Opinions please.........

[CanadianMoose]

I'm having a debate with myself...(not sure which one of us is winning...), I'm looking at buying a new detectore....either a Bounty Hunter 1100...or 2200.......any ideas?

Of course I'm open to suggestions on any other type/make/model.........however I am trying to keep the cost as low as possible, without buying junk.......Thanks

 

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[omnicognic]

My opinion is that if you are totally new to the hobby, then go really cheap! I have found more stuff with a detector that I paid $7.00 for than any other! The secret is getting to know your detector and getting experience with detecting in general! Invest time in the field with a cheap detector before you invest great sums of money! The advantages of expensive detectors are greater depth, better discrimination and better target id. These make finding stuff easier but nothing beats experience with your detector in the field! 8) good luck!

 

[RON (PA)]

Canadian,

? ? ? ?If you are just starting out, I would recommend the Compadre by Tesoro (www.tesoro.com). I only have experience with the Compadre, and I am sure there are other well made, beginner model detectors that are sold by the other companies. I am recommending it because it is relatively cheap (I got mine for about $190.00), one knob operation, lightweight, and uses 1 battery. If your first detector has bells and whistles on it, you may get frustrated and learn to hate the hobby..I have since upgraded to another detector, but I still take my Compadre with me.? You can find good things with a Compadre. Get to know your detector and what the sounds mean before you upgrade. Another excellent resource would be to contact/join a local club..MD clubs can be a treasure chest of help and information and the people are just as down to earth as they can be..Just my two cents...Hope it helps and let us know what you decide.

RON(PA)

 

[mrmark55]

Hey Jeep,

Welcome to the fun! I would have to agree with Omnicognic, go with a cheaper machine at first to see if you are going to love this hobby....(you will) then move up to whatever machine you decide to go with. Some people never move up because the lower end machines do all that they need them to do. I have seen people show up at hunts with the cheapest detector of whichever brand and take the majority of the prizes simply because they knew what they're machines were telling them. Most of the different brands offer a machine in the 200 dollar range and it is debateable at to which is the best.
All have their own quirks. Just jump in with both feet and get the bug (god help you) then you will be nuts like the rest of us. You just can't get enough!
Mr Mark 8)

 

[Carl in CO]

Jeep, there's nothing wrong with the bounty hunters. I think you'd be happy with one.

 

[wodd]

? ? ? ? ? Hi Jeep,
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?I am very new to detecting about one day to be exact. But I have been looking for awhile and doing my homework you might say, I have been getting advice from alot of people here on the forum. And today I went out and bought my first detector today, I bought a WHITES PRIZM ll . Mind you that I have never used a detector before or new of anyone who does, and so far I am completely happy with this detector. It is simple to use and ?at a good price, I paid $199 for it and it came with a free set of headphones.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? I stayed ?around my house and detected for about 1 hour and found about $ 1.87 in mostly quarters and nickles but no silver yet...When it said that there was a quarter, there it was, and so far the deepest find was around 5 inches.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? I am only a newbie at this but man -o-man it was a blast...HOOKED AND i MEAN HOOKED. Great fun I had because my two grandkids were out there with me digging away...
? ? ? ? ? Only advice I can give is to take your time and talk to as many people as you can for advise....GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? WODD
? ? ? ? ? ?

 

[cachenut]

As low as possible here is the answer

find a friend who digs and has an extra machine and go out with him until you decide what to buy.
el cheapo! your new online personality.

 

[Copper]

My opinion, buy the best detector you can afford. I now believe in Tesoro due to the advice of some professional treasure hunters.

But it is true, experience and determination are the things that produce results.

Buy a quality machine and read, re-read, and read again that owners manual. Go outside and follow the steps and read the manual a couple more times. After about 20 or 30 hours in a test spot and having read that manual maybe 12 times, you might be ready for that park.

I did metal detecting almost every day for years back in the 60's to about the mid 80's. I just started back into it a couple years ago and now I'm going full blast once again. Detecting is pretty much the same as the old days except the new modern machines have greater depth and are a whole lot more sensitive. All this makes for a ton of study and practice.

Knowledge is power!

