Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

[Functional]

Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Not all of us have the kind of money needed for a high end metal detector and until recently, thats usually what would be needed for nugget hunting, but with the new models that have come out recently, there may be more options available. I've seen head to head comparisons of these "affordable" detectors on TNet, but they usually only cover coin and relic hunting and don't include nugget hunting for Gold, Silver and
Platinum, on, or off of beaches and in, or out of water. So, I thought I'd see if anyone has experience using these same detectors under more extreme conditions.

Let us hear your opinions on using these metal detectors in real world conditions and not just "air" tests. If you own one of the following, or a similarly priced brand and model, tell us your views and experiences on using it for prospecting.

**************
DetectorPro; Headhunter Pirate, (Which seems to be the only model they sell that falls into the under $300 price.)

Usable in Highly Mineralized Soil ...... Unknown
Usable in Fresh Water ...... YES
Usable in Salt Water ...... YES

Their website says it works in Salt water, Fresh water and on Land.

**************
Fisher; F2, (Prices vary from about $199 to $249 depending on the dealer.)
From what I've read, it has 5 options for coils.
Known to have some problems that some consider minor and in some instances, the problem may have been caused by mishandling in transit, or maybe sloppy testing. Very good comments on its ability to cancel out ferrous objects.

Usable in Highly Mineralized Soil ...... YES
Usable in Fresh Water ...... YES
Usable in Salt Water ...... YES

Some good information the F2 compared to the ACE 250 in this thread:
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,123817.0.html
and in a forum on another site here:
http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/cgi-bin/fisher/fisher_config.pl?read=18669
And comparing the F2 to an ACE 250 here:
http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/cgi-bin/fisher/fisher_config.pl?read=19441

**************
Garret; Ace 250, (Price still around the $212 mark, or as high as $299 with accessories.)
From what I've read, it only has 2 options for coils, but don't quote me on that.

Usable in Highly Mineralized Soil ...... NO
Usable in Fresh Water ...... Some say YES, some say No
Usable in Salt Water ...... NO

You don't have to go far to find ACE 250 enthusiasts on TNet, but when it comes to nugget hunting in salt, or fresh water, or in highly mineralized soil, I just don't see much for comments.

**************
MD 3009, I don't know much about this machine other than it is a cheap thing made in China, with no fancy digital display and it is sold under various "branded" names. But someone did post a comparison of it against the ACE 250 and thought highly of its abilities. One of several models sold on this website: http://www.cnmetaldetector.com/product_show.asp?id=53&num=MD-3009

Usable in Highly Mineralized Soil ...... Unknown
Usable in Fresh Water ...... Unknown
Usable in Salt Water ...... Unknown

**************
Feel free to add other "affordable" detectors to this list.


Summer is almost here and I know some people already had the itch to get out for some detecting, (some of us since last Christmas), so how about some tips for those who have been saving the money stuffed in their stockings for a new MD? And if your one of the many who wonders about other more highly priced detectors, feel free to post a topic for that too.

When posting follow ups with descriptions of your experiences, please include information on the type of soil, or sand and use in salt, or fresh water. Thanks!


F.

 

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[khouse]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

A good gold detector and cheap don't mix. You need a detector that can reject the black sand if your looking for gold nuggets and large flakes. The fixed ground balance detectors fall short rejecting black sand and wet salt sand and salt water. I would look for a used special purpose detector. Your best bet for a general purpose detector is a Minelab Xterra 70 or Whites MXT. I prefer the notch discrimination of the Xterra 70 and the ability to change frequencies.

 

[Hemisteve]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

MDing for gold only narrows your selection to a few different brands.

If you think you can buy a MD and find gold tomorrow you have been misled. There are professional nugget hunters that are lucky if they get an ounce in a month or two. Most are lucky if they can find a 2 grain nugget a month.
Finding gold is a long term investment in time and learning.

But here are my recomendations for a gold machine.
1. Minelab GP4500. Brand new PI machine, but the alaska guys say a VLF machine is better up there.
2. Whites GMT,MXT, or older goldmaster have found many nuggets over the years.
3. Goldbug2. Never have heard bad about this machine.

If you think cheap and gold machine go together, you are'nt going to find anything.

My 2 cents worth
Steve

 

[Pepper2004]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

I agree with Steve. Just recently my husband and I have started panning for gold and I MD'ed for nuggets with my Whites MXT. I picked up a few flakes and it did well in the black sand. We are doing it for fun. We don't expect to strike it rich. Good luck.

