Simpleton said:
I used to go metal detecting many years ago when I was younger. Now I decided I wanted to get back into it as a new hobby.
First, 'Welcome' to Treasure Net, and Second, 'Welcome back' into the wonderful world of metal detecting. Glad to hear you're taking it up again, but sorry to hear you've been out of it for quite a while.
Simpleton said:
I would like to use it mostly for the beach and also parks and other places. I also have a place in the desert where I could also use it.
Your desired uses still seem a little vague to me. Wanting you use it for Beach Hunting is understandable, and do you mean salt water coastal beaches, inland freshwater lake and stream beaches or both?
Parks and "other places" is one place you lost me. By "
other places" were you referring to other typical urban Coin Hunting places like Schools, Parking Strips, Sports Fields, Private Yards, etc., etc. that would be in the Coin Hunting group like Parks? Or by
"other places" were you including out-of-the-way locations more associated with Relic Hunting old Homesteads, Ghosts Towns, Logging and Mining Camps, Stage Stops, old RR Depot sites and sidings, Pioneer and Military Encampments and the like?
You added that you have a place in the desert which would indicate more of a fit to the latter category. I was born in Utah and have spent most of my life in Oregon and Utah, and a bulk of my favorite detecting sites are associated with High Desert Plateau regions of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and the like, so when you say 'desert' I think of such places 'Out West.' You didn't indicate where,
in general, you live, but if you can travel to the desert or the beach, then perhaps you'd be interested in traveling to
Ogden, Utah May 9th thru the 12th to participate in a
'Welcome-to-Hunt Outing' based out of Ogden, or the
WTHO based out of
Wells, Nevada from June 13th -16th.
I've been coordinating the
WTHO's every year, starting in 2015, and we average 15 to 25 attendees per outing, including both male and female participants. Our
10th WTHO in Ogden is only six weeks from this coming Thursday and I'll be in the area a day or two before to greet arrivals. It will be the first Outing we've held that will involve 'city-type' Coin Hunting in a lot of good-sized parks, but will also offer an opportunity to visit a couple of ghost towns or hunt other places away from manicured grassy areas. Every outing we welcome a newcomer or two or three who want to learn about detecting the types of sites we search, or just wanting to learn about their detectors and how to get the most out of them, as well as learn about other makes and models folks are using.
If you've acquired a detector by then it would be a good experience, and if you're still shopping and trying to figure out what to invest in, it would also be very helpful because several participants have an extra detector or two they can loan out for use. Additionally, I bring along most of my person Detector Outfit
(which includes an assortment of 10 detectors, today, from Fisher, Nokta, Teknetics, Tesoro and White's) as well as bringing along a few new to 'as-new' used models I have available for sale, but also to use as 'loaner units' for folks who are unprepared or want to check some different models out.
Simpleton said:
I don't want a cheap unit as I would like a better one that would last me a long time. I have found a deal on a Whites Spectra V3i Metal Detector but have read it may be overkill for a newby.
To
me, a 'cheap unit' would be one that is of inferior build quality, limited features, and quite often poor in-the-field performance. I have been a very Avid Detectorist for 54 years now, starting when I built my first Metal-Mineral Locator in early March of '65. I have worked for or worked with several manufacturers since '74 evaluating prototypes, and I've worked as a Dealer and Distributor for several brands and have made it a point to try and get my hands on any detector that interests me to evaluate. I have or have-had some of the better upper-dollar detectors offered, especially over the past decade, and I also have or have had and use some that I bought used in choice condition or brand new just in the past six months or so that fit the 'affordable' category.
I primarily spend my time Relic Hunting older, out-of-the-way locations, but still put in urban Coin Hunting time like I used to. I own and use detectors that work, and work well, for various applications, and not of them are high-dollar specimens. I've had those that cost big bucks, but I wasn't all that impressed by many of them. Now, since my name is Monte I should have to clarify that I'm a guy and not a gal, but between the two upcoming Outings I'll turn 70, and I don't get around like I used to in those glorious younger age years. But even those were restricted for me. Due to a bad on-the-job back injury and other limiting health concerns, I have been getting around with a cane since March of '93, just a couple of months before I turned 44. Because of that I have to be detector weight-and-balance conscious. All of my Regular-Use Detectors and preferred search coil choices fit those requirements, so I know that you might want to be cautious of trying to handle heavier, awkward devices.
Simpleton said:
What unit is a good one for my needs? Is new or used better? Thank you for your help. [/QUOTE] It's really tough for someone to offer up a single unit or two of what unit might be good for you. The best thing you can do is check some out, try them out and see how they fit. Are the comfortable for a short hunt or could you last for a few hours of searching? Are they heavy overall, or perhaps a lighter control system but a nose-heavy design to try and handle? Are the controls 'Simple' to access and operate and easy-to-learn, and do they seem 'Functional' for what your needs might be, or are there too many, or are they too confusing to want to try and figure out?
I am using my 15 kHz Nokta FORS CoRe (Coin & Relic) that I got in January of 2015, and 19 kHz Nokta FORS Relic I got in January of '16 as my two primary-use Relic Hunting detectors. I also have a 2nd specimen of each of those models that I bought slightly used shortly after that I keep a different search coil mounted for areas of limited trash. My 10 kHz Tesoro Bandido II µMAX (pronounced microMAX) and Silver Sabre µMAX I acquired used but in choice condition. My 7.8 kHz Teknetics Omega 8000 I acquired last fall is also a discontinued model in excellent condition, and the 13.89 kHz White's MXT All-Pro I acquired from a friend this month is a refurbished unit that looks great. The only 'brand new' detectors I have in my current Outfit are a 7.69 kHz Fisher F44 and 13 kHz Teknetics T2+ and I bought both of them in the past month.
New or used, they are an electronic device and if they are treated well, and I've pampered all my equipment for over half-a-century, they will hold up well and continue to provide exceptional service. I added the operating frequencies of what I have because that can sometimes be a consideration for what detector choice you make and the places you plan to search.
As for the White's V3i specifically, I have a good friend who has one in his 3-detector team and he has learned it quite well. He also seems to be doing the bulk of his hunting with a newer White's model of half the MSRP. I was provided one a week before their original introduction as the Vision. It was a rush-to-market product that had numerous glitches and I went through a few repairs and replacements before they ever even changed the name to the Spectra V3. Then, in early 2012, I had a V3i to use along with my MXT Pro (which I definitely preferred at the time from White's) when I was a White's Master Dealer. I didn't care for the original version, nor the final revision after the glitches were fixed and it progressed to the V3i. It had a quirky sweep speed and sweep hesitation or delay required before a reverse sweep and other annoyances, and just didn't come close to the performance of their own MXT Pro or renamed All-Pro.
I know some folks like them, and that's fine. If ANY detector satisfies someone and works for them and the types of hunting they do and site challenges they encounter, that's fine. Have fun and enjoy this great sport. But for me, the V3i was too over-priced and still has some operational quirks that don't fit MY wants and needs. Besides, it's more fatiguing than anything I own and use today.
Be patient. Don't rush to purchase a detector until you're more comfortable with understanding what you expect in performance, what it can offer, and even read through the operator's manuals on-line to get to know some of the models you're considering. Unfortunately, we don't have the number of local detector dealers we used to have so you're limited on where you can visit to see them and handle them. As you work through the ideas and consider products, ask away on the forums, and I'd welcome an e-mail to my addresses below if you have any specific or personal opinion questions.
Opinions and thoughts from Vale, Oregon,
Monte
