Best detector for a mostly blind person?

[eddie13]

Trying to research what the best detector would be to buy as a present for my legally blind uncle..

He is able to do things like mow grass and snowblow but not tell a $5 bill from a $100 kind of blind..

For many reasons I think he might like metal detecting.. Worth a shot to give him something to do he may enjoy..
He is very active, loves to work hard, goes on long walks, healthy and strong, highly values antiques, etc..

So far myresear h is leading me to believe that the mine lab sovereign series detectors would be best for him, detecting completely by sound (VDI by sound), knobs he can feel (I can put bumps on the knobs and display he he can set by feel)..

What do you guys think?
I think I am looking to buy a sovereign..
Any other good ideas?

 

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[RTR]

I think any MD that 'sounds off' on a target ( and use a headset) will work. Bury some targets like clad coins/lead/silver coins/Alum cans/iron pieces. The use of "Sound" is the a good tool while detecting.After a while he'll know what it is just by the sound.

 

[gunsil]

Sovereign hasn't been made for many years, you cannot get a new one and all used ones are waaay out of warranty. Most detectors have sound and visual target ID and most who have been at it a while use the sounds rather than the visual ID. There are quite a few good entry level detectors out there like the Minelab Vanquish or the Nokta Simplex. They both have audio and visual target ID and will likely be more useful than the old Sovereign and cost less new than a used Sovereign.

 

[eddie13]

But they have so many settings on them you have to see to use..

One accidental button push and he would be lost in settings menus forever..

He doesn’t live near us and will be on his own for the most part..

Something with NO screen..

 

[SIPridgeDIG]

Trying to research what the best detector would be to buy as a present for my legally blind uncle..

He is able to do things like mow grass and snowblow but not tell a $5 bill from a $100 kind of blind..

For many reasons I think he might like metal detecting.. Worth a shot to give him something to do he may enjoy..
He is very active, loves to work hard, goes on long walks, healthy and strong, highly values antiques, etc..

So far myresear h is leading me to believe that the mine lab sovereign series detectors would be best for him, detecting completely by sound (VDI by sound), knobs he can feel (I can put bumps on the knobs and display he he can set by feel)..

What do you guys think?
I think I am looking to buy a sovereign..
Any other good ideas?

The nokta legend has textured icon buttons, a big screen with adjustable brightness, a bunch of different audio settings (volume, pitch, tone, & you can set the type of sounds to the particular vdi numbers, also has an adjustable vibrating setting that u can feel in handle when u detect over something

 

[cudamark]

Where would he be detecting? Park? Beach? Shallow water? Nugget hunting? There's something to be said for using an Excalibur when it comes to simplicity, but, it doesn't pin point well for park use, and it's a bit heavy for that purpose too. At the beach and in the water, it's a great sound machine. As mentioned there are all sorts of new machines on the market now that are light and easy to use for us sighted people, but, legally blind might be a problem going through menu systems. Keep in mind that even knob machines need to be adjusted and unless he has a fantastic memory, it may be an exercise in frustration to turn the proper knob and get things set properly. Most of the cheap turn-on-and-go machine aren't worth using IMO, but, they may be the only option for a new machine. Used....Tesoro made many sound only machines, some of which were very simple to use. The main problem is that company is out of business now, so, getting repairs may be a challenge if you get a used one that needs work.

 

[ROBOTCOP13]

A Minelab Excalibur which is electronically a waterproof Sovereign is still in production.
The older excals are pretty plentiful and commonly modified on long shafts, different larger coils and more comfortable headphones. A concern is that the wire insulation peels off over time on the stock coils and headphones so they are commonly upgraded with aftermarket coils and headphones. A mod can be done called a pinpoint mod which adds a button to switch between all metal and discrimination modes but there is already a knob for that purpose. The control pod has 6 large knobs in a straight line but once set up you don't need to constantly adjust them. Pretty much just turn on and go. The battery pod is next to the control pod and recharging the battery is done with a simple connector with a position point to avoid misconnecting it. The long shaft allows you to mount the pods on the shaft behind the elbow to help counterbalance the coil on the other end. The tones are easy to understand, iron can be nulled out in discrimintion mode.
The machines hold their value and already modified units are around probably for $800 to $1000.

 

[eddie13]

He is around today so I had him play with my pinpointer and he said something “that’s what I hear on TV!” Watching that oak island show, the garret carrot sounds..

He was kindof struck about us wanting to do something like that for him and was all humble about it..

He didn’t want to say that he loves the idea because he doesn’t want and expect people to spend money on him, but we could all tell that he really liked the idea and I even said as such and he didn’t deny it..

So yeah.. It’s on!


His property has like ancient farm fieldstone foundation ruins on it so his property will be a great place to detect..
And he also walks to a park somewhat near his house..


What’s the big deal about something being out of production and not having a warranty?
To a person like me this is near meaningless if not desirable..

I have never once bought a cat new enough to be in production and in warranty..
I’d rather take the risk than eat the depreciation..

I am perfectly fine looking for a used older detector that fits the bill and if it breaks, I don’t care..

 

[cudamark]

It's not only that some of them are out of production, it's that the company no longer exists, so, parts and repair may be non-existant.