What's the best metal detector out there?

angleofattack

Full Member
Aug 9, 2015
170
177
West Point, Mississippi
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, Euro tech pro dd, xpointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Depends on which end you're looking at.
From a business point of view the one that has sold the most units.
From the consumer end it would be the one that is used the most .
Then there's the scientific point.
What's the best detector out there?
That would be the one that you can get in your hands and use!

Hope that cleared it up.
 

OP
OP
M

Myth legend

Jr. Member
Aug 15, 2016
67
89
Lost in space
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Tracker IV Metal Detector, now an At Pro.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Depends on which end you're looking at.
From a business point of view the one that has sold the most units.
From the consumer end it would be the one that is used the most .
Then there's the scientific point.
What's the best detector out there?
That would be the one that you can get in your hands and use!

Hope that cleared it up.

I think my next upgrade going ot be a Fisher F22
 

bowwinkles

Bronze Member
Nov 3, 2012
2,078
2,426
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It is my thought that it is not the cost or the features, but the fit. The Garrett that found the 18 K diamond for me not only fit but has received the title as being on of my best. I could also say that the Bounty Hunter that found an old gentleman's car keys that was stranded in the mountains when he dropped his keys in the rough and I came along and within minutes had him back on the road smiling would also fit a positive category. Know you area and type of soil and then decide the task you expect the tool to do for you and with that bit of knowledge you should be on your way to doing effective research of the catalogs. What works for others, does not always fit your needs. Good luck on your adventure and enjoy the choice you make.
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
Myth-Legend, Let's turn your question around to another question, for sake of analogy:

"What's the best motor vehicle out there?" A Corvette ? A dump truck ? A minivan ? A hybrid electric ? A bus ?

You'd answer: "It depends on what you want the motor vehicle for ". For speed? consider a corvette. For load capacity to haul gravel ? Consider a dumptruck. To haul kids to soccer practice ? Consider a minivan. For fuel economy ? Consider a hybrid. etc....

And humorously, here's what the md'r, who is asked "what is your goal?", will answer in the following way: "All of the above". Eg.: they want to do nuggets, coins, jewelry, coins, relics, beach, land, and want balls-to-the-walls depth, want it all for $100 or less. Ok, then apply that to the car question: If someone answered "all of the above" in-lieu of the analgy, what do you tell them ? You tell them that NONE of those vehicles does all those things. At least not with any degree of wisdom. Right ?
 

Loco-Digger

Gold Member
Jun 16, 2014
11,827
17,744
Northern O-H-I-O
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F75 LTD, 1280X Aquanaut, & a Patriot (back-up/loaner)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I do not see the F22 as much of an upgrade. What is your budget? All the big brands have great detectors. Since you are already used to the BH tones, I recommend the Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro. It has many of the bells and whistles that other high end detectors come with and is the best bang for the buck in my opinion. The LRP comes with the DD coil which is my favorite coil. Now if you can afford to spend more, I recommend the Technetics T2 or Fisher F75. Both of these have had huge price reductions and are top of the line detectors. You can get them packaged with the 5" DD coil which is a must have for trashy or target dense areas.

I spent many hours watching online videos of detectors from many manufacturers before I decided to upgrade from an ElCheapo Treasure Cove TC-1023. I upgraded to the F4 and then again to the F75. The F75 is not a complicated detector but I have yet to use all of it's capabilities and have swung it for 2 years.

By watching videos, you will hear the tones of each brand. I am not a fan of the Garrett tones but the newer Ace 200, 300 and 400 series do come with VDI reading which are a big improvement over the Ace 150, 250 & 350 series. The AT pro is great mid to high level detector and has a huge following and is waterproof to 10 ft.

If you are a beep and dig guy and do not have an interest in VDI data then you might want to look into the Tesoro line.

Minelabs are great detectors too, but are costly. If I was to get into the minelab FBS technology, The cheapest I'd go would be the Safari.

I have swung a white's detector, it was the only one that I had to use the arm strap on. They are built like tanks and good quality, but not my cup of tea.

