Cheap piece of junk

[greydigger]

Hello,
New guy here. Got a "Ceap Chinese piece of crap" MD a couple weeks ago.
Thats what someone on forum called it. Not a name brand that everyone else has.
Have been trying to find out about it.
Treasure Hunter Vision Pro XJ9. I looked on internet and one site said suggested retail $600.
Found Chapmans site (maybe they make them?) and sells for $160.
Craigslist sez $158 or so. Also got a TH Aqua Vision Pro thats supposed to go to over
40' deep in both salt and freshwater. The blustery site sez $700. Yah right.
Anyway, XJ9 seemed to work ok as far as I can tell. First try was at Jungle Gym at a park.
5 coins, gold(?) necklass, rosary, pop tops, and candy wrappers. Easy dig thru bark chips.
Deeper into the hard dirt I passed up. Didn't want to excavate too much. Will try on beach soon.
My Brother in So. Cal. has a very expensive Whites and says $1.40/hr. is his usual take.
Lots of competition there I imagine.
Anyway, should I be ashamed of this because it is "not American made"?
Probably engineered here and farmed out like a lot of thing are. Can anyone say NAFTA?
Feel like a second class person here as I did not spend alot and I know these are
"Learner Toys". I admire and respect all who have done this a long time and have
very expensive equiptment. And the amount of knowlege here is like a college degree. I thank you all.

Joe

 

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[bakergeol]

Hi Greydigger

Don't fret about this. Welcome to the detecting community. What is important is that you develop a passion for this hobby and like what you are doing. If you are having fun who cares what you are swinging. This is not a competition but a hobby. You may think a lot of us are snobs with high end machines but really we are simply addicted to this hobby.

What is important is that you are one of the survivors- One that has the "right stuff" for this hobby. If you survive and develope a passion for this hobby you will eventually move up to high end machines- We all do.(my first detector was $45).

Have fun and don't sweat it.
George

 

[farmerboy856]

i for one would not be ashamed of it!! glad to hear you got a machine thats so far seems to be working out for you! i'd be pround to hunt next to you with that machine any day! granted i do run a whites but it took me 12 years to get this machine also! my first was an old hand me down an it still got me hooked! just glad to hear your off to a good start! best of luck to you an HH!!

 

[Sandman]

Hey Joe, It is the fun that is important. I didn't start out with the expensive detectors that I now own but moved into them slowly. As you gain experience you will find that the major manufactures produce better machines that are built to last awhile or have good customer service if something goes wrong.

It is always better to buy from a local dealer if you are near one so you can visit to try out the various brands for a feel of what each does. However this is not always possible. When I started I bought a used PI water detector as I was on a salvage boat in Florida. It was not the best choice for grass, but I learned from talking to others older than me.

Good Luck in this nice hobby.
Sandman

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

greydigger,

stay with it; live and learn; keep it a
fun hobby.

Sandman,

"others older than me"

Who



have a good un......
SHERMANVILLE

 

[Old Fart in TN]

I've been using my Vison Pro for yrs. Got it in 03 I think. I have two Bounty Hunters now but still use the Vison Pro some time. I paid for both machines with what I found with the cheap Jap model and am now looking at a Whites or Minelab to add to the collection. Hoping to make the decision on make soon.

 

[EDDE]

i went from a $89 detector to a $1000 in about 6 months

 

[jonnyrebel00]

Did you really mean 40'? still if not an advertised 40'' is one heck of a machine. really hard to believe though. WOW.

 

[greydigger]

I misspoke. (LOL)
According to another site, the aqua vision can be sumerged to 132 feet.
They show a scuba diver using one.

Thanks for the calming advise folks. I know am just getting started,
and was kinda bummed. Son and I are going out today.
Maybe we can find another installment on the upgrade.

Joe

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

i went from a $89 detector to a $1000 in about 6 months

 

[Tin Nugget]

Heck, they all find stuff! Keep at it. You will want to upgrade soon though. Human nature, wanting to improve.

 

[firedup]

Joe Life is to short to worry about what somebody else thinks or doesn't think. This is a hobby go have some fun.

 

[labradoodle of pa]

everybody has to start somewhere you will know when it is time to move up just get out doors and have fun and enjoy yourself good luck Bob

 

[EasyMoney]

Aw shucks, I might as well go ahead and say it...

