looking for unit to get started...

[LuckyDog]

Hello all,
Just joined this group. My wife & I are looking for a hobbie & this may be it. We travel extensivly in the eastern half of the country, north & south.
I talked to someone who has a'' Minelab GP 3000'' with Accessories for sale. He wants $1400.00 for it. Cannot really afford that much.
Been looking for a starter unit, but don't want to waste our money on a poor choice. We do not know enough about this stuff yet. I see many units much cheaper. He says it is new & a really good unit. I have not seen it yet. Does this seem to be right? We would like to start with one & if we start to fight over it, we will get a second, but not at this price. Can anyone advise or will I find this info in the archives somewhere? Thanks in advance.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[bergie]

Others know much more about specific detectors, but my only advice is you can spend less than half of 1400 bucks and get a good detector.

 

[True_Metal]

What are you wanting to find? I believe that Minelab GP you spoke of is a Gold detector. If you are coin shooting and relic searching i think you would be wise to get a machine made for those purposes.?

For $1400 you could both get machines that were more than ample for finding coins and relics, if indeed those are the things you wish to find.

 

[LuckyDog]

Thank you. Then I guess it is not for me.This is why I am inquiring...from the experts like yourself. Thanks again.

 

[True_Metal]

No prob 8) If you would tell what you would like to find then i will be glad to make some suggestions as to a good machine/s to get you two finding goodies

 

[LuckyDog]

I guess we are going to spend around $300 or so on the first unit. We want something we could sell if we upgrade.Are there any units, used or new that are worth using in this price range?

 

[Damon]

Maybe try looking on eBay. Another option is to call around local pawn shops. I got a used DFX last summer for $500 bucks at a pawn shop, and this is a detector that I can "turn on and go" with it's preset programs and then I can also use it long term without having to upgrade since it's programs can be modified for more advanced hunting. Good luck.

 

[LuckyDog]

Thanks for all the input. Happy hunting.

 

[bakergeol]

Hey Lucky Dog
The Minelab GP3000 is a pulse induction machine designed for gold prospecting not a VLF like most coin and relict machines. The GP3000 does not offer reliable discrimination(no PIs do-Infinium is rudimentary). As it can not reliably distinuish iron from the good stuff it is not used by coin and relic hunters. The GP3000 is designed for the outback where there is little iron trash. It is not designed to be used in high trash areas( e.g. Ganes Creek AK)

The GP3000 is probably the deepest machine out there period for small coins if one used it for that purpose but with no effective discrimination you would be digging a lot of deep iron.

By the way he is offering you one heck of a deal if it is in excellent operating condition. The GP3000 retails close to $3000. You are not going to find a GP3000 with additional coils for $1400 anyplace. As a gold prospector I would seriously look at the unit, but as you and your wife are going to be coin/relic hunters- a different approach is needed.

My 2 cents worth would be some new machines which have just come out 1. low end unit Garrett Ace 250-($200)- does not have the depth of more expensive units but good starter unit. 2. Tesoro Cibola(no ground balance $350) or Vaquero($450 with ground balance).-These units have very good depth. I have not used the above 3 machines but the user reviews of the above? machines has been very positive. As you folks are new I am trying to be selective on the best bang for the buck. To be honest you need to find out if you will survive this hobby(requires patience, research and hard work). I don't want to see you spend $800 or $1200 on a unit and then have it end up in your closet. If this hobby is not for you the above units are highly desirable and can be resold quickly with minium loss.

When you ask folks which detector is best- everyone chimes in with their own detector- just a lot of good detectors out there. Best to try one out at a dealers before you buy.

Have fun
George

 

[mavrick03]

Lucky dog

look at the very top of this page there are links to most of the detector manufactures 1 st decide exactly what you want your detector for IE relic hunting, coin shooting, gold etc etc also consider your demographics of where you are located then i would research the different types of machines out there its going to take some time but make a careful decision and the number 1 thing to keep in mind is metal detector's detect metal there not magic wands coins, relics, gold nuggets, etc etc wont jump out of the ground and say here i am. it will take time to learn and understand your machine some days you will get skunked some day's it will be like there crawling out of the ground so dont get discouraged on the bad day's

thats the best advise I can give you

HH~
Mav

 

[Bob B.]

I agree with everyone so far. Most everyone will tell you that the one(s) they have are the best and if asked I'll say the same. I looked and tried alot of different units before I settled on the one I have (Whites Classic ID). The first unit I bought was a no name brand and it was a piece of junk, but you don't need to spend that kind of money your talking about to get a good one. But the first thing you have to determine is what it is you are going to be looking for coins, relics, gold etc.. You can also type in" metal detector reviews" in the keywords on your main internet page, there are several sites that do review units and HH Bob.B

 

[Cladius]

Most co.'s have machines in the $ you are looking to spend. If you get into it you can trade up or better yet give the one you have to your wife to use and have it for a back up.

 

[giterdone]

Seems to me that Onions BH is outdoing everybody! At $100!!! All I found today was one 1918(?) Buffalo Nickel and one 1919 Wheat Penny and some junk. But this was in a heavily worked area with a new Eclipse Shooter DD coil on my DFX in a pretty trashy area so things are looking up. I'm coming to get you Onion! Giterdone

 

[LuckyDog]

Hey all, I thank you for your input. I have decided to research the Whites Classic IV & V and a few others like Garrett Ace, DFX, Classic ID. I guess the coils need to be researched too. This is more like a science than a hobby. I am sure to buy a unit after all this pre study is done. I also have a couple books coming that may influence my decision too. Thanks again to all. Happy Hunting!