Cutting to the Chase what's the top Metal Detector in the World-Money no object

[Deathgiggle]

Wife turns to me and says she wants to get a metal detector and check out our property here in rural Louisiana. Used to be an old train depot here in the 1880's and there are 3 old homesteads on our property from the 1800's as well. My wife also knows a lot of these old country folk and won't have trouble getting permission to search other possible areas and old home sites.

She has worked extremely hard over the years to put herself through college and med school while holding down a full time job. After that she spent the last 2 years working 12-20 hour shifts, all nights and weekends and wore out many pairs of shoes along the way. Now that she has established herself she has a better rotation of 4 days on and 6 days off, we can start enjoying life.

In all the 12 years we been together my wife never asked me for hardly anything. She wanted a car that ran to get her to school and work, a new pair of shoes every 3 months and food cooked when she got home. She never asked me for anything for Christmas, birthdays, etc. Now she out of the blue says she wants a metal detector and asked me to do some research and order her one.

I Googled around for top metal detector but as you can imagine every company would like to think they are the best. I come to you because I know that many of you have put in years of real world testing, research and for some of you it is your main hobby and you take it seriously.
I'm not looking for a beginner machine or something easy to learn. My wife is super smart, she can name off every bone and muscle in the body. She can pronounce medical words I can't even spell, lol. I'm pretty sure no matter the difficulty, if she puts her mind to it, she will learn to use it.

I just want to know what you would purchase today if money were no object. Let me identify the possible places she would be using it as well.
Mainly she will use it on old homesteads and rural Louisiana land. She may want to take it down south to the beach or to Florida when we go, but she won't be putting it in the water. Our beach trips are just a couple times a year so not a big priority. We probably won't ever go out west and hunt nuggets or anything like that. She has more of a historical interest than anything else.
I fully intend by the end of next week to order her the best machine I can find. I am just still shocked she asked for something and I'm determined to put the best in her hands. She never said no to me when I wanted a boat or an ATV, etc. I will never deny her anything in this life if it's within my power. I love her more than anything on earth an if she wants to detect something I'll be her chauffeur and personal digger, lol.

 

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[Xraywolf]

I have to agree if you hand someone who has absolutely no idea what to expect,
a top of the line detector with all it's settings.
and they don't have someone beside them who they can bounce questions and frustrations off.
odds are that frustration will come fast.

I had no Problem going from an early Whites Coinmaster to the Sovereign.
But it took me 3 different attempts at 3 different Explorers over approximately 8 Years,
Before I actually wasn't completely Frustrated with one of them.
and I still have my days where I'm not sure if the SE is set up correctly,
or just Satisfactorily.

I have no idea how I'd feel if I went from TV shows about detecting to an Explorer.
With no other Knowledge of how they work.

I think the OP is thinking his/her odds of treasure flying out of the ground at him will be greatly increased by buying a top of the line detector ,,, If that is the case, I think disappointment is bound to set in quick when they discover most of what you'll find is bottle caps, nails, foil and pulltabs - And you can find those just as easily with a low/mid range detector than top range, albeit not as deep. Frustration and disillusionment is bound to set in, so the question is how they will deal with that. People can turns frustrations around all the time in any number of scenarios if they stick with it and learn.
The impression I got from the OP is high expectations that will not be met no matter how much $$ is thrown into the mix.

Deeper is not necessarily better for a beginner ,,, Yes there are other benefits to top end detectors as well such as improved target ID, multiple freqs ect, but most guys I think want extra depth - And some are getting it, finding silver dimes at 12" +. For the most part, guys like that are journeymen, pros who know how to listen for the faint, fleeting whisper of deep silver vs the constant chatter of junk. Skills like that can hardly even be taught but must be learned through trial and error, and many many hours of swinging. A machine like that in the hands of a noob IMO is not only a bad idea but counter productive - An almost certain setup for fail.

I myself have been at it around a decade, don't consider myself a pro by any stretch. I still use low/mid range machines, and am quite happy to find dimes at 7" max. In fact, in most soil conditions I wouldn't care to routinely dig much deeper than that.

