why is it so difficult to buy a MD??

[sebbert]

Hi everyone,
during the last weeks i did some research to start with this fantastic hobby. one of the most asked questions, is the choise of the MD :-)

I ve seen on http://www.kellycodetectors.com two interesting ones: whites classic 4 & 5. how old are these models? as you cannot find them on whites homepage. Prizm? IV Metal Detector and III seens to be interesting, too.

And what do you think about this one?
Multi-Power MPX
Metal Detector With Free Accessories
List Price $549.95
Just $329.95
http://www.kellycodetectors.com

I ve no clue, what to buy. I live in CO, looking more for relicts and old coins in the mountains. no interesst in playgrounds, parks,...

Thanks for your opinion.
sebastian

 

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[Lowbatts]

Just look around the forums a bit more. The machines you're noted are fine machines, but in the realm of hunting they actually fit into the park/playground hunt scheme better than the relic hunt. If you're going to hunt old sites exclusively, then all the display and info bells and whistles are overkill. Might check out Troy, Fisher, Tesoro and Whites.

Do search of the relic hunting forums across the web and see what the specialists are using. Good luck and have some great hunts!

 

[nedigger]

What detector is best? Or best for me? Or Which one should I buy? etc. is a very common question amongst people who are just coming into the hobby but is actually next to impossible to answer. The reason is there are too many factors that one has to take into consideration when choosing a detector and these have been addressed many times on this and other forums across the web. To simplify things, let me just say there are a handful of major metal detector manufacturers and countless numbers of lesser brands to choose from. Your best bet is to stick with a major brand such as White's, Fisher, Garrett, Bounty Hunter, Tesoro, Minelab and possibly a couple others. Each has a good line of machines that cover the spectrum of price ranges and possible uses. As you read about each Make/Model you will begin to realize that the technology and capabilities are essentially the same across the board, while the differences are more obvious from price range to price range. I personally believe that most of the manufacturers tend to go out of their way when describing the capabilities of their machines to try to make them stand out over and above the rest (simple marketing) . Staying within a given price range, you will find they are all quite comparable and capable of giving you the desired end result. If you go to each manufacturers website, they will usually have a section or page dedicated to finds made by users of their machines. After looking at enough of these you will conclude they will, each in their own right, serve the pupose for which they are designed, much like an automobile or any other consumer product. Your selection narrows as you consider specific uses, such as gold detecting, water detecting, etc. but essentially consider this formula: major brand + your price range + general/specific use = great hobby with great finds. Also worth mentioning is buying a used machine can be a good way to get started, especially if you are not sure how often you will be using it or even how long you will be practicing the hobby. Keep in mind too, even if you spend top dollar on the best detector you can find, if you don't take the time to read the owners manual and get aquainted with your machine and what it is trying to tell you, it will be a short lived hobby due to disappointment and frustration. Technique is just as important, since even the best machine is only as good as the person using it. Technique involves walking slowly, overlapping swings and digging all targets until you are confident in your ability to decifer what the machine is telling you is below the surface so you can decide whether to dig or pass over it. Technique also involves learning to dig and fill in holes so as to show the least sign of your presence, researching your locale (town, county, state, etc.) to help maximize quality and quantity of finds and keeping abreast of the laws pertaining to metal detecting to keep you out of trouble and the hobby a respectable one for all to enjoy in the present as well as in the future. I hope you find this helpful. I think I covered most if not all the bases but if anyone can think of anything else I may have overlooked that should be added please feel free to do so. HH.

 

[nedigger]

One more thing I want to add is that after you have made a purchase and are ready to get down to business, the best place to start is in your own yard. Even if you live in a sparkling new neighborhood you don't know what activities may have taken place there in the past 100 or even 1000 years. It will also help you hone your skills in digging, recovery, refilling the hole, etc. HH.

 

[sebbert]

thanks for your answers so far. what is now the difference between whites classic 4 & 5. Prizm? IV Metal Detector and III. these are the ones for me to choose.

thanks
sebastian

 

[alderhills]

Looking for a detector is one of the hardest things I have done. This website was a GREAT help to me. It sent me to the Bounty website (I had found lots of others, too) and there I filled out a questionnare that asked what I would be doing and where it would be used. Then it listed several ones to choose from. It was a tremendous help. Good luck in your search and decision.

