Good metal detector for finding gold in southern Arizona?

[GreyGhost]

I've been out of the md game for awhile so I'm just starting to do research on which detector I'd like to get. My budget is about $1,000.
The last one I had was a Fisher F75 LTD. It was an excellent detector, albeit a little complex but I did like the fast ground balancing. I upgraded from a Tesoro Cibola to the F75 because I was looking for more features and at the time I wanted a really 'hot' detector for relic hunting which is all I used the F75 and Cibola for.
Eventually I had less and less time for detecting because of work so I sold the F75.
Long story short I'd like to buy another one but this time I'd just like to use it just for finding gold nuggets in dry washes out here in Arizona. Not so much interested in the old rusty stuff anymore.
There's a lot of mineralization in the soil out here so with my budget in mind what detector do you all recommend? I'd love to maybe try a Minelab this time around but I'm don't know if my budget will get me near a respectable model.
Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Tesoro Lobo Super Traq - Made in Prescott, AZ

Fisher Goldbug II

Whites GMT

Teknetics G2

Those four machines are gold prospecting VLF favorites.

 

[GreyGhost]

OK great.
Do you recommend saving up a little more ($1500?) and buying a more expensive unit? Or can you do a pretty good in the price range I'm in with the detectors you've listed?

 

[Terry Soloman]

OK great.
Do you recommend saving up a little more ($1500?) and buying a more expensive unit? Or can you do a pretty good in the price range I'm in with the detectors you've listed?

No, I do not. The next step up from one of those four VLF machines, is a Minelab SD or GPX pulse induction machine. All the other PI machines (Whites; Garrett; Tesoro) do not have enough power or filtering circuitry to be any better than the VLF machines. Expect to pay $2,500-$4,500 for a used Minelab.

 

[Oakview2]

Your forgot the Gold Bug Pro:-)

Tesoro Lobo Super Traq - Made in Prescott, AZ

Fisher Goldbug II

Whites GMT

Teknetics G2

Those four machines are gold prospecting VLF favorites.

 

[AzViper]

Where in Arizona are you located... I am in the same boat your in. I have narrowed my choices down to, Tesoro Lobo Super Traq and Gold Bug Pro. Just bought a pair of Sun Ray Pro Golds headphones at an estate sale for $10.00 that are new and never used that will be used on one of these MD's.

My plan is to use a dry washer / crevices vacuum in the summer months and use a MD in the mild winter months here in Arizona. Your best bet would be to join a local club and get a feel on what others are using. Youtube would be a good place to gather some info. on the MD's that Terry recommended including the Gold Bug Pro he fogot to put in his group of MD's.

Both of these videos the user is using the Tesoro Lobo Super Traq





Gold Bug Pro Videos

 

[DesertNuggets]

I'm never without my Gold Bug 2. Only a couple places were to hot for it. And that was verrry hot ground.

 

[GreyGhost]

Where in Arizona are you located... I am in the same boat your in. I have narrowed my choices down to, Tesoro Lobo Super Traq and Gold Bug Pro. Just bought a pair of Sun Ray Pro Golds headphones at an estate sale for $10.00 that are new and never used that will be used on one of these MD's.

My plan is to use a dry washer / crevices vacuum in the summer months and use a MD in the mild winter months here in Arizona. Your best bet would be to join a local club and get a feel on what others are using. Youtube would be a good place to gather some info. on the MD's that Terry recommended including the Gold Bug Pro he fogot to put ih his group of MD's.

Both of these videos the user is using the Tesoro Lobo Super Traq

Wow great videos, very inspiring. PM inbound.

 

[GreyGhost]

I'll probably take a hard look at the Gold Bug Pro. I know Fisher's have a great reputation although I wasn't overly impressed with the build quality on my F75. It felt kind of cheap and plasticky compared to the Tesoro I had although the trade-off is that they're lightweight.
I also want to research the White's GMT more because it looks like a good combination of the Made in the USA build quality of a Tesoro with the added benefit of having a screen.
All the detectors mentioned in this thread are easily within my price range too so I guess I need to just keep narrowing down.

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

im learning the GMT is on the top of my list over the other two .

 

[Hoser John]

I have used my TLST for many years and it sure works great in trashy areas which my great gold bug 2(fantastic unit in trashless areas) and Gold Bug Pro do not as no real disc. Tesoro guaranteed for LIFE and that is indeed a HUGE plus as they just completely rebuilt--with new coils too-my 28 years old GS unit-absolutely free-so cool-John

 

[Terry Soloman]

im learning the GMT is on the top of my list over the other two .

Really? Are you looking at a Whites dealer's list? LOL!

 

[trinityau]

Hello all, I am not sure if John is saying that the GB Pro will not work well in trashy areas, if he is then that is absolutely wrong. I would match up my discrimination on the GB Pro to any other VLF Gold detector. I already have and my friends have done the same and are all very satisfied with the GB Pro. They have changed over from White's, from GBII, Tesoro, Eureka Gold, Garrett AT Gold and others. I understand the comment about looking "plastiky" , The GB Pro looks like a kids toy compared to the others but it is a fantastic gold detector with a fantastic discrimination. I would also highly reccomend using the new 10x5 Eliptical Coil made for the GB Pro. To be clear I am not talking about the Black 11 inch coil that looks like a black snowshoe. My thoughts, TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[nuggetshooter323]

Two other alternatives, if you have to have a PI but you can't afford the Minelabs, is the Garrett Infinium and Whites TDI's (TDI, TDI Pro, TDI SL 7.5/12).