 

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[can]

Here is another way to look at this. If one goes with, lets say a beginner machine, and in a few months, learns it and masters it and is doing very well with. That machine will not take one but so far. Now that person will want to buy an upgraded machine. Learn it, master it again in say a year or so. Now that person will want the top of the line machine. That now make three machines this person will have to buy, learn and master. And if you wanted to sell for what ever reason. Now you got three machines to sell. Personally I dont have that much time. So one goes with the top of the line first, this person will save money right off the bat by buying only one machine. If this person uses only factory settings at first with the top end machine it will be as good as the beginner's machine.(That is if this person changes nothing). Now if said person starts messing with the settings and changes the machine in the wrong direction, the worst that can happen is that person has to hit the default setting button and bring it to factory settings. This is education...learning the machine. Something that all detectorists do. This person may be frustrated, but if this person is smart, he or she will read more, talk more, rethink more and hunt more, making friends along the way, which is a very good thing. Some people don't want simple, some people do. Some people want a challenge, some people don't. And that is really what the discussion is about. What kind of person the wife of the OP is, and that we don't know. I know me and you know you and we buy and hunt and learn accordingly. The OP does know his wife, and I guess he has some understanding of machines. Maybe the question is more for himself than his wife. A way to get himself a new machine...I mean his wife a new machine LOL

 

[jeff of pa]

I think the OP is thinking his/her odds of treasure flying out of the ground at him will be greatly increased by buying a top of the line detector ,,, If that is the case, I think disappointment is bound to set in quick when they discover most of what you'll find is bottle caps, nails, foil and pulltabs - And you can find those just as easily with a low/mid range detector than top range, albeit not as deep. Frustration and disillusionment is bound to set in, so the question is how they will deal with that. People can turns frustrations around all the time in any number of scenarios if they stick with it and learn.
The impression I got from the OP is high expectations that will not be met no matter how much $$ is thrown into the mix.

Deeper is not necessarily better for a beginner ,,, Yes there are other benefits to top end detectors as well such as improved target ID, multiple freqs ect, but most guys I think want extra depth - And some are getting it, finding silver dimes at 12" +. For the most part, guys like that are journeymen, pros who know how to listen for the faint, fleeting whisper of deep silver vs the constant chatter of junk. Skills like that can hardly even be taught but must be learned through trial and error, and many many hours of swinging. A machine like that in the hands of a noob IMO is not only a bad idea but counter productive - An almost certain setup for fail.

I myself have been at it around a decade, don't consider myself a pro by any stretch. I still use low/mid range machines, and am quite happy to find dimes at 7" max. In fact, in most soil conditions I wouldn't care to routinely dig much deeper than that.

Yes I'm hoping Too she hasn't been watching Ric Savage's "American Digger" Or "Swamp Hunters" on truTv
& thinking it is that easy to find real Treasures.
He may love his wife enough to spend a Mint on her,
But it really isn't that Necessary to Enjoy Detecting as a Hobby.
and definitively won't improve her odds that much.

 

[Xraywolf]

Here is another way to look at this. If one goes with, lets say a beginner machine, and in a few months, learns it and masters it and is doing very well with. That machine will not take one but so far. Now that person will want to buy an upgraded machine. Learn it, master it again in say a year or so. Now that person will want the top of the line machine. That now make three machines this person will have to buy, learn and master. And if you wanted to sell for what ever reason. Now you got three machines to sell. Personally I dont have that much time. So one goes with the top of the line first, this person will save money right off the bat by buying only one machine. If this person uses only factory settings at first with the top end machine it will be as good as the beginner's machine.(That is if this person changes nothing). Now if said person starts messing with the settings and changes the machine in the wrong direction, the worst that can happen is that person has to hit the default setting button and bring it to factory settings. This is education...learning the machine. Something that all detectorists do. This person may be frustrated, but if this person is smart, he or she will read more, talk more, rethink more and hunt more, making friends along the way, which is a very good thing. Some people don't want simple, some people do. Some people want a challenge, some people don't. And that is really what the discussion is about. What kind of person the wife of the OP is, and that we don't know. I know me and you know you and we buy and hunt and learn accordingly. The OP does know his wife, and I guess he has some understanding of machines. Maybe the question is more for himself than his wife. A way to get himself a new machine...I mean his wife a new machine LOL

