What do I actually gain by going from a $100 to a $500 metal detector?

[Punchy71]

Discounting features like bells, whistles, gee-gaws, doo-dads and other various different distractions, what kind of actual measurable performance gains, such as increased depth or sensitivity, would I get by going from a $100 metal detector to a $200 metal detector, or, for that matter, a $300 metal detector to a $400 one, or even a $500 one, irregardless of buying a new or used example?
Thank you

 

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[smokeythecat]

Yes, agreed. Excellent discussion. My first was a used White's 6000 a million years ago. It found stuff. (I think that was the model). Was a 1980's machine. Then went to a Tesoro, then didn't dig a long, long time. Then went back to a Tesoro Lobo and Cibola, which are in the low to mid range. I had a White's TDI and sold it, too heavy for me. Had an AT Pro, we didn't get along. So I had the Cibola for years till a dealer showed me a Deus and whopped me real good with it so I bought that one. I just bought a Tesoro Vaquero, another mid range machine but I have a special purpose for it.

I detect a LOT. How much time you intend to detect should absolutely influence your purchase. I would still go to a dealer and test drive whatever you want. Everyone has their favorites and their experiences. One machine is not smoking the competition so badly you have to get their brand.

There are a lot of equations present in modern metal detecting. Do you have a site with targets in the ground? Can you get a loop over them? Will the loop "find" them? Are you a hi tone only digger? If so, another hobby would be better because most of the big ticket and choicest relics are mid tone, some are low tones. Last week I dug a small cannonball and an 18th century English farthing. The farthing was a mid tone. The cannonball a low tone. The cannonball is worth, monetarily, a lot more than the farthing. If I HAD to throw one back, I'd let go of the farthing (small copper coin), as a worn out copper, as we call them is almost not worth having. Fun to dig, and history lives with it, but the cannonball implies MORE history.

I like the history part. You have do decide what you really want out of it, how much to spend and I REALLY would visit a reputable dealer and not rely on hype, word of mouth or videos on your next purchase. Those can be valuable, but after deciding on a machine, when I got to actually see it I have in the past abruptly changed my mind and bought something else.

 

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[RTR]

What do I gain when going from a $400.00 MD to a $220.00 MD.?........$180.00 in my pocket
>> Teknetics Liberator Metal Detector - Colonial Metal Detectors

 

[G.A.P.metal]

Discounting features like bells, whistles, gee-gaws, doo-dads and other various different distractions, what kind of actual measurable performance gains, such as increased depth or sensitivity, would I get by going from a $100 metal detector to a $200 metal detector, or, for that matter, a $300 metal detector to a $400 one, or even a $500 one, irregardless of buying a new or used example?
Thank you

The internet a very good place to hear about detectors but the idiosyncrasies of customers,models,preference,ability,budget,uses...and the ground the machine will be used.
All these factors are best addressed (for a first time buyer) in a real store with trained and knowledgeable people..with some sort of test/coin garden...for an hands on experience.
I had a store in the 90s and had to sell face to face,let you use a demo... and if i got it wrong i had to see you again. most models have slight differences between them as the makers.
Gary

 

[Texas Jay]

Depending on the price jump, you'll be digging deeper metal trash with the higher-priced detectors. ha. That's the main difference. While the guys with the fancy, overpriced detectors are sweating and digging deep holes for nothing, I'm digging and retrieving shallower holes but usually I find more goodies with my inexpensive Garrett detectors than they find with their $2,000+ foreign-made machines. Last Sunday, I was using my least expensive detector the Ace 250 when its meter showed a dime at 6". When I dug it, it turned out to be a beautiful 1935 gold and sterling lady's class ring. My hunting buddy used a XP Deus and his new Minelab Equinox on the same field where I dug the ring. He's found more deep memorial pennies and one mood ring from the 70s but I've found a 1929 wheatie, a 1946 silver Roosevelt dime, and the class ring at the same old yard. I make it a goal of making every detector I own pay for itself and it takes a heck of a lot less time to pay for a $200 - $500 detector than one that costs several hundred dollars more. My over 20 year-old Garrett Scorpion Gold Stinger has paid for itself many times over the years. In 49 years of metal detecting, one of the most important lessons I've learned is that the price of a detector is not nearly as important to success as spending many hours getting to know your detector well. A determined and dedicated detectorist, using a $250 detector, will almost always walk away with more treasure at the end of the day than a guy who's always "upgrading" detectors and never learns to use the ones he's upgrading from.
~Texas Jay

 

[WaterScoop]

 

[WaterScoop]

To say that expensive detectors only detect deep treasure and all shallow treasure is overlooked is unwise.

 

[Slingshot]

You will gain a more capable detector, but you will loose $400 to do so. It's up to you to apply the necessary effort to master whatever machine you choose to detect with, and I have noticed through the years that many never rise to the task. Your machine of choice should match your style of detecting and your intended targets. Be patient and wait for a sale on a new unit, or seek out a lightly used one, of which there are a multitude.

 

[IDXMonster]

Great. Now Minelab will be coming out with the Gee-Gaw. 😠

 

[Joe-Dirt]

Just to be clear, the term “gee gaw” has not been approved as of yet, I still have “doo-thingy” to present to the board of directors and we will work from there. In the mean time, please use the term “whooz-a-ma-whutzis” when you feel the need to describe a “gee gaw”
Thank you for your cooperation.
JD, Slang director

 

[chub]

This is REALLY simple. What is the difference between Chevrolet's "Spark," and their "L3 Corvette?" There ARE stupid questions.

simple. the corvette has do dads and gee gaws. Otherwise identical vehicles

Chub

 

[chub]

I had a F5 and also the F75. I thought the F5 with hundreds of hours was the cats meow....until I went hunting with one in each hand....F75 BLEW the F5 into the weeds. No not just a little better. It was mind blowing. I felt utterly shafted that 1) Fisher even made the F5 and 2) I bought it...

