Something to consider = batteries... The expense thereof

[DeepseekerADS]

This applies to all machines today. For example, my CTX battery pod requires 8 double A's.

I won't be using it often, but just received a circa '83 Garrett MH Deepseeker ADS III, which requires 6 - 9v batteries. If I bought the better Batteries, they're $7.50 per battery = $22.50 for who knows how many hours

Of course I love the rechargebles on these primo machines, but like in the case of the ADS III, would a battery pack pay for itself?

 

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[DeepseekerADS]

This thread has been viewed by over 40 members.

I posted this to get people thinking, so let's bump this back up to where it's an active consideration of what we put into this hobby.

 

[Ammoman]

I think the battery pack would be a good idea if you had other items that use 9v batteries. If your only going to use the ADS a few times then look at cheaper throw away batteries or check out local thrift stores. They sometimes get donations of new batteries and sell them dirt cheap.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

It's not so much about the Deepseeker and battery usage. I point this out to make people look at the expenses we put into this hobby.

Obviously if I put $22.50 into batteries for the Garret for a few hours hunt, I'd be wasting some bucks.

This applies in our approach to the machines we swing every day.

Energy conservation? Just saying we oughta pay attention to our expenses in keeping our beepers running

 

[Carl-NC]

Battery costs have varied over the years and generally have declined as detectors get more fuel efficient and have moved to cheaper AA batteries. The worst I can recall was a White's Relic Master from the 70's that require 19 C cells. That "19" ain't a typo. For a while, 14-AA cells was a "standard". Now you can easily run a VLF detector on 2-AAs. And NiMH rechargeables are pretty cheap, making it a better deal for the folks who hunt a lot.

This is part of the bigger picture of "return on investment" in metal detecting. I get a kick out of people who say their detector paid for itself... fantastic if that's what they're after, but did they include the batteries, all the accessories, the cost of driving to the sites, and the hours they spent? What were the opportunity costs? I look at metal detecting like fishing and hunting. I'll never "pay for" my rods and rifles, and a trip to the grocery store is invariably faster & cheaper, but I'm out there for the fun, the challenge, and some fresh air. If you're worried about the cost of batteries, pick a different hobby.

 

[Swaveab]

So do you use rechargeables for your pinpointer? What's the big deal in putting them in your new old detector? True it takes many of them, but if you plan on using the detector much it'll save you money. If only to be used once in awhile go with cheap alkalines.

 

[Ammoman]

It's not so much about the Deepseeker and battery usage. I point this out to make people look at the expenses we put into this hobby.

Obviously if I put $22.50 into batteries for the Garret for a few hours hunt, I'd be wasting some bucks.

This applies in our approach to the machines we swing every day.

Energy conservation? Just saying we oughta pay attention to our expenses in keeping our beepers running

I agree that we should keep an eye on what we spend. That said i also agree with Carl in that this is a hobby and unless we find some big hoard that sets us up for the rest of our life, their will be expenses to be paid. I for one have traveled hours on end to places that gave me a couple wheat pennies and maybe a silver dime. If i wanted to save money i would have gone to the local coin shop, plopped down a buck for a silver dime and 50 cents for a few wheat's and saved the 30 bucks on a tank of gas. And lets not forget the 15 or more dollars on the food i would have eat that day. Our equipment is cheap when compared to other hobbies and we are lucky to see a little come back to us in clad. But over all, its a hobby just like other hobbies and i count batteries as part of the expense of having fun.

 

[RTR]

Thats only one reasons I bought a Teknetics Liberator.It only takes (1) (alkaline only) 9V. batt.

 

[releventchair]

I feed the pinpointer 9v's.
Depending on clad count ,AA's are offset well enough.
Never seem to find fresh batteries underground when diggin though....

Some day maybe , daylight hunts will be fueled by a solar function.

