Input on MD

[Pooley]

Hi all, Just got back into metal detecting after a 15 year layoff. currently using an old whites geb / tr disc. I live in south central florida where our soil is basically sand. I have only found 1 old coin (1926 wheatie under a huge tree) and it was only about 2 inches deep and all of the clad i have found has been 4" or deeper. found a 2002 quarter at 6". Anyway, what kind of detector would you reccommend? Funds are low so looking to spend no more than $400. I am familiar with Whites and Garretts, use to have both but was ages ago. Whats good now in that price range?

 

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[DirtDiggerDaveinMD]

Hi Pooley,

Check out KellyCo. You can definitely find a detector in your price range there.

www.kellycodetectors.com

 

[treasurekidd]

Check out the Garrett ACE250. It's a great machine - very sensitive, lightweight, and it comes with features like target ID, depth indicator, multi-tone, and pinpointing. I know you said you can spend up to $400, but you can get an ACE250 for $200, and save the rest, and it'll be a huge upgrade over your TR machine. I love my ACE250, and it's been getting rave reviews on this forum and others. Just my 2 cents! Good luck!

 

[Pooley]

Your right, the more I look at the ACE250 the more I like it. Hopefully I will have that detector in the next couple of weeks. I have lots of places to hunt and most of them have never been searched before but like i said, everything here is very deep even the new coins. I will keep the old whites as a standby it was worth the 20 bucks I paid for it.

 

[bakergeol]

A lot of folks will give you excellent choices but ultimately the decision is yours. Tastes and opinions vary- For instance you may prefer a metered machine. Do not forget to check out used machines- a lot of bargains always.

Living in Florida you will find that you have very unstable soil and? you will find that old coins are very very deep. You need maximun depth. Actually in a lot of areas old coins are beyond your detection range. That is why a lot of folks hunt construction sites.

My 2 cents worth for a new machine for your price range less than $400(not talking about a beach machine)- In mild soil like you have I would recommend a Tesoro Cibola for $340- no digital screen(no VDI numbers) - a basic detector which is the latest Tesoro technology. You are not going to find a deeper detector for the money- it will be close in depth to a high end machine. I also like to see new folks become less reliant on meters. They need to learn the sounds of their machines(less meter dependent)

Again just my 2 cents worth
George

 

[Pooley]

I am from the old school of dig everything because back when we first got started metal detecting my father and I were at an old school and I got a signal that didnt sound good so I passed it over and my father came in behind me and hit the target and dug up 3 franklin halves in one hole, from then on I dig everything. Use to have a White's 6000D and a White's 6000Di. I think the Di was the first whites that identified the target. Was an expensive machine in its day, I do believe we paid either $700 or $800 for it back in the mid 80's but it paid for itself many times over.