Here's the kicker. When I bought the F75 home it AIR TESTED the SAME as the F5 !! Hence my two arm swinging shoot out.

The F5 is still a good little unit but get what you pay for.

bells and whistles aside, "quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten"

Thats why nobody here uses chinese knock offs.. (or admit to it anyway )

Note to TN users. Air tests really mean NOTHING

Chub

 

[smokeythecat]

Chub is right. All an air test will tell you is the battery is good.

 

[Loco-Digger]

I had a F5 and also the F75. I thought the F5 with hundreds of hours was the cats meow....until I went hunting with one in each hand....F75 BLEW the F5 into the weeds. No not just a little better. It was mind blowing. I felt utterly shafted that 1) Fisher even made the F5 and 2) I bought it...

Here's the kicker. When I bought the F75 home it AIR TESTED the SAME as the F5 !! Hence my two arm swinging shoot out.

The F5 is still a good little unit but get what you pay for.

bells and whistles aside, "quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten"

Thats why nobody here uses chinese knock offs.. (or admit to it anyway )

Note to TN users. Air tests really mean NOTHING

Chub

Chub did they both have the stock DD coil when swung together? Or did the F5 have the smaller concentric?

 

[chub]

Loco , I had both the 11 inch DD and eliptical concentric. I also had this exact question- 'whats the difference?'. I actually dedicated several hunts to compare machines on 'real' targets. Always starting off with the F75 then checking with the F5. At home the air test appears very similar. So much so that I thought Id wasted my money on the better machine. Regardless of coil and settings the deeper signals (6 inch plus) from the F5 were scratchy and poorly defined. The F75 strong and clear. I sold the F5 and didnt look back.

I see you had the F4 and F75 did you ever compare the two? I see you also had the F70. I always wanted one. Can you tell me why you sold it?

Chub

 

[johnwon2]

Comparing my daughter's inexpensive 100.00 bounty hunter detector to my 500.00 Tesoro detector I can tell you these are the differences.
1. Build quality.
2. Depth is about 4" more on mine.
3. The metals that they pick up depending on the position in the ground. Hers has an issue with coins on their side and small jewelry that is not on the surface.
4. Pinpointing
5. Discrimination either filters out everything or nothing on the cheap machine.
6. Ground balance issues on the Salty Beach of the Atlantic Ocean, especially in wet sand.

We normally detect at the beach together and often swipe the two detectors over the same targets to compare results. She has the cheap machine because we needed something light and that would not break the budget at the time. She still has a blast with her machine and finds tons of clad coins.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Discounting features like bells, whistles, gee-gaws, doo-dads and other various different distractions, what kind of actual measurable performance gains, such as increased depth or sensitivity, would I get by going from a $100 metal detector to a $200 metal detector, or, for that matter, a $300 metal detector to a $400 one, or even a $500 one, irregardless of buying a new or used example?
Thank you

More depth, better discrimination, faster recovery speed, better target id, manual ground balance, *possibly* multifrequency (this is huge) depending on whether you buy new or used.

I started with a Harbor Freight 9 function.... then upgraded to an Ace 350 and the Harbor Freight became a toy. I gave it away. Then upgraded to an AT Pro. I liked the 350 when it was my main machine and I did well with it. After a year of hunting with the AT Pro, i tried hunting with the 350 just for fun. I had it listed on eBay 10 minutes later! I hated the slow recovery speed compared to my AT Pro. Then I upgraded to a CZ-21 for hunting the beaches because the AT Pro would false like crazy at a few beaches. The CZ-21 has been great... but it's heavy and lacks a display, so I still used the AT Pro in the dry sand.

Now another new machine came out which is a big upgrade over both the CZ-21 and AT Pro. So the AT Pro has been sold.

Of course I will never go back to that AT Pro now.

FWIW the Ace 350 and AT Pro are both good machines. But once you find a machine's weakness you'll be looking for the next best thing.

The really good machines start at around the $600 mark and go up to $3000.

I know it sounds impossible to imagine spending that much on a metal detector. I felt that way once too.

Use what you have... if it's time to upgrade you'll know it.

 

[Honest Samuel]

Discounting features like bells, whistles, gee-gaws, doo-dads and other various different distractions, what kind of actual measurable performance gains, such as increased depth or sensitivity, would I get by going from a $100 metal detector to a $200 metal detector, or, for that matter, a $300 metal detector to a $400 one, or even a $500 one, irregardless of buying a new or used example?
Thank you

You will find more single coins and jewels. Good hunting and good luck.

 

[WaterScoop]

simple. the corvette has do dads and gee gaws. Otherwise identical vehicles

Chub

Yeah but the do dad that controls speed is really impressive and the 0-60 on the L3 really makes you say gee all those haters are now gawking...

Not to mention the eye candy that your do dad will now attract....

 

[HighVDI]

I noticed I get hit on more with my $500.00+ detector sitting in my chevy Spark.

 

[WaterScoop]

I noticed I get hit on more with my $500.00+ detector sitting in my chevy Spark.

Isn’t it obvious...??

Your do-dad is showing! LOL