Brand New - Looking for advice on detector purchase

[Brizors]

Firstly, I want to apologize for the long read although, with the complexity of metal detecting in regards to discovery goals, I feel that more information is best for solid advice.

With that said I am completely new to metal detecting although the past week I have picked up a few metal detecting youtube channels and also done a good amount of research in order to get a general idea of the concepts and tech of detecting. In that amount of time I have become absolutely obsessed with the idea of getting out there and digging up a storm. I used to detect with a $30 detector as a kid and it lead to some great adventures and awe inspiring discoveries (which I can’t wait to relive). I love the outdoors/hiking/camping and I think detecting would exponentially increase the enjoyment and possibilities on these adventures. I don’t know why I haven’t realized this earlier. I have about $1500 to $2000 at the moment to spend including accessories as I am serious about getting into detecting and learning as much as possible in my free time.

Unfortunately I am blessed with the challenge of black sand at the beach as a result of living in southern California (LA County) and so selecting a detector with my knowledge and lack of experience is extremely difficult. I am hoping you guys here can help me out with a decision that I will be happy with. I will be detecting at the beach majority of the time as I live so close, I especially have my eye on the wet sand. I feel like wet sand is where the real relics/treasure are from centuries ago as so many relics can be washed up over time. I was thinking of the AT Pro as it’s reasonably priced as well as having amazing versatility (I also will be detecting on land in the forest and rivers), although the AT Pro does not seem to fare well in the wet beach sand here due to the heavy mineralization even with its discrimination.

The dilemma is that I feel it would be horrible to miss all the good treasure/relics that are deep in the wet sand/water at the beach due to the ground balancing I would need to set on the AT Pro. It’s also unfortunate because the AT Pro is such a good detector for the money and versatile in any setting other than wet beach sand. I feel it would be great for all my other relic/coin/gold detecting that I will be doing in the forest and rivers on camping trips/hikes. Due to the fact I feel I will be spending the vast majority of my time in the wet sand and dry at the beach since I live 5 mins away, it doesn’t make sense for me to start with the AT Pro.

I am wondering what would be the best move for me based on this information. I don’t feel like digging deep will be a huge issue for me, maybe in fact I should be that person that digs deep all the time as a rite of passage into detecting to maximize the amount of learning/experience. With that train of thought, a waterproof PI detector would be great because I can detect with it literally anywhere unlike VLF machines. This way I wouldn’t miss out on any good finds at the expense of digging deep. I feel like this might be my best bet to start, but I am leaving it up to the advice I get from you guys. I do not yet understand the benefit of multiple frequency vs. PI technology other than the ability to discriminate. I’m sure there are also other types of tech I don’t know about that combine with VLF and multi-frequency detectors that might be a good fit for me. I would certainly consider the possibility of buying 2 different used machines with my budget in order to satisfy wet beach and dry conditions.

I would really appreciate the help and I look forward to getting acquainted with members here and learning from you all.

 

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[Welgund]

With your budget I would get an AT Pro for inland use and a Tesoro Sand Shark or Garrett infinium for the beach etc. Still have left over monies for a pro pointer, shovels, hand tools etc.

 

[Fletch88]

Welcome Aboard! I wouldn't recommend a PI as your first primary beach detector. They have their place but can be very frustrating when learning how to beach detect (been there done that) I would look for an Excal or CZ-21 for a dedicated beach/ surf machine then research land detectors to see what suits your tastes. There are several multiple freq machines that can hunt wet sand very well but aren't waterproof. This would allow you to land detect and hunt on the beach. GL and HH!

 

[metalhealth]

i use my excal in the water & on land. weight isnt an issue mounted on a straight shaft with the control behind your elbow.

 

[gunsil]

for 1500 hundred buck you can pick up a lightly used Excalibur and a lightly used AT Pro. That would still leave you with several hundred for the necessary sand scoop and pin pointer. There are lots of fine used machines out there since many people buy good gear then realize they haven't the patience or the time for detecting. Keep your eyes peeled on ebay and craigslist. I got an older, used three times on land Excal and an older but updated ATP for a total of less than 1100 bucks. Both work great.

 

[Brizors]

Wow, thank you guys for the great recommendations! I will be researching them in dept now to see which I will get. It seems like my budget will give me some options which is great!

 

[cudamark]

All good choices mentioned. If, as you mentioned, you're not going to "dig deep" the AT Pro would probably work. That's it's problem at the beach is the that you have to turn down the sensitivity to cope with the salt and black sand. You lose depth doing that.

 

[Brizors]

Oh I don't have any issue digging deep as I feel it would be very unfortunate to miss an amazing relic opportunity. I'd rather have the ability to detect deep and decide myself if I will go that deep, sort of deal.

Also wow.. I've just done a ton of research and bounced from the Excalibur II for better discrimination and sensitivity with it's BBS tech to the Fisher CZ-21 for it's increased depth, faster signal recovery, and better pinpoint ability with its concentric coil. I then started looking at the CTX 3030 and that's where I drew the line. Yes these detectors are nice but unless I am wrong, and PLEASE do correct me, all I really need is a PI or multi-frequency detector for the wet beach sand/water, and a VLF for everything else on land/freshwater.

