A good entry level detector??

[cedrusdeodara]

I have a treasure hunting buddy that peaked my interest in metal detecting and I am considering purchasing a decent detector this spring. I plan to work beaches, ruin sites, etc, not lakes or wet spots. I would like something that can distinguish molecular weights/metal types. I am confused by the ranges in price. My friend recommended Minelab, and I've searched their models. I guess my basic question is this: What am I getting when going from a $500 detector to a $1200 one? Is it depth sesitivity? Ability to distinguish gold and other precious metals from non-valuable ones? THanks for any help members can provide. I am a newby, so sorry if my question seems lame. I want a detector that can distinguish precious metals from ferrous and aluminum, and I don't want to break the bank.
Regards,
Brian

 

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[Terry Soloman]

I have a treasure hunting buddy that peaked my interest in metal detecting and I am considering purchasing a decent detector this spring. I plan to work beaches, ruin sites, etc, not lakes or wet spots. I would like something that can distinguish molecular weights/metal types. I am confused by the ranges in price. My friend recommended Minelab, and I've searched their models. I guess my basic question is this: What am I getting when going from a $500 detector to a $1200 one? Is it depth sesitivity? Ability to distinguish gold and other precious metals from non-valuable ones? THanks for any help members can provide. I am a newby, so sorry if my question seems lame. I want a detector that can distinguish precious metals from ferrous and aluminum, and I don't want to break the bank.
Regards,
Brian

Hello and welcome Brian! Guess what? You want a machine that does not yet exist! There are no commercially available metal detectors that can tell gold from aluminum or lead. You pay more money when you jump from a single-frequency VLF (very low frequency) detector like a Minelab X-terra 505 (which sukks on wet saltwater sand), to a multi-frequency detector like the Minelab Safari (Which works great on wet saltwater sand). There is no one machine that does it all, and most of us have several for different terrain and targets.

Here are five "Beginners" metal detectors - all Single-frequency VLF models

 

[Critical Recovery]

Welcome!

And you posed a hard question,but the only "bad" question is one you are afraid to ask and do not.

I will give the "standard warning"

Coming to a site dedicated to something that requires a certain type of equipment made by different manufacturers is bound to never end well.

It's like going to a car site and asking "which is the best car"
You will get 40 different answers. they will all be right and they all be wrong.

You DID lay out some good specifics though,and it will help...

But to help you further: What is your level of technical proficiency with electronic objects? and, do you get frustrated easily or are you patient?

Pretty much ANY detector over 200.00 will be able to distinguish precious metal from say, iron. But some people WANT iron....

Minelabs ARE "nice" but you can get the same performance in a lot of conditions for less money...
And sadly, the "gold/aluminum" question is the plague of the MD community.
Sure, EVERYBODY will "claim" that they can "pick the good stuff."


But I will give ONE tip:
Don't believe ANYTHING til you can test a machine and run it with someone who has used it.
Don't believe the ads.

 

[DizzyDigger]

HI Brian: Terry has provided an excellent video on basic, entry level machines. He explains the
basic features of each, and how they relate to finding more goodies. As you noted, most of these
entry level entry level machines are under $500.

Moving up from a entry level machine (I understand your budget is $500-$1200?) you can
really make some big improvements in performance. Here's a few in that price range that
are not complicated to use, and will give you much greater depth and discrimination
capabilities over the entry level machines. These can detect smaller gold items than the
entry level machines along with finding deeper coins and relics .

Minelab (as your buddy suggested) makes many outstanding machines, and there are a
couple in your price range that have had excellent performance reviews, and are considered
to be some of the best machines out there being used by entry level and very experienced
TH'ers as well. They deliver outstanding performance at prices under $1000.

(Links provided are all from a very reputable Treasurenet sponsor, so don't hesitate to
call him if you have questions!)

Garrett AT Gold - Hottest selling machine right now (probably due to the "Diggers" show). @ $679

Minelab X-Terra 705 - I was seriously considering this machine for use in nugget hunting,
but it is also an outstanding coin and relic hunter. There are several optional coils for this
machine, and it's right up there with the best of the "all around" machines. @ $729 (with extra goodies)

Teknetics T2 - A very well rounded machine that has proven itself well. @ $729.00

All three of those would not likely be considered as "entry level" units, but they are not complicated to operate, and as you
gain experience (most important!) they will lead you to deeper goodies that many of the entry level machines might have missed.

