My First Hunt Ever and Suggestions for my MD purchase.

Deep_Diggler

Greenie
May 10, 2013
13
3
Detector(s) used
etrac
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yesterday, I ran around my hometown and hunted a couple of spots. I've never hunted before and rented a White's 5900/Di PRO SL. Being my first time, I wasn't too concerned with only finding coins. When I hit signal, I dug :) What I would hope to do for the future is hunt these sites and find some old coins.

Coins are not old, but I think the spots are promising. One item not shown is an old met lid that was a good 10" underground.

My next dilemma is buying a detector. I've researched on the following and all are within my budget. I don't want to spend again soon and believe in spending till it hurts to reduce buyers remorse. Opinions and brand loyalty seem very prevalent on this site, but I would appreciate any feedback!

Garrett AT PRO - $595
Garrett GTI PRO - $935
Fisher F75 - $1099
Minelab E-trac $1550
White's MXT Pro - $900
White's Spectra V3i - $1500

I had a lot of fun and was pleased to discover the usefulness of these machines!

Hunt_2013_05_11.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Hunt_2013_05_11.jpg
    Hunt_2013_05_11.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 218
Upvote 1
OP
OP
D

Deep_Diggler

Greenie
May 10, 2013
13
3
Detector(s) used
etrac
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I threw in the prices as for my reference ...
 

smugglersbluez

Full Member
Jan 10, 2013
150
185
central Georgia
Detector(s) used
Garrett At Pro , Bounty Hunter IV
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Call the vendors from treasure net, they will knock down the price. I'm happy with my at pro.
 

Twinkletoes

Bronze Member
Jan 3, 2013
1,133
509
Detector(s) used
White’s TDI Beach Hunter PI / Minelab Excalibur 1000 / White's MX Sport / White’s XLT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yesterday, I ran around my hometown and hunted a couple of spots. I've never hunted before and rented a White's 5900/Di PRO SL. Being my first time, I wasn't too concerned with only finding coins. When I hit signal, I dug :) What I would hope to do for the future is hunt these sites and find some old coins.

Coins are not old, but I think the spots are promising. One item not shown is an old met lid that was a good 10" underground.

My next dilemma is buying a detector. I've researched on the following and all are within my budget. I don't want to spend again soon and believe in spending till it hurts to reduce buyers remorse. Opinions and brand loyalty seem very prevalent on this site, but I would appreciate any feedback!

Garrett AT PRO - $595
Garrett GTI PRO - $935
Fisher F75 - $1099
Minelab E-trac $1550
White's MXT Pro - $900
White's Spectra V3i - $1500

I had a lot of fun and was pleased to discover the usefulness of these machines!

794761[/ATTACH\

Choosing a machine can be a challenge. Each machine has some endearing quality or it wouldn't be on the market . With that said, I prefer a machine that gives me enough information so I can choose to dig or not to dig. If you are looking for that type of machine, the White's V3i is tough to beat.
 

Roger Mn.

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2007
3,806
1,870
Rochester,Minnesota
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab Etrac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Get the E-TRAC . New $1200.00 Is what I paid with free shipping. You'll get deep and find coins next to the trash. I've dug Indian cents at 14 inches and loud tones.
 

stan128

Greenie
Dec 23, 2012
16
3
I cannot comment on any other machines other than whites. I currently use the v3i and it is an amazing machine. I hunt with many others with different brands and they will all give me a hard time when in a group setting for some reason but individually tell me they wish they had bought the VX3 or V3I. I can say that out of all the machines I've looked at in my opinion they all seemed pretty basic next to the V3i. Although I have never held or even seen a minelab in person.but all the other brands listed above seemed to be made out of lesser materials than the whites. Just my personal observations.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using TreasureNet
 

recondigger

Bronze Member
Jul 12, 2012
1,223
900
Western New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
garrett at4 beach hunter, bounty hunter,CZ-5,CZ-7, Minelab EXP SE, Garrett ACE-150, E-Trac, CTX 3030
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
E-trac is what I would say to go with beat bang for your buck
 

OP
OP
D

Deep_Diggler

Greenie
May 10, 2013
13
3
Detector(s) used
etrac
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Been watching lots of videos on youtube. There are quite a few for each machine. For the field comparisons, it seemed the e-trac out performed the v3i. When the signal seemed clean for the e-trac, the v3i was giving iffy signals. I was initially liking the v3i based on the air tests. I like the polar plotting. Have any of you had personal comparisons between the v3i and etrac?

