Detector Depth do you have to Pay for it?

[undertaker]

My brother and I have ace 250s which we picked up new for around $200.00 each. We have found alot of clad coins, tokens and some silver also musketballs, buttons and tons of junk. My brother is talking about upgrading to a whites so he can get more depth. We have hit some very old sites where we have been skunked and we walk away with the feeling what have we missed? Are the coins there and are detectors arn't reaching them. Will a $800.00 whites detect deeper that a $200.00 ace? I know they will discriminate better.

 

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[deathhare]

Some goon will come in and post something like, "you cant detect what isnt there", or "if there arent coins there you wont find them", but the truth is yes, at some price point you will get more depth. What that depth is with specific brands remains to be seen. Few people want to admit they bought something that doesnt go deep or that their detector isnt as deep as the next guys.
Also, people over dig targets that were 3 inches, then look at the huge pile of dirt and say "DANG that was like a 12" deep dime! This MD kicks butt!"

Truth is, that 800 dollar White's will get more depth than your Ace but do you really need to buy an $800 detector to get that depth?
I say definitely not.

 

[mlayers]

I also say yes. You get what you pay for. I have a bounty hunter and can get coins around 5" deep. I upgrade to a whites DFX and I have dug pennies 10" deep. So I believe you have to pay for the better machine to find the deeper coins....Matt

 

[deathhare]

I also say yes. You get what you pay for. I have a bounty hunter and can get coins around 5" deep. I upgrade to a whites DFX and I have dug pennies 10" deep. So I believe you have to pay for the better machine to find the deeper coins....Matt

But the point is that depth maxes out and its nowhere near that 1000 dollar mark.
If all you wanted was depth (i know it isnt ) then you wasted a lot of money.

I just dont want the OP to think he has to spend a pile of money to get the same depth as a big money machine.

 

[oneeye]

I believe there is a point of diminshing returns. I also believe that this point is significantly less than $800. Before someone comments on this, I own several top-end detectors.
Dan

 

[Keppy]

Only thing i can say is if you want depth..Buy a ..PI..Detector or get a real big coil ............ To me all VLF detectors no matter what you pay for it give's about the same depth give or take and that is not much either way....... and most Bounty hunters are kids toys.............

 

[deepskyal]

I've read where lots of deep finds have been made, on here, with the Ace250. Don't underestimate your machine.

I had a DFX which I used for a year. I bought it as an upgrade to the White's 6000Di Pro.
I sold the DFX...it became an expensive back-up machine.
I was more confident and able with my 6000 than the DFX. And I noticed NO depth difference.

I tweeked and played with all the fancy bells and whistles on the DFX, but it just wouldn't go any deeper than what I was getting with my older machine. To me, pitting one machine against the other, using the same style and going to the same places, and not having any noticable change in finds...just told me the DFX wasn't much of an advantage over my existing maching.

Granted, the 6000Di Pro was White's top of the line for a while....but this just tells me there is a maximum point you're going to get with any particular machine....if you know how to use it.

So now I have a 12" coil for my 6000 and a 5" inch I added to the arsenal.

If you consider buying a different machine with the thoughts of getting better depth...get a bigger coil with it.

Al

 

[savant365]

I have the Ace 250 also but I was thinking about buying the 9x12 coil. Just how much deeper can the bigger coil go for $90.00? Does anyone who uses the 9x12 have any input?
HH Charlie

 

[EddieR]

I gotta throw in a couple of cents worth here. True, you get what you pay for, but at the same time, do you REALLY need all you are paying for? Yep, the high dollar detectors can be adjusted eleventy-leven different ways...but is it necessary to make those adjustments in order to find deep targets? Nope. I've got a good friend that has made some incredible finds over the years. He has been detecting for years and has used a lot of different machines. He is currently using a Minelab Explorer (high dollar) but is looking to get a Bounty Hunter because mine will consistently pick up any target the Minelab will. As in one of the posts above, he thought Bounty Hunters were toys until he saw me pull a seated liberty dime at nearly 9 inches (before anyone says the coin fell deeper into the hole, that is what my Bounty Hunter and the Explorer depth readout showed BEFORE digging). So no, its not necessary to go high dollar. BUT, remember, you get what you pay for. If you get a 49.99 detector, its gonna act like a 49.99 detector. In order to get decent depth, stability while hunting, and a quality machine, you can't just buy the cheapest one out there.It's just not necessary to buy the most expensive one. As for me, I use a variety. I have Bounty Hunter, Tesoro, Whites, and Fisher. They all work well.

