Metal Detectors & Money

[WV Hillbilly]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

I have & have had several hobbies but there has only been two that totally disconnects me from the rest of the world . The first was wading a wild mountain stream & trout fishing , now the second , metal detecting . While out detecting the rest of the world doesn't exist & the hours fly by . I can also get lost in a good book & then there's T N . Maybe there's one more that I can't list here .

 

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[jorge del norte]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

don't have to get my money back .....i stole my detector..





just kidding!

 

[larrybass]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

8) Holy mararoni there WVHillbilly, did you create something good with this post or what? Seriously, there are some BEAUTIFUL posts, loaded with feelings outpoured from our membership about OUR great hobby in here buddy! So, for that, I thank you for contributing your thoughts, on this very well read treasure forum, and starting this fine post! 8)

Most as you can see, have a lot of reasons to be into this kool hobby, other than just the money. If you read carefully, there's a tear jerker or two in there also. This hobby can touch you LARGE, if yer really smitten with it, like the majority of us are, in here!
As was mentioned somewhere above, not everyone gets the same charge out of anything in life, so not everyone LOVES detecting. Along the same lines, Not everyone is even cut out to be a real detectorist, even when they buy a fancy pancy unit and tell all their pals they want to find treasure! Many try and give up, just like in Fishing too. The MD'ing lovers, just keep goin' back! The rewards are constant and totally beneficial, as long as yer mind stays open to what real "Treasures" are in life.

As far as Rumme, I think it was, asking how many of us are wondering if we will find enough to pay etc etc. I think you should have tried to gear the question, perhaps more appropriately to the "Newbie" board... I believe about twenty five plus years ago, I had someone ask me that same question for the first time. It suddenly dawned on me and made me realize that of the many hobbies I had, it was the ONLY one that actually paid cold hard cash for the time spent while enjoying it's use! So, I started keeping a little Detecting log book. Damn! Before the snow flew that first year, I had indeed uncovered enough cash and rings, and other valuables to say that yes, I had recovered my initial cash outlay of detector cost. 8) O.K. So I started off with a RS Micronta VLF, manual ground balance machine, that cost me less than a C note in the first place. So I had an easier go of it than someone say that had a more state of the art (read Costlier) detector. None the less, I did that without even thinking about it for my first three months, while getting to know what my machine was telling me and how it worked. Conclusion? Man, can this Micronta find stuff or what? No need to upgrade, what so ever, for this 'ol doggie. I get out there, mostly for what I call the "Adventure of it all" and to keep on a happy keel in life.

To some of you other folks that have not found lots of stuff up to this point, PLEASE hang in there. You KNOW you are into a wonderful hobby! Mostly, the secret to good detecting, is VERY much like the secret to good fishing. What would that be? Well my friends, it's all in the Location. Or as my favorite Fishing hero, Al Lindner, once said when asked what were his three best secrets to fillin' the boat? Location, Location, Location! he yelled out

Do yer research and the finds will come! Amen! 8)

Thanx again WVH for another fine post from you...

LarryB

 

[eathan]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

I came into detecting mainly by my own perverse sense of humor.

I had saved all my spare change for several years. I just emptied my pockets at the end of each day and had saved about a gallon of all denominations. Finally the jug was filling up and getting heavy, so it was time to spend it on something (a treat for me), and the irony of spending $300 in spare change on something I would use to find even more spare change made me laugh for weeks. I still get a chuckle out of it.

I've never found anything all that exciting and paying for the detector with finds has never crossed my mind. I enjoy the hobby and had a good laugh buying the detector. That's $300 well spent and I'd happily do it again.

Next time though, I'll likely go for more of a coin and jewelry model. Unfortunately I don't use cash as much these days so am barely up to a pint of change... It may be a while before I get a new one.

 

[skydiv]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

How many of you told the wife "if you let me buy the detector the money I find will help pay for it" I have to admitt it I'm in it for the money if I wanted excersise I would walk around a field swinging a stick.

