Noob - choosing a detector

[Mikebuild]

Hey all,

I'm going to buy a metal detector. No idea what I need. Where in these forums should I look for advice? Headed to Pheonix for a couple of weeks and would like to take a detector with me. But when I'm done there, I'll be back in Washington state. So I guess I'm looking for a detector that will serve well in both locations?

Thanks mike.

 

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[bologna321]

Hi Mike, welcome. What is your price range sir?

 

[RTR]

There are many but you cant go wrong with and under $300......

 

[vpnavy]

1st - Welcome Aboard Mike! You didn't list your state (or country) in your profile. So, you might consider jumping over to Sub-Forum: Select Your Area.... and selecting location information (i.e., clubs, hunts, finds, legends, maps, etc.) directly related to your state (or country). You might also consider adding your state (or country) to your displayed profile (SETTINGS -> EDIT PROFILE) - members may have more success helping you (your location may help, etc.)...

2nd - When you have a chance - you might want to browse Metal Detecting > Brands while waiting on member recommendations. Remember, regardless of your selection - the more you use your new MD the easier it becomes to zero in on a treasure!
3rd - Whatever you finally decide on - please consider buying one from one of

's Supporting Vendors.

 

[Tpmetal]

What are you trying to find? Different detectors for different purposes

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Ammoman]

An old man once told me "It is not you that chooses the metal detector. It is the metal detector that chooses you!"

 

[Joe-Dirt]

After the cheapo detectors I had as a kid, I found the AT Pro to be a good fit for what I do, relic hunt and clean up the clad on beaches with an occasional old house site mixed in (:

 

[A2coins]

Talk to one of the venders on this site ask questions, They wiil ask you questions make an informed choice. Many great detectors out there for water, land,coins,relics, ect. Good luck

 

[A2coins]

Welcome from MI Tommy

 

[Kace]

If you can, go with an all terrain detector like the Garrett AT Pro or Max...They are versatile.

Kace

 

[Mikebuild]

Hi Mike, welcome. What is your price range sir?

I'm thinking under $1000.00

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I'm thinking under $1000.00

Certainly under a grand for your first detector. To make a detector pay off, you gotta use it. Too many people pay big bucks for detectors they barely use.

I've 7 detectors right now. Going hi tech on your first one might be difficult and confusing. I'd actually recommend getting a capable beep & dig machine first to get used to the sounds in the ground. Later on, if you really get infected like many of us here and you actually do use it, and use it often....

Then within a few months you might look towards a more expensive machine.

My current favorite beep & dig machine is a Tesoro Tejon - a very good basic machine. Easy to use and light. However, Tesoro's future is in some doubt right now. There are many other capable inexpensive machines. I'd say limit yourself for $500, maybe a wee bit more, for your first machine.

The finest set of golf clubs in the world won't hit a ball if they're not taken out of the bag.

 

[Mikebuild]

What are you trying to find? Different detectors for different purposes

Dont have a specific target, yet. So maybe I should start with a good "in between" model, one thats suited for several applications. Just getting started so thought I'd see what you guys like and dont like. Probably will do more "dry" hunting than beach. Like I said above, I'll be going to Scotsdale next month and would like to go out for a hunt or two ... so, I'm guessing I'd be (theoretically) hunting nuggets, relics and meteors? Thanks for the input.

 

[against the wind]

Welcome to the forum from Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania

 

[RustyGold]

Welcome to TreasureNet from Southern California.

 

[Rookster]

Welcome to Tnet.

 

[Dragonscout]

Welcome to the site Mike! I'm in middle Georgia and moved a couple of years ago from the Kansas City area. There are already lots of opinions and threads to recommend here. I fell into a great deal on a White's MXT Pro ($800-1000) for only $400 bucks used. As some here have already suggested, I didn't realize I was using a complex machine. Although I would have been better off keeping it and really learning the machine's capabilities I got frustrated and sold it when I moved. A great piece of advice I wish I had been given that I found here is that you should buy a decent, relatively robust machine and spend about 100 hours with it to really learn it. In the process you will have questions and find the answers here. Although I have an aversion to one manufacturer here I won't speak ill. You can't seem to go wrong with a Fisher F22, F44, F75: Garrett AT Pro or 350, 400: Minelab Equinox 600 (more expensive). You can also go with an extremely dependable and inexpensive Tesoro Compadre or Mojave. These last two are semmingly bulletproof machines without all the bells and whistles that I wish I had started out on to learn to LISTEN(the only negative is the status of the company Tesoro but folks still have the same machines for a 10-20 years). Watch a lot of videos and see if you can find a club close by to detect with. You'll find the folks here are friendly, prolific with opinions and youtube videos. But from a fellow returning noob, dig in the dirt's fine!!

 

[Megalodon]

Welcome to the best site for treasure hunting! You've already read some great advice about what you want your detector to do. I think your first decision could be to decide if you want something water-proof or rain resistant or that can be fully submerged to various depths. After using some junk in the 60's-70's, I started with my first quality detector in the early 80's and quickly moved up from that Garrett Groundhog to a Garrett Master Hunter 7. The first coin I found with the MH-7 was an 1837 half-dime in EF condition. I was so excited that I kept on going, pulling out more old silver, and ignored the rain until i looked down and saw the needle floating in the meter full of water. I shipped the detector back to Garrett and they graciously fixed it under warranty, even though it was entirely my fault. I still have some detectors that are not waterproof, but I have little rain jackets for them and I've become more of a fair weather hunter. Don't worry about buying the best just yet. Once you start, you'll learn what features you like and which are luxuries that are nice but maybe unnecessary for you. Once hooked, you'll amass a few machines. After using target ID machines, my grab n go machine is a relatively inexpensive Tesoro Cibola. I've used an old Tesoro Golden Sabre Plus' notch feature to find lost rings for friends. But I still have Whites (MXT) and Garretts - including that heavy old, built like a tank MH-7. I have never seen a single complaint from users of the Whites M-6. There are so many great machines out there! Some better for relics, some better for coins, different mineralizations, salt beaches, etc.

 

[Mikebuild]

One feature that seems to stand out, is the multi frequency settings ... like on the NOX 600 and 800. If i understand this correctly, multi frequency, makes the detector far more versital compared to single frequency machine. Is this a ligit feature/concern or more of a bell or whistle?

Seems like the AT Pro and NOX 6 or 8 have a very large fan base. Have watched several videos ... cant see where one is dramatically better than the other. I think either of these would suit me just fine. If you had to choose between the two, which would it be? And why?

Here in washington, I will likely be hunting parks, beaches, homesteads, fields, rough terrain ... we have it all ... including lots of rain (usually). And, we are headed to Scottsdale next month for 2 weeks, so i'm guessing nugget and meteor hunting?