Detector for beach searching

[Cruzthepug]

Detector for beach hunting

Without looking through hundred's of threads, thought I would ask (probably for the millionth time), what's detector should I buy to search on the beach?

My wife and I just recently purchased a condo in Gulf Shores, Alabama and thought it might be fun to buy a detector and do some beach hunting. I've never had a detector before so this will be my first venture into the hobby. I started my search online looking at reviews from different sights and the stumbled across this forum and I've alway been one to get a lot more accurate information from this media than reading written reviews. So far I've picked up that a unit that works good in dry sand does not necessarily work that well in wet sand (or saltwater). With that said, what little I've seen so far points me toward a Garrett Ace 250.

I'm open for suggestions for units to look at and also any accessories I need to get started. I'll probably buy something in the next couple of days as we're heading down to the condo on the 17th. I'm flexible on budget, if I can find something under $300 (i.e. the Ace 250) that's great, but if there is something better for $500 then I would consider that as well, but I think that would be about the top of the budget for a first purchase. I'll buy online and probably start off looking on eBay, unless directed elsewhere.

Thanks in advance for any advice and information. It must be a good omen that I found this site, when I registered the security pic to enter the phrase was "212", that is our condo unit number, I have to be off to a good start.

Thanks again,
Steve

 

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[Billinoregon]

Since you have invested in a beach condo, you will have many, many hours to use your detector. I would also suggest saving for a better, waterproof machine capable of handling wet sand. Anything less and you will likely regret it.

 

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[Cruzthepug]

WOW. thanks for all the replies. My head is hurting looking at all the detectors. Looks like hunting may be like a lot of the other hobbies I've had over the years, in that, you can really spend whatever you want. In the past I'll set my budget and start looking and getting info on what to buy (i.e. this thread). Once I start looking at the item that fits within my budget there is always the next better unit. Everyone knows where I'm at, for just $100 more I can get this one, okay now I've increased my budget, but for another $150 I can get this one........okay budget gone up AGAIN, and now this become a cycle that will never stop. It's not about saving up to buy something better I can buy what ever I want but I've have learned over the years about my obsessive hobby behavior and how I have to plan my attack.

1) my initial buy needs to stay within my initial budget.
2) research and buy all tools needed to get started
3) learn to use what I buy to the best of it's ability

Once I do these things I can decide if this is something that I'll enjoy doing. It may only take as much as finding the first piece that's worth something, but I'll know, and it may turn out that what I first thought I wanted is not really what I need. If it turns out that that I enjoy it (not just hunting, any hobby), then I'll start the process again and buy all the best equipment that money can buy. My wife has always accused me of being overly obsessive about my hobbies, but for me, it's all or nothing. I'll probably order something today, I've got just over a week until our next trip to the condo and would like to have a day or 2 to get to know the machine.

I'll keep y'all posted on what I decide.

Steve

 

[flgliderpilot]

I just sold my Ace 350 for $180 with Digging tool .. that as a great detector for the dry and semi wet sand. You might find something like that. Of course anything will work in the dry sand including the Harbor Freight 9 function detector for $39. That was my first detector and I still have it.

I have a friend who spent $200 on a bounty hunter and has only hunted with me twice in the past 2 years. He's actually the one who got me into metal detecting as a hobby. Except the hobby apparently isn't for him because he's only used his detector 3 times. He was under the impression that he would come home with gold rings. His disappointment kept him from hunting any further. A typical (good) day sand hunting for me has been about 3 bucks in quarters.

$100 in change per year from hunting dry sand is probably average depending on how often and how long you hunt.

 

[jeepGold]

I can pull 100.00 a month in change during the peak warm weather months. Just remember, it only takes ONE ring to pay for it ALL

 

[Cruzthepug]

Alright.......thanks again for all the advise. After all the looking I've ordered a White's Treasure Pro. Here's what I've got to get started.

