metal detector recommendations

[irondigger]

I was looking into buying myself a metal detector and I know that there are many brands and different models for each brand. I don't know too much about metal detectors. I was wondering if any of you guys had any advice about which ones are better. I want to get a good one but not one that breaks the bank. I want one that has good depth for cache hunting, but that has an easy to read and use display, not one where I would have to study the manual for six months to figure out how to use. I was told by someone that White's detectors are not good for my state California because they claimed that the soil here is "highly mineralized." Tell me about the pluses and minuses of each brand and/or model

 

[ThTx]

Starting out, I would recommend the Garrett ACE 250 or Garrett Ace 350. Easy to use machines that have as much depth as any turn on and go machine. Serious chache hunting for large deeply buried caches take specialized equipment and lots of research. If that is what you're talking about, PM me and I will try to help you get started. If you do decide on a Garrett machine, PM me for a price quote before you buy.

ThTx

 

[treasurehound]

I would agree that the Ace 250 is a good starting machine. I see a lot of people with some great finds on here. Most companies make an inexpensive machine but the Ace is the one you see most on here. It is a very good starting point.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

hey thtx, I thought solication and sales/advertising was not allowed here?

Anyhow iron-digger, the ACE 250 is a coin/jewelry/relic machine, not a cache hunting machine. That doesn't mean it won't find a "cache" (which is usually thought of as jar or toaster-sized stuff), but it's not specialized in caches. If you're truly serious about cache hunting, then you actually don't even want to HEAR anything coin-sized, to begin with (lest you spend all your time wasted, not going for what you're after). And someone may say "simply disregard any small sounds, and only dig the over-load or big sounding stuff, etc..." But this is easier said than done, and you end up spending all your time trying to differentiate big verses small, which is complicated, because a jar at a foot deep *might* fool your ears by being a small signal, that you think is a smaller object closer to the surface.

So if you're really serious about cache hunting, get a 2-box unit. For starters, it will go much deeper on jar and toaster sized items. And secondly, it won't respond to anything smaller than a can-sized object to begin with. So it sort of become a "natural discriminator" to just waltz into junky sites, and strictly hear the larger objects (deep or shallow, makes no difference, you'll still only get can-sized and bigger things to elicit a beep).

Whites makes 2-box units, as do various other manufacturers. And the technology and bells and whistles aren't as important for 2-box units, as they are for coin/jewelry units, because by their very nature, the "more sensitive" isn't going to be the "better 2-box unit". You distinctly DON'T want the most sensitive unit, for this type hunting, because you don't want to hear anything but big targets. So ironically, a 2-box unit that is 20 or 30 yrs. old, is every bit as good as one made today. The older ones did just fine on an object of this size to a foot or two down, and 3 or 4 ft. for toaster or microwave oven sized items.

The biggest problem for cache hunting, is not "more depth", in my opinion. Because when you think of it, 100 yrs. ago if someone were burying something for hiding, they didn't necessarily need to go more than a few foot deep anyhow. As long as the surface was hidden/covered, what difference did it make if the item were 6", or 6 ft? So post-hole depth is all that was needed, and is adequately provided by most any 2-box unit you can buy.

 

[Smudge]

irondigger,

I think you flesh your questions out a little bit more.

You say you don't want a detector that "breaks the bank". That doesn't tell me too much because that number is different for everybody. What is the upper limit on what you'd like to spend?

You want good depth and you want an easy to understand display. Does that mean you want a detector with a TID screen or will you also consider a tone only detector (no screen)?

You also seem to be saying you want as much of a "turn on and go" detector as you can get. Is that accurate?

 

[thrillathahunt]

As you can see, what you asked was a very loaded question.

 

[Coin Digger]

Your obviously are an intelligent person because your seeking advice into something thats new to you.

You should check out Kellyco.com and browse their selections. They sell trusted names.

I would recommended staying away from ebay china models.

 

[TerryC]

I have 9 machines... Fisher, Whites, and Garretts. All are good. Some here will also say Tesoro. Blockhead's comment to look up KellyCo is your best bet. My two-cents is... buy American. TTC

 

[irondigger]

Well, I guess I wasn't clear enough the first time. I only metal detect as a hobby so I don't do this for a living hours and hours each day. I just want a detector that can go down say ten feet. I want something within maybe the $500 price range that has a screen. I would prefer a screen that showed the depth and what the item was, size, etc. as opposed to a unit that spoke only in sounds/tones. I would prefer one that's a 'turn on and go.' Thanks to everyone for all of the help I have received so far. Hopefully, this clarifies what i'm looking for...

 

[Eric Willoughby]

Well, I guess I wasn't clear enough the first time. I only metal detect as a hobby so I don't do this for a living hours and hours each day. I just want a detector that can go down say ten feet. I want something within maybe the $500 price range that has a screen. I would prefer a screen that showed the depth and what the item was, size, etc. as opposed to a unit that spoke only in sounds/tones. I would prefer one that's a 'turn on and go.' Thanks to everyone for all of the help I have received so far. Hopefully, this clarifies what i'm looking for...

There are many detectors that have a one or two of those options, but not all of them wrapped up into one machine. Its a tall order that you are asking for and there are going to be sacrifices to be made to get the other options. There is no perfect detector. I just locked down an agreement to buy a used Garrett MasterHunter CX Plus With Treasure Hound Depth Multiplier, this will come as close as you can get to what you are looking for. I am paying $400 plus shipping on my unit.

Thanks SaltwaterMax!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

10 foot deep? Sheesk my man, what are you looking for?? Unless your item is a volkswagon, no metal detector goes that deep.

A toaster sized item you might do 4 or 5 ft. deep with a 2-box unit, but 10 foot deep? What makes you think someone buried something that deep? If you've ever dug a hole 10 foot deep by hand (like if you were in the army, and had to dig fox-holes in bootcamp), you know that simply to go 5 ft. deep is a friggin major chore!

Me thinks you've been reading too much oak-island superstition stuff There is a popular misconception out there, that treasures are all super deep, for some reason. But on the contrary, bread and butter caches (jars of coins, or whatever) are found all the time just hidden behind walls, or a foot deep in the dirt floors of old cellars, or post-hole depth in the barn floor, or whatever.

And no, no machine is going to have a screen "tell you what it is". If you've been led astray by the whites commercial ("tells you whats in the ground before you dig") trust us: The commercial is b*ll cr*p (sorry to be so blunt, but so many people take it litterally, that's its gotten beyond comical). All the machine can tell you is conductivity. And unfortunately, a hub cab (which will sound quite nice to a metal detector) and a tool box filled with gold coins, are going to sound exactly the same. No machine can tell you the difference. And unfortunately, a lot of metals have the same conductivity, given their relative size (ie.: a gold ring and a pulltab for instance). And the quantity/size plays into it. So for example: a pulltab, and an entire aluminum can, have an entirely different conductive TID, even though both are made of the exact same metal: aluminum.

Perhaps you need to borrow a few different types, pork around at schools, sandboxes, yards, etc... to learn some basics. Then move up to 2-box units, graphs, whistles and bells, cache hunting, etc....