Good Luck in whatever you choose.
 

Deft Tones

Bronze Member
Mar 24, 2016
1,547
2,352
Hawkeye State - Area 515
Detector(s) used
Whites V3i, XP Deus, Minelab Sovereign GT, Garrett AT Pro, Whites TRX (2), Predator Raven, Predator Raptor, Lesche Sampson
Primary Interest:
Other
Why not define the word "best" in your question?

That might go a ways towards getting a good answer.

Probably the best metal detector is the one you spend the longest amount of time becoming very intimate with. Knowing what she likes, getting her hot, and then manipulating her until she purrrrs... you'll be greatly rewarded! :tongue3:

And after enough years you might believe that you is the best metal detector in the world. :thumbsup:
 

Cuervo

Jr. Member
Aug 11, 2016
45
30
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Warning: If there's an argument, most likely i will be reading.

But the metal detectors in general that you guys saw that were best.

For me, if I can only afford one detector, the best one would be an all purpose detector. One that can be ground balanced anywhere on the planet, including salt water, and can be programmed to accept and/or reject specific targets at any localized area on the planet. If you want an underwater machine, that is a different kettle of fish.
 

49er12

Bronze Member
Aug 22, 2013
1,238
1,627
Rolling Rock, Pennsylvania
Detector(s) used
Minelab xterra, Whites DFX, Notka Makro Simplex. Folks the price don’t mean everything, the question is are you willing to put in the time to learn the machine, experience will pay off I guarantee it.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It's like the fellow members said, it's what your comfortable with, learning any machine is a must, most perform the same manner, electronics, I use a old whites dfx old but good, 2 coils only. Heck learn and take care of your detector it's a lifetime of memories, good luck guys.
 

Rogue Relic Hunter

Hero Member
Oct 3, 2016
746
592
Virginia Colony
Detector(s) used
DETECTORS: XP Deus WS-4, Garrett AT Pro and Pro-Pointer, Fisher CZ-5
TOOLS: Piranha shovel & R85 Military digger, both by Predator Tools
ATTIRE: Red Head brand Knee-High Waterproof Snake Boots
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
I have detected with my NEW XP Deus for a total of 3 hours. so, speaking from experience I would say the XP Deus. Makes my AT Pro or Fisher CZ-5 feel like toys. I really dont know that it is the best, but for me, if I had to own only one, it would be the Deus. Like others said, best is the one that finds targets. you make your own luck!
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
I have detected with my NEW XP Deus for a total of 3 hours. so, speaking from experience I would say the XP Deus. ....

Sure. But the XP deus will get it's b*tt kicked in certain type hunt environments, by other machines. So is it "the best" ? Again, this is like asking "what's the best kind of car?". The minute someone says: "A honda accord", the next user is unsatisfied when he finds out it doesn't do zero to sixty in xx # of seconds. Or that he can't fit 10 passengers in it, etc....
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
Ironcially, if the question is posed to cache hunting, believe it or not the old BFO and wimpy all-metal TR's were about the best! They mimicked 2-box machines, in a way, in-that they were not very sensitive (not too deep, esp. when coil held too high off the ground) to small targets. In fact, some of the very early machines (early Whites and Fishers of the early 1960s) were doing good to get a coin to 2" deep sometimes. But guess what ? THEY HAD NO PROBLEM getting jar, can, and hubcab sized items. So that actually made them the "perfect discriminator" against pesky single coins, tabs, nails, etc.....

So for persons looking for caches , then ironically, the "more sensitive" is sometimes what you DON'T want. Doh!
 

Seabees

Full Member
Jan 3, 2014
239
312
The Golden State
Detector(s) used
-Whites & Minelab-
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The Best machine is the one your using at the time of the hunt. Hands down. Take your time. Low & slow.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,712
40,789
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I've owned most of the major brands. Here's what happened today with my trusty Tesoro Cibola, a low cost all around machine. Went to a very dug out Civil War site. Pounded since the 1960's. Pounded by me too. Went over areas I went over earlier this year and some new spots. All these areas are in an area 80 feet by 300 feet.

