If you will own 3 detectors... which ones would you buy and why?

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fishingdevil

Full Member
May 1, 2013
151
25
Next to the sea
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting

Tnmountains

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jan 27, 2009
18,701
11,665
South East Tennessee on Ga, Ala line
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Conquistador freq shift
Fisher F75
Garrett AT-Pro
Garet carrot
Neodymium magnets
5' Probe
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I like the 3 I have. They work for me. If I could afford it I would have a GPR unit for some serious artifacts. Dream machines fun topic!
 

jasone

Jr. Member
Mar 23, 2013
20
3
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
u need 3 different kin of detectors to be completed.a long range or rods,a good vlf and a pulse detector.
 

christo000

Silver Member
Mar 17, 2013
3,765
811
mass North Attleboro
Detector(s) used
Xp Deus,m-6 pinpointer, technetics t2ltd (had, whites v3i,minelab xterra 705,atpro,prism 4,sunray probe minlabe profind,garret propointer, f75ltd and many more)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
not sure that is a tough question but i think my arsenal is pretty well set for what i have to do and what i want to hunt so that being said my deus xp,whites v3i,and my atpro get the job done and then some
 

dholland02

Bronze Member
Jan 15, 2012
1,034
399
Detector(s) used
Garrett Ace250
Minelab Safari
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Mine would be ctx3030 Excalibur etrac
 

AC1955

Bronze Member
Apr 22, 2012
1,149
350
New Hampshire & Maine
Detector(s) used
V3i, Excalibur II, White's M6, Coinmaster, Teknetics EurotekPro, White's Surfmaster PI
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hmmm...I'd keep my Excalibur and V3i. As to the third machine...another Excalibur, so my husband and I can both have one. I don't think I'd get rid of my M6, though, so if I could only have 3, I'd stick with what I already own.

With so many great machines out there, this is a tough question.

HH,
Anita
 

Muddyhandz

Bronze Member
Jul 1, 2012
1,226
1,955
In da bush
Detector(s) used
Fisher's 1266X, 1270X & 1280X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You're not a noob, muddy is just old and likes old things. :thumbsup:

That's right you young whippersnapper.

I just turned a whopping 40 years old this year!

Starting detecting at 12 and bottle hunting at 8.

Feels like a long time but it really ain't.

Thanks for the kind words. LOL.

Cheers,
Dave.
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,173
14,463
San Diego
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1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
now everyone is asking for more than 3... lol...
can't 3 detectors work for all possible terrains? looks like i need to relook at my budget for my 'dream team'. hahaha

anyone else? keep them coming!
I have 13 detectors and don't want to give any of them up! Each has their own quirks and niches. When choosing just three, you have to first decide what type(s) of detecting you're going to do. Choosing an Ace 150 and an E-trac would be silly as the E-trac would run circles around the Ace in every aspect. If you don't nugget hunt, the GPX5000 wouldn't be of much help either (except it's actually a very good beach machine!) If you live in the desert and the only water you see comes out of your tap, an Excalibur would not be a good choice. nor would you need anything waterproof. So, as you can see, you'll get all sorts of opinions based on a variety of personal criteria. First decide what you plan on searching for, then pick a detector that meets those needs and is in your budget. Pick the best one you can afford.
 

Muddyhandz

Bronze Member
Jul 1, 2012
1,226
1,955
In da bush
Detector(s) used
Fisher's 1266X, 1270X & 1280X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Choosing an Ace 150 and an E-trac would be silly as the E-trac would run circles around the Ace in every aspect.

