LETS DO THIS!

[spritzpistole]

I am interested in beginning my journey into metal detecting. I have no experience but am ready to begin!. I have about $200.00 i am willing to spend to get me started. Instead of heading to the local walmart and asking the depressed looking individual behind the counter, i figured i would reach out to some people that actually enjoy giving some advice. So here I am. like I said, i have $200 and want to make sure i spend it wisely. So where do i begin??

 

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[relic nut]

I'd save a few more bucks, do a lot of research, watch YouTube videos and cover this forum. You are on the threshold of a sickness. Welcome aboard!

 

[patiodadio]

Check out Kellyco they have a lot of brands and you can read reviews about all the different machines they sell. Its a start anyway.
Metal Detectors for Hobbyists and Professionals from KellyCo

 

[Sandman]

$200.00 will get you a toy.

 

[digger27]

I

$200.00 will get you a toy.

I spent $200 on an F2 and got an 8" coil, a sniper 4" coil and a badly made and barely workable handheld pinpointer but it was free and still better than nothing.
I bought this thing to use as a guest detector and to take on vacation only, at first, but it was so much fun to use and found me so much right out of the gate it became my prime tool for 3 years.
In that time it found me relics, silver and older coins, close to $1000 in clad and my number one target...lots of jewelry.
Dozen of silver targets including lots of chains, and about two dozen gold targets in those 3 years.
In 2013 I set a ridiculously silly goal to find 12 gold targets in my public park hunting sites and in early December I hit that goal.
My new F70 found one, my Vaquero found another, my F2 found the one with a 10" concentric coil and the rest with that sniper, my coil of choice on most of my detectors.
That toy was sure fun to play with...In the time I used it paid for itself more than 10X's over in clad and jewelry it found at melt prices.
The language and behavior I learned while using it enabled me to make an easy and smooth transition when I moved up into the higher end F70.

There are now more and better entry level detectors on the market than ever before.
They might not have all the whistles and bells of the upper end units but they still find metal.
Anything you choose to swing give you fun and pleasure and find you many great targets if you take the time to learn it well.
Many start out with these entry level units and eventually move up into higher end once they figure out what kind of hunter they want to be and gain the experience they need to make an informed decision on their upgrade.
You gotta start somewhere...some start low, some enter in the middle or go all the way to high end but we all reach the place we really want to be eventually.

 

[K1DDO1979]

I

I spent $200 on an F2 and got an 8" coil, a sniper 4" coil and a badly made and barely workable handheld pinpointer but it was free and still better than nothing.
I bought this thing to use as a guest detector and to take on vacation only, at first, but it was so much fun to use and found me so much right out of the gate it became my prime tool for 3 years.
In that time it found me relics, silver and older coins, close to $1000 in clad and my number one target...lots of jewelry.
Dozen of silver targets including lots of chains, and about two dozen gold targets in those 3 years.
In 2013 I set a ridiculously silly goal to find 12 gold targets in my public park hunting sites and in early December I hit that goal.
My new F70 found one, my Vaquero found another, my F2 found the one with a 10" concentric coil and the rest with that sniper, my coil of choice on most of my detectors.
That toy was sure fun to play with...In the time I used it paid for itself more than 10X's over in clad and jewelry it found at melt prices.
The language and behavior I learned while using it enabled me to make an easy and smooth transition when I moved up into the higher end F70.

There are now more and better entry level detectors on the market than ever before.
They might not have all the whistles and bells of the upper end units but they still find metal.
Anything you choose to swing give you fun and pleasure and find you many great targets if you take the time to learn it well.
Many start out with these entry level units and eventually move up into higher end once they figure out what kind of hunter they want to be and gain the experience they need to make an informed decision on their upgrade.
You gotta start somewhere...some start low, some enter in the middle or go all the way to high end but we all reach the place we really want to be eventually.

The f2 with 11" dd coil is great and easy to use. Awesome for the price.
Not very great on wet salt water beaches though. Can be chattery from cell phones or power lines sometimes. I know of at least two banner finds on this site from a f2 if that means anything also! [emoji106]

 

[flgliderpilot]

$200.00 will get you a toy.

That is a rude and untrue statement.

 

[Carpdogman]

You can find several makes of very good used detectors in the $200 to $250 price range. Just do some research and be patient when looking. Two that would be a good choice would be a Tesoro Cibola or Tesoro Vaquero. Dont be trapped into thinking that you need those lcd displays to find things. I have been detecting parks, playgrounds, homesteads and prospecting for 20 years and have owned several makes of detectors. Today I own a Cibola, Vaquero, Lobo Supertrac, and Whites TDI SL. One last thought is that a Tesoro Cibola would be a great choice for a starter detector that will go deep and find most everything , and is easy to use. You will probably keep it and use it sometimes if you like detecting and move on up to another detector.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I

I spent $200 on an F2 and got an 8" coil, a sniper 4" coil and a badly made and barely workable handheld pinpointer but it was free and still better than nothing.
I bought this thing to use as a guest detector and to take on vacation only, at first, but it was so much fun to use and found me so much right out of the gate it became my prime tool for 3 years.
In that time it found me relics, silver and older coins, close to $1000 in clad and my number one target...lots of jewelry.
Dozen of silver targets including lots of chains, and about two dozen gold targets in those 3 years.
In 2013 I set a ridiculously silly goal to find 12 gold targets in my public park hunting sites and in early December I hit that goal.
My new F70 found one, my Vaquero found another, my F2 found the one with a 10" concentric coil and the rest with that sniper, my coil of choice on most of my detectors.
That toy was sure fun to play with...In the time I used it paid for itself more than 10X's over in clad and jewelry it found at melt prices.
The language and behavior I learned while using it enabled me to make an easy and smooth transition when I moved up into the higher end F70.