You're doing the homework, and I'm sure any of the smaller dealers noted in the "sponsors" section would
be happy to spend some time talking with you about making the best selection. I know (from personal
experience) that Bart at Big Boys Hobbies will explain the differences to you (in understandable terms)
and also give you superb service, and that is why I've included his links, above.

Whether you choose to go with a low-cost entry level machine or one of the better machines <$1000, there is little
doubt you are going to have some great hunts in your future, and many exciting finds to go with it!

 

[gleaner1]

You never know what you got til you dig it. No matter how much you spend. No matter how many years you been tectin.

 

[bigfoot1]

I agree with the above posters...all good advice.Perhaps you may be able to rent several and decide which suits you best.The best machine in the world sucks if you hate the sound it makes...lol...oh and welcome

 

[Frankn]

There is no detector that can accurately tell you what type of metal you have in the ground. The closest you can get is a PI detector with a coil that has a magnetometer built in and this is only going to tell you if it is iron or another metal, not which one. That is a $3K setup. You might consider a used, top of the line detector. You don't sound like someone that would be happy with a starter detector. There is a detector that can identify each metal, but it is huge and belongs to Uncle Sam. Frank...

 

[dieselram94]

Yup, I agree with Frank. You don't sound like you would be happy with any of the cheaper entry level machines. But I also think you are chasing something that is unobtainable. Perfect target ID is just not going to happen. Best thing you can do is dig everything...

 

[bevo]

The most important tool in detectin, is desire.Plus, these guys are tellin it like it is.

 

[dieselram94]

The most important tool in detectin, is desire.Plus, these guys are tellin it like it is.

I have to agree bevo, desire is more important than any feature or coil.

 

[DizzyDigger]

So true! Desire and Determination are the keys..

I think Coolidge said this best:

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more
common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost
a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

Calvin Coolidge​

 

[racer117]

I have a few detectors,and I have sold a few detectors. I liked the Ace for that price range detector. It seems when you are looking for information on detectors ,the Ace 250 seems to be favorite of most. whites coinmaster was also good, I also owned a Teknetics alpha.It was not my personal favorite,but it did find as much as the others. I think the Ace series are easier to sell when you upgrade for some reason.for a first detector,that would be my choice.

 

[Viddy]

Good points posted here....

A lot with detecting is a 'give and take' regarding distinguishing, depth, etc.... Once you start turning OFF targets not to beep on, like pull tabs or aluminum foil, you turn OFF targetslike small rings or nickels. If you want a HUGE coil to cover mass ground, then you struggle in the trashy areas. Just like if you get a small 5" coil, you trade depth for finding the small rewards in between the garbage. know what I mean?

The big jump in price is usually for more depth, seperating good targets from bad targets, and bells & whistles (like back-lighting, customizing options, beach mode, waterproof, etc.).

Single frequency....some entry level and mid-level machines do better than others. I had an F2 that was rough on the beaches of North Carolina. I have the AT Pro which was great on the beach and I even had it in the saltwater surf with no problems.

I owned/used all 3 machines that DizzyDigger mentioned. Great machines around $700 price-point range. The Minelab 705 was probably one of the most accurate and fun machines I owned. Changing frequencies by changing the coils was a bonus, as well as it was very accurate on the target numbers (VDi) consistently. The AT Pro is my backup machine, probably for a long time. It's a tank that is great in Pro Mode. The T2 was fun too plus it is like a Ferrari. Very fast recovery speed, very deep, very light. It was very chatty, but that is because you can run it HOT HOT HOT!

Anything under $700, I'd consider the ACE line, especially the Ace350. Light, great target seperation, and the DD coil on it is awesome.
Anything over $700, I'd consider the Etrac or the V3i. I used an Minelab Etrac last year, 6 days a week, beat it to death, and it was a beast! Great on the beach too since it is a multi-frequency machine and it auto ground balances itself. I got a White's V3i for this year, and so far it is very very impressive! The options and customization and color HD screen are amazing.

Almost all of the big manufacturers know the value of customer service in this competitive market and I have yet to be unhappy with anyone I dealt with or talked to from Minelab, Garrett, White's, Tesoro, or Fisher/Technetics.