 

[kando]

I gotta throw in a couple of cents worth here. True, you get what you pay for, but at the same time, do you REALLY need all you are paying for? Yep, the high dollar detectors can be adjusted eleventy-leven different ways...but is it necessary to make those adjustments in order to find deep targets? Nope. I've got a good friend that has made some incredible finds over the years. He has been detecting for years and has used a lot of different machines. He is currently using a Minelab Explorer (high dollar) but is looking to get a Bounty Hunter because mine will consistently pick up any target the Minelab will. As in one of the posts above, he thought Bounty Hunters were toys until he saw me pull a seated liberty dime at nearly 9 inches (before anyone says the coin fell deeper into the hole, that is what my Bounty Hunter and the Explorer depth readout showed BEFORE digging). So no, its not necessary to go high dollar. BUT, remember, you get what you pay for. If you get a 49.99 detector, its gonna act like a 49.99 detector. In order to get decent depth, stability while hunting, and a quality machine, you can't just buy the cheapest one out there.It's just not necessary to buy the most expensive one. As for me, I use a variety. I have Bounty Hunter, Tesoro, Whites, and Fisher. They all work well.

He said most BH were toys.......... from Walmart.....

 

[Keppy]

I've read where lots of deep finds have been made, on here, with the Ace250. Don't underestimate your machine.

I had a DFX which I used for a year. I bought it as an upgrade to the White's 6000Di Pro.
I sold the DFX...it became an expensive back-up machine.
I was more confident and able with my 6000 than the DFX. And I noticed NO depth difference.

I tweeked and played with all the fancy bells and whistles on the DFX, but it just wouldn't go any deeper than what I was getting with my older machine. To me, pitting one machine against the other, using the same style and going to the same places, and not having any noticable change in finds...just told me the DFX wasn't much of an advantage over my existing maching.

Granted, the 6000Di Pro was White's top of the line for a while....but this just tells me there is a maximum point you're going to get with any particular machine....if you know how to use it.

So now I have a 12" coil for my 6000 and a 5" inch I added to the arsenal.

If you consider buying a different machine with the thoughts of getting better depth...get a bigger coil with it.

Al

Right on just what i said they are all VLF made by Gov. Specks. to put out only so much power..........

 

[Dcoop]

I'll say maybe a little but in practice no,All the high end one's really do is help you decide what target not to dig,its more about information then depth,.I find myself digging stuff that the Detector says is junk,and 80 to 90 percent of the time its right,but then you dig a gem that came up as foil or somesuch and say to yourself,why the hell am I discrimating?Dig it all!

 

[Keppy]

I'll say maybe a little but in practice no,All the high end one's really do is help you decide what target not to dig,its more about information then depth,.I find myself digging stuff that the Detector says is junk,and 80 to 90 percent of the time its right,but then you dig a gem that came up as foil or somesuch and say to yourself,why the hell am I discrimating?Dig it all!

That's right you sure don't need a $1000.00 or $1500.00 detector for that when a Tesoro Cobola will do the same thing.....

 

[sodiumrye]

If you want more depth increase your coil size. My old Garrett ADS 2 still will find a dime at 8+ inches (I use an 8 in probe) well that is if you run your coil over it! You will miss many more 8 inch coins than you will 4 inch coins with improper coil sweep and speed. I have watched guys walk and sweep like they were in one of those seeded hunts and then go in behind them and find alot of goodies they missed. You want deep coins, you need to slow down and overlap your sweep. Just like buying a car...........paying for all those extras dont get you any more gas mileage just looks neater. But then again I am old and slow and most people I ever have hunted with are done and ready for the next spot before i have went a hundred feet.

 

[Tin Nugget]

I believe the Ace series, the F2, low end BH as well as any RadioShack etc. will find 80 to 90 percent of what any of the expensive detectors will find. It's just a matter if the extra inch or two of depth or the additional info and features are worth the money to you. More importantly I believe no detector is worth anything if you don't enjoy using it.

