4 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

Magic Fingers · Mar 2, 2008

4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

I will be buying my first MD in a couple of months. I am a shorty and use my arms and hands for work all the time (massage therapist). What are some light weight MDs? Can the length of the MD be shortened or do they come in different lengths?

Thanks,
Donna

SC_hunter · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

Magic, you will find that most all the detectors has adjustable shafts. I have several detectors and my son loves the ease of the Ace 250. Lightweight and turn and go at a very reasonable price...right around 212 bucks more or less. Good luck and hope to see some finds from you in the near future.

Zincoln Miner · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

check out cinder2007 thread on ace or silvermax.

camb1 · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

The Ace is a great low price detector, but also check into the Minelab X-terra Series. They are around 3 to 5 pounds.

Magic Fingers · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

solx nys said:
check out cinder2007 thread on ace or silvermax.

thanks for suggestion I read that thread...nice to hear other opinions

SC_hunter · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

Just figured I would put these pics up so you can see what the face of each looks like. Btw, Umax about 2.2 pounds and the Ace 250 about 2.7..Good luck and just remember...Have fun with whatever you choose.

Magic Fingers · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

Thanks SC

It looks like the ACE is more user friendly to someone who is just starting out or who is a visual learner.

SC_hunter · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

I will open a can of worms..but I agree with you. Swampfox has the umax and the ace 250...ask him which one he uses all the time....it is the ace. Tesoro has a lifetime warranty but most all the larger company's want satisfied customers.

Magic Fingers · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

I just caught the part about how much each weighs. I wonder if .5 lb will make a difference after a few hours....lol

I am not too sure what I will be finding here in Montana. My kids found a few old empty homesteads when we first moved here and brought back lots of old bottles. I will be hitting them up for sure.

EasyMoney · Mar 2, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

The Tesoro Compadre and Silver uMax will work better in a wider variety of soils than the Ace, by far.

The Ace is really a poor idea for Montana, you will not like the squawks, shallow coin detection depth you will often get, and the extra beeps and warbling it makes because of the high iron soils in much of the Western USA. The F-2 will work better than the Ace here too, not by much, but it certainly does handle our bad soil better. It even has an expanded numerical system to isolate nickels from pulltabs, which the Aces do not.

Furthermore, it pinpoints and cherry-pickes better than any Ace and has larger numbers and dispalys on the screen. It weighs about the same, and has been delivered with an additional 4" coil too so far, along with the standard 8" coil. One thing that sets the F-2 and F-4 above the others in those price ranges is that if you swing them a bit faster they will produces better depth in highly mineralized soil. It uses an older style circuitry that allows for this behavior, and most of us old-timers know this by now. The Aces do not have this capability, and in fact will miss targets if searching too fast, just like many Minelabs do.

Experienced detectorists there are supposed to already know all of this, but sometimes they do not..

The x-series Mind=slabs will do ok, but not quite as well as the lower-priced Tesoros in many of the same soil situations. They cost a lot more money too. I have not to this day ever seen a detector that finds as many coins on these nasty high black sand/high salt beaches here in Oregon, as the cheaper priced Tesoros do. The F-2 and F-4 remain to be tested more before any conclusive data can be learned, or accumulated.

Your type of soil is almost the exact same as it is here in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, California, and New Mexico. Soil nearer the eastern seaboard is almost an exact opposite, and the rules of deployment and employment change dramatically. What works well in Ohio or Illinois may very well not work well here in Oregon at all, nor in Montana. On a scale of 1-10 most eastern soil run a 5 or a 6 or even higher on the Fisher Scale, but the soil here in the iron belt runs from a 1 to a 3, more than twice the magnetite (high iron) content. Not a good thing for an Ace 250 or 150.

SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

Tesoro.

I have a DeLeon; it is very light. (about 2.9 lbs)

Don't forget:

TESORO'S LIFETIME WARRANTY

have a good un......
SHERMANVILLE

warsawdaddy · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

I know the Fisher F2 will hit on a very small gold picker at 6" in an air test.It's very light also.$199 w/2 coils.

RON (PA) · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

Magic,

If you are just hunting land and not water, I would reccommend the Tesoro Compadre. If memory serves me correct, it weighs 2.2 pounds and has one knob operation. I use it as my primary land machine and can swing it all day. Hope it helps.

thompy · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

i would look at the fisher f-2 also 5 yr warranty and an extra coil, the minelab xterras are under 3lbs, the extra weight makes a big differance, and as well as how they ballance out, good luck on your choice, all these machines listed are pretty good

Wicked Wanda · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

F2 weighs 2.2 pounds, lot of MD for the price, just got one myself. Great choice I think, I deal with them all day long at work, can't keep them on the shelf.

Pulltab Parson · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

Tesoro Silver uMax!

HH

PTP

Zincoln Miner · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

oh......... yes most detectors have an adjustable shaft.

Gypsy Heart · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

My daughter is a shorty also and loves the Prizm 2....its a big bang for the price and is light \weight and very easy to learn....plus it has a built in pinpointer and really finds the stuff.....I can swing it all day and not get a sore shoulder....I really like it alot.....I have a Bounty Hunter....which would work grerat in Montana...but its heavier and takes some learning to detect the tones....but it will go deep.....

Magic Fingers · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

EasyMoney said:
The Tesoro Compadre and Silver uMax will work better in a wider variety of soils than the Ace, by far.

The Ace is really a poor idea for Montana, you will not like the squawks, shallow coin detection depth you will often get, and the extra beeps and warbling it makes because of the high iron soils in much of the Western USA. The F-2 will work better than the Ace here too, not by much, but it certainly does handle our bad soil better. It even has an expanded numerical system to isolate nickels from pulltabs, which the Aces do not.

Your type of soil is almost the exact same as it is here in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, California, and New Mexico. Soil nearer the eastern seaboard is almost an exact opposite, and the rules of deployment and employment change dramatically. What works well in Ohio or Illinois may very well not work well here in Oregon at all, nor in Montana. On a scale of 1-10 most eastern soil run a 5 or a 6 or even higher on the Fisher Scale, but the soil here in the iron belt runs from a 1 to a 3, more than twice the magnetite (high iron) content. Not a good thing for an Ace 250 or 150.

Thank you easyM, I had not thought of that point. We do have lots of iron. We have an iron filter for our water too.

Magic Fingers · Mar 3, 2008

Re: 4' 11" and need a light weight MD...suggestions?

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I am having knee surgery next week and will use the down time to narrow down which MD I plan on getting. You might see me on here a lot that week....hehehe.

This is an awesome place and everyone is so friendly.