If you will own 3 detectors... which ones would you buy and why?

[fishingdevil]

As above... what would be your almighty trinity combination?

 

[fishingdevil]

now everyone is asking for more than 3... lol...
can't 3 detectors work for all possible terrains? looks like i need to relook at my budget for my 'dream team'. hahaha

anyone else? keep them coming!

 

[Tnmountains]

I like the 3 I have. They work for me. If I could afford it I would have a GPR unit for some serious artifacts. Dream machines fun topic!

 

[jasone]

u need 3 different kin of detectors to be completed.a long range or rods,a good vlf and a pulse detector.

 

[christo000]

not sure that is a tough question but i think my arsenal is pretty well set for what i have to do and what i want to hunt so that being said my deus xp,whites v3i,and my atpro get the job done and then some

 

[dholland02]

Mine would be ctx3030 Excalibur etrac

 

[AC1955]

Hmmm...I'd keep my Excalibur and V3i. As to the third machine...another Excalibur, so my husband and I can both have one. I don't think I'd get rid of my M6, though, so if I could only have 3, I'd stick with what I already own.

With so many great machines out there, this is a tough question.

HH,
Anita

 

[Muddyhandz]

You're not a noob, muddy is just old and likes old things.

That's right you young whippersnapper.

I just turned a whopping 40 years old this year!

Starting detecting at 12 and bottle hunting at 8.

Feels like a long time but it really ain't.

Thanks for the kind words. LOL.

Cheers,
Dave.

 

[cudamark]

now everyone is asking for more than 3... lol...
can't 3 detectors work for all possible terrains? looks like i need to relook at my budget for my 'dream team'. hahaha

anyone else? keep them coming!

I have 13 detectors and don't want to give any of them up! Each has their own quirks and niches. When choosing just three, you have to first decide what type(s) of detecting you're going to do. Choosing an Ace 150 and an E-trac would be silly as the E-trac would run circles around the Ace in every aspect. If you don't nugget hunt, the GPX5000 wouldn't be of much help either (except it's actually a very good beach machine!) If you live in the desert and the only water you see comes out of your tap, an Excalibur would not be a good choice. nor would you need anything waterproof. So, as you can see, you'll get all sorts of opinions based on a variety of personal criteria. First decide what you plan on searching for, then pick a detector that meets those needs and is in your budget. Pick the best one you can afford.

 

[Muddyhandz]

Choosing an Ace 150 and an E-trac would be silly as the E-trac would run circles around the Ace in every aspect.

I agree with what you're saying overall except this statement.
Take both machines to a heavy iron infested field and I bet the ace will pluck out more non-ferrous.
E-trac suffers from masking in thick beds of iron.
Also, the response time is a lot quicker on the the ace which means one will cover more ground faster.
I'll never own either, but had to respond because you said every aspect.
I do agree otherwise and believe that every detector has SOMETHING to offer.
And then there's always the experience of the operator to account for.
H.H.

 

[cudamark]

I have used both and the E-trac beats it in iron infested areas too. I put on the small coil, set the machine to two tone ferrous, and sniff out all kinds of good finds in the middle of iron. You have to work slow but you do that with the Ace too unless you want to miss something. The E-trac will go a lot deeper in the ground among that iron too.

 

[mrwilburino]

1. XP Deus

2. CTX3030

3. Nothing Else

 

[christo000]

1. XP Deus

2. CTX3030

3. Nothing Else

Ad in the v3i & im with ya

 

[pwcguy]

CTX3030, GPX 5000, Whites TM 808
[h=2][/h]

 

[cudamark]

Ad in the v3i & im with ya

What does the V3i do that the CTX3030 doesn't?

 

[McKinney_5900]

Ad in the v3i & im with ya

I frankly see this as perfect. I own a V and like the other two.

This question should have really been asked according to strickly land hunters, then to those with salt beaches available. Unless I could sell the Excal, it wouldn't make any sense for me to own one. martin

 

[christo000]

What does the V3i do that the CTX3030 doesn't?

Well they both have ups over each other both have things the other doesnt & I saw that u listed only 2 so it was mainly to b a joke & ad the 3rd machine in but the v3i is a very good machine very adaptable

 

[Ronzie]

I have 13 detectors and don't want to give any of them up! Each has their own quirks and niches. When choosing just three, you have to first decide what type(s) of detecting you're going to do. Choosing an Ace 150 and an E-trac would be silly as the E-trac would run circles around the Ace in every aspect. If you don't nugget hunt, the GPX5000 wouldn't be of much help either (except it's actually a very good beach machine!) If you live in the desert and the only water you see comes out of your tap, an Excalibur would not be a good choice. nor would you need anything waterproof. So, as you can see, you'll get all sorts of opinions based on a variety of personal criteria. First decide what you plan on searching for, then pick a detector that meets those needs and is in your budget. Pick the best one you can afford.

Are you a detector hoarder?

 

[cudamark]

I guess I am! They tend to add up when you've detected as long as I have. A better machine comes along and you just HAVE to have it. You keep the old one as a spare or for a friend to borrow. You get a second detector of the same type because you don't want to be without it for a single day. I know, I've got it bad!

 

[RustyGold]

My choices for now are the AT Pro for general beach and fresh water, Minelab (not sure which one yet) and believe it or not, the Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV for an easy to use gold picker at the beach so my friends can have a simple point and shoot hunter that's easy to use. Actually the bounty hunter I like for its simplicity! This thread is a GAS starter!

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I would go with what I have now, the Fisher 1260X and the E-Trac. Love them both, and the 1260X has proven itself for 30 years and still works.

But, I would also go back in time and try to find a Garrett Deepseeker ADS. Several thousand hours on that one in the early 80's and knew its' language. And, it DID go deep, just like the name - silver dimes at 8+ inches. However, I will admit that those inches were actually due to true familiarity with what it was saying. The only negative was that it was a concentric coil back then versus the double D's we have out now. That means I left something nice in the ground there

I did hit 22 straight silver dimes at a Boy Scout camp outside Toledo with that beast

Alas, days gone by where every thing was open with few competitors and lots of stuff still in the ground....