Thanks for all of your feedback!
 

oxbowbarefoot

Banned
May 25, 2011
2,268
1,850
🥇 Banner finds
4
Primary Interest:
Other
Of the choices you listed, the E-Trac is the top machine I am familiar with. I just bought a new AT-Pro myself to use as a back up machine, as I sold my old one when I bought my Deus. The AT-Pro is a fantastic machine, especially for the money. But if you don't plan on water hunting and don't want to upgrade again in the future, I would narrow the list to the E-Trac and F75. I have no experience with the V3i, so I can't endorse it or tell you to avoid it. I would take a serious look into the XP Deus, which I have found to be an absolutely fantastic machine. Good luck with whichever machine you choose!
 

CRUSADER

Gold Member
May 25, 2007
40,879
45,587
ENGLAND
🥇 Banner finds
27
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II v0.6 with 11" Coil
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
None of those, get an XP.
 

Back-of-the-boat

Gold Member
Apr 18, 2013
6,893
8,526
California
Detector(s) used
AT GOLD/Garrett /C.Scope cs4PI/Garrett(carrot) pro pointer/ 5x8 double d coil and sniper coil/Lesche digger/Lesche "T" handle shovel.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have an AT Gold love it although I don't hunt the ocean so it fits my needs.It will depend on what will fit all your needs.
 

OP
OP
D

Deep_Diggler

Greenie
May 10, 2013
13
3
Detector(s) used
etrac
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Let me add that my hunting sites are not extremely old. I have a couple of old houses from the late 1800s. They are no longer standing. My Great Grandpas house was built in 1921. There is remnants of a molasses mill on my folks place.

My hopes is finding some old coins and possibly some relics. I am not sure how to quantify what is the best machine for these searches. For my purchase, I like the e-trac, and the AT PRO seems like a very viable option. I really like the v3i, but the youtube comparisons show the etrac outperforming. Maybe some v3i'ers need to make some comparison videos.
 

Twinkletoes

Bronze Member
Jan 3, 2013
1,133
509
Detector(s) used
White’s TDI Beach Hunter PI / Minelab Excalibur 1000 / White's MX Sport / White’s XLT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Let me add that my hunting sites are not extremely old. I have a couple of old houses from the late 1800s. They are no longer standing. My Great Grandpas house was built in 1921. There is remnants of a molasses mill on my folks place.

My hopes is finding some old coins and possibly some relics. I am not sure how to quantify what is the best machine for these searches. For my purchase, I like the e-trac, and the AT PRO seems like a very viable option. I really like the v3i, but the youtube comparisons show the etrac outperforming. Maybe some v3i'ers need to make some comparison videos.

Too many people put stock in "air testing / depth" When it come to great depth and outstanding discrimination. There are none better than the White's V3i. If you like to dig everything, there are many great machines to choose from. If you want to cover ground, work your machine hard, and cherry pick the good stuff, Stick with White's. Good luck with your final choice. H Digs
 

mariposagold

Bronze Member
May 1, 2012
1,219
886
Mariposa, California. USA
Detector(s) used
MXT Pro, Classic SL, Bullseye II Probe, Garrett Groundhog.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
My experience is, the best machine is always the one you don't have. I honestly believe that MD'ing is a progressive obsession and that as time passes, you will second guess any results with any machine, and have a desire to try that other machine, eventually upgrading or adding another machine to your arsenal. Nonetheless, how you hunt, how much you hunt and where you hunt, are going to be just as important as the machine you use. My criteria for a good machine is that it pay for itself in short order. My first machine paid for itself x10 in the first year, I hope to pay for my new machine at least by X2 this year. My main machines are White's, I've got no complaints other than needing more hunt time and better places to hunt.
 

Silver Searcher

Gold Member
Sep 27, 2006
10,386
2,657
UK
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have a XP Deus, which I have just bought, but if it wasn't for my dodgy elbow I would with out doubt get a E-trac.

SS
 

Wildcat1750

Gold Member
Nov 18, 2012
5,015
4,105
Western CT
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
4
Detector(s) used
AT PRO/Ace 250w8.5x11" DD Coil/
Garrett Pro-Pointer/Garrett Pro-Pointer AT/
Vibra-Tector 730/
Radio Shack Discovery 1000 (Tracker IV)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Nice first hunt! :thumbsup:
 

OP
OP
D

Deep_Diggler

Greenie
May 10, 2013
13
3
Detector(s) used
etrac
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Aqua,

Do you have the V3i? What are Bonus Bucks!?
 

stan128

Greenie
Dec 23, 2012
16
3
Bonus bucks are $200. In bonus accessories of your choice for purchasing a V3i or a VX3

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using TreasureNet
 

Erik in NJ

Silver Member
Oct 4, 2010
4,037
3,043
The Garden State
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE Pro & CTX-3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have a XP Deus, which I have just bought, but if it wasn't for my dodgy elbow I would with out doubt get a E-trac.

SS

I agree with SS...sounds like you have some good sites to hunt there...you may even want to consider the CTX-3030. There's an 18" coil for it that will allow you to get a few extra inches on an already deep seeking machine.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top