Beginner

KatyMarie · Feb 27, 2011

I really want to start treasure hunting! I have looked online at a few beginner metal detectors and found the site below http://metaldetectorszone.com/metal_detector_for_beginners.php

I was wondering if someone could help me out and tell me what the best detector would be for me.

Thanks!

donj · Feb 27, 2011

I'm told the garretts ace series is a very good place to start. welcome to metal detecting.

crazyjarhead · Feb 27, 2011

First of all let me welcome you to TNET. I guess it depends on you and your budget. The Ace 250 is a great starter machine that is easy to use. They sell for about 200 bucks and some change. There are quite a few within the 3-500 dollar range. Check out Kellyco and also don't forget to check out some other memebrs/dealers on here. You can read there profiles from other buyers, etc. Scroll down to near the bottom. Beware though of buying from another "unknown" member. Most are good, however beware ::)

Good luck on your search. Also, there is a wealth of info on here and people will welcome you in :icon_sunny:

FCCDFEd · Feb 27, 2011

Katie, I'm a White's detector man and I would recommend a MXT. I am not sure what type of hunting you will do but the MXT is very versatile. It can hunt the coin/jewelery, the relics, and gold. It can hunt dry beach but is not real good in the water/wet sand. It is very easy to use and learn, with dials, tog switches and a visual meter for determining type of object that might be in the ground. It is also versatile with the coil it can use, bigger coils for more ground coverage and deep targets and small coils for target separation. Brand new they are a little expensive about $700-$800, but there are a lot of good used ones on the market and this forum that are very reasonable. I have included a link which give many brand reports and values for new and used machines. Good luck on your endeavor. You might want to look on the forum and see if there is someone near you that you can tag along with or maybe they will take you under their wing and give you some assistance. I'd be glad to but I'm in Calif. Good luck and keep in touch through the forum.

http://metaldetectorreviews.net/

SeaninNH · Feb 27, 2011

I recently picked up the hobby myself and did a lot of research on detectors under $300.

I decided on the Bounty Hunter Land Star and I'm glad I did. I love it. It's easy to use and I've been finding things. Yesterday I found my first gold ring in the damp sand about 6-8" down.

I can even hunt wet sand with a little ground balance tweak or two.

If I was to start over I'd still take the Land Star as a first machine.

wildman4910 · Feb 27, 2011

Welcome to the hobby.

Here is a link to the Garrett Ace 250

I have a Ace 250 and it is a "turn on and go" machine.

I have been really happy with mine, it works well for the level of machine it is.

If you look in the classifieds here and near you, you can normally find hardly used like new Ace 250's for $125~$200.

Lowbatts · Feb 28, 2011

Jump down the page to the States Forum and hit the Illinois forum. There's a few folks from downstate there and you can always ask to go on a hunt with some of them and even use a machine or two of theirs and see what you like about it.

Then you can decide what kind of metal detecting you want to do, or if you really want to go down the treasure hunting rabbit hole.

Welcome aboard and have fun!

treasurehound · Feb 28, 2011

The ACE 250 is a great starting machine from I have heard about. It is one you can buy and start hunting right away. Then later as you learn your machine and the tones and want to upgrade to a better machine you then can research and decide which would be best for you. Visit some dealers and get a hands on to see which best suits your needs. I would recommend Whites, Minelab, Fisher and Garrett. They all make great machines. See if there is a club in your area as they can help you as well. Welcome to this very addicting hobby and we all can't wait to see your finds.

Dirty Money · Feb 28, 2011

Katie, you didn't say what type of hunting you would like to do. Nor, did you mention a dollar range. If you have the budget, the White's MXT Pro may be the most versatile upper mid-range machine out there. It's easy to start with, and will grow with you as your abilities grow. I would not recommend any of the "top end" machines from any of the companies- too much complexity.

See what you can find from your local dealers, first. If you don't have local access, then check with the forum sponsors.

All the best. Welcome to the hobby.

MrPoptop · Feb 28, 2011

Hey man get the Bounty Hunter IV.
My wife and I got the BH and the Ace 250, in that order.
The Ace is OK with stock coil IF you are in relatively untrashy areas. has better depth then the BH.
The BH has a 2 tone disc setting that u will be able to master in 5 outings or so.
A high recovery rate, Ace is very slow in comparison... this will agravate you....
The BH has a round coil that will make it easy and fast to seperate, estimate depth, and decide to dig.
I can go on and on .. PM me for My Phone Number.
I will talk to you in person.