 

[trinityau]

Hello all, here is a post that made on a previous topic. This was about the GB Pro but has some general information. TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

Hey Neo, the coil that I told you about, 10 inch eliptical, is the only other coil that I would use on the GB Pro if you are detecting for gold. Coins, relics, that is a different thing. The Bug is my only weapon for shallow ground and exposed bedrock. This goes for tiny crumbs to larger nuggets. I have found crumbs to four inches and a six dwt nugget at twelve inches. The six just happened to be on its belly. If you are wanting to get the in between then you need to have two detectors and one should be a PI. You will not cover all ground effectively without both a VLF and PI. I have heard all the talk about the new 5000 and the tiny pieces people are are starting to find with it and I would say that these people need to learn how to operate a detector. I have been finding grainers and smaller with my 3000 and a eight inch coil for years. I am sure that the 5000 has many improvements over my unit but to me that is not one of them. This is just my opinion. You must learn your machine, VLF or PI. I will also tell you that almost all the gold I have detected over the years in the Clear Creek area could have been found with a VLF. In fact much of that gold was found with a GBII, Eureka Gold, and Tesoro. I am now using the GB Pro because it a very good VLF with newer technology. I am finding more gold again because the discrimination works and this unit will punch through mineralization better than what I had before. However...

However, I still go over some ground with the PI. There has been a long standing argument that a VLF will hear some stuff that a PI will not. I am not a technician but I have put from fifteen hours a week to over forty hours a week for the last twenty or so years on the units mentioned above. Yes a VLF will hear some nuggets on edge better, will hear some specimen pieces in quartz better, will hear some irregular shaped pieces better and will find sub-grain gold better. The break is that my PI will find a few sub-grainers that are extremely shallow but will go twenty or so inches on a two dwt nugget in hot ground that my bug cannot come close to.

One other item is that when you get used to a coil and then change it out you are basically starting all over as far as what you are hearing. I have been doing this a long time and I really like to get the optimum coil for the job and stay with it for this reason. I prefer a seventeen inch eliptical mono on my 3000. It is surprising how many tiny pieces I hear at depth with that thing. Some people may disagree but you will get a different signal when changing coils. The response time may be slower or quicker and there is a difference.

Another item is headphones, when using headphones you are going to get a distorted signal opposed to not using headphones. I dont care what anyone says you have to have a good set of headphones that suits your individual hearing. Yes, you want a quality set of headphones that offers all the good stuff and you will pay for that quality but you better make sure you have the ears to hear it otherwise it is doing you no good whatsoever.

I would stick to either the five inch coil or ten inch eliptical and listen to it, they do work, they are optimized for the GB Pro. TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[trinityau]

Hello again, I meant to comment on what Nuggetshooter 323 said about alternatives. Nuggetshooter 323 is right, you do have choices. I do not have any experience with the Garrett Infinium however I have used the White's TDI Pro and it is a very good PI unit. There are a lot of what I call crossover traits. I think the Disc on the TDI works better than a Minelab. You will not get the same depth as a Minelab but you will get more depth than a VLF. I think you will hear small/tiny gold with a TDI at a greater depth than a PI. That last statement is based on my experience. The TDI has a large learning curve as do the Minelabs but can be learned. To me the TDI is like a VLF and a PI combined to a point. Myself, I think any prospector who is wanting to get it all will need a PI and a VLF. My opinions, TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[nuggetshooter323]

I've been looking at the Infinium mainly because of it being waterproof. I don't think a lot of people detect the Arkansas River, and I think there's some nice gold nuggets sitting in river waiting for for someone to go swimming and get them. If I was going to stay in the desert like Grey Ghost, I think I would go for the TDI. I think the extra cost over a VLF would be worth the detection depth. I will say this though, detectors are like golf clubs, it's good to have several in your bag to match conditions and terrain.

 

[trinityau]

Hello all, I have received a few messages from people asking about my opinion between several units. I decided to give my answer on open forum. The unit that was asked about was the GB Pro and it's comparison to the White's GMT. I started out with Whites years ago. I always liked the gold detectors that Whites put out until they started to get to fancy for me. By fancy I mean having a control box underneath the handle, which was ok, but then having to put a meter above the box. I have prospected for a living and I use what works. While all the detectors since the V-Sat series have worked perfectly fine for me they just are not a sensible choice for me. If you are going to be detecting out in open desert without a bush around for miles then the I would say that Whites would be right up there, however, I detect in manzanita brush, on hillsides covered with vines that catch on everything. As far as performance on small gold I think the latest White's detectors are top notch in their ability to detect it, just not as maneuverable in the woods as the GB Pro in my opinion. I take what I do seriously and make decisions on many aspects of the hunt. I even have my GB Pro set up to where at times if I am going to be on my hands and knees I can shorten the lenght considerably so I can maneuver and detect. This also works well in gullies where you may find several pieces of gold and you don't need to be getting up and down or are prohibited by space. I just reach out and detect that next piece.

I have also been asked to comment on air tests. This one is really easy. No way. No how. Over my years of detecting I have seen so many things that shed considerable doubt on air tests of any detector. They just do not give you the true value of a detector. You must try out a detector in the field. I could write about experiences with this topic that would go on and on and I just do not have the time. In my opinion air tests hold no value in selecting a prospecting detector. Thanks all, TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[AzViper]

White's GMT Video's with a 6 part viideo from White's

 

[AzViper]