Looking to Purchase 1st MD - HELP!

[ddbowdoin]

hey all, new here and well, new to the world of MD. I have no idea what I am doing and the websites out there seem complicated and expensive. I'm in Boston, looking to scan numerous fields and beaches from time to time. I need some serious MD education and tips. Please help... you're such a rich resource of information!

Dan

 

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[Woodland Detectors]

Hi Dan,
In a Nutshell to not confuse you.

1. Your budget. What can you afford?
2. I suggest a Minelab Explorer in your neck of the woods.
3. You can find them used, but I suggest buying new if you can. Used machines come with NO warranty. New Minelab's come with a 3 year warranty.




Simple.

PM me if you need more info.

Mike

 

[Felinepeachy]

Mike, he has a $400.00 budget. Can you suggest something for him in that range?

 

[WishfulThinker]

Go buy an Ace 250 and some digging tools, today.. learn to use it well; $250 range. Learn to Probe for coins and how to cut three sided plugs. Get a Pinpointer (Centek probe version to start <$25)
You are going to see the phrase over and over on messages posted here -- experience counts more than anything else.
STAY OUT OF STATE and NATIONAL Parks -- they will haul you away. Get permission to hunt private land.
Practice everywhere, look for old buildings, foundations,
Keep all the goodies you find and learn to clean them properly.
Get book "Modern Metal Detecting" by Charles Garrett and read it.
Read the BEEKROCK THREAD on here. (Searching Old House)
Go buy a Soverign GT, Excal II, V3 etc. when you get real serious .... talk to sandman about beach/shallow water hunting .... read messages in that section on here ..... Soverign GT with WOT (Wild Orange Thing Coil) appears to be real winner combo. Beach Hunting in SaltWater/BlackSand and Cache Hunting over 1Foot deep are the real problem areas that define detector performance limits.

Read messages -- Shipwrecks, Beach and Shallow Water Hunting, Cache Hunting, to start. (NOTE: Numbers at top line indicate Multiple Message Pages)
Look at "Who Wants To Dive For Treasure" Jupiter Wreck Site in Fla.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Hi Dan,
In a Nutshell to not confuse you.

1. Your budget. What can you afford?
2. I suggest a Minelab Explorer in your neck of the woods.
3. You can find them used, but I suggest buying new if you can. Used machines come with NO warranty. New Minelab's come with a 3 year warranty.




Simple.

PM me if you need more info.

Mike

yes, I would say around 400. I would also like to avoid CL and other used sites, as I won't be able to gauge the condition of the product.

I want something versatile, for beach and inland searching. I guess I am in no rush so all the advice and opinions will help!

 

[Smudge]

You want to detect on fields and beaches. Here is what I would do:

1. Purchase a Tesoro Silver uMax for about $230.00.
2. Purchase a 3 x 18 clean sweep coil for it for $150.00.
3. Use the rest of the money for supplies like a digger, pouch and sand scoop (together that will run more than $20 though).

Here is why:

The Tesoro Silver uMax is a fantastic detector for beginners. Yes, the Tesoro Compadre is even simpler, but you cannot interchange coils with the Compadre. You can with the uMax. The stock coil will be useful to you in many areas, but the clean sweep coil will be fantastic on those fields and at the beach. Also, as most VLF detectors can only be used on dry sand, the clean sweep coil allows you to detect on the wet sand without having to turn down your sensitivity very much at all. I don't know why it works, it just does. If you run in All Metal mode to search, the uMax with the clean sweep coil gets excellent depth, and you can switch to discriminate to see if its worth digging.

Tesoro's also come with a lifetime warranty. That's tough to beat.

The uMax is vastly underappreciated. Everyone runs to the 250 and I think its an ok machine, but only ok. I think the uMax is superior in every way. It is an audio machine so it's excellent to teach yourself with. I have found the ID and depth screen on the 250 to frequently be unreliable. Again, just my experience.

To be totally honest with you, I have owned more expensive machines, but I keep coming back to the uMax because it is so much fun to use. And if you're not having fun with this hobby, you won't last.

The UMax with the stock coil and the additional clean sweep coil is a powerful setup and one that you can enjoy for a long time. You may even find yourself never graduating "up" and sticking with what you have.

If you don't want a Tesoro for whatever reason, my second choice with a $400 limit is the Minelab X-Terra 305. You can use that on the wet sand and dry sand, and anywhere on dry land.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck on your choice and have fun with it.

 

[ddbowdoin]

hey everyone... so I think I have finalized my research down to a few candidates.

1.) Tesoro Silver uMax.
Pro's - affordable, lifetime warranty.
Cons - people have mentioned this is pretty much useless out of the box on wet sand, also the coil is "water resistant", 9v batteries are expensive

2.) Minelab xterra 305
Pro's - seems easy to use, waterproof coil and can be used on dry/wet sand
cons - price, almost 400, limited warranty at 3 years

no idea where either are made, at their prices likely not in the US