White's Treasure Pro detector
White's Bullseye II pinpointer
White's headphones
Garrett SS sand scoop
Garrett Edge Digger
Sandgator sand scoop (eBay)

The headphones, sand scoop and digger I picked up at Cabela's this morning, the treasurepro and pinpointer were online so hopefully they will deliver by end of the week. All in for $540.

Let the hunt begin

 

[flgliderpilot]

I can pull 100.00 a month in change during the peak warm weather months. Just remember, it only takes ONE ring to pay for it ALL

Hmmm. The average person can hunt once a weekend and they are probably not going to pull $25 in a day. If you hunted every day you would need to pull $3 per day. Only way you could possibly do that would be to hit a different (not recently detected) beach every day. That's 30 beaches per month. I suppose if you are hunting a beach with parking meters which still accept quarters, your chances of scoring $3 per day are definitely increased. Everything here has been replaced by debit card meters.

Unless of course you are in a country which has $2 coins? How are you pulling $100 a month?! That's a lot of coin!

 

[clv]

Alright.......thanks again for all the advise. After all the looking I've ordered a White's Treasure Pro. Here's what I've got to get started.

White's Treasure Pro detector
White's Bullseye II pinpointer
White's headphones
Garrett SS sand scoop
Garrett Edge Digger
Sandgator sand scoop (eBay)

The headphones, sand scoop and digger I picked up at Cabela's this morning, the treasurepro and pinpointer were online so hopefully they will deliver by end of the week. All in for $540.

Let the hunt begin

Looks like a good start, you should have a tone of fun. The pointer will come in handy for those small target that keep falling thru the holes in the scoop (small junk and the earrings too!)
If you scoop is metal stick a rare earth mag on the inside of the lip area to catch the small steel items, no gluing need just let it do it's thing.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Congrats on your purchase. Welcome to the hobby! Remember to take your trash and fill your holes

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Tesoro tiger shark. Works great in dry sand, salt water and completely under water...diving?

Tesoro Tiger Shark is for fresh water, doesn't work good in salt water, the Tesoro Sand Shark is for salt water..

When you lower the sensitivity your giving up depth and losing depth really hurts on beaches that have the common sugar sand, gold is denser than the sand and sinks deep. If your hunting pebble beaches or beaches with heavy shells it isn't as bad, but beaches that are you normal sugar sand losing that depth loses gold.....

 

[Fernandinabchmder]

A used Garrett Sea Hunter MkII will do the job and keep you in your price range. It's a decent PI machine.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

A used Garrett Sea Hunter MkII will do the job and keep you in your price range. It's a decent PI machine.

If you want to hunt loose change and occasionally a ring or 2 hunt the dry sand, if you want to jewelry hunt then the wet sand and in the water is where you want to be...Garrett Sea Hunter is a good detector but it is a pi and with PIs you will be digging deep for every tiny piece of iron on the beach,...

If you really want to hunt the beach regularly and have the best luck finding gold, increase your budget and get a good true beach detector(VLF) . Buy a Minelab Excalibur, Garrett CZ21 or Beach Hunter 300.... Many don't know or consider it but the resell value on good detectors are high so if you decide you don't like the hobby you can recover at least 70-80% of your investment years later... Excals that are 15 years old still sell for $800 plus, they originally sold for $950 then...

 

[Captain Caveman]

...Garrett CZ21...

Fisher CZ21. Just knitpicking...

 

[mtsheron]

I too am looking to compliment the Fors for when I do beach hunting. I am looking hard at the Tesoro Sand Shark with the PI system. I hear it is better than the Tiger Shark for the salt water. The Tiger works on VLF system whereas the Sand works on PI system.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I too am looking to compliment the Fors for when I do beach hunting. I am looking hard at the Tesoro Sand Shark with the PI system. I hear it is better than the Tiger Shark for the salt water. The Tiger works on VLF system whereas the Sand works on PI system.

You don't just want VLF, you want multi-freq VLF for saltwater, unless your beach is exceptionally clean if you buy PI be prepared to dig deep for every tiny piece of iron ever dropped. ...