 

[Rubicon]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

I research and dream big. If I score, great. If not, I try some more. It's a challenge for me to find more than clad, maybe gold or silver or something of historic significance.

 

[weasel606]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

i would like to think my detectors would pay for themselves but its not happening yet, unless i can sell all those pulltabs and cans i found ! so its just a hobby for me, beginning to think no one had any money to drop here in wv years ago, maybe they just traded in fur.

 

[Ima Swinger]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

Well, I'll tell ya........the only one who cares about "paying for the detector" is my wife. Well, really she don't care either, it's just fun to pick on me I guess. I put all my coins into a jar just for fun. My 7 year old daughter enjoys going through them with a magnifying glass and pretending to be a "detective". And watching that alone is worth whatever I paid. I do recycle aluminum cans anyway, so I put the cans and tabs that I find in with that and take them down to recycle. I mean really, what's the point in digging them up just to bury them in a land fill somewhere else? I think that if a person worries about paying for their needle finder, then being out in the haystack won't be near as fun.

Ima Swinger

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

I guess it is only natural to think that something ( detector ) that finds things of value, should eventually pay for itself. Why do we not have the same expectation of other items we use in our hobbies? Did you ever think that your golf clubs would one day pay for themselves? How about your tennis racket, fishing pole, baseball bat, soccer ball, scuba gear, gardening tools, paint burshes and canvas, yarn, model air plane or any of the other countless items we use in our hobbies? Guess it is just human nature.

On the other hand, a detector is one of the few items that can pay for itself. The other items mentioned can pay for themselves if they are used in a business environment. You can sell your paintings, turn pro in golf, become a professional diver, etc...

I guess at least one of my detectors has paid for itself, but I have not kept track of the money over the years. I figure I find between $150 - $300 in clad a year, not to mention the rings and other jewelry items as well as a few rewards for finding lost items on a few occasions. I have also turned down several offered rewards, does that count?

My payment is exercise, meeting new people and the general enjoyment of the hobby. That is payment enough for me as well as the excitement of new finds.

Happy Hunting

 

[Dinker]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

I probably paid too much for it, but I bought it so my 13 year old son and I could spend some quality outdoor time together. I have never owned a detector and always wanted one. I tried to buy the best available so it would last. We have only been able to use it about 4 times, but the price I paid for my DFX doesn't come close to the value I place on time with my son, so I guess mine has paid for itself already

 

[SC_hunter]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

I probably paid too much for it, but I bought it so my 13 year old son and I could spend some quality outdoor time together. I have never owned a detector and always wanted one. I tried to buy the best available so it would last. We have only been able to use it about 4 times, but the price I paid for my DFX doesn't come close to the value I place on time with my son, so I guess mine has paid for itself already

You made a wise choice my friend..may you and your son enjoy the hobby for a long time to come. My son went through the stage of not wanting me around for a couple of years.....Now that he is College we spend about every other weekend MD'ing....Have fun and may all your pull tabs have a special meaning to you..HH

 

[Mirage]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

Reasons to detect for me:

Exercise - not really. I jog/run for that. MDing does burn some calories though.

$$ - not really. Although I do expect the hobby to provide some small amount of $. I would estimate that If I sold all my good coins I could have one detector paid for but not all three that I own.

I do it more to go to different places, get away from things and add stuff to my collections. Also do it to spend time with my son. I know I would be doing it a lot less if my son was not involved with it.

Bob

 

[paul1410]

Re: Metal Detectors & Money

I figure I spent $379.99 on a detector...if after a year of learning the machine and searching several times a week, all year long, if I havent recouped at least half of my purchase price for the detcetor, I will be severly dissapointed and probably sell my detector. I certainly have many other hobbies I could enjoy more then diggin up nothing but junk and rusty nails without ever getting some type of payoff with a good find.

Um, so how much do you want for the detector?