Got two pennies and a dime. New. Ladies' ring, with 3 stones, don't know what it's made of yet but it's cute, camp lead, bullets, modern bullets, shotgun slug bases, Civil War buttons, a big iron whatzit, a shield shaped pieces of brass AND....

Found a semi solid target signal in the horrible iron soil. Started digging and got a piece of an iron ration can. I.E., junk. Then a nail, then another piece of a ration can about 1", was using the pinpointer and a knife at this point, moving little rocks, big rocks, broken glass and all, and other nail, another ration can piece and then a brass Civil War camp folding tablespoon. All these items were in a 6" x 6" x 6" area. It's not so much what you swing, as how you swing it. See if you can try some different brands, and I do not use a machine with a meter. If I had relied on a meter on the spoon, it would still be in the ground.
 

Xraywolf

Silver Member
Feb 28, 2005
3,576
4,360
MI USA
Detector(s) used
Ace 400, AT Pro, equinox 800, Simplex,Vanquish 540
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Best detector is the one you like and use and find stuff with.
 

OP
OP
M

Myth legend

Jr. Member
Aug 15, 2016
67
89
Lost in space
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Tracker IV Metal Detector, now an At Pro.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Myth-Legend, Let's turn your question around to another question, for sake of analogy:

"What's the best motor vehicle out there?" A Corvette ? A dump truck ? A minivan ? A hybrid electric ? A bus ?

You'd answer: "It depends on what you want the motor vehicle for ". For speed? consider a corvette. For load capacity to haul gravel ? Consider a dumptruck. To haul kids to soccer practice ? Consider a minivan. For fuel economy ? Consider a hybrid. etc....

And humorously, here's what the md'r, who is asked "what is your goal?", will answer in the following way: "All of the above". Eg.: they want to do nuggets, coins, jewelry, coins, relics, beach, land, and want balls-to-the-walls depth, want it all for $100 or less. Ok, then apply that to the car question: If someone answered "all of the above" in-lieu of the analgy, what do you tell them ? You tell them that NONE of those vehicles does all those things. At least not with any degree of wisdom. Right ?

Well...... All i wanted was different opinions from everybody. Also the "Use whatca got" factor plays a part in your "opinions" just saying.
 

OP
OP
M

Myth legend

Jr. Member
Aug 15, 2016
67
89
Lost in space
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Tracker IV Metal Detector, now an At Pro.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I do not see the F22 as much of an upgrade. What is your budget? All the big brands have great detectors. Since you are already used to the BH tones, I recommend the Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro. It has many of the bells and whistles that other high end detectors come with and is the best bang for the buck in my opinion. The LRP comes with the DD coil which is my favorite coil. Now if you can afford to spend more, I recommend the Technetics T2 or Fisher F75. Both of these have had huge price reductions and are top of the line detectors. You can get them packaged with the 5" DD coil which is a must have for trashy or target dense areas.

I spent many hours watching online videos of detectors from many manufacturers before I decided to upgrade from an ElCheapo Treasure Cove TC-1023. I upgraded to the F4 and then again to the F75. The F75 is not a complicated detector but I have yet to use all of it's capabilities and have swung it for 2 years.

By watching videos, you will hear the tones of each brand. I am not a fan of the Garrett tones but the newer Ace 200, 300 and 400 series do come with VDI reading which are a big improvement over the Ace 150, 250 & 350 series. The AT pro is great mid to high level detector and has a huge following and is waterproof to 10 ft.

If you are a beep and dig guy and do not have an interest in VDI data then you might want to look into the Tesoro line.

Minelabs are great detectors too, but are costly. If I was to get into the minelab FBS technology, The cheapest I'd go would be the Safari.

I have swung a white's detector, it was the only one that I had to use the arm strap on. They are built like tanks and good quality, but not my cup of tea.

Good Luck in whatever you choose.

I think i can spend a couple of hundred depending on situations... I'' probably go with the first suggestions that you first made to me on a different thread. Thank you for replying :D
 

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