disillusion

[MrDude]

In all fairness I have logged in under another username.

I have been active on this forum for some time but I feel to get an honest answer out of some of the more experienced among us I would remain unknown. Please I just want honest answers not advertisements for the machine your using.

I took the day off and lined up 5 sites to go hunt, 2 where new and the other 3 have always proved to be productive. I spent 5 solid hours hunting with good results except for the 2 new ones which someone beat me too by evidence of filled in holes.

So here is my disillusion, I have a name brand high dollar machine that I have used for 1 1/2 years and though was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I just received a name brand cheep machine in the mail as a backup just because I thought "hey I need a backup just like everyone else."

Well this backup blew away my high dollar machine, and man I feel sick about it. Grant you the high dollar machine goes deeper by a an inch or two but the new one turned out to be a coin hog that could sniff out coins in a pile of trash. It was like the coins jumped out of the ground with little effort.

The new machine has changed my whole mind set about metal detectors.

All day I was just sick and disillusion about the high dollar machine; but man I had fun with the new machine.

Should I face up to reality and pawn off my high dollar machine on eBay and take the proceeds and purchase the big brother to my cheep backup or should I spend more time learning my High dollar machine that is a icon in the industry?

I won't tell you who makes the machines so don't ask, I just want your honest opinion.

 

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[Michigan Badger]

Hmmmmmm, Look, it's never been a secret that the less expensive basic detectors (quality ones) will find probably 80 to 90 percent of what the highest priced Whites, Minelab, Garrett or any of them will find. Past that your paying for an inch or two more dirt and for more information from a target to make a decision with. So, the only thing that matters is if you enjoy using the detector.

That's true but sometimes it's more like 6 inches more dirt

 

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[gary in idaho]

Here's my take on this. I use 3 different detectors, a Sovereign, a CZ-3D, and an old Compass Relic & Coin Scanner. My 12 year old son uses a Tesoro Compadre. Time after time he beats me in finding coins and other good targets. Now why is this? I switch around using the 3 detectors, well the Minelab is in for repairs right now and I've only had the CZ-3D for a few weeks, I know the basics of how to operate all 3, I'm maybe a little better with the Compass as I have had it a little longer. I guess what I'm trying to say is commit to one machine and learn it, easier said than done, I need to take my own advice. My 12 year old has no choice the Compadre is his only machine and he has learned it well, that in my opinion is why he always does better than me using a machine that costs $150. Now I'm not saying the Compadre is a toy, it's a good detector, from my experience I really don't think there's that much difference in depth from a high end detector and a quality low end detector from say Tesoro or White's maybe 2" tops, depending on ground conditions. There's a lot of hype out there and you can believe what you want. Many will tell you their new high end detector will detect a dime at 12", well in perfect conditions it might, but who hunts in perfect conditions? A guy that spends big bucks on a high end detector is not going to tell you it really doesn't meet his expectations, it's not all that great or it's a big disappointment, he hypes it up and then sells it, sound familiar? Why do you think you always see these top end detectors up for sale on the classifieds, 90% of the time it's someone that hasn't given the machine a chance by not learning it and want's to buy the new deep, deep miracle detector. Also airtests are not a true meausure of a machines capabilities, to say the least. OK that's enough from me as I'm sure most will disagree and that's OK, it's still a free country! Where's Easy Money, he'd like this thread!

 

[hollowpointred]

not all machines are for everybody. maybe you just found another machine that makes more sense to you and as an added bonus its a less expensive model! if i were you, i would use the machine that works for me, irregardless of price. I'm not saying that the high dollar machine isn't better, it may well be, but if the machine doesn't "speak" to you the way the other one does you may never unlock its advantages. sounds like you just found a new favorite! this thread reminds me of a friend on this forum. many of you know Bergie. he once invited me to hunt a swimming hole with my Garrett 2500 that he had previously hit hard with his Bounty Hunter 2200. i know that the Garrett is a Deeper better machine but guess what? i only found a few scattered wheat pennies that he had missed. you see, even though he is using a lower model machine he knows that damn thing inside and out! i have hunted with him several times and watched him, he really knows what that thing is saying to him. it just goes to show that a high dollar machine is no substitute for an experienced user. the experienced user will win almost every time.

 

[ClonedSIM]

af1733

OUCH

So what would you do if you found yourself in that situation?

Oh, don't take me wrong, I didn't mean to be insulting or sarcastic.

But the way you phrased your question made it sound like you didn't want people to comment positively about the detectors they used. I just couldn't see how we were supposed to give recommendations when you didn't want advertisements for certain detectors. For instance, if you asked me, I would go on and on about the XLT because that's what I use.

But, as you can see, you've been given a ton of good information to work with, so just ignore that post from me...

By the way, the XLT by White's is an awesome detector!!!!

 

[Michigan Badger]

Just to add a little more confusion, I regularly dig targets with low cost machines that my Explorer XS and the others in that class missed.

I made a thread here about this back a couple years ago.

I figure the super power machines tend to null out over deep trash while the shallower low cost detectors ride over the deep trash and see the coins and rings nearer the surface.

Deep trash masking is a very real problem. I mean old rusty junk 15+ inches under the target.

