What Metal Detector would be best?

[StephenMatthew]

Hey Everyone,

Anyone have any advice for which Metal Detector I should buy. I'm a rookie. My family owns a large piece of property in the Adirondacks that I'd love to explore. Any recommendations for which detector under $400.00 would be best for the mountain/stream conditions?

Thanks!

 

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[Slingshot]

I don't own one and have never used one but the Ace 250 seems to be a good all around machine for someone learning the ropes of metal detecting, and I hear that the 150 will find everything the 250 will, but without the extra bells and whistles. That aside, hunt location and your finds expectations are actually paramount to which machine you purchase. Some machines 40 - 50 years old are still viable treasure finding units, just depends on the operators skill level. I'm sure you will receive plenty of input over your question on this board. Welcome to treasure hunting and wishing you good luck on your finds! Cheers!!

 

[perdidogringo]

There are lots of threads on good first detectors, but from my experience the Fisher F2 for around $200 is very good for rookies and easy to learn.

 

[airscapes]

I would suggest learning a bit about Metal Detector and what the additional options do for you. Price goes up as options (bells and whistles) increase. The have MDs with a single knob and no screen that will find just as much as the ones with the goodies. However you will need to dig up every signal to know what it is until you learn the difference in sounds the machine makes. There are others with a screen that will give you depth, an icon with what the machine thinks is there, icons and a VDI number, Multiple tones associated with particular groups of VDI number, Manual Ground balancing or auto ground balancing with tracking, Notch discrimination and more.

For reference and as I have never seen it explained in a post .. what is ground balancing in a nut shell.

The coil at the end of a MD has 2 coils of wire in it, one transmit the other recieve
The MD send out an electromagnetic field into the ground with one of the 2 coils of wires. That field creates a voltage in the receive coil. When a piece of metal be it iron base (ferrous/magnetic) or Non ferrous (non magnetic or called conductive) enters the field, it changes the voltage or the timing of the signal in the receive coil.
This difference in voltage or timing phase is how the machine can tell what the metal is and produce those VDI number if displayed.
The ground is made of minerals be the conductive (salts) or ferrous (iron magnet) which the machine also detects. Ground balancing is the process where the MD figures out what VDI the ground is and then ignores it. A manual ground balance machine let you do this manually. If the machine does not have auto track of some sort, this will need to be redone as the ground changes. The ground can change rapidly as you move along from the spot where you first ground balanced.
Some of the entry level unit have a preset ground balance that is set and is not adjustable. This may work fine or not depending on the ground in your area.
Auto GB will pick a starting point when you turn it on and perform a short procedure. Auto track will continue to recheck and adjust as you move along. If you do not have a good ground balance you will pick up signals from the minerals in the ground making it hard for the MD to see real targets you are interested in.
This is something to consider being in a mountain area were the ground matrix can change frequently.

So do some research into the MD in your price range as well as those a few hundred dollars above your price point. Those better models can be found used at considerable savings. Many people buy many MD, use them for a few months or a year and then sell them to try something else, this is very good for those coming in and looking to get the best machine for their money. Many still have warranty on them since they are typically guaranteed from date purchased and it does not matter how many people own them within that time.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[clv]

Go to your local dealer. Tell him what type of hunting you want to do.
Some machine are turn on and go with little set up, others... you just need more time to learn the best set up for you and the area you are hunting in.
The dealer will have several models that will work for you and will also give you instruction on using it.
Dealers know what the prices are online and will normally meet that price, but you don't get a fake ($99 value they say) gold coin as a promo when you buy local.

 

[airscapes]

Dealers are not Hobby Shoppes, Coin dealers or sporting/hunting stores. They sell Metal Detectors and all the things that go along with the hobby and not much else. Don't make the mistake I did drive the distance to a real dealer if there are none near you (most likely) if you want to put hands on before you buy.

 

[cudamark]

Hey Everyone,

Anyone have any advice for which Metal Detector I should buy. I'm a rookie. My family owns a large piece of property in the Adirondacks that I'd love to explore. Any recommendations for which detector under $400.00 would be best for the mountain/stream conditions?

Thanks!

If you're going into the water with it, there are no new detectors, that are waterproof, in that price range. You could probably find a used PI machine that is however. Most detector models these days have waterproof coils and are safe to use up to the control housing, but it's pretty common to accidentally drop your detector or to slip and fall on mossy rocks. If you do that in a stream, a non-waterproof one is toast in a hurry. For your purposes, I'd save a bit more and get either a new or used Garrett AT Pro. It's waterproof and has discrimination.

 

[clv]

Almost all detectors use waterproof coils. As long as you don't dunk the control box you will be OK. Now if you just want a beep and dig unit that is waterproof, check out the headhunter pro.
Personality I like a unit with more bells and whistles.
Most units $400 and less are more of the turn on and go. The type you get will depend on the type of person you are. Do you want simple machine or are you willing to do little more adjusting of settings and have a machine that will have a wider range of treasure hunting options?
On a general unit my three of my must haves is able to work wet salts sands, back-light controls (I like to hunt the beaches in the late evenings) and at least two other coils choice beside what was supplied with the detector. But my budget is a little higher than yours (in the $600 + - range).