Deciding on new detector

rickbrk

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
123
66
Floresville TX.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Not having a shop or dealers in the area it's hard to decide what new detector I want. You just have to go on opinions and videos off the net. So frustrating.. I have a tesoro silver umax, great machine but not much depth. I had a whites for some years back and loved it, but had to sell it. I also have a Garrett ace 250 but to me, it is horrible, one of the worst detectors I have ever used. I will be coin shooting and relic hunting mostly. I'm leaning towards whites since I loved the alt. I have a budget of around 600. Is the original mxt still a good machine? Any suggestion on a new or used machine would be great. I open to any brand but Garrett. Sorry I just think they are over rated. Seems everybody wanted one when they saw the Diggers t.v. show.
 

Peter67

Sr. Member
Oct 9, 2016
277
367
Belgium
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2
Xp Deus
Minelab Equinox 600
Nokta Makro Legend
Nokta Makro Multikruzer
Tesoro Lobo Super Traq,
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
A new Tesoro Vaquero. Great relic hunter and it will find the coins. And dont forget lifetime guarantee.
 

Adrian SS

Sr. Member
Dec 7, 2008
363
73
Canberra
Detector(s) used
LST, BDHI,Infinium,Sov XS,6000DI Pro SL,Scorpion,V-SAT,Spectrum XLT,Gold Spear,Scorpion,Sand Shark, Compadre,Sierra Madre,Safari, SDC2300, Sea Hunter,CS4PI,TDI OZ Pro, Vallon VMH3CS. Gardiner 202A
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
You might consider the Gold Bug DP Pro with 11 inch DD.
A very nice metal detector that will work well from the gold fields to the wet salt water beaches.

Beware tho coz there are Chinese fakes out there.
 

HighVDI

Silver Member
Feb 16, 2017
2,765
4,594
Pa
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Fisher F75+ package. Amazing relic machine and definitely gets it done with coins too.
 

OP
OP
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rickbrk

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
123
66
Floresville TX.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Thanks for the input guys I'll do a little research on these machines.. it's hard to decide when there is no shop or dealers around where you can test out machines first.
 

Tpmetal

Silver Member
Jan 4, 2017
4,406
7,507
Western ny
Detector(s) used
equinox 800, Whites mx sport, Garrot carrot, bounty hunter time ranger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Not sure of your budget but I love my whites mx sport. If you don't need water proof and you can afford it the v3i seems to do really well. Also xp dues seems to be one of the top relic machines at the moment from what i have seen. edit i re read and saw budget. Ignore me haha. If you can spring a few extra bucks look at the mx sport.
 

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OP
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rickbrk

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
123
66
Floresville TX.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Tpmetal my budget is 600 max. Funny you mention the mx sport. I don't water hunt so was looking at the new mx7 which is the mx sport just no dd coil and not water proof.
 

Tpmetal

Silver Member
Jan 4, 2017
4,406
7,507
Western ny
Detector(s) used
equinox 800, Whites mx sport, Garrot carrot, bounty hunter time ranger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Tpmetal my budget is 600 max. Funny you mention the mx sport. I don't water hunt so was looking at the new mx7 which is the mx sport just no dd coil and not water proof.

I haven't heard much about that one yet. But the mxs hits deeeeep with the stock dd coil. Also does a pretty good job on target seperation in the trashy areas, especially with the small dd coil.
 

lookingharder

Sr. Member
Feb 27, 2015
433
753
Virginia
Detector(s) used
Whites Coin Master. Garrett AT Gold, Garrett Ace 350
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I guess the best advise I could give is. What do you want to search for and how much time do you have to use it? If your just searching parks and only going out a few times a month then a lower end unit will do you fine. if you plan on doing quite a bit of hunting for deeper objects and will get your moneys worth out of it then go with a better model. I wanted the v3i but read that there was a steep learning curve and at the time I wasn't able to go hunting very often. That's why I mentioned, how much will you be using it. I bought my 350 to be able to just turn it on and hunt. Now that I'm retired and have much more time, I upgraded to the ATgold because I wanted to search for gold as well as civil war items. JMO
 

Normsel

Bronze Member
Sep 10, 2012
1,191
813
D'Iberville MS
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
E-Trac
Equinox 800
Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
In my opinion all the detector mfr's have a pretty equal detector in all price points. Some seem better for relics and some for coins. I have Garrett's, White's and MineLab.. I am not unhappy with any of them. As many of us have said 100's of times on here it's all about how well you know your detector and what it is telling you. I had an ACE 250 and it paid for it's self in 60 days and my AT Pro paid for it's self in 90 days. It took almost two years to pay for my V3i but it has never been about finding enough to pay for any of them. It's all about the hunt and learning the detector. The V3i has a steep learning curve to get the most out of it but it's a challenge and that's what makes it fun. My E-Trac is almost a plug and play machine because you can use it out of the box.

If I were to spend $600 right now I would seriously look into the new Minelab Equinox 600
 

BrettCo124

Hero Member
Apr 29, 2009
901
937
Outside of Philadelphia, PA
Detector(s) used
Minelab Safari, Tesoro Sand Shark, Bazooka Gold Trap Mini, Gold Rush Nugget Bucket, Garrett Supersluice Gold Pans
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I’d go with the minelab Safari, which I own and love. Check out reviews - people really love them.

I’d personally wait for the equinox and go for the 600, if reviews come back positive. If not, you can’t go wrong with the Safari.
 