No detector will see a coin if it's too close to large iron. But a lower sensitivity machine with smaller coil can see these targets closer to large iron than the high power machines can.

See, power (depth) sometimes works against us.

 

[The.Boomer]

Been there done that. Started with a cheep BH, upgraded to a $1000 dollar machine but still didn't find better deeper stuff. Finally got help from an old timer who showed me the real difference was the sites, not the detector. So I sold the $1000 dollar machine for $850 and bought a ace 250 with a regular and a twelve inch coil. Regular coil I was getting everything from silver to gold. I decided to try the Big coil and was very pleased because it went really deep. The problem was diggin wheat pennies at 8-10 inches just got a little too much like work so I went back to the standard coil and now I also have the same cheapie BH. I do great with the cheap Ace and can add the big coil if I need to go deep or I can use the BH for trashy areas or if I'm worried about losing the detector like when water hunting. If I lose the BH, I can go to the nearest Wally world and replace it for like $130 bucks.

In three years of Hunting I've never found a gold ring or silver coin deeper than six inches, maybe it happens for some but not for me, besides I don't wanna dig that deep at least not at my local school or park or in my neighbors yard or whatever. The old timer who taught me had been at this or like 15 years and he said he hardly ever in his career had found anything good deeper then that unless he was hunting artifacts.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Really deep coins are usually the result of land filling.

Many old houses had basements dug under them and right by the edge of the house out about 4 feet is where coins fall while doing roof work.

The dirt from the basement digging can bury coins another 8+ inches deep.

Many parks were filled in and leveled after WWII.

But you're right about this, nothing is more important than location.

 

[wildrider]

While I didn't spend alot of time reading other folks post. I would like to mention that the detectors frequency also adds to finds. The Midrange frequency machines offer great overall coverage of the detecting spectrum. The High frequency like the Lobo offer a better chance to find small gold, but also add to iron finds. The low frequency machines are good on silver and coins. The DFX for example allows you to chose which (hi/lo) or both.

I have found alot of stuff when I used the cheapest Tesoro (Amigo at the time) but have also done well with the other machines I have used, both hi and lows...reall just depends on what I'm hunting.

Sorry if this was mentioned above. If it wasn't, I think it was worth mentioning.

w

 

[Coin Digger]

Should I face up to reality and pawn off my high dollar machine on eBay and take the proceeds and purchase the big brother to my cheep backup or should I spend more time learning my High dollar machine that is a icon in the industry?

Just a guess but when you say "icon in the industry" I think it's been around a while.
Maybe this articale I came across may shed some light on why your new backup did so well.
It just may be it's newer with better technology.
Read question 6
http://detectorstuff.com/articles.php?article_id=29

 

[TerryC]

I don't want to sound redundant but if you strip away the bells and whistles, most machines (VLFs) are all the same. Any basic machine will do the job. Sometimes, less is best. The difference between a low end good machine and a low end poor machine is shielding, stability, and ease of use. No high end machine is worth squat if you don't start with a good basic, stable design. TTC

 

[Keppy]

I still say and stick to it my low end detectors go as deep as my high end detectors......And the only way one ' VLF " will go deeper than the other is to use a larger coil . I don't try to full myself or live in a dream world about depth with a VLF..........................................................==Jim==

 

[EasyMoney]

Ok, I'll jump into this thing too..

First off, all detectors respond differently to different interferences, be they cell phones, microwave, RF, SW, high band, FM, AC and DC inductance, mineral placer, conglomerate, sodium, or aggregate soils, iron ores of all types, weather, temperatures, altitude, etc. There is no single way to measure all of this and come down to a simple (or complex) equation so as to show how it all will behave, especially in any pre-determined pattern. High-powered (AKA high-gain) detectors can be a real pain to run too, especially in high iron areas, and so can multi-freqs and ones with too many toys.

Secondly, most all detectors have a different rate of reacting to the ground and induction balancing it, (actually ALL detectors operate with at least a bit of auto gb, or they wouldn't stay tuned at all), and also their slow or fast retune to threshold causes different reactances too. Again, there are determinants in the thousands and that can lend to nothing better than a game of chance at the local casino, at best. Nothing in the detector world is predetermined or anything to make any bets on either.

Thirdly, I think this is all pretty funny, because I ike Badger use a cheap $49 detector made in China for surface goodies where the four or so top inches of trash is found by the tonloads.

After that I will either get my BIG BAD FISHER or my BIG and even MUCH BADDER COMPASS - if I think there is tiny gold or silver lurking in the hidden depths of the abyss, and then I'll only dig the good-sounding stuff past 3 inches.

Lastly, the deepest coin I have ever located, I mean truly LOCATED was at a depth of 13" with a 1973 Garrett Deepseeker with a 7 1/2 coil, on a very high black sand/salt beach. I found several of them there in the same area at 11-13", all wheatbacks. My old cheap 1979 Bounty Hunter vlf/tr found me more old wheatbacks and new coins and gold rings than anything else I've had in my hot hands. The Fisher cz-70 has found the most nickels and quarters, and the old Tesoro Silver Saber found the most silver coins and silver rings. Lately though I have noticed that no matter which high-end detector I use the cheap Chinese $49 one produces the most silver jewelry and wheatbacks, and the cz-70 finds the most gold rings, especially Mexican made ones. I now mostly hunt the garbage areas out on the fringes of playgrounds, because people tend to leave them alone now - with so much trash being there.