Pepper

 

[Functional]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

From what I've read on the F2, it does do well in black sand, as well as salt, or fresh water, but then so does my Compass. I'm just looking for a suitable backup machine and maybe an eventual replacement. But I don't have $500 or more to throw around right now. And I'm sure there are others in places that have extremely high levels of mineralization in the soil, (drag a bar magnet around and it'll clog up in no time), like here in British Columbia, who have similar wants, but limited budgets. And who would want to hear about MD's that might not be top of the line, but could still find 1/10th Oz or larger nuggets.

I've been panning for many years and only last year started using an old Compass Magnum 420 with an 8" coil and it does ok, not great, but ok. Its not a "flake finder" and I'm glad of that, or I'd be digging continuously. If I could only find a couple of nuggets a month with an MD, I wouldn't bother looking, because I couldn't justify the cost of batteries. My 420 does better than that though, but then, thats like comparing all those other machines to the F2's abilities, or lack thereof. Then comparing finds here where I am, to where most posters to TNet hunt. It simply isn't a fair comparison.

A post to another thread on TNet, (comparing the F2 to the ACE 250), mentions finding a BB sized gold nugget with the F2 at 2" depth. I don't see a thing wrong with that. Most of the course gold here is larger than that and persumably, the larger nuggets around here could be found with an F2 at slightly greater depth than 2". So, someone who didn't "luck into" getting an old Compass like mine and hasn't got several hundred dollars to spare, or months to watch eBay for a used nugget hunting MD, could likely get by with an F2. At least thats my conclusion.

F.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Something to remember, a good machine will hold its value, the money isn't lost it is just in a different bank.

I sold a used Excal 1000 for $75 less then what I paid for it after using it for almost a year and a half.. That is not including the value of the rings, other jewelry, and money I found with it.

If you can't afford new, look for a good used machine, it will pay for itself and pay you back many times over.

 

[EasyMoney]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Aw, what the heck..

Here is the truth about most of this.

The cheapest really serious well-functioning cheaper-priced (matchhead or smaller) nugget hunting detectors to be found,, are the following;

Remember, we are talking about U-S-E-D detectors, not new ones.

White's MXT
White's GMT
Fisher GB
Fisher GB2
Compass GS Pro
Compass R&C
Compass x-70
Compass x-80
Compass x-100
Compass x-200
Compass au52
Compass au2000

The Tesoro Silver Sabers, Silver uMax, Golden Sabers, Compadres, and a couple of others will find a match head sized nugget at 4 inches in moderate soil. Most of the Compasses will find it at 6-7 inches. so will a Fisher GoldBug or GB2, and in some cases, so will a Minelab x-terra, but not as easily. A Fisher f-2 will not be able to do this. And of course neither will an Ace 250 in a thousand light years..

The two Fishers will be a pain in the ashtray to run in many parts of Western Canada and the Western USA, but otherwise they are the most preferred nugget detector ever made, period!

The Minelab x-terra is not a dedicated nugget hunter, but an MXT is.

The x-terra 70 is slower to use than the MXT. It has a typically slow Minelab processor.

The Compass au2000 has a choice of 52 Khz for fine gold in lighter ground, and a 13.77 for larger nuggets in highly mineralized ground.

The smallest nugget ever found, documented, and displayed in a public place by a metal detector - is about the size of a dot on an "i" and was found in a 4 1/2" block of quartz. It is currently displayed in a casino in Reno, Nevada somewhere. It was found with a Compass au52 in moderately mineralized soil in or around the Nevada area.

The GMT is a bit better overall for tiny gold - than the x-terra and the MXT, although the GMT was the parent of the MXT . Both are excellent all-around detectors though. All the Compasses above except the au52 and au2000 are some of the best all-around detectors ever made and have decent analog meters, plus the best of target seperation and iron cancelling abilities ever made, perhaps the VERY best. I have not to this day ever seen any Minelab that will out cherry-pick or go deeper in any soil I've ever seen anywhere than most of the old Compass detectors, save for the ones designed strictly for coin hunting only.

There are no (decent) new nugget hunting detectors made that cost less than around $600.

 

[Functional]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Just checked on eBay again and only a couple of Compass MD's, both Magnum 420's. Only one White's MXT and with a day left, the bidding is over $500. Several Fisher F2's, a couple of F4's and assorted other Fisher's, but only one MXT and one GoldBug II at over $700. Guess I'll have to stick to my Magnum 420 and maybe if I run across a used Fisher X100, or X200 for the right price, I might grab one, (even though I know that the X100 does seem to have an attraction the hot rocks we have up here). And only one Nautilus that I've heard good things about previously, but again, its over my current budget.

