable for many people, particularly those with shoulder issues. The GPZ 7000 for example,(one of the heaviest) weighs in at a hefty 3.32kg with its stock 14x13” coil, the newer GPX 6000 with stock 11” coil comes in at a much lower 2.1kg The E 1500 however, weighs in at a slender 1.9kg with a 10,000mAh battery the 11” Coiltek elite coil, this makes the Algo force the lowest weight prospecting PI currently on the market.
Exceptional Coil Options:
The E-1500 has an exceptional array of coil options.
Optional coils for your metal detector can literally be worth their weight in gold, they allow you to transform the personality and strengths of your detector to get the most of any situation meaning you can find gold that other detectors have missed.
Alex at AlgoForce has designed the E 1500 to be fully compatible with SD, GP & GPX mono coils (not including the GPX 6000 coils). This essentially means that the E1500 has one of the largest range of coil options of any detector.
Varied coil options will be greatly appreciated by prospectors because they open up the possibility of using the E-1500 in a larger variety of conditions and on a greater range of gold sizes and depths.
Using the Coiltek Elite 9" Mono coil with the E-1500
Conductive Target ID:
One of the biggest disadvantages of Pulse Induction metal detectors is their inability to identify targets buried in the ground, this means that you have to dig practically everything you detect with your PI detector.
The AlgoForce E1500 has an extremely interesting solution to this which could revolutionise how we use PI detectors. The E-1500 has what AlgoForce is calling “conductive Target ID”, a form of target ID available in the pinpoint mode/non motion mode on the E1500.
AlgoForce E-1500 Manual says:
“The Conductive Target ID (0-99) displayed in the Pinpoint UI remains stable even in highly mineralised soils. A higher number indicates a larger or more conductive target”.
So far users are claiming that they are able to determine lead shot from gold with great accuracy. Time will tell how useful and accurate this feature really is but so far we can gather that it will (at a minimum) have some niche applications.
So far, my experience and testing with the conductive target ID has led me to believe that it will be a powerful tool in areas littered with lead shot. The ability to avoid digging lead shot can certainly increase your chances of finding gold and can drastically minimise how much time you spend digging unwanted targets.
Crazy EMI Resistance
Early adopters of the E1500 are reporting that it is an extremely EMI resistant PI detector. Essentially they are discovering that they can use this detector in areas where other PI detectors would be totally handicapped by electrical interference.
Typically, sensitive PI detectors can’t be used effectively near suburbia, powerlines or anything that creates Electromagnetic Interference. The Algoforce however appears to be operable in many people's homes and backyards, something impossible to do with other PI detectors. One user even made a video using the E1500 under power lines.
My experience using the E-1500 for the first time, I was very surprised to find out just how EMI resistant this detector was. Using the Algoforce inside on 20 out of 30 sensitivity was totally stable and useable, something that is unachievable with every PI detector I’ve used to date. This leads me to believe that the E-1500 will be outstanding in areas where other detectors simply can not operate. The ability to detect where other detectors have never been will be a game changer for clever prospectors and I can certainly see how it would be very useful on beaches that are close to powerlines and suburbia.
First Impressions:
With an intense Interest in all things relating to metal detecting, I made it my mission to get my own E1500 for testing. Having owned a handful of Pulse Induction detectors already I was excited to test this new detector, especially with the very interesting feedback posted by users on the metal detecting forums.
So far after many hours of indoors play and a handful of days spent testing the Algoforce E-1500 in the gold fields of the Victorian golden triangle, I can safely say that this is a serious gold prospecting detector.
The overall build quality, performance, ease of use and price point situate the AlgoForce E-1500 as the most affordable PI gold prospecting detector currently on the market.
My full detailed, in-depth review of the AlgoForce E1500 is coming up soon. The details of the detector are very interesting but they are outside the scope of this simpler overview of the E-1500 so stay tuned!