Although, the thing for me is going with a middle ground detector(a multi-frequency detector) I will be wanting something better on each side of the spectrum, that being something better for wet beach conditions and also something better for all land/freshwater hunting. To me that screams to simply get a Tesoro Sand Shark first, and dig deep for EVERYTHING, get to know that detector and its sound as damn well as I can and use those finds in the wet beach to make an AT Pro for the dry/freshwater even easier to attain. Essentially with an easily attainable result of the Shark in the wet beach conditions and AT Pro for all dry sand/camping/hiking/freshwater fun. As of right now that is the most versatility I can think of with a minimum of two detectors at a cost of basically $1200 aside from accessories, which honestly seems too good to be true. I then can get a third fine tuned detector for whatever it is I want to focus on with more experience on hand in the future.

If any of you experienced detectors see a flaw in this logic or feel I may not be looking at everything and see a better alternative for me, please let me know because my budget can go all the way to $2000 right from the start and I am very serious about this hobby!

 

[Fletch88]

There isn't anything better than a multi-freq machine for the beach! I would only buy a PI as a secondary machine after using a mult freq VLF for some time. You will dig yourself silly chasing junk targets at the wrong location with a PI and probably get discouraged quickly.

 

[Sandman]

Fletch is 100% right. I however think the ATP sucks as it is to touchy in regards to EMI. I am on my 3rd ATP and it night just be cell phone tower's. Others seem to like them and I wonder if I am to picky. Another excellent choice for land and wet saltwater sand is the Sov GT, the land version of the Excal and you can change coils. Many consider it the best beach unit and its only draw back is you can't get the box wet.

 

[Fletch88]

I wanted to plug the Sovereign but figured everyone's tired of my raving on the GT!

 

[penzfan]

Can't beat the one two punch combo of a Sov GT and Sand Shark. Both are VERY reliable machines, you have your choice of both VLF and PI technology, and you always have a backup machine incase there's a need to send one in for mods/repairs. Both can be purchased for less than $2k. Just another opinion...

 

[Brizors]

So really, if I get a Sovereign GT, I wouldn't really need any other detector since it will work in the wet sand and everywhere else, until I drop the box in the water(I am very careful so unlikely to happen). This seems too good to be true but apparently not.. I just checked it's depth and the Sov GT has incredible depth. With the discrimination on this detector as well as it's depth, I don't see a need for a PI detector in the wet beach sand anymore. The reviews look fantastic on it. When I am on land I want to find everything from coins/jewelry to relics, if it can pick up gold nuggets too than it is perfect.

Is there anything a GT Pro has over the Sov GT other than water proofing? If I don't need to get a wet beach sand machine and the Sov GT will handle everything else on land, I don't really see a reason to get another detector. Especially if I water proof it.

 

[cudamark]

Personally, I like having a meter on my land machines. I like to get every bit of info before I make the decision to dig.

 

[Brizors]

Personally, I like having a meter on my land machines. I like to get every bit of info before I make the decision to dig.

I agree, having something like the AT Pro screen on most detectors would be nice. Unfortunately it seems most amazing detectors that are reasonably priced(like the Sov GT) don't seem to have this feature. I have no idea how much easier it makes detecting since I haven't gotten out there yet, but it seems like a no-brainer to me, but I'm sure others prefer not to deal with a screen/meter as well.

I think I might go with a Sov GT and hip mount as well as waterproof the box. I like the depth over all other MF detectors that I have researched and it seems it would do great at everything from wet beach to really any other condition. I like that I can change the coil and it seems to be able to detect pretty much everything just fine. For my purposes, I don't see a better detector. If anyone thinks there is a better match for me please let me know, otherwise I think I may pull the trigger!

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

If I would to drop 2K down it sure as sure would be a Minelab .

 

[Brizors]

I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to an AT Pro or Sov GT for land and a Sand Shark or Seahunter MK II for wet beach. They each have their pros and cons, The AT Pro seems to be a fast attack sort of approach with a speedy recovery and the Sov GT a slower paced unit but with better identification. I'm leaning more towards the Sov GT for versatility while trying hard to ignore how cool I think the screen is on the AT Pro to help with identification, and possibly the Seahunter Mk II because you can change coils on it, not sure how it stacks to the Shark tbh.

I'm curious to know where the good deals are or awesome vendors/sponsors to talk to. If anyone can point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it!

 

[Welgund]

Talk to Bart at Big Boy Hobbies. AT Pro is a coin finding machine. The reason so many people own them is because they work and you can take them about anywhere in any weather and not worry about them getting wet. When I go hunting be it parks, rivers, campgrounds I always start out with it in the morning because of dew on the ground, mud etc cause I don't have to be careful with it. If it starts raining I can continue detecting with it and not run for the car. Around nail infested houses it does an awesome job of separation and finding the goodies. I have tested it up against my Deus and can honestly say it stands its ground. I will never let the AT Pro go. There is something to be said about hunting and not worrying about how you treat the machine cause it was only 600 bucks to begin with.

 

[Fletch88]

Brizors, the Sovereign that Rusty Gold had listed on here is a deal you should jump on! That's over $400 worth of accessories and 33 months of warranty left on machine.

 

[Phantasman]

Just an opinion..............if you are NEW to detecting, a LCD screen with info on a target is going to help teach you much better than a machine that just produces sound like the Sov GT. Sound machines become a second nature to many detectorists later. Sound only machines usually go deeper as not having to contend with visual electronics. Not knocking them, but have seen a lot of disappointed new comers because they bit off more than they could chew.