There are now more and better entry level detectors on the market than ever before.
They might not have all the whistles and bells of the upper end units but they still find metal.
Anything you choose to swing give you fun and pleasure and find you many great targets if you take the time to learn it well.
Many start out with these entry level units and eventually move up into higher end once they figure out what kind of hunter they want to be and gain the experience they need to make an informed decision on their upgrade.
You gotta start somewhere...some start low, some enter in the middle or go all the way to high end but we all reach the place we really want to be eventually.

This is almost my same story. I started with the F2 and still love it. I currently use an F75 and a Tesoro Tejon, but still have my F2.

I also recommend the Tesoro Compadre. Although I've never used one, people praise it constantly on this site and it fits your budget. I would then save another $100 and get a good pin pointer!

Welcome aboard TNet and Happy Hunting!

 

[Indian Steve]

Get a Tesoro Compadre. $160, 2.2 pounds, Super easy to use, Will outhunt much better {more expensive} machines and it has a LIFETIME WARRANTY. Nobody else has as good of a warranty as Tesoro, but you will probably never need it.

 

[ZR2guy]

$200.00 will get you a toy.

WOW, that was some great advice there. I bet you give motivational speeches too.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

With $200 the choices are limited. I'd check out the reconditioned demo units that KellyCo offers. Something like a Garrett Ace 250.

Buying used is always a risk - especially from an individual (vs. a dealer) but there are some good units to be had.

It would help to know what kind of metal detecting you plan on doing: beach, surf, coins, jewelry, parks, woods, relics, prospecting, etc. If your answer is "all of them" then maybe continued savings might be the best bet. Something like the Ace 250 will at least get you out finding coins and jewelry in parks.

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

I'd recommend the Fisher F22, Minelab Go-Find 40 or Garrett Ace 250 Discovery Pack. The F22 is weatherproof, so it can be used in the rain and takes splashes well, I like the adjustable iron audio feature and target ID numbers.

Wayne

(832) 928-9135
www.metaldetectingstuff.com

 

[Sandman]

That is a rude and untrue statement.

Yes it was. The are a few that surpass other detectors costing much more. Check out the Tesoro Compadre and get a Lifetime Warranty.

 

[Fletch88]

I have seen some very good deals on Tesoro Cibola's and Vaquero's for not much more than $200 on almost new machines with warranty cards intact.
Or you could look at a used Eurotek Pro for less than $200 if you want tone ID and a VDI screen. I sent you a pm on one that I saw for $155 shipped.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

My first was the Ace 250. Definitely not a toy. Had found me lots of silver coins and several gold. I still have it but don't use anymore. I just can't sell it. Prob cause it has memories attached to it as It help me break into the world of treasure hunting. I can only say awesome things about the Ace. It has everything a newbie really needs to start learning. High and low tones to learn different targets.., iron discrimination to ease your frustration as a newbie, video display and pinpointing. It's quite the machine that will find you lots of treasure and get you to the next level where you've become more skilled and wanting a new and better machine. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[TheHunterGT]

I too thought anything low in price must be a toy. When my 11 (at the time) son unwrapped a Bounty Hunter Gold Digger from Grandma for a whooping $60...I was thrilled he was happy...but figured it would soon break and probably beep at an inch or 2.

Hits a quarter at 6 inches in dirt. Found a 10k ring his first day out at the lake. Has paid for itself 3X over with the ring and all the clad it finds. Brings joy to my entire family many days on ends.

Changed my view on detectors forever.

I just scored a unopened Bounty Hunter Lone Star Pro and a Bounty Hunter Sharpshooter 2 from a yard sale for $30 and $20 respectively. Both on Amazon for $147 and $169 respectively. My wife and I enjoy them immensely with not only regular digs but with air tests and planted buries at various depths in our backyard. They both hit quarters at 8-9 on air tests and 7-8 in my back yard.

We are beginners....we use beginner machines...we enjoy our toys.

But then again we both realize almost all finds are at 4-8 inches or less and that we don't really need $1000 or even $500 machines for that. We also have no business digging holes at 12-14 inches at a park or private property where we like to hunt.

IMO....sub $200 sure does give you a fun toys to play with in the 8 inch and under range.

Lone Star Pro $147
Quick Draw Pro $185
Coinmaster $179
Compadre $160
Go-Find 40 $170
F11 $159
Ace 150 $152

That being said...if you can save another $30-40 and hit $230-$240 dollars you open yourself up to the next level up of "mid-range" of detectors. Best of luck.

 

[flgliderpilot]

I started with a Harbor Freight 9 function detector for $40. That thing is as close to junk as you can get and still have a good working detector. I found a bunch of really cool stuff with it. I still have it because it has it's strengths in really trashy areas because if it's really fast recovery time.

You can find a used Ace 350 for around $150 - $200. It would be a big improvement over the 150 due to the Double D coil and additional discrimination notches.

You'll also want a pinpointer. You can get one from Harbor Freight for like 10 bucks. It will work until you can get a better one... just keep the box and receipt because it WILL die eventually, and you can take it back and exchange it. Wait for a sale and get it half price, it's item number 97245

 

[RustyGold]

Plus 1 on the Teknetics Eurotek Pro. Good target ID on this detector.

 

[Phantasman]

Under $200 with enough left for a good digger.