 

[sebbert]

Still looking for your opinion:

whites classic 4 & 5 VS Prizm? IV Metal Detector and III.

thank you

 

[sebbert]

whites classic 4 & 5 OR
Prizm? IV Metal Detector and III OR
Minelab Musketeer Advance OR
Garrett GTA x 550 - 400 OR
Fisher 1225x - 1236 x2

these are the once to choose from for me right now. HELP!!!!!!!
sebastian

 

[Lowbatts]

I chose a 1236 X2 (Fisher) for a Christmas gift for my Uncle a couple years back and it is an awesome machine. I think it simply swamps the other choices, but no meter, no display. Juyst depth and target separation in one of the best buys for the money available.

 

[AlabamaClay]

Buying a metal detector is like buying a pickup truck. You have your main brands - Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota, etc. (Fisher, Garrett, White, Minelab). All of them will get you where you want to go. All of them work basically the same way. Some have more options than others depending on your price range. I sweated about different brands and models but in the end, I don't think you can go wrong on whichever brand/model you get. I guess what I am saying is that don't fret too much over which detector to buy. Once you have done some basic research, go with your feelings. Don't look back. Maybe upgrade in a few years or so.

 

[sebbert]

but which one would you, should i bye?? :-)

 

[capela]

When i started, i didn?t make this kind of questions because i haven?t acess to any kind of information about brands like Minelab, Fisher, Garret, etc.
So the only thing i had, was a schematics book about metal detectors, so i started to build my first metal detector (BFO) and i was 13 years old, and when i finnished it, it was for me the best metal detector in the world. This happened 23 years ago, and today i can give some advices about some points that you must look before buying your detector ! these are:

- Weight

- Battery time-life

- Where you going to hunt - Type of ground (mineralized or not), land or salt wet sand.

- Discrimination

- Depth

- Dimension of the targets you?re searching for.

Looking to these points, and you will see that none of the machines you placed can complete all the points - 100% !
So, wich machine ?
My friend, if you want an all job machine, only one? type of technology is the answer, "multifrequency", and i mean Minelab -Soverign .
I have tested many types of machines, and i have in my collection, machines like: Tesoro( SandShark, SilverSabreYmax, Compadre), Minelab(Soverign XS2a, Explorer XS, GT16000, Musketeer), Fisher(1210, 1280), a DetectorPro Wader and PI (home made) and believe me the one i really enjoy to hunt, don?t matter where i go, that machine is the Soverign.
Remember, the type/dimension of the coil you?ll choose for your machine is more important if you looking for small objects or if you are hunting on trash areas.
This was my opinion, Happy hunting !?

capela?

 

[majik]

I don't know anything about thoses md's but i did just this last summer buy a garret gold stinger through Kellyco and was completly satisfied with them. quick delivery,everything intact,ect. I bought a package deal in witch i got a handheld pinpointer and it has proved helpful. good luck and HH
majik

 

[sebbert]

ok, after reading more and more about MD i see that i need you to feed with more information. i want to go MD in goast town and near old siler and gold mines. target are more relicts and a little bit coins. these are the MD i m looking at

whites classic 4 & 5 OR
Prizm? IV Metal Detector and III OR
Minelab Musketeer Advance OR
Garrett GTA x 550 - 400 OR
Fisher 1225x - 1236 x2

it so hard to fell a choise. thanks for beeing so patient.

sebastian

 