KJP462

Jr. Member
Jun 22, 2016
78
63
PA
Detector(s) used
White's MX Sport,
White's MX5,
Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I 2nd what Tpmetal suggested. I recently got an MX Sport and while I haven't gotten a ton of hours in on it yet, so far it seems to be a fantastic machine & is a coin magnet. If you're familiar with White's machines, it's so easy to use.

If it's out of your price range, I wouldn't shy away from picking up the new MX7 or even the MX5. MX5 is discontinued, but you can still purchase them from several dealers & it'd be a little under your budget. Not waterproof, but I believe White's claims it to be weatherproof so a little rain won't hurt it. Used one for a few years and it served me very well. Also, MX5 can take many coils that are made for higher end White's detectors which is a plus. I added the 13" Detech coil and it gets great depth with that addition. Just something to consider. Sorry I can't vouch for the MXT...never owned or used one.
 

civil_war22

Relic Recovery Specialist
Dec 5, 2008
3,215
2,810
NW Arkansas
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75 SE/LTD2, minelab Etrac, whites classic id, spectrum xlt, fisher f7, fisher 1266, king of all Tesoro Cibola, Tesoro Vaquero, Fisher 1280-X, minelab equinox, Fisher F75+ Garrett AT MAX
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
A new Tesoro Vaquero. Great relic hunter and it will find the coins. And dont forget lifetime guarantee.

I second that one
 

civil_war22

Relic Recovery Specialist
Dec 5, 2008
3,215
2,810
NW Arkansas
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75 SE/LTD2, minelab Etrac, whites classic id, spectrum xlt, fisher f7, fisher 1266, king of all Tesoro Cibola, Tesoro Vaquero, Fisher 1280-X, minelab equinox, Fisher F75+ Garrett AT MAX
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
I like the Tesoro Vaquera a lot.

I’ve had three and always come back to one. I’ll trade one off or sell and always end back up with another one. Their tough, reliable, and very user friendly. Most people get freaked out about ground balancing but it’s super simple on this machine. Plus the warranty is the real kicker
 

slick356

Jr. Member
Feb 11, 2016
75
33
Pennsylvania
Detector(s) used
Minelab Ctx 3030
Minelab Etrac
Whites Dfx
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I use a Minelab Ctx 3030 of course is an over kill. But if you are not open to the
AT MAX. I would go with the Minelab Equinox.
 

johnwon2

Jr. Member
Jun 21, 2011
56
38
Jacksonville, FL
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Tiger Shark & Equinox-800
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
You sound like me; I don't know of a place to go check them out in person here and have had a Tesoro Tiger Shark for quite a few years. I am in the market for a new detector, but am having a hard time deciding which way to go. I mostly hunt in salt water at the beach, but periodically hit trashy parks. I'm not sure if it is worth jumping on board of the new Minelab Equinox machines or if I should go for a proven machine that has been out for a while. I need to keep the unit around 900 or less.
 

puja joshi

Tenderfoot
Sep 26, 2018
8
7
India
Detector(s) used
Garrett Ace 400
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
If you are looking for a metal detector with minimal feature and easy to use, then you can go for Garrett Ace 400 metal detector. Although iron audio, large screen, and backlight are good features, this is not a right choice for a professional treasure hunt.
 

oldkoot

Hero Member
Jan 18, 2017
922
1,340
in the Tucson AZ area now
Detector(s) used
Garrett Axiom
Garrett GM 24K
2-Nokta/Macro Legend Pro Pack
Simplex Plus
Xterra 705
x2 quest X Pointer Max - my favorite
Fisher F Pulse
Nokta Pulse Dive 2in1 kit
Garrett AT Pro (not Used)
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Not having a shop or dealers in the area it's hard to decide what new detector I want. You just have to go on opinions and videos off the net. So frustrating.. I have a tesoro silver umax, great machine but not much depth. I had a whites for some years back and loved it, but had to sell it. I also have a Garrett ace 250 but to me, it is horrible, one of the worst detectors I have ever used. I will be coin shooting and relic hunting mostly. I'm leaning towards whites since I loved the alt. I have a budget of around 600. Is the original mxt still a good machine? Any suggestion on a new or used machine would be great. I open to any brand but Garrett. Sorry I just think they are over rated. Seems everybody wanted one when they saw the Diggers t.v. show.[/QUO

Sounds like your experience with Garrett is the same as mine

one detector you might consider is the X TERRA 705 when I first started detecting i ended up purchasing two machines one was a Garrett AT PRO and the other was the X TERRA 705 the 705 is well with in your budget at under $500 rite now I have had both machines which I mentioned since 2009 or 2010 the ATP has seen vary little use but the 705 is my main machine it does have a pretty steep learning curve but it is well worth the effort it takes to learn the 705s capabilities and there are a lot.

The 705 in my opinion is one of the most under rated detectors on the market and I still feel it is one of the most under rated still to this day it is the one machine they will have to pry from my cold dead hands I have never felt the need to up grade to something better in the several years I have used it in the price range you stated I would look at the X TERRA 705 dual pack which comes with two coils which are the 10x5 18.75 KHz DD coil and it also includes a 7.5 KHz 9 or 10 inch round coil also if you do consider the 705 go to Mine Lab site and download the E book called understanding your X TERRA written by Randy Horton it is free to down load and print out it is full of all kinds of info specifically to all the X TERRA line and is well worth the read.

just my two cents

The one thing the X TERRA 705 is not and that is water proof which has never bothered me as I do not hunt in the rain or jump into a body of water with it.
 

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