I agree with what you're saying overall except this statement.
Take both machines to a heavy iron infested field and I bet the ace will pluck out more non-ferrous.
E-trac suffers from masking in thick beds of iron.
Also, the response time is a lot quicker on the the ace which means one will cover more ground faster.
I'll never own either, but had to respond because you said every aspect.
I do agree otherwise and believe that every detector has SOMETHING to offer.
And then there's always the experience of the operator to account for.
H.H.
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,173
14,463
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have used both and the E-trac beats it in iron infested areas too. I put on the small coil, set the machine to two tone ferrous, and sniff out all kinds of good finds in the middle of iron. You have to work slow but you do that with the Ace too unless you want to miss something. The E-trac will go a lot deeper in the ground among that iron too.
 

pwcguy

Full Member
May 20, 2010
222
61
Va
Detector(s) used
E-Trac (retired)
CTX3030, Double Eagle
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
CTX3030, GPX 5000, Whites TM 808
[h=2][/h]
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,173
14,463
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

McKinney_5900

Bronze Member
Jul 30, 2010
1,137
925
Ad in the v3i & im with ya

I frankly see this as perfect. I own a V and like the other two.

This question should have really been asked according to strickly land hunters, then to those with salt beaches available. Unless I could sell the Excal, it wouldn't make any sense for me to own one. martin
 

christo000

Silver Member
Mar 17, 2013
3,765
811
mass North Attleboro
Detector(s) used
Xp Deus,m-6 pinpointer, technetics t2ltd (had, whites v3i,minelab xterra 705,atpro,prism 4,sunray probe minlabe profind,garret propointer, f75ltd and many more)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
What does the V3i do that the CTX3030 doesn't?

Well they both have ups over each other both have things the other doesnt & I saw that u listed only 2 so it was mainly to b a joke & ad the 3rd machine in but the v3i is a very good machine very adaptable
 

Ronzie

Hero Member
May 27, 2009
755
473
Southern Ontario
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Outlaw w/Garrett pinpointer

past machines - Minelab Explorer SE Pro/ Garrett GTI 2500 /Garrett GTAx1000
I have 13 detectors and don't want to give any of them up! Each has their own quirks and niches. When choosing just three, you have to first decide what type(s) of detecting you're going to do. Choosing an Ace 150 and an E-trac would be silly as the E-trac would run circles around the Ace in every aspect. If you don't nugget hunt, the GPX5000 wouldn't be of much help either (except it's actually a very good beach machine!) If you live in the desert and the only water you see comes out of your tap, an Excalibur would not be a good choice. nor would you need anything waterproof. So, as you can see, you'll get all sorts of opinions based on a variety of personal criteria. First decide what you plan on searching for, then pick a detector that meets those needs and is in your budget. Pick the best one you can afford.

Are you a detector hoarder? :laughing7:
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,173
14,463
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I guess I am! They tend to add up when you've detected as long as I have. A better machine comes along and you just HAVE to have it. You keep the old one as a spare or for a friend to borrow. You get a second detector of the same type because you don't want to be without it for a single day. I know, I've got it bad! :laughing7:
 

RustyGold

Gold Member
Aug 16, 2013
9,372
10,901
Southern California
Detector(s) used
XP Deus I & II
Xterra Pro
Primary Interest:
Other
My choices for now are the AT Pro for general beach and fresh water, Minelab (not sure which one yet) and believe it or not, the Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV for an easy to use gold picker at the beach so my friends can have a simple point and shoot hunter that's easy to use. Actually the bounty hunter I like for its simplicity! This thread is a GAS starter!
 

DeepseekerADS

Gold Member
Mar 3, 2013
14,880
21,725
SW, VA - Bull Mountain
Detector(s) used
CTX, Excal II, EQ800, Fisher 1260X, Tesoro Royal Sabre, Tejon, Garrett ADSIII, Carrot, Stealth 920iX, Keene A52
Primary Interest:
Other
I would go with what I have now, the Fisher 1260X and the E-Trac. Love them both, and the 1260X has proven itself for 30 years and still works.

But, I would also go back in time and try to find a Garrett Deepseeker ADS. Several thousand hours on that one in the early 80's and knew its' language. And, it DID go deep, just like the name - silver dimes at 8+ inches. However, I will admit that those inches were actually due to true familiarity with what it was saying. The only negative was that it was a concentric coil back then versus the double D's we have out now. That means I left something nice in the ground there :(

I did hit 22 straight silver dimes at a Boy Scout camp outside Toledo with that beast :)

Alas, days gone by where every thing was open with few competitors and lots of stuff still in the ground....
 

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