What's more important than how much you spend on a machine is how well you learn your machine. I remember having my $200 Fisher F2 and meeting a guy at a park with a $1200+ machine he just got. He spent 1/2 his hunt time adjusting the settings and I am not sure he knew what he was even adjusting. I ran my F2 as hot as it would go, and knew the VDI (target number display) very well, and knew the sounds/responses very well from the F2. I dug up 3 TIMES as many finds than him that day in the park. PLUS!... I had a good pinpointer and digger (Lesche and ProPointer) which helped as he only had a big shovel.

Get a good pinpointer and digger.... less time spend digging and searching a hole = more time finding more good targets....

 

[63bkpkr]

Terry,
Nice job! In my opinion I think any newbie that watches your video should send you a dollar bill just to say thank you for taking the time to put that presentation together.............63bkpkr

 

[George (MN)]

The Garrett AT Pro for $600 or less new is a great deal. Just about as soon as I had the manual ground balance set properly, I got a very tilted quarter. Next, a loud beep reading 8" deep with ID #s 80-85, the proper range for dimes. Many passes over it before I dug, it just couldn't get the ID wrong & I had a clad dime at 7". This in a very heavily detected park, with ground hard & dry & moderately mineralized. Was using sensitivity 7 out of 8.

I used the E-Z to learn STD mode, coins program, iron completely rejected (40). I got a shallow nickel that only jumped 52-53 (correct ID). Turned on iron ID after digging it & the nickel had been surrounded by 5 pieces of iron! It can even tell the difference between dimes (80-85) & copper pennies (which read upper 70s-low 80s). Most detectors bounce all over or lock on to silver dollar or iron when deep in mineralized soil. The very few pieces of trash I dug were nearly all small round items, one of them a button. Most prefer the Pro mode, which can separate even closer if some iron is rejected, even get a coin under a nail sometimes.

A neat feature of the tone ID is a zinc penny has a high tone one way, & on the return sweep a middle tone, so no need to even see the screen numbers. The ID seems more consistent in the STD mode, at least when I air tested. Air tests 10" on dime, all high tones in STD, high & mid tones in PRO. I have a Minelab Safari & it will detected a dime in air test to 11.5" but it goes to nearly all low tones at near that distance, sensitivity 17 out of 20. Best wishes & HH, George (MN)

 

[liftloop]

terry is one sided
when will he learn theirs more detectors out there than the one he posts
I would look in too a white's detector
you won't go wrong they make 18 of them so you have a lot to choose from
I would stay a way from any that are made by" you got it"... first Texas instruments the ace 2 fiddy will eat battery like there candy I was told.....

 

[OUTCOME1]

teknetics delta 4000!!!!! just get it!!!

 

[Native Floridian]

I heard that the Garrett AT Gold comes with a metal detecting glossary so not only can you find the treasure like the Pro's on Diggers, you can sound like them too!!!!

Metal detectors are much like any other product in that there are basic models and then highly optioned models. And, like those other products, more money doesn't buy you more or better performance. it buys you more bells and whistles. Just as a $1000 conventional oven won't cook the Thanksgiving turkey any faster than a $300 oven, it may give you more information to make that job a little easier or less frustrating. Once you get to about the $500 price point in metal detectors you've bought about all the detecting power there is to buy. From there it's all about meter info and computer programs. One detector even comes with GPS tracking. Good if you need it, a waste of money if you don't.

There are some things to pay attention to. Some detectors are better suited to certain tasks, for finding certain types of metals. While all detectors will find any type of metal, some are better suited for gold than for coins. Others are better for relics etc etc etc. Research - do your homework. Then print out a list of top candidates, pin that list to a dartboard and have a throw. There are no wrong choices once at that point. All of the detectors on that list will get the job done.

 

[Native Floridian]

As you do your research you will find yourself faced with unanswerable questions. Questions only experience can answer. Like do you need ground balancing. Hmm, maybe you don't, but you are screwed if you buy a non balancing unit and you do need that feaure. So, things like that will pop up in your search.

 

[cedrusdeodara]

Wow! So many great responses to my newbie question. I guess I have some research to do! This is a great forum, thanks for all the advice. I'll check the sponsors page before buying. Thanks again everyone.