Personally, I started with the Ace 250 and stayed with it exclusively for 5 years - And in that time found lots of old coins and gold/silver rings, far more enough than to pay for the detector many times over.
I "upgraded" to a Minelab Quatro, and I hated the thing instantly, almost like meeting a person who by instinct you know you do not and will not ever like. So I didn't give it a chance, sold it at a loss and went back to the trusty 250 for a couple of years.
Eventually got a Fisher F75SE, AT Pro so I could go in the water, and Ace 400 which is an upgraded 250, and recently a Whites MX Sport. 250 is still my go to detector, mainly for the reason that always keep it in my truck and is available whenever I get the whim driving around to detect. If I find an area that has potential, then maybe I'll come back with a better machine. But I would not leave a $2K detector sitting in my truck all summer long, that is for sure.
And if I didn't always have a detector with my while driving around, I would have missed out on alot of hot spots I have found with it. My advice to any noob is and always will be, start off with a mid range detector [Ace 400 is not low end] Keep your expectations low, know going in that it takes patience and luck, sometimes skill and research, to find old silver coins and gold rings, and most of what you will find is complete trash. Practice as much as you can, dig everything so you get a good grasp as to whats what vs what the machine is trying to tell you, and invest in a pinpointer.
If you find yourself hooked after a period of time, find yourself thinking at night in bed where people in your area hung out in 1901, find some goodies, really get into it and want more, then get a more capable machine and keep the midrange as a backup - Or better yet, keep it in your vehicle so you can always detect wherever you may be.

 

[can]

Yep all you gotta do is go out and swing and fill up your pockets with gold, silver and jewels. In every field and on every beach.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... If this person uses only factory settings at first with the top end machine it will be as good as the beginner's machine.(That is if this person changes nothing). Now if said person starts messing with the settings and changes the machine in the wrong direction, the worst that can happen is that person has to hit the default setting button and bring it to factory settings. ...

But that's just the point: NO ONE wants to be a "little sissy hunter" and stay in factory default dumbed down modes (especially if they smell, for a second, that they are in "tame" modes).

I have never seen a beginner yet, that subconsciously feels like he's "being forbidden to look behind door #2" and is hence, "missing out", if he doesn't go into the adult settings. And assume for the minute that they believe you and don't fiddle. Yet you can bet that the mere presence of the star-ship enterprise controls will have them intimidated.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Example: I am an explorer II fan. Have used Exp. II's exclusively for 7 or 8 years now, and love it. But when the CTX came out, a few friends demonstrated that they could get another inch or two on coins, by combining that with the 17" coil. YUM YUM, how can I resist ??

So I borrowed one to try out. Immediately saw that it has entirely different menu controls, terms, navigations, etc.... But no problem right ? I have 35+ yrs. experience, right ? I can figure it out effortlessly then, right ?

But neeeoooohhh. I went into the advanced menu's , determined to "get this added 2" depth", and ... was NOT going to be hunting in default dumbed down modes (why even bother, if I'm not gonna get those added 2" ??). And afterall, I don't need to hunt in wussy-mode for awhile, since I'm a seasoned pro.

After 5 hours of wasted time and confusion, I gave it back to the buddy who'd loaned it to me. Went on our local forum seeking advice for all my questions. A local pro. immediately spotted the problem, and told me I should NOT have used the big coil, and clever advanced "hot" program options. An immediate "newbie" mistake.

So you see NONE OF US (whether beginners or advanced) want to pay our dues. It's a knee-jerk reaction to immediately want to skip to the front of the class, and not be stuck in bumper cars mode of driving.

Thus no matter if advanced machines have defaults or not, a beginner is better to start with an easy turn-&-go machine.

A possible exception is if an expert user is there to walk-them-through the tones, audio, flagged signal comparisons, etc...

 

[Xraywolf]

Yep all you gotta do is go out and swing and fill up your pockets with gold, silver and jewels. In every field and on every beach.