Copper

 

[stoney56]

Jeep, I'm not going to say anything but stay with a namebrand, check out personally from local dealer what they have in stock, judge how much you're willing to pay, and decide what type of hunting you're mainly going to do. I personally would't base a decision on how much stuff they are willing to throw in for free in order to push for a sale.

 

[GunFarce]

Because of your name "Canadianjeep" you automatically are going to pay 20-30% more than the American price..
I have a discovery 2200 from Radio Shack (their made by bounty hunter).. I know they only come with a 90 day R.S. standard warranty, but if it craps out with-in a year, and you take it back, they will usually replace it.. If not buy another, and just return the the one thats NFG (not functioning good ) in the new box for a refund..
That machine is pretty automatic and 'generally' fool proof.. I figgure, once I can use that one successfully, 'then' I will by a more expensive one with all the bells and whistles rather than get bogged down in confusion right off the bat!

 

[Copper]

The main thing is get a detector and go hunt. I have an old homemade BFO detector that one of the "Old Timers" made back before they really started making detectors for hobbyist. I'll bet that fellow made his share of finds. The Radio Shack & Wally World detectors could be a good way to start as was mentioned. I forgot about them and their return policy.

 

[Lowbatts]

You get what you pay for. And whatever you're willing to put into it in time and effort. So spend more time looking around the net and seeing the possibilities, narrow it down to a few choices then let your intuition and wallet battle it out.

 

[jimmyokla]

I have an Garrets ace 250 and a bounty hunter 1100.Dude get the ace it blows the bh out of the water.

 

[thompy]

if your looking for a detector i wold check out garretts ace 250 ,look at a garrets forum, im a white fan my self but for ? ?$ 200 they sound hard to beat comparabl to detectors 2to 3 times its price so they say, im buying one for my son in a couple of weeks. hot on coins ,good on beachs and pretty good on gold, i had a discovery 3300 last year from radio shack,i liked the functions but my whites classics where better less falsing. and crisper responce or faster in trasher areas. i had the classic id first ,sold it bought the 3300, missed the fast responce,sold it bought the classic III, just sold it and ordered the qxt pro. good luck and check out the ace 250

 

[spotz]

I am a Whites fan myself. Look for a local dealer or two & have them give you a demo. It's better to start with something that is not too technical, but if you can afford it, why not learn on the best. Bells & whistles are nice, but they don't do you much good unless you understand them. A basic machine will still find coins & jewlery or relics. Getting out there & puting in the time is the biggest requirement no matter what kind of machine you get. Good luck & welcome to the Forum. Spotz

 

[lonewolfe]

Garrett 250

 

[dnewbury2]

Check out the name brand used detectors from dealers, pawn shops and eBay. You can get a good deal on a good unit at these places. I once bought a Tesoro Golden Sabre for $150 at a pawn shop and it is much better than the low cost beginner units.

 

[cheese]

I just went through this myself a little while back. I decided on buying a used unit so that I could get a lot of machine for my $$. I had a little detecting experience before buying mine (had a radio shack unit). I was looking hard at the ace 250, and I think if you were buying new, that would be the one I would reccomend. I researched this quite a bit before buying one, and the 250 was almost mine, but as I researched, I decided to go ahead and get a top of the line machine if I could find one used and in my price range. I decided on a Fisher CZ7, 7a, or 70 and searched for a used one. Got one for $310.00. Be careful if going used though...some high end machines take quite a learning curve and require the user to spend several hours with the machine just to get the hang of it. A newbie would probably get discouraged and lose interest if they got a machine with that kind of learning curve. The one I got is not very difficult to learn. The ace 250 got great reviews and features and and should be a pleasure for the beginner to use.

 

[Darod]

If your looking at spending up to $200 then I think I would try the Garrett Ace 250. The reviews are superb on the unit. Good luck on what ever you decide.

Rod

 

[kenb]

I dont want to beat a dead horse here, but get a cheapo and spend alot of time with it. My first detector was a $19.00 P.O.S. radio shack unit that my grandfather gave me back in '77. I found more stuff with that machine then with any other (understand I was 9 and had all the time in the world to dig every target I found) but all in all, any MD will find stuff, It's just a matter of how serious you are.

good luck and HH,

kenb