Best metal detector for me?

[thrstyunderwater]

I know I know, I can read the forums, scour the web and come up with my own answer.

But I've started enough hobbies to know where to look.

Here's my info:

I'm a wildlife graduate student and spend my summers and falls in south central Nevada doing wildlife field work (coyote biology research). It's an extremely remote area that has a super rich mining history. Lot's of old cabins, mine shafts, small settlements, etc.

I won't be at the beach, so I don't know that super water proof is important. I'm completely off the grid, so will have to charge the battery with a car charger or solar panels a lot of the time; electricity is at a premium where I'm at. I imagine a lot of the "treasure" I'll be looking for could be quite deep, as most of the mining activity ended in the area in the 1890's.

I'm also interested in good head phones and whatever digging and sifting tools folks might recommend. I'd like to spend $300 or less on the detector, am up for recommendations on what add on's I might need.

I'm 6'3", 29, and in shape if that matters.

 

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[fella]

Garrett Ace 350. Performance is better than price reflects imho. Plus you get a pouch,digger(cheap) & headphones w/it.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I know I know, I can read the forums, scour the web and come up with my own answer.

But I've started enough hobbies to know where to look.

Here's my info:

I'm a wildlife graduate student and spend my summers and falls in south central Nevada doing wildlife field work (coyote biology research). It's an extremely remote area that has a super rich mining history. Lot's of old cabins, mine shafts, small settlements, etc.

I won't be at the beach, so I don't know that super water proof is important. I'm completely off the grid, so will have to charge the battery with a car charger or solar panels a lot of the time; electricity is at a premium where I'm at. I imagine a lot of the "treasure" I'll be looking for could be quite deep, as most of the mining activity ended in the area in the 1890's.

I'm also interested in good head phones and whatever digging and sifting tools folks might recommend. I'd like to spend $300 or less on the detector, am up for recommendations on what add on's I might need.

I'm 6'3", 29, and in shape if that matters.

Welcome from White Plains, New York! You are going to be VERY limited with your budget. First, you'll need to rely on rechargable batteries, so make sure the detector you choose uses AA batteries as they are the most common and cheapest rechargables. Second, you need a machine that you can manually ground balance in highly mineralized ground for maximum depth. If you are looking for gold and silver, then it starts to get expensive - Fisher Goldbug Pro; Tesoro Lobo Super Traq; Teknetics G2; Whites GMT. Do your homework. I use Killer B headphones on my Tesoro Lobo, and they are comfortable and rugged. Good Luck!

 

[thrstyunderwater]

Garrett Ace 350. Performance is better than price reflects imho. Plus you get a pouch,digger(cheap) & headphones w/it.

Anyone else have this opinion? It get's good reviews on Amazon and newegg and sure is in my price range!

 

[AdDicted2Ag]

My first detector was an Ace250.. I loved it, but if you would get it I would definitely recommend getting a larger coil to get more depth.. If I were you, I would look on ebay and craigslist.. I just sold my ace250 with an additional coil for 180.. There are decent deals out there to be found.. You just have to search..

 

[thrstyunderwater]

Anyone have any opinions on the Garrett GTI 1500?

I found one in the classifieds for pretty cheap, after taking into account the recommendations above.

 

[Gold Maven]

Lifetime warranty with Tesoro.