For the latter part of last year, I tended to pan and if an area looked good and I got tired of panning, I'd swing the Magnum around for awhile. Actually found some smaller and some larger than match head sized nuggets with it, but I spent a lot of my time exploring a new area and by the time I got back and paid for the trip, there wasn't much left over. At least I have a better idea of where to go next time around.

If I can ever get into the city and find a dealer, I'll try and do some actual testing of the newer (budget priced) machines and see if any can actually find gold in the local soil condition. For now, I can only go by what others have said on TNet, much of which has to be taken with a grain of salt.

F.

 

[gregl01]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

All the "cheaper" machines you listed might find gold, but it would have to be pretty big chunks!!! They don't operate at a high enough frequency to find smaller nuggets. Listen to what EasyMoney said, he knows!!! Most dedicated gold machines operate at a higher frequency than basic metal detectors, this allows them to sensitive on tiny flakes or flour gold. I believe the Whites MXT is around 14khz and most others operate in the 50khz range. Thats the key to finding small gold. My Tesoro Cibola operates at 14.5khz and is will detect gold far better than an Ace250, that is a fact!!!! (Ace250 runs at 6.59khz) So be patient and try to find a used gold machine if that is what you plan to find. Remember you have to have the right tool for the job


Greg

 

[dazoff]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Notice you don't mention the Troy X5 that runs at 19.3 kHz it will do better than most. If you could find an X200 its bound to go for more than 400.00 -500.00 . Have seen some good deals on goldscanner pro's around lately. West Coast seems to be MXT country for gold do you hunt with Willie, Functional. Dan

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Hi,

Least expensive current machine I would detect for gold with is the Tesoro Vaquero. Lightweight, manual ground balance, 14.3 kHz, 14.5 kHz, 14.7 kHz, excellent coil selection, List $525.00 discounted to $420.00. Yes, I've found gold with it. Not much, but enough to know it is a good little unit.

Steve Herschbach

 

[Functional]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

All the "cheaper" machines you listed might find gold, but it would have to be pretty big chunks!!! They don't operate at a high enough frequency to find smaller nuggets. Listen to what EasyMoney said, he knows!!! Most dedicated gold machines operate at a higher frequency than basic metal detectors, this allows them to sensitive on tiny flakes or flour gold. I believe the Whites MXT is around 14khz and most others operate in the 50khz range. Thats the key to finding small gold. My Tesoro Cibola operates at 14.5khz and is will detect gold far better than an Ace250, that is a fact!!!! (Ace250 runs at 6.59khz) So be patient and try to find a used gold machine if that is what you plan to find. Remember you have to have the right tool for the job


Greg

I'm not sure why so many want to pick anything so long as its not an F2, since most people haven't actually used one yet, including me. I've read good and bad things about it and about many other detectors that are "popular" on TNet, but I'll reserve final judgment until I can actually test one with a real nugget in realistic soil conditions for my area of searching. That said, the F2's operating frequency is 6.5kHz. Common amongst many different nugget hunting MD's.

As I've mentioned before, when it comes to nugget hunting, I don't want a "flake finder". Theres flakes galore in the creeks and rivers I pan in and I'd be digging constantly if I had an MD that was that sensitive. Even some of the claims made on other websites about the F2 with the 4" coil being able to find a 3 grain "flake", turns me off. I'd have to adjust the sensitivity some to keep from digging anything that small. What does interest me about the F2, is that its supposed to be able to totally tune out and eliminate iron. I'd like to see any detector that could do that and still get gold.

Even my Compass has to register some tone response to iron, or further adjustment seems to blank out the gold too. I know my machine has some problems and I'm hoping that I can work them out this summer, but it might mean investing more money into the machine than its worth. So, in the mean time, I'll remain open minded to options.

F.

 

[Functional]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Notice you don't mention the Troy X5 that runs at 19.3 kHz it will do better than most. If you could find an X200 its bound to go for more than 400.00 -500.00 . Have seen some good deals on goldscanner pro's around lately. West Coast seems to be MXT country for gold do you hunt with Willie, Functional. Dan

I haven't even seen a Troy except online, but I seem to recall some good comments about them. Not sure what price ranges they would fetch, or how they are at nugget hunting in the conditions I encounter. I had seen an X100 a few months back that I just didn't have the $300 for at the time, but X200's are rare at any price. Likely easier to find a deal on a GoldBug or GB II.