Is a cheap, shallow-detecting detector sometimes as good as a high-end one that has the potential to go 3 inches deeper? Maybe yes, maybe no, so why not own the best cheap one you can find and also the best high end one too. That way you have all the bases covered. Right now my cheap 1 1/2 pound $49 one from China is my first or third weapon of choice and if I had an extra $1500 or so to spend I'd go out tomorrow morning and buy a new White's TDI and find another less populated but older and much deeper area to search in.

"Beware the hunter who uses only one gun, he knows how to use it".

EasyMoney

 

[The.Boomer]

K, MB and EM both say they got a Chinese $49 detector. Where and which one ? Sounds like it woul be right up my ally. Living and working in Wash. D.C. I've had Three BH's stolen in the last 2 years. Mind you they're only $130 dollar machines but if I can get a throw away $50 Chinese made detector that will serve the same purpose that my BHs have I'm game. How about it guys, gonna throw a dog a bone and tell me where to get these little gems ?

 

[EasyMoney]

Mine comes from;

http://onemetaldetector.com/

American Hawks
150 Maple Avenue #166
South Plainfield, NJ
07080

You can order them online delivery-free, no shipping costs at one of American Hawks outlets, but I don't have the addy in my computer any more.. I bought another one just one week ago at $49, but tossed the address away. Metaldetectingworld.com has them for $59.

American Hawks also makes other more expensive models including a diving machine, but only one other one of theirs sparked my interests, the HP-1030. It has a 10.23" air depth test and I think it's about $120, and has a choice of three different ways to ground balance it, including manual, silent automatic, or auto-traq. My friend who owns a second-hand, consignment, mini-mall is going to start carryng the American Hawks line - plus the even better quality Tesoro line too. News travels fast.

Gold Century makes the "Eagle Metal Detector" at $149 with an air depth of 25 cm (around 10"), a surface blanker, notch, low battery indicator, sensitivity adj, and a nice TID meter, but the Tesoro Compadre is likely a better made detector.

I'm curious as to which Chinese-made one MB uses.

Easy $$$

 

[The.Boomer]

Thanks easy !

 

[Michigan Badger]

K, MB and EM both say they got a Chinese $49 detector. Where and which one ? Sounds like it woul be right up my ally. Living and working in Wash. D.C. I've had Three BH's stolen in the last 2 years. Mind you they're only $130 dollar machines but if I can get a throw away $50 Chinese made detector that will serve the same purpose that my BHs have I'm game. How about it guys, gonna throw a dog a bone and tell me where to get these little gems ?

I got mine off ebay when they were cheaper than they are today. It's the GC1023 (GC stands for Gold Century) which today you can get for about $80 if you look around. Recently a couple THers (members here) compared the 1023 up against the Minelab SE. The site was hunted first with the 1023 and then with the SE. In the areas heavily covered with the 1023 the SE found nothing more. The 1023 has auto ground balancing but only a cheap signal intensity meter.

Actually, lots of members here now use the 1023 but don't want to cause trouble so they keep quiet about it.

The 1023 is a very good ultra fast recovery VLF tones machine. It will consistently hit on wheat backs at 6 inches with a loud clean high tone. It kicks my Explorer in hunting high trash areas down to 6 inches. But deeper finds all belong to the Explorer that's why I use both.

Another machine I'm ordering is the GC1030. This one has even more impressive features than my Explorer (auto GB, ground tracking, depth meter, target ID', etc., etc.,) --the price is about $170. I've been told it will find wheats at 8 inches.

 

[Keppy]

Like .... E Money said they are good detectors i had the 1016 but it was to short for me so i now have the 1020 might sell it and get the 1030 ..... the price has gone up on all of them could be a lot of people found out how good they are for the price............. Like E Money said the web site ..is... www.onemetaldetector.com........................==Jim==

 

[Michigan Badger]

Like .... E Money said they are good detectors i had the 1016 but it was to short for me so i now have the 1020 might sell it and get the 1030 ..... the price has gone up on all of them could be a lot of people found out how good they are for the price............. Like E Money said the web site ..is... www.onemetaldetector.com........................==Jim==

It has and is going us. Just a short time ago the 1030 was $121 shipped. Now the lowest price is about $170 shipped.

Last Christmas the 1023 was selling for as low as $50 and today it's about $90. Some online sites want up to $200 or more for it.

The prices vary greatly on all of these so you have to shop around.

 

[The.Boomer]

Thank you as well Michigan and Jim K

 

[Michigan Badger]

I should also add this for the benifit of those new to the hobby and those with very limited cash.

The Chinese machines sold on ebay (not associated with any major company) can be fun to play with but remember they're basically "throw away" detectors. This means they have basically zero resale value.

I've been buying them along side my major brands for about the last 7 years. I still have the 1st model and it still works fine.

Just wanted to add these thoughts.