William123 · Mar 1, 2011

Recommended Beginner Detectors

1.Garrett Ace 250
2. Whites Prizm II
3. Minelab Musketeer
4.Bounty Hunter Tracker IV

http://metaldetectorreviews.net/

joeman · Mar 20, 2011

William123 said:
Recommended Beginner Detectors

1.Garrett Ace 250
2. Whites Prizm II
3. Minelab Musketeer
4.Bounty Hunter Tracker IV

http://metaldetectorreviews.net/

Really?

No Teknetics Alpha or Delta?
No Fisher F2, F4?

I thought that those were all very good entry-level detectors?

Cheers,

ZR2guy · Mar 20, 2011

SeaninNH said:
I recently picked up the hobby myself and did a lot of research on detectors under $300.

I decided on the Bounty Hunter Land Star and I'm glad I did. I love it. It's easy to use and I've been finding things. Yesterday I found my first gold ring in the damp sand about 6-8" down.

I can even hunt wet sand with a little ground balance tweak or two.

If I was to start over I'd still take the Land Star as a first machine.

I wish I still had my Land Star.A very good MD ,very underrated.

clovis97 · Mar 20, 2011

I'm brand new to this hobby, and just got an Ace 250.

It is an awesome machine. I haven't found much yet after just 3 days, but I can't believe how deep this machine will find stuff. We dug a pull tab at 8 inches!!!!

The one thing I really like is that it is ready to go out of the box.

clovis97 · Mar 20, 2011

Most importantly, contact http://WWW.WOODLANDDETECTORS.COM.

He posts here...super duper nice guy that actually cares about his customers and customer service...you can't go wrong with them.

Smudge · Mar 20, 2011

Boy Katie, are you going to get a lot opinions on that question!

If you want a display screen, the Ace 250 would be the way to go. Personally, I don't care for screens too much because they lie to you too much.

If I were you and hunting on a very limited budget, I'd probably buy a Tesoro Silver UMax. They're inexpensive and there's a lot of different coils you can use with it. Very easy to learn, very light weight, and its backed by a lifetime warranty.

The only other items you need are a pouch of some kind (a nail apron from Home Depot will do nicely) and a small digger for retrieving targets.

If you have money left over, you ought to seriously consider getting a pinpointer. Garrett makes a great one for under $130, which sounds like a lot, but its one of those accessories that make this hobby a lot more enjoyable.

Good luck to you!

Dirty Money · Mar 23, 2011

Smudge is right. There are lots of opinions. And we all know what opinions are like. :laughing9:

So lets start a little differently.

Ask yourself what kind of items do you want to find? These can be things like coins, old coins, jewelry, historical items (relics), caches of coins and valuables, and metal nuggets (prospecting).

Then ask yourself where you plan to do most of your hunting. Are you going to stay primarily in a town (urban hunting), in your county (urban and field hunting), on beaches or in water (fresh or salt? - it makes a difference) or do you plan to travel all over the country or the world?

Now, does what you want to find conflict with where you want to hunt? For example, urban hunting and prospecting don't go together well. Neither does beach hunting in the desert. :laughing7:

Next, think about how much you want to spend on a detector. That's the detector. You can easily spend hundreds in additionals such as head phones ($30-150), digging knife (trowel) ($30-40[don't go cheap] , pin pointer (don't go cheap there, either. Garrett is probably the best hand held [$120-140]), carry case, etc.

Once you've narrowed things down a bit, talk to your local dealers. Don't like the local guys for whatever reason? Then check with the forum sponsors or pm me for the name of the shop I use.

Hope this helps you a little. And. no, I didn't get into the brands spitting match. We all have personal preferences, and you get to develop yours all on your own. But at least you know how to start. :icon_thumleft:

All the best with your new hobby and Happy Hunting.

Dave

cntrydncr1 · Mar 23, 2011

welcome to this addicting hobby. I used the 250 for several years as a newbie and was very happy with it. It paid for itself many times over with jewelry and coin finds.