[1shotcleaner]

hi i took the broke approach and bought the coolist looking one withe the biggest number on it for the least amount of money i could find it took me 4 days and now i have a Garrett gta ultra 1000 i don't know any thing about md,s but in 5 hours of net time i read all i could about that md and it sounded to be exactly what i was looking for "coin finding++++"the ++++ is the part ill grow in to I'm sure but the coins rings that stuff is readily available to all of almost and thats what will hook me if i can find some more soft ground this winter.what I'm saying is that the md you are looking at are the sane as i was then i went used hopefully a step up and spent a hundred or so less and the best thing about the md i got its green my favorite colore if i made a bad choice ill sell it on ebay and buy something lets and if i made a good choice ill still buy another one any way because none of us thats compulsive people can have just one i think i have at least two of every thing the one i bought to have one and the one that does what i want it to do.have fun and if that doesn't work buy the most expensive duel band digital md on the market and use it twice an then sell it on ebay for 125.00 because its to hard to opprate or buy a user friendly unit find out if you like walking around with headphones on and bending down every few feet to dig up a? then buy the one that will find all of that gold in them there hills. PS have fun with any thing you do its the only way to live 1shotcleaner

 

[sebbert]

ok, now i read through all fieldtest off my potential detector and i have a choice between two, what i need now is only your feedback. please keep in mind, that i wanny go for goasttowns and arround old silver and gold mines. target are more relicts then gold!

Fisher 1236-X2 Metal Detector VS Fisher ID Excel Metal Detector

thanks for your feedback!!
Sebastian

 

[Smitty in Atlanta GA]

What 1shot said was what I was concerned about most when I purchased mine about 3 weeks ago.

I wanted something that wasn't a toy but I didn't want to have something that I needed to take a college course on just to be able to turn it on. After searching a lot of web sites and then asking questions on the forums such as Whites forum at http://www.treasurenet.com/whites/forum/index.php/board,1.0.html? ?

and the Garret site at http://www.garrett.com/

And I also checked out the Coinest Forum at http://66.51.97.78/forums/md/config.pl plus several other sites that I can't remember at this time.

After checking all these sites I went to a few retail stores that sold different brands of metal detectors and looked at them in person. I also went to a couple of Walmarts and checked out the Bounty Hunter models that they sale.

Then I went to a Whites Dealer and I was sold on the Prizm IV pretty quick after the dealer gave me a little demonstration on how it worked. I was leaning toward the Prizm IV to begin with just from the good reports that I had read about them on several web sites that I listed above.

I also looked at the other Prizm Models such as the II, III, and the V. The II didn't have the ability to show depths of objects, The III didn't have the different tones for different metals and about the only extra thing that the V offered was a larger coil and a couple more sound tones which I didn't feel was worth an extra hundred bucks for me at the time.

I think a person needs to make a list of things they feel they need in a detector and then find one that comes close to what they're looking for. There's obvious things such as a water proof model for someone that's going to be using theirs while diving, then there's models that are tuned for more specialized hunting such as searching for gold nuggets or whatever and then the models like the Prizm's that are more of an all around model which are good for a person like me that doesn't want to have to get the manual out everytime I use it in order to find out how to turn it on. The IV requires basically just turning it on when you start and off when you finish... I can deal with that.

So the best thing to do is do your homework as there is no clear cut winner for everyone in my opinion. Most all of the manufactures seem to have a few good models and only you can decide what you really want one to do for you and how much you can afford to put into one.

Anyway that's my opinion on how to chose a MD. I hope that helped you some and didn't confuse you even more.

Good Luck,

Smitty

 

[Lowbatts]

Well you're still looking at apples and oranges in your two choices. The ID Excel and the 1236 X2 are worlds apart in their user interfaces. You have one machine with a lot of display info on a big LCD screen and lots of functionality settings to play with and one with no meter or display and only a couple knobs to turn. Pricing is relativlely close.

I of course want both machines and confess to bias because I am a long time Fisher user. But I won't tell you which one is better because my opinion there is lacking the experience with the ID Excel model. As made clear by other posters, most all machines in certain price ranges will find the same objects at similar depths, but the information they give you on the location and depth of the object may clearly affect your decision to dig the target or not. Get one or the other and after you have learned it you will want to move to a high end machine. Either one will give you the opportunity to find enough goodies to make this possible but only if you learn how and where to use it.

Good luck now go buy!

 

[stoney56]

I like my 1236X2 because I do more competition hunts, but I also use it around old home sites because it can notch out small iron. i also have a high tolerance for trash so i don't need the ID EXCEL meter although both machines are excellent and equal in good hands.