Another Newbie Help Question

[aetius]

Hi all,

First off this is the best forum I have seen so far on TH. I have read through most of the posts on "what to buy" but I am still not sure.

I am flying to the states next weekend (1 Feb 04) for a two week vacation so I plan on picking up a MD then and bringing back to Germany for some TH here. I do not want to spend more than $399.00 for a MD and I want it to be as user friendly as possible. There are a couple I have looked at and right now I am undecided between the Garrett TA 300 and the Garrett GTAx 400 or 550.

I have also read up on the Bounty Hunter and Minelab series. From what I have read the Bounty Hunter is not to good and the Minelab is one of the best but also very expensive. So I am leaning towards the Garrett brands. Any suggestions or help on the TA 300 and the GTAx series is most appreciated!

 

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[aetius]

Thanks for the info Wudce, I have liked the reviews on the 550. The prices I have seen on these range between $ 290.00 to $400.00+. I plan on using it for coins and another old stuff they have laying around here in Germany. The ground here ranges from dry, rocky and hard to loose and damp. Also the water table here is pretty high, does that have an effect on anything?

Also how is it for pin pointing coins and filtering trash? And how deep can it detect? Most posts I have read state anywhere from 6" to 9", and pretty much dead on centering for objects.


Thanks again for your input!

 

[boomer]

what to do

try ebay, i use it a lot and there are some good deals on detectors. but most of all try to get one with a life time warranty. boomer

 

[rjb]

Look at the Tesoros, user friendly, excellent quality and very competitive.

 

[aetius]

Hey all!

Thanks all for your input. It has been a HUGE help! I plan on hitting a couple of shops while in the states (and emailing a few while here) I checked out one in Florida that has quite a selection as well.

Eddie if you can find that address I would really appreciate it, I was unaware that some shops sell used MD, defiantly good to know! And if I was in NJ I would defiantly take you up on your offer to go detecting.

I have also looked at what?s on eBay, but as of now the ones available are still high or have "some" problems, also shipping (for me) would put it close to a new models price.

Thanks again everybody for your advice and help.

 

[aetius]

Garrett TA 300 worth it or not?

One more thing, has anyone used the Garrett TA 300? If so how does it stack up? I was just wondering as I have read a few post from users who say it is good for a back up, but I have not read anything as far as being a good coin/relic type hunter.

 

[rjb]

Look in a treasure magazine for Clevengers ad in KC. I have bought at least 2 used detectors from him along with a couple of other people I know and we were all satisfied.

 

[dbsmokey]

Clevenger's

I searched Clevengers in google and got this from another forum: hope it helps.

Call Chuck, Clevengers Detector Sales, 1-800-999-9147

 

[rjb]

Thanks dbsmokey, duh, I didn't think to do that. Chuck is reputable, his prices are fair and you don't have to bid then wait to see if you won from an unknown source.

 

[aetius]

Just wanted to thank everyone again for their help. I am definatly going with the Garrett GTAx 550, I contacted all the vendors you guys provided and received very good offers.

I even called Garrett's main office and got connected with the International Sales Mgr. (I thought at first he was just a sales person) he answered ALL my newbie questions and even explained things I had not thought about. Then he gave me Garretts Euro rep in Germany who knocked off the price for a 550 with a 3 year warranty and threw in some other stuff as well, all in all I had a very good experiance with the Garretts personal and would recommend them highly!

 

[IronMike]

Good Job Aetius. Enjoy your new machine and please keep us posted to your finds.

 

[IronMike]

Good Job Aetius. Enjoy your new machine and please keep us posted to your finds.

 

[mgdigger]

Good choise on the 550. I use the garrett 1000 which I got on ebay for $300.