which is the best detector for under $200?

[PAmike]

I want to use it for coins, jewelry and relics. I have been looking at the garrett ace detectors and the BH IV and lone star but i deed a litte more help deciding. I am really trying to get info in depth, and which is the best for sensitivity and discrimination.

mike

 

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[slow sweeper]

ok, I'll jump in first. There is no right answer to your question. Like someone else said on a previous post it's like asking who makes a better truck? Ford or Chevy? Everybodies got there own prejudices. You'll get alot of good info from the people here but in the long run you're going to have to make the executive decision for yourself. Go to a local dealer and try some out. All of the "name" detector manufacturers make a quality machine.
Take your time. Do your homework. Absorb as much info as you can. Go back and read old posts on this site and others. Then buy a Whites. Just kidding.
Spend as much as you can afford and get a decent pair of headphones. You're going to have alot of fun.

 

[Lowbatts]

The coins and jewelry hunting will be different from hte relic hunting. I could say anything that goes offaround iron would be good for relic hunting, but you'll need to check with those guys who pursue the old relics almost exclusively. The models you mentioned will be fine for the shallow coin shooting and jewelry mining but don't overlook some of the used models that would normally be higher priced if new, might get a good used deal. Have fun!

 

[bergie]

Get the Radio Shack Discovery 1100. I've found coins back to 1740s and lots of more recent silver coins. It's easy to use and lite weight. Got the first one for 150 and got a second one on sale around Christmas for $70. They are made for Radio Shack by Bounty Hunter.

 

[michinkae]

oooh, dont go to radio shack, go find yourself a good whites dealer who will hook you up right. If you have 199.99 you can purchase a classic or a prizm. These machines are top of the line. I have owned both the discovery 1100, 3300 and a whites prizm. I was not as happy with the discovery as I was with the Prizm. go online to http://www.whiteselectronics.com and find yourself a local dealer. The suggested retail price on the website is much more than you will actually pay. Plus a dealer will throw in a nice bonus package as well. If you really want a great deal though, go online to http://www.ebay.com and look up garrett ace 250. You can get one with no shipping for 199.99 with a carrying bag, and headphones at no extra charge. Check it out its your best bet either way.

 

[cedarratt]

I would say buy a bounty hunter, they work well and are cheaper and the differnt sized coils are cheaper too. I however wouldnt buy one from Radio Shack I would go for one of ebay. Just check for good feed back. You can get a better detector for cheaper. Good luck.

 

[PAmike]

I am going to give the local Whites dealer a visit in the next 2 days. I can get a demo and some good info on the whies detectors. not to mention a free book while i'm there, lol. I checked out whites site and the prizm line looked good.

mike

 

[Jim Cal]

Personally I would buy the Garrett ACE 250 or one of the White's Prizm detectors in that price range but that having been said a lot of people on this forum are using BH detectors and finding lots of valuable and interesting stuff. I just have a preference for Garrett and White's. I started out with an inexpensive detector and found lots of coins, jewelry, and misc. but when I upgraded to a better machine I found the treasure hunting experience much more enjoyable. Buy the most detector you can afford and get a good set of headphones with separate volume controls and practice, practice, practice. Before long you will be finding lots of stuff. Good luck and happy hunting! Jim Cal

 

[PAmike]

I was checking out the detrectors on ebay and found these. Please check them out and tell me what you think of them.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67777&item=5753963537


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67777&item=5754507390

thanks in advance

mike

 

[Darod]

I would stay away from both of these that you linked.

Read this post:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,7461.0.html

Good Luck on your decision,

Rod

 

[AU79]

Ok here is my 2 cents, Go down to Big 5 and get a $99 Bounty Hunter, learn the basics, grab the stuff that is 1-6 inchs down, then when you think you worked those areas over really good, trade up to a more expensive detector and go over the same area again This just some of the things i found with my $99 BH.

