Smudge
Bronze Member
- Jul 9, 2010
- 1,532
- 44
- Detector(s) used
- A Propointer tied to a stick
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
It Isn't Easy...
I guess I ought to consider myself lucky. I have local metal detector shop that carries most of the well known brands of detector, with samples on the shelf for people to play around with.
I went there this morning and literally spent three hours looking around and using some in the test garden, and I left the store empty handed.
It's not that I'm indecisive. I'm willing to shell out some serious cash ($1,000+) IF I think the machine is worth it.
I am not going to name any names. I refuse to trash any brand, especially when I have no real experience with them. That's not what I'm after here. It's just that in exploring this and other forums, when you read posts by people using these top of the line machines, and you compare it to people using mid-range detectors ($500-$800), it turns out they complain about the same things.
Even with all those bells and whistles, they're still digging a ton of trash like can slaw, pull tabs, and bottle caps. They dig them because they don't want to pass up gold. But heck, folks using the mid-range detectors complain about the same thing.
The thing for me is, if I'm going to shell out over $1,000 for a top of the line detector, it had better give me a lot more for my money than a $500 detector will.
But in reviewing these posts, I don't know, it just doesn't seem to be happening for a lot of users. Is it lack of experience? Sure they post some great finds. But so does everyone else. Sure, I know, luck and swinging your detector over the right spot is the majority of the battle.
I'm going to wrap this up, I swear, but here's my issue. Right now I swing the humble Tesoro Compadre. I played with other detectors but liked this one because it was simple to use, ran great for gold at 12" kHz, used a 5.75" coil which is perfect for the trashy areas I like to hunt.
But still, I'd like an edge in my hunts and thought about upgrading. I'm looking at all these detectors and asking myself "do I need a TID screen?" No, it'd be nice, but if I get a solid signal, I'm digging it no matter what the screen says. "Do I want a depth meter?" Nope, they're notoriously inaccurate. "Do I want a bigger coil?" Not typically.
So folks, please straighten me out. I feel like I'm missing the big picture here. These companies wouldn't be offering these high end machines if they weren't a cut above the rest. But if the big machine can't tell the difference between a pull tab and gold ring or a bottle cap and quarter any better than a mid-range machine, what's the point?
Thanks for reading all this. I'd really like to know what you folks think. Gonna go put an ice pack on my head now.
I guess I ought to consider myself lucky. I have local metal detector shop that carries most of the well known brands of detector, with samples on the shelf for people to play around with.
I went there this morning and literally spent three hours looking around and using some in the test garden, and I left the store empty handed.
It's not that I'm indecisive. I'm willing to shell out some serious cash ($1,000+) IF I think the machine is worth it.
I am not going to name any names. I refuse to trash any brand, especially when I have no real experience with them. That's not what I'm after here. It's just that in exploring this and other forums, when you read posts by people using these top of the line machines, and you compare it to people using mid-range detectors ($500-$800), it turns out they complain about the same things.
Even with all those bells and whistles, they're still digging a ton of trash like can slaw, pull tabs, and bottle caps. They dig them because they don't want to pass up gold. But heck, folks using the mid-range detectors complain about the same thing.
The thing for me is, if I'm going to shell out over $1,000 for a top of the line detector, it had better give me a lot more for my money than a $500 detector will.
But in reviewing these posts, I don't know, it just doesn't seem to be happening for a lot of users. Is it lack of experience? Sure they post some great finds. But so does everyone else. Sure, I know, luck and swinging your detector over the right spot is the majority of the battle.
I'm going to wrap this up, I swear, but here's my issue. Right now I swing the humble Tesoro Compadre. I played with other detectors but liked this one because it was simple to use, ran great for gold at 12" kHz, used a 5.75" coil which is perfect for the trashy areas I like to hunt.
But still, I'd like an edge in my hunts and thought about upgrading. I'm looking at all these detectors and asking myself "do I need a TID screen?" No, it'd be nice, but if I get a solid signal, I'm digging it no matter what the screen says. "Do I want a depth meter?" Nope, they're notoriously inaccurate. "Do I want a bigger coil?" Not typically.
So folks, please straighten me out. I feel like I'm missing the big picture here. These companies wouldn't be offering these high end machines if they weren't a cut above the rest. But if the big machine can't tell the difference between a pull tab and gold ring or a bottle cap and quarter any better than a mid-range machine, what's the point?
Thanks for reading all this. I'd really like to know what you folks think. Gonna go put an ice pack on my head now.
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