Recommend a metal detector for Florida (land)?

[greatwun]

Hello everyone, I'm not a new member to this forum. I usually frequent the coin roll hunting section but now would like to get into metal detecting. It started out as my girlfriend's idea but after some reading I became very interested too. I have done some reading on the subject and see that the type of metal detector to choose will depend on what you are looking for and where you are hunting. Beach hunting seems to be the most popular in FL, however I think I'd like to start out by searching areas closer to me to save on gas and time. Not that there's anything wrong with beach hunting but I'd like to start hitting areas that people don't search as much. Also sometimes my girlfriend can't handle too long in the sun so we could search wooded areas instead.

I have a budget of $1600. I'd like to use it for finding coins, silver and gold. Relics are awesome but I'd rather leave it for the other hunters. I would mostly be hunting on land (ghost towns while also obeying the law) and occasionally in creeks with freshwater in about 1-2 feet of water max. Although it would be nice to have a detector that can handle saltwater, it is not my biggest priority. Like I said this detector would be mainly for land and up to 2 feet of freshwater. I've read that some states have highly mineralized soil. Some parts in Central FL have soil that is much more orange and clay-like in these parts so would I need a metal detector that is suited for mineralized soil? Any recommendations you guys could give would be greatly appreciated!

 

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[greatwun]

I forgot to ask but since I'm mainly looking for silver and gold would I be better off with a single frequency detector or multiple frequency?

 

[Fletch88]

The Etrac would fit the bill! It will handle land and wet salt sand very well if you do decide to take a beach trip. Beach hunting appens to be my favorite type hunting because of the wide open spaces, good scenery and no permissions needed!
As far as single freq machines there are so many good ones in the mid to upper price range, including MX-5, MXT Pro, T2, F-75, Racer, AT-pro, Vaquero, Omega, G2+ just to name a few I have used.

 

[greatwun]

The Etrac would fit the bill! It will handle land and wet salt sand very well if you do decide to take a beach trip. Beach hunting appens to be my favorite type hunting because of the wide open spaces, good scenery and no permissions needed!
As far as single freq machines there are so many good ones in the mid to upper price range, including MX-5, MXT Pro, T2, F-75, Racer, AT-pro, Vaquero, Omega, G2+ just to name a few I have used.

Thanks Fletch, This is actually one of the models I was looking into. I am I able to submerge the coil in 1-2 feet of freshwater? I know you can't do this in saltwater.

 

[flgliderpilot]

My vote is for the AT Pro, then you could hunt land and also the beaches (in the water) when you felt like it. You'd also save $1000 which is no small sum of money... especially since you don't even know if you'll like detecting yet.

 

[Dagger Woods]

Hello everyone, I'm not a new member to this forum. I usually frequent the coin roll hunting section but now would like to get into metal detecting. It started out as my girlfriend's idea but after some reading I became very interested too. I have done some reading on the subject and see that the type of metal detector to choose will depend on what you are looking for and where you are hunting. Beach hunting seems to be the most popular in FL, however I think I'd like to start out by searching areas closer to me to save on gas and time. Not that there's anything wrong with beach hunting but I'd like to start hitting areas that people don't search as much. Also sometimes my girlfriend can't handle too long in the sun so we could search wooded areas instead.

I have a budget of $1600. I'd like to use it for finding coins, silver and gold. Relics are awesome but I'd rather leave it for the other hunters. I would mostly be hunting on land (ghost towns while also obeying the law) and occasionally in creeks with freshwater in about 1-2 feet of water max. Although it would be nice to have a detector that can handle saltwater, it is not my biggest priority. Like I said this detector would be mainly for land and up to 2 feet of freshwater. I've read that some states have highly mineralized soil. Some parts in Central FL have soil that is much more orange and clay-like in these parts so would I need a metal detector that is suited for mineralized soil? Any recommendations you guys could give would be greatly appreciated!

The Garrett ATPro will meet all your stated needs nicely, although it may not be the best for wet salt beach sand. However, Garrett's instructional aids show you how it can be done. Other than that it should suit you to a "T". It is submersible to 10', ONLY when using the proper waterproof headphones. There are many YouTube videos showing MD'ers hunting underwater with the ATP.

 

[cudamark]

An E-trac is a great choice and it will handle anything you want at a salt water beach too. It's just not waterproof. The coil is, but, not the control housing. You'll have to be careful not to dunk it. If $1600 is the absolute most you have to spend, you might look into a nice used E-trac. That way you can get digging tools, a pouch, and a good quality pin pointer, etc. Maybe even an extra coil for trashy areas or wide open fields. Fletch mentioned some other good machines too, such as the MXT Pro and the F75, but, they're not near as good at the beach in the wet salty sand. The AT Pro isn't as good a machine as the others mentioned IMO. It's plus is that it's waterproof and works well in fresh water. Not so good in salt water. There are no real bad choices here, some are just better than others for certain types of hunting.

