Another: Which Detector Should I Purchase Question

[Ham]

I'm looking for a new metal detector to purchase. Here is my criteria.

1. $300 maximum to spend.
2. Will be using it for beach & shallow water hunting only. (wet & dry sand)
3. Light weight & if possible (but not necessary) the capability of breaking down (backpack) for travel & storage purposes.

 

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[dustytrails123]

Dowsing rods on ebay get the copper tips there the best

 

[dmaki1988]

i would go with the teknetics delta 4000, im not sure if it van be run in water but its super light and u get pretty good depth with it. its also a very good coin hunter, well worth the money.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I'm looking for a new metal detector to purchase. Here is my criteria.

1. $300 maximum to spend.
2. Will be using it for beach & shallow water hunting only. (wet & dry sand)
3. Light weight & if possible (but not necessary) the capability of breaking down (backpack) for travel & storage purposes.

Your not going to find a salt water beach detector that you can run in the water for $300 that is worth anything unless you luck out and find a good used one, and even then you want find even a good used one for $300.... Salt water beach detecting is a whole different ball game from ground, the salt minerals will drive a detector not designed for the salt water nuts... Wet sand is same as in the water, the salt minerals will drive it nuts...... If you want to hunt in the salt water or on the wet salt sand you need to spend close to $500 and that is for a used beach detector....


Your also going to need a good scoop, they are not cheap either.....

 

[donlor]

i agree with Treasure_Hunter except for this caveat - i have read of people being satisfied with their DetectorPro Headhunter which you should be able to get used at a reasonable price. i have NEVER used one so i am only saying what i have read.
yes, you will also have to have a good scoop.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

i agree with Treasure_Hunter except for this caveat - i have read of people being satisfied with their DetectorPro Headhunter which you should be able to get used at a reasonable price. i have NEVER used one so i am only saying what i have read.
yes, you will also have to have a good scoop.

I did not name it because I have seen too many people who bought it and were not happy with it at all.. Ratio was easily 5+ to 1 who did not like it... Same with the Cobra and Viper only that Ratio is 10-1 or higher....

If someone truly is interested in hunting the salt water beaches they need a good salt water beach detector....Used they will start about $450, starting with the Whites Beach Hunter ID, AT PRO, and have seen Tesoro Sand Shark for $450, no knock against them but they are the ones I usually find starting in the $400+ range....

I have an Excal I picked up for $575 used, hard wired a WOT coil used for $90, and built my own straight shaft for it for under $30....Have a total of $600 in it and I am still using it 2.5 years later....

I have another Excal that has the SEF 12x15" Butterfly coil hard wired on it and I got it for $800 used shipped to my door... I have a Sovereign GT I got new for $800, I gave $400 cash and traded in my Beach Hunter ID that was leaking, it has coil options of a SEF 15x18" Butterfly coil, 15" WOT coil and the stock 10' Minelab coil for it to choose from...

Beach hunting is hard enough with good equipment, I can't with good concious tell someone to start off with poor equipment....

 

[TerryC]

When you're talking wet and dry sand, you are no doubt talking salt water areas. Those areas are the domain of the PI machines. How about 300 and then another 300 for the machines... for starters. TTC

 

[U.K. Brian]

Just do without "proper" discrimination and get a secondhand pulse machine from Whites (Surfmaster Pi) or C-Scope (6Pi or 4 Pi). All can be picked up cheap. Few controls so little chance of ignoring targets by incorrect adjustment. A degree of discrimination by audio depending on the shape of the target.

The Whites are waterproof and have headphones hard wired in, the cheaper C-Scopes are not and you would have to buy phones so the prices could work out similar. Then for a discriminator buy a good land machine not one of the "jack of all trades, master of none ones"

 

[Joven76]

Hello all... I have a question in regards to this thread... I admit, I am a newbie and I thought I did my research into purchasing a machine to start with, and went with a Fisher F2 which I will have tomorrow... However feel I may have jumped the gun a bit on that purchase... I'm primarily going to use this machine on land, but being about an hour and a half from the NC coast, I would like it to be able to do some beach hunting as well... What would be a good mid-range machine that multi-purposed... Are the beach detectors able to be used on land or will I need to purchase another MD to be used on the beach Should I try to return the F2 and get something a bit better

Any advice is greatly appreciated...

 

[Sandman]

Ham, you are not going to find a good beach detector for that money, read what everyone said.

Joven76, since most of your time will be hunting land, I'd stick with the F2. It will work well in all the dry sand for lost coins and jewelry too. It will not be good in the wet saltwater sand because of falsing. Many say a Garrett AT PRO is OK at the salt beaches, but I wouldn't use one. For just the occasional trips to the beach you'll make, try to get a Tesoro Sand Shark used. Its very deep and won't be bothered by the salt concentrations in the wet sand.

Both of you read my signature below.

 

[U.K. Brian]

Can't you get an old Sovereign or CZ5 or 6 in the States for $300 ? In Europe they run at $300 to $400 and the starting price for new detectors can be 50% or more higher which keeps the secondhand price up in turn. Keep out of the water but following the tide out and use low tides to get you on most of the beach that the waders are working. Use the gold then to upgrade to a waterproof machine later if you still want to.

 

[Joven76]

Joven76, since most of your time will be hunting land, I'd stick with the F2. It will work well in all the dry sand for lost coins and jewelry too. It will not be good in the wet saltwater sand because of falsing. Many say a Garrett AT PRO is OK at the salt beaches, but I wouldn't use one. For just the occasional trips to the beach you'll make, try to get a Tesoro Sand Shark used. Its very deep and won't be bothered by the salt concentrations in the wet sand.

Both of you read my signature below.

Thanks for the tip... That's kind of what I thought... But as for my other question, I know I'm just learning and that an F2 is a good starter machine, however I want to make sure I'm getting the most bang for my buck... Is the F2 the best choice for me or should I have gotten a different unit