 

[PAmike]

I was leaning towards the Ace 250 but wanted some other input. What is the deal with ground balancing? is it good or bad? I am selling a good chunk of my personal collection of silver coins on ebay so I can buy one but I have to keep it in the right price range. so far they are selling for $200.

mike

 

[PAmike]

check out Big 5 for yourself. they do not have any locations in PA. I live in PA hece the name PAmike. I already tried that. I also am considering buying a BH tracker IV at dunhams for $120. or I could get the same thing from wally world or kmart for the same price.

mike

 

[wodd]

? ? ? ? ? ? ? Hey PAmike welcome,
? ? ? ? I am new to all of this myself and I purchased a Prizm ll and its a good detector. Bought mine for $199 you can get it for that at Whiteseletronics.com I think until the end of March. I found a fair amount of clad with it and today I also found my first gold necklace with a cross hanging from it. It's a simple detector to use , mind you I have never used one before. The I.D. on it is pretty accurate, the only thing I wish I had is a deph scale but to me it's not worth and x-tra $100 dollars.
? ? ? ?Also you might want to check out the Bounty Hunters alot of people really like them and if it was a little different where I live I could have got one myself. Now I'm not nocking the higher end detectors but for what I am doing with mine right now, its a good enough detector.
? ? ? ? Learn to metal detect first thats what I am doing......
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?WODD.....

 

[dave-enc]

PAMike,

I believe the ground balance on the Ace 250 is fixed, there is no gorund balancing involved with it
keep us posted of your decisions
hh

 

[jeff of pa]

I think the word your looking for Dave is "AUTOMATIC" Ground Balance. ? not shure myself if its Manual or Auto, but I'm wagering Auto.

 

[michinkae]

The Ace 250 is run by a micro processing unit that automatically cancels any ground minerals. The only manual control you have over ground balance is with the sensitivity setting. Its like I said before, the only detector for under $200 that is worth that price is the WHITES PRIZM II. Check it out and you won't be dissapointed. I have owned two bounty hunters and three whites. I can tell you right now that you cant go wrong with the whites detectors. I should also add that Bounty Hunter has no resale value what so ever. If you want to upgrade you will have a tough time selling your bounty hunter. Whites has an acceptional resale value, especially with its TRANSFERABLE 2 YEAR WARRANTY that you can take anywhere with you. Bounty hunter just doesn't cut the mustard all around. You will be happier with a WHITES trust me. Garrett ACE is a close second in my opinion.

 

[lonewolfe]

Save your $$ up for a while and buy a "Real Machine" - you'll be far better off in the long run, find a lot more stuff, and you'll enjoy it a lot more!

 

[bakergeol]

Every time this question is asked we really have two camps here. We have the low end? BH? type of users who really like their machines. Then we have the more experienced advanced users who use mid to high end machines. Each of these camps is dead certain in their beliefs. I am in the Lowbatts/Lonewolfe camp of obtaining a good used mid range machine or save up for a new mid range machine. I see lots of bargains on good used detectors when I visit my local dealer. If you remain in this hobby YES you will upgrade in time so just buy a good used midrange model which you don't need to upgrade. If you don't remain in this hobby you can quickly sell that used midranged detector quickly for close to what you paid for it. You ever look to see how many BH's are on E-Bay?

By the way although differences in performances between Mid range and High end may be minor- They are dramatic compared to low end machines.- Depth- ability to work around iron ID etc. Your initial low end machine may serve you well for the present but how about the future? Perhaps you will tire of digging shallow clad and jewelry and simply need a detector for? maximun depth for CW relics, seated coinage,relics, etc.

George

 

[PAmike]

I called Garrets today to find a local dealer, they said wisconsin is the closest to PA. I called my local white's dealer also. He said come in and he will give me a demo. I am going in either tomorrow or saturday depending on the weather. I will probably go with a white's prizm II because I can get local service and because I can not get that from garretts.

mike