Advice appreciated.

[Prime]

Hi I'm new here and new to metal detecting. I'm trying to read up all I can about it before I buy my first metal detector and I feel overwhelmed with all this information. Going to each individual company's site doesn't make things much clearer, just more confusing. I have about 1000$ to spend and based on what I have read here are my 3 options : White's DFX, Minelab Explorer II, and Garrett GTI2500(if anyone has other products to throw in here, please go ahead). I will read up on this topic but I thought asking people for their advice is a good idea. Everyone on each forum seems to be all over the place, nobody has posted a solid comparison of the pros and cons of all of those 3(atleast I haven't seen it)and something like that would be helpful All help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

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[bleep]

minelabs a good choice. very expensive though.

 

[boomer]

study this

Prime, welcome, there are so many ads and of course each one is the best. i have used several brands and most are vary simular. some will say go with a detector that has a life-time warrenty. but detector
technology is out running The buyer. what you buy today will be obsolete
in two to five years. so, if you buy one that has a 3 to five year warrenty is fine. Below, tesoro has a site that can help with deciding which detector is best for your needs and its unbiased. at the top of the page click on FAQ and you will find all the info you need on finding the one best for your needs. good luck. boomer

Tesoro Metal Detectors - Official company web site with metal detector models for treasure hunting land or water.
Lightweight metal detector models for treasure hunting, coins, relics, gold, silver, artifacts, diving, beach combing. ... endeavor to meet our goal of making TESORO Metal Detectors today's undisputed masters of treasure hunting." (Jack ...
www.tesoro.com

 

[bakergeol]

Prime
You didn't tell us where you are located and what you plan on using the detector for.
Usually when we get requests like this everyone joins in with their favorite model. Basically everybody is right because we have an incredible selection of great detectors. Remember you need to buy something you like not someone else's favorite. That is why newbies should try out various detectors at your local dealers' shop.
Of your choices I have only used the Expl 11(sold it for a better detector-for my uses)- my bias would be on this one. However, it has too much weight and an extremely long learning curve.

As one of your choices is a Garrett
I would wait until Garrett releases it's new detector in June(No, no one knows what it will be). It is possible that this new technology will be superior to your 3 choices-Who knows?

George

 

[Prime]

Thanks for the welcome. I'm sorry I should have posted more information, so here it is. I live in Ontario and I want to use my metal detector for relic hunting as well as coin, jewelry etc and some prospecting since I live in an area that has had gold in the past. If I understand it correctly, the higher a frequency the better when it comes to prospecting. Is that right? And does more frequency translate to a necessarily better detector? Like the minelab with its 28 frequencies. I should point out that I don't want to use my detector for lakes or salt water environments, so that narrows it down a bit.

Thanks again,

Prime.

 

[Ocean7]

'White's DFX, Minelab Explorer II, and Garrett GTI2500- nobody has posted a solid comparison of the pros and cons of all of those 3.'

well you'll find most people say the detector they are using is the best or why would they bother using it? You won't see such a comparison on forums because people don't sink $3000 into owning all 3 top brand, top level detectors. You won't see treasure magazines doing this comparison either because they have to be nice to their biggest advertisers.

I'd find out what seems to be working in your area. What do the most successful hunters in your area seem to use? Check the forums but ask about your area. See any patterns? Hey Detector A might work great in Texas and not so great in PA due to extremely heavy ground mineralization.

I know a guy from Canada who uses Minelab and does very well with relics, but I'm a EX II user and spend most time hanging on that Findmall forum. If you want URL and his handle just PM me.

Anyway, it comes down to your decision as best as you can make it. I'm not a MD dealer but they come on these forums and tell people what to buy. i think you get my drift. Good luck and hope you pick the right MD for your needs.

 

[Dominoe]

You might think about a Whites MXT, it will do all 3 types of hunting and save you about $300 you can spend on a 13" coil or a 5" coil or maybe both if you catch a good deal on eBay.

The Garrett would be nice with the target size ID then you would know if you were seeing a small iron nail or a large iron pot.

I use an MXT and have not tried anything else, but my research was geared towards the same Garrett or the MXT with the same budget to spend. Keep your eyes on eBay and maybe find a Garrett with the 9 and 12" coils ready to go or maybe even get that occasional package that has the two box setup in for the same price. It's rare but I almost won one.... Damn snipers.

Dom...

 

[bakergeol]

Prime
Actually as you want to go prospecting with your detector-The three choices you gave are bad. None of those detectors is suitable for prospecting(This is the reason why I sold my Expl 11-not suitable for prospecting).
For gold prospecting the higher the frequency the more sensitive the detector is for very tiny pieces of gold. High frequency detectors like the gold bug2 excel at this.

Forget about the number of frequencies transmitted- it is just marketing hype(received frequencies are important-not transmitted frequencies).

I recommend a White's MXT which can do everything coins, relic and prospecting.(I believe its' circuitry is from the DFX). My Troy Shadow X-5 can do this also. Depth wise I believe it to be superior to the MXT. But as the X-5 does not have a digital display-it is not popular with newbies(Also a lot more expensive-$1000).

Your choices are now very limited if you want to do all your activities-I believe there is a Tesoro model also which can do all three. Name?.

George

 

[Highmountain]

The other thing you might consider if you aren't determined to have a high-dollar, latest model right off:

There have been awfully good metal detectors around for a long time. A few years later technology and hype make them seem outdate and a lot of owners just found metal detecting wasn't for them, so they put it in the closet figuring they'd come back to it. They didn't, and it ended up in a garage sale.

I used to hit a lot of garage sales in Albuquerque and I was always amazed to see machine models I'd payed several hundred dollars for a few years ago going for $5 - $20. A lot of them still had their original boxes with them and the bottoms of the coil showed no scratches or scrapes to indicate they'd ever been used at all.

I think if I was at a place in my life where I was just considering beginning all this I'd buy an assortment of garage sale detectors as cheaply as I could find them and learn to use them, discover my own preferences and level of sustained interest before I went out and bought an expensive machine. Those old ones were the top of their line in the day and we'd all have killed for them.

If they don't have garage sales in Ontario get one of your buds in the US to go scout the garage sales and flea markets for you. If that approach works for you it could give you a feel for a lot of things and get the learning curve out of the way without costing much.

Best,
Jack

 

[goldpanco]

dfx or mxt

if you get either one for prospecting and relic hunting put a jimmy sierria bigfoot on it :lol:

 

[Orien]

Jack i wanna come garage sale hunting with you. I look all the time but never wee detectors around here.

 

[Highmountain]

Jack i wanna come garage sale hunting with you.

Maybe it's a regional thing. On the other hand, when I go garage saling or flea marketing I usually hit them, as many as possible, fast and just as they're putting the stuff out, not much after daybreak. I drive the areas with a lot of sales and as some sleepy looking kid heads for the corner with a sign I zip in for a look.

I don't linger a second longer than I have to to make certain there's nothing of interest to me, and I don't bother with much of anything after 9-10 am, when I figure they've all been pretty well high-graded already.

 

[Teprock]

all the metal detectors you named are good Prime--good luck and welcome! Teprock