 

[goldkey]

I would highly recommend the Nokta Fors Core. It works great in the wet sand and is about the same price as the ATPro.
A much better machine for the job. If you go to the beach get you a good sand scoop......makes hunting much easier.

 

[flgliderpilot]

The Garrett ATPro will meet all your stated needs nicely, although it may not be the best for wet salt beach sand. However, Garrett's instructional aids show you how it can be done. Other than that it should suit you to a "T". It is submersible to 10', ONLY when using the proper waterproof headphones. There are many YouTube videos showing MD'ers hunting underwater with the ATP.

I use land headphones on my AT Pro, I just keep my head above water. My AT Pro gets around 10" on gold in wet sand, and that as far as i can tell is pretty standard for most detectors including >most< PI machines. More conductive metals (silver, steel) can be detected much deeper. We have a lot of iron flakes on our beaches and it's nice to be able to avoid digging those!

 

[Phantasman]

Everyone is making good suggestions. But mine would be to spend half that amount to make sure MDing is your thing. You can get get great coin detectors for sub $800. Right now, the Teknetics Omega is on sale for $450, a great price, at KellyCo (or maybe all dealers). That is one of the best coin machines made. Also the AT Pro if you want to spend a little more. For a first timer, the extra $800 may have you expecting more than most sub $800 can find.If you're not seeking gold nuggets or relics, spend around $800 and you'll be happier and find the same amount of coins.

Just my opinion.

 

[greatwun]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm now thinking about getting a metal detector that costs less so that I can save some money for all the other accessories I will need.

The Garrett AT Pro looks like a great deal but I see its a VLF detector and wouldn't handle great in saltwater or wet sand. Would it be better to pay a little more money for the Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II which is a PI and could handle saltwater?

 

[Dagger Woods]

I use land headphones on my AT Pro, I just keep my head above water. My AT Pro gets around 10" on gold in wet sand, and that as far as i can tell is pretty standard for most detectors including >most< PI machines. More conductive metals (silver, steel) can be detected much deeper. We have a lot of iron flakes on our beaches and it's nice to be able to avoid digging those!

Oh yeah, as do I... I just wanted to point out that if the OP wanted to try the ATP for its underwater capabilities, he'd need to use the proper headphones if he wants to completely submerge the md... I see a lot of people suggesting the ATP is "waterproof" but hardly ever see anyone mention the caveat about the headphones.

 

[Dagger Woods]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm now thinking about getting a metal detector that costs less so that I can save some money for all the other accessories I will need.

The Garrett AT Pro looks like a great deal but I see its a VLF detector and wouldn't handle great in saltwater or wet sand. Would it be better to pay a little more money for the Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II which is a PI and could handle saltwater?

Just a note.... the ATP seems just fine on wet freshwater sand (I've hit a few lakeshore beaches with it) - it just seems to be sketchy on wet saltwater sand. Dry saltwater beach sand is also no problem for the ATP. As I mentioned, the Garrett documentation shows you how to manage those situations (although it would seem that the machine is still not as good as others for this purpose).

 

[Fletch88]

If I was in FL I would have a 8" coil Sand Shark, (not the 10.5" coil) first then a land machine later on down the road. I would trade 5 land hunts for one decent beach hunt!

 

[DaveC19]

I forgot to ask but since I'm mainly looking for silver and gold would I be better off with a single frequency detector or multiple frequency?

I had the same dilemma (not in FL though) And it came down to XP Deus and E-trac for land use (no saltwater by me). You might want to investigate the Deus too as the coil is waterproof and the unit is very light which helps if you swing for a long time. You can even locate the control box anywhere such as your hip like a cell phone. There is an option for wireless headphones that you can use and not even need the control box making it even lighter and inconspicuous. The Deus collapses down to a compact size making it pretty portable and easy to stash away in a pack or bag. You could carry it in a bag and no one will even know what you have or what you are up to (although still get permission in places that need it). Then when you get to your hunt site you can deploy it. You can get pretty cheap if you order from Bart and with the wired headphones it is much below the $1600 budget.

I have also heard good things about the E-trac here too which seems to have a good following and is a very good and deep coin machine and is about the same price. It has the advantage of many accessories due to its popularity as well. Since I haven't swung either yet I can't let you know more (my unit hasn't arrived yet) I am just going on my research.

It seems there is no one that is best for everything from what I found here.

You said you may want a cheap detector now. My advice would be to get a better detector rather than trying to save money even if you need to save up a bit (unless you aren't sure if you will like the hobby). It is a one time purchase and you may get discouraged with a lower end unit or it will cost more in the end if you play the upgrade game.