I haven't seen Willie since last summer when he was passing through town and shot the breeze for a few hours. I'm sure he has a few "choice" spots that he keeps to himself and where it would take a team of bloodhounds to track him down. As for myself, I had some transportation problems last summer and didn't get out until late fall, so I didn't get nearly as much time in as I'd have liked. I'm barely half way finished renovating an old travel trailer for my trips. (That sleeping on the ground was fine when I was young, but now, I'll take a bed with a roof over my head any day.) So far this spring, its almost a repeat of last summer with a blown differential in the truck, but I hope to have that done by the time the creeks and rivers recede.

F.

 

[Functional]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Hi,

Least expensive current machine I would detect for gold with is the Tesoro Vaquero. Lightweight, manual ground balance, 14.3 kHz, 14.5 kHz, 14.7 kHz, excellent coil selection, List $525.00 discounted to $420.00. Yes, I've found gold with it. Not much, but enough to know it is a good little unit.

Steve Herschbach

Hi Steve;

Unless I strike it rich first time out this year, I'll be keeping to a low budget, just in case the truck decides to blow something else, or the price of gas shoots up some more. Heard good things about the Tesoro's, but there are a lot of competitors out there, with all sorts of new features. I do like the manual ground balance on my Compass and from what I've read here on TNet and on a few other sites, there doesn't seem to be any MD's that can automagically allow for all soil conditions and compensate for any level of mineralization. But then again, I haven't held a new MD in my hands in a few years, so who knows what they might have come up with recently?

If I knew of a machine that could auto GB in my area's soil conditions and cancel out all iron, while being set to respond only to 20 grain and larger nuggets, that I'd like to see. And if they made it for the same price range as the Ace 250 and the F2, then I'd max out the plastic on it.

F.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

Hi,

"I'm not sure why so many want to pick anything so long as its not an F2".

Because I measure my gold in pounds. The last nugget I found weighed 2.5 ounces. 6.59 kHz is not a common nugget hunting frequency, and the F2 has no ground balance that I'm aware of. Not only will it not hit small gold it will have poor depth on larger gold in mineralized ground. Cost is not a factor if you are able to reliably find gold. It won't take me but a few days to pay for my GPX-4500 after I get it and after that it is all profit. Since I'm doing this for the money I can't afford to use the Fisher F2. It would cost me thousands of dolars in missed gold.

That said, you can find gold with any detector if it is large enough and shallow enough. So get an F2 if that is what you want. Me, if I was on a budget I'd be looking for a used Goldmaster II or Goldmaster V/SAT for under $300.00. Unfortunately, the Goldmasters would find all that small gold that you do not want to find so I guess that's not an option for you. If you got lucky you might find a used Minelab XT17000 for under $300 that would not be so hot on small gold and it would have automatic ground tracking.

Steve Herschbach

 

[Functional]

Comparison of UNDER $300 Metal Detectors, Capeable Of Use For "NUGGET HUNTING"

I felt it appropriate to edit the title for clarification, since not every MD that is used to hunt nuggets, falls into the category of what the "Pro's" would refer to as a "Nugget Hunting Metal Detector". My post was aimed more at those that "could" be used for nugget hunting gold that is larger than flake and likely to weigh in at more than 20 to 30 grains. 8)

Hi,

"I'm not sure why so many want to pick anything so long as its not an F2".

Because I measure my gold in pounds. The last nugget I found weighed 2.5 ounces. 6.59 kHz is not a common nugget hunting frequency, and the F2 has no ground balance that I'm aware of.

If I had found some 2+ Oz nuggets, I'd have paid off my bills and I would own a GoldBug II, or something comparable by now. Your right on the KHz for nuggets, but even at least one of the Minelab's uses a frequency near that of the F2 for depth: "The Minelab Eureka Gold is one of the world's most versatile gold nugget detectors. The Eureka Gold gives you 6.4kHz for maximum depth, 20kHz for general detecting and the super sensitive 60kHz to find the smallest gold nuggets that others are missing." (Above quote from: http://www.akmining.com/mine/eureka.htm .)

According to the website below, the F2 has a "Fixed" GB:
http://www.detectorpro.co.uk/fisher.htm
(I don't know what the all the acronym's below stand for.)
ERG - 7 / BQ - 3 / WB - 8 / DP - 6 / ID - 6 / RR - 7 / AR - 6 / PG - 6 / BH - 2 / AC - 6.
FREQ - 6.5kHz / GB - FIXED / BATTS - 2 x PP3 / METER - YES - DIGITAL / TONE ID - YES - 4 / COILS - 8"C/4"C/10"C.