Who said that, no need to get ludicrous here. If anything, I said just the opposite

most of what you will find is complete trash

Like just about everything else in life, you'll get out about what effort you put into it, there is no easy way and you cannot throw $$ around in hopes of getting on the fast lane quickly. If someone wants to go burn $2.5 k on the latest greatest detector only to put it up on ebay for $1,800 6 months later, no skin off my nose ,,, But don't say I didn't tell ya.

 

[b3y0nd3r]

ACE 250. Learn and work from there to the higher caliber machines

 

[Liu21]

The only concern i have is for OP's wife starting out with a high end advanced machine, is not fully understanding the hobby and the machine, then quitting after only a few months. OP is thinking spending the most $$$ on his wife, but not realizing the best part of the hobby is not about having the BEST machine. The best part of this hobby is finding the BEST treasures. My opinion, is start her off with a easier to learn machine, get her hooked on the hobby, then whenever OP feels like she is ready, Go get her one of the best machines there is.

 

[masterjedi]

The Deus is wayyyyyy better than any Minelab!

Thats funny... shows you never used a Minelab.

 

[can]

Easy xray. I was following up on Jeff's post and you posted before I could hit the reply.

Yes I'm hoping Too she hasn't been watching Ric Savage's "American Digger" Or "Swamp Hunters" on truTv
& thinking it is that easy to find real Treasures.
He may love his wife enough to spend a Mint on her,
But it really isn't that Necessary to Enjoy Detecting as a Hobby.
and definitively won't improve her odds that much.

 

[RustyGold]

It is never the detector, It is always the detectorist. Start low ($) and go slow. After learning how and what, then buy the top of the line detector based on whatever your research and experience has taught you. Only then can one make a sound decision on what's needed for your hunting environment.
It's amusing how we buy and sell detectors only to repurchase them after we've learned a thing or two.
Best of Luck!

 

[Fletch88]

I think everyone should learn or at least hunt part of the time with a Tesoro. You really do learn target conductivities better IMO. After all the programs, settings blah blah blah there's something relaxing about rolling the disc knob and ID ing targets.

 

[jadocs]

I bought my wife a Deus. It's as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. One thing is for sure though, she will never outgrow the machine. It will grow with her as her knowledge and experience increases.

 

[Xraywolf]

Easy xray. I was following up on Jeff's post and you posted before I could hit the reply.

Gotcha - Thought it was kinda odd for you to flip flop like that. I remember seeing a Whites commercial to, featured an old guy who found a stash of silver Morgans in his back yard the 2nd day he used it. While things like that are possible, they are highly, highly unlikely. But yeah, alot of folks including me get frustrated when they are not finding anything good for extended periods, fact may be that there is nothing to find in the areas they are hunting.
Could be hunted out, could be out of reach, could be simply nothing there in the 1st place. Thats where the "thrill of the chase" part comes in, and turns frustration into determination [for me at least, usually].

 

[La Beep]

The one in my hand after all I put the hours in on it so I know what it is telling me. (I have many) (now my favorite was the origin al whites eagle ii (if white would only rework it))~LaBeep~

 

[Deft Tones]

Don't forget the killer Deteknix

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... my favorite was the origin al whites eagle ii (if white would only rework it))~LaBeep~

Yup. The Eagle SL II was a great machine. Just a bit dated on depth, and was never a good wet-salt-minerals machine. But other-wise a great machine !

 

[jeff of pa]

The only concern i have is for OP's wife starting out with a high end advanced machine, is not fully understanding the hobby and the machine, then quitting after only a few months. OP is thinking spending the most $$$ on his wife, but not realizing the best part of the hobby is not about having the BEST machine. The best part of this hobby is finding the BEST treasures. My opinion, is start her off with a easier to learn machine, get her hooked on the hobby, then whenever OP feels like she is ready, Go get her one of the best machines there is.

Correct he says Money is no Object, so an Upgrade in a year or so should not
be a hardship either.

Buy her a Mid range detector (Under a Grand).
Tell her to read & ask questions all she can here .
And if next Fall she feels like she is using a Toy.
but not frustrated with the hobby.
Get her a CTX or whatever the new thing to have is.