 

[Jason in Enid]

The cost and durability of rechargeable batteries has greatly reduced over the years. Frankly, at this point in time, disposables should be carried as emergency backups, but yet I have seen people who stubbornly refuse to use rechargeables, even when the detector comes with a factory recharge pack. They just toss it in the closet and keep plugging disposables into it.

Now, as to the OP's classic detector, if you plan on really using that detector often then you need to get a modern pack. If its a wall hanger that will get used once in a while for grins and nostalgia then save money and put some cheap, dollar-store batteries in it.

 

[SittingElf]

Just a quick note to those who use 9v, AA, and AAA batteries. There have been tests conducted comparing Duracell, Energizer, and Amazon Basic batteries. The Amazon Basics have proven to be as good or better, with 10-year storage as the others... and at HALF the price!
Check out their 48-pack of AA's for a hair over $12... I use them exclusively now, and with absolutely no complaints!

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Performance-Alkaline-Batteries-Count/dp/B00MNV8E0C/

 

[rogueaviation]

I migrated to the rechargeable 9v batteries for everything that takes a 9v. A 9v rechargeable actually is 9v, so it's an easy swap. The backup detector and both pinpointers love the inexpensive [large online auction] batteries.

The AA batteries are a different story. My detector uses 8 AA batteries, for a 12v pack. (8*1.5v=12v). The rechargeable batteries currently available are 1.2v. So an 8 AA pack would only be 9.6v. This is problematic because my detector likes around 10 volts as a minimum voltage, or close to that. So the packs have to be modified to add a 9th cell to bring the nominal voltage to 10.8v, which the detector likes a lot better.

To respond to the original post though, I am definitely thinking about the cost and trying to be more "green" and cost effective while enjoying a hobby I really love.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Great responses here! That ADS I bought is a wall hanger, part of the "museum". But I also use a lot of AA's. I buy them in cheap bulk packs of 100, and that actually lasted over 2 seasons. That bought battery costs way down for me. Those cheapo's performed very well, certainly not up to Duracell's performance, but I didn't spend a fortune for two good seasons of use.

 

[1637]

with the price of gas to get there,40 or 60 dollars a year is not a big deal.i pick them up when i see them on sale.all of my whites use 8aa battery.no iam not going to pay for them and gas detecting,oh well in a hobby.i raced offroad cars for 38years.so this is a very cheap hobby.i think it better not to know how much we spend,and if you write in down your wife mite see it.just go when you can. good everyone brad

 

[Phishfarmer]

Battery cost quickly adds up. I know when I use disposables I change them as soon as they start getting weak.

 

[Peyton Manning]

I use the green rechargeable batteries from menards, have yet for one to go bad

 

[Professor of Engineering]

I use RnB Innovation Batteries (a bit pricey) on my Garrett's, Minelab's and Whites detectors. All of my pin pointers use 9 volt rechargeable batteries. As of this penning, I've had no problems with any of them during hunting.

 

[littlehugger]

Its true that detectors are becoming more efficient, but batteries are vastly improved too. d are
A pet peeve of mine is using 9 volts. They are expensive! Even if your detector is frugal with them, its expensive to stockpile a few.
Why the high cost?
Nowadays, a couple of store brand alkaline AA's are cheap, and are more than adequate. I don't see it as worthwhile to pay the extra for name brands.
So far as paying for the detector, when I used to hunt more, I easily did. There is a lot of clad out there......although detectors are getting pricey.

 

[haxor]

Keep in mind most rechargeable batteries (AA, D's etc) come in at 1.2V while 'real' batteries come in at ~1.6. A battery is considered 'dead' when it has a ~15% voltage drop. So the rechargeable start off very close to the cut off voltage. This is why some devices stated NOT to use rechargeable.

 

[Swaveab]

Real batteries? Are the others fake? You are talking about the standard dry cell type and the nominal rated voltage is at 1.5v. You are correct in your analogy of the lower voltages seen by some rechargeables as being too low for proper operation on some devices, but not all.