 

[Monty]

I have owned and still do own a variety of detectors. I just bought a Minelab Safari to use almost exclusively as a relic detector. Why? Because of the reputation and articles I have read regarding the depth of Minelab equipment. Right now I am busy learning how to use it and I am finding that I am digging a couple of inches deeper with it than I do with say.....my ACE 250. But for 90% of my hunting I probably would do just fine with the ACE. I also have a Tesoro SilverUmax that gets great depth and it really surprised me for a less expensive detector. So, I don't think more expensive always means better. A lot more has to do with what you want to do with your detector and how well you learn to use it. Monty

 

[RLOH]

Undertaker, I have owned the Ace 250 and most all other detectors made in the last 12 years, including all the 1000.00 ones. There are places I hunt that the ground is very mineralized and 8 inches is the deepest I find coins in these spots, with most of the older coins coming from about 6 inches. The 250 will find coins this deep as will most medium priced detectors. It is my opinion that the 250 performs as good as most 400 to 600 dollar detectors. The more expensive detectors have the ability to find a coin with trash nearby better than your Ace. I would recommend a small Sniper coil(4.5 inch) for your 250. This will allow you better target separation. One more hint, learn to determine what fringe signals(deep) sound like and you might be surprised how deep your little detector will go. To learn this, you have to dig some trash and one way beeps. For any new detectorist, learning your detector well will help you turn up some deep or older coins. R.L.

 

[Lowbatts]

I love digging 10 inches down to find out I'm on a spot that was backfilled four years ago and there's clad at the bottom of every hole!

 

[xdanthemanx]

I agree with monty for about 225 you can buy a tesoro silver umax new and that machine has no fancy bells and whistles and has excellent depth ive seen a lot of coins come out of the ground at 6,7 -8 inches in the right hands that machine performs well
I personally sport a whites xlt which i picked up in almost new condition for 500 bones, it has done an excellent job in my book and i have found a ton of stuff with it and depending on where i am and what coil im using have dug holes 2 feet deep to recover items
I have used the $200 bounty hunter, 4 maybe 5 inches and nothing you can do to improve it,
also noticed that it kicks out quite a bit of interference to other machines close by, i had to stay away from it with the xlt even after changing frequencies.

all the back and forth and this ones better than that one is a crock, they all perform better or worse in some environments and It all comes back to the operator for the most part.
You can give an identical machine to 2 people one will pass right over a signal and the next guy will pick a dime at 9" that the first guy missed. the only difference is the second guy experienced heard the first tone stopped and hit the target from 6 different angles to get a lock on it.

I would say 75% operator 25 % machine capability. to even try and compare the bounty hunter to an f75 or something is flat out ridiculous there are limitations of what your going to get for the $

I want to make use of my time and pull lots of coins and i could give 2 craps less what im using to do it.
I feel sorry for a lot of people here that like to think they have the best machine and dont even take the initiative to look at others because of some bs brand loyalty or whatever. I think its great at the same time because they leave some of the good stuff behind for some of us others
you can always tell from some that chime in that all they are going to post is thier brand is it and the rest are junk, no honest assessment ,fact is none of the metal detector companies even get involved in the text depth wars, they will not publish depth capabilities in print for the most part and if they do it is always preceeded by operator use and soil conditions may affect depth.
These three seem to be my top choices and all of them have detectors priced from 200 - over 1000
Fisher makes nice equipment
Whites makes nice equipment
Tesoro makes nice equipment
I recently was looking at the gti2500 garrett also, I decided to wait till i can try one for a while before buying one.

Just my 2 cents on the subject

dan

 

[Michigan Badger]

Right Lucky. If the coil types and sizes are the same there would be maybe 2 inches of difference between most brands made today.

One machine that is a little different is the Nautilus but almost no one even thinks of it anymore.

The Nautilus can be extra deep due to it's balancing of coil & quality ground balancing features. But the down side is a coil that's not too difficult to get out of adjustment and then requires a trip back to the factory.

In mild soil a Nautilus IIB fitted with 10 inch coil will detect a penny 12 inches deep. They all vary a little but my current IIB will air test approx. 14-15 inches on a penny. Oddly enough it only gets about 1 inch more on a half dollar. I'm referring to a nice solid discrimination ping.

Like the Tesoros, Nautilus machines love the copper alloys (loves gold) and lead (kills nickles). On silver they're only so-so. I found far more silver with my Minelab Explorer XS. None of it was very deep though.

And too, Nautilus is the only company today that really doesn't play the multiple model game. Yes, they do make different models but those are older models they still make because some old timers want them.

Basiccally Nautilus is the only no-nonsense VLF metal detector maker today. Granted, they have their negative issues just like all brands do.