Not only will it not hit small gold it will have poor depth on larger gold in mineralized ground. Cost is not a factor if you are able to reliably find gold. It won't take me but a few days to pay for my GPX-4500 after I get it and after that it is all profit. Since I'm doing this for the money I can't afford to use the Fisher F2. It would cost me thousands of dolars in missed gold.

That said, you can find gold with any detector if it is large enough and shallow enough. So get an F2 if that is what you want. Me, if I was on a budget I'd be looking for a used Goldmaster II or Goldmaster V/SAT for under $300.00. Unfortunately, the Goldmasters would find all that small gold that you do not want to find so I guess that's not an option for you. If you got lucky you might find a used Minelab XT17000 for under $300 that would not be so hot on small gold and it would have automatic ground tracking.

Steve Herschbach

Thanks, I'll add those MD's to my potential list for future consideration. Strangely enough, it was just over a year ago that I posted on TNet asking the more experienced for just that sort of information and you would think I had asked for the map to their motherload. I figured at the time that if everyone was so helpful with suggestions for a coin, or relic hunting MD, then it was reasonable to conclude that they would be equally as helpful when it came to nugget hunting MD's, but in the end, I only got useful suggestions when someone messaged me with some info on potential machines.

Back to the present. With my budget, cost is always a factor. As with most ventures, it takes money to make money, (good health helps too and thats something I don't have much of). Even getting to and from the areas I pan and hunt, can run me about $200 in fuel, if my truck was working properly. Woke up this morning to find ice on the hood, but theres a warming trend starting today, so I'll be able to spend more time getting all my little projects done.

Not sure what MD I'll end up with by the end of summer, but I just picked up a Radio Shack MD at a flea market for $5 on the weekend. It even has the same 4 control knobs as my Magnum, including manual ground balance. Actually bought it, thinking I could use the frame and arm support for my Compass, but I'll play with it first just to see what it can do. First I'll invest $3.50 in some new 9V batteries, (same kind the Magnum uses), then I'll test it with some lead because I don't have any nuggets on hand, then try using a 14K ring, (thats all I have available). I'm not into the whole jewelry thing and the ring is one I hunted up last fall.

That said, even my old Compass Magnum 420 can find nuggets down to about 40 grain. And its said to be a 10KHz machine, (according to another TNet member), and has an extensive history in nugget hunting. I doubt it was ever "the best" nugget machine around, but it was used for that purpose. I'd just like to try out some alternatives that are within my current budget, (and maybe one with some of the advances in technology, from this decade), for a friend to use if I decide to take them with me on a panning/nugget hunting trip. Or for a backup machine, should my Compass's cable screw up again. Anyway, time to get some work done here.

F.

 

[EZrider]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

The F2 cannot tune out iron and still pickup gold. The way it is setup is all or none.

 

[Functional]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

The F2 cannot tune out iron and still pickup gold. The way it is setup is all or none.

Not having used the F2, I can't really say exactly how EasyMoney meant the following statement in his post here: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,123817.0.html

"All four detectors were set to cancel small iron nails. Up 2 Inches away from the soil though, and none of them would make a noise. The F-2 gave the strongest signal and higher off the ground too."

In his test, all three targets turned out to be old crusted up 80's US pennies at 3 inches. If the test was for a nugget, I would guess the result would be different, but thats only a guess.

And for all I know, the Ace may do better than the F2 in non-mineralized soil, but then again, I haven't seen any test results to back that up either. Obviously enough people like the Ace, so it has to have something going for it, but theres always going to be newer improved technologies and sooner, or later, the top dog is going to get bumped.


F.

 

[dazoff]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

I'll send you my F2 to try out for awhile Functional if you think that would help your decision . Dan

 

[Indasurf]

Re: Comparison of UNDER $300 PROSPECTING "NUGGET HUNTING" Metal Detectors

I think the Garrett Gold Stinger might work well for you. A used one is in the price range you've mentioned and from what I've read works well. It runs at 15Khz, which would find the size gold you want and is also good for coin hunting. I heard the battery is a pain to change and there's a learning curve in using the unit, but I've read it's a good all around detector. The Gold Stinger is still made and I think you could find a mint used one way under your price range.
Anyway, thought you might like this information!


Thanks