Out of all the detectors I have owned, do own, have repaired, have had in my hands, and have seen, my favorite one is the little red plastic handled TR that gets me 6 or so inches in wood chips or sawdust. All I have to do is turn the thing on to threshold..

..and search.

And yes, it was made in Taiwan and weighs about 12 ounces.

And cost me only 50 cents at a garage sale.

EasyMoney

 

[Pepper2004]

You just go out and have fun. That is what this hobby is all about to most of us. For me it is the thrill of the hunt. Never knowing what I am going to find. As someone above said many of us buy more machines because we are addicted. Right now with Summer headed our way I'm thinking about getting me a water machine....lol...I love this hobby.

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

We all have to start somwhere. You have started. Welcome aboard.

Ray S

 

[greydigger]

OK I am driving a KIA and most are driving Fords and Chevys.
Will get there though on the cheap for now.
Planning a beach trip soon. Sand scoop out of a bleach bottle?
Black sand over an old washboard? (that dryer hose sounds good too).

Still having fun. Best to all.

Joe

 

[Silver Fox]

Hello,
New guy here. Got a "Ceap Chinese piece of crap" MD a couple weeks ago.
Thats what someone on forum called it. Not a name brand that everyone else has.
Have been trying to find out about it.
Treasure Hunter Vision Pro XJ9. I looked on internet and one site said suggested retail $600.
Found Chapmans site (maybe they make them?) and sells for $160.
Craigslist sez $158 or so. Also got a TH Aqua Vision Pro thats supposed to go to over
40' deep in both salt and freshwater. The blustery site sez $700. Yah right.
Anyway, XJ9 seemed to work ok as far as I can tell. First try was at Jungle Gym at a park.
5 coins, gold(?) necklass, rosary, pop tops, and candy wrappers. Easy dig thru bark chips.
Deeper into the hard dirt I passed up. Didn't want to excavate too much. Will try on beach soon.
My Brother in So. Cal. has a very expensive Whites and says $1.40/hr. is his usual take.
Lots of competition there I imagine.
Anyway, should I be ashamed of this because it is "not American made"?
Probably engineered here and farmed out like a lot of thing are. Can anyone say NAFTA?
Feel like a second class person here as I did not spend alot and I know these are
"Learner Toys". I admire and respect all who have done this a long time and have
very expensive equiptment. And the amount of knowlege here is like a college degree. I thank you all.

Joe

Here's how to cure you're self-inflicted trauma. Since you say that your "foreign made" detector works okay and you're finding money, keep on using it and accumulating the cash. Soon, your cash will amount to a decent amount and then you can upgrade to, possibly, a better machine made in the USA and you'll be proud to own and exchange quips here.

Silver Fox

 

[Rifleman]

Another good thing about starting out with a low price detector is that if you are making good finds in an area, once you have cleaned it out, when you get your higher priced unit, you can go back for the deeper stuff. I started out with an Ace 250. I got a little frustrated with the beeping instead of a threshold tone. I now have an X-Terra 70. Yes there are deeper finding machines out there than the X-Terra, but for the price and intended uses (coins and gold nuggets), I feel I made a pretty good choice. Someday I might step up to a more expensive model, but the more I get to know and use the 70, the more I like it and it suits me just fine. The important thing is that you are out there and finding coins and other artifacts. There is something magic about pulling an old coin out of the ground, knowing it has not seen the light of day for many years. In days gone past, there were only so many coins minted. You have just found and preserved one that would have been lost forever. It's kind of fun to ponder who lost it and what was going on at the time. I love the anticipation every time I get a solid signal. Many times it's just a clad coin, but the next one could be a fine silver or if your very lucky a gold coin or piece of jewelry.
The research is the other fun part of the hobby. I've spent a lot of hours at the computer, library, driving around and talking with people. You can meet some very nice and interesting people while metal detecting. Welcome to the group !!!

Good hunting, John K

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Got a "Cheap Chinese piece of crap" MD a couple weeks ago.

Probably engineered here and farmed out like a lot of thing are. Can anyone say NAFTA?

Heck with global warming, we got continental plate tectonics shifting that made China part of "North America" (First two letters of NAFTA - as in: Mexico, US, Canada)

Cheap detectors will still detect metal. Better detectors will go deeper and tell you which metal and the best detectors will tell you something good might be hiding underneath or beside junk metal. And the ability to counteract or tolerante mineralization or salts/ions in the soil follows price.