Thoughts on the Pioneer 101 wal-mart special

[MD Dog]

What do you think of a MD that costs less than $150.00, buries the gauge on every find but does give solid signals on booty within 12" of surface ?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[warsawdaddy]

Censored--

 

[RON (PA)]

I would suggest that you spend a little extra money and buy a detector from a reputable dealer. I have nothing against Bounty Hunters, its just that the boys at Wal-Mart would not know a lot about them and only tell you what you would be reading on the box. A good dealer can help a lot better. JMHO

 

[MD Dog]

Ya got me all wrong Ron, I already got me a DSX, I just think a detector that is entry level that can find signals for the younger kids or the electronically challenged is not a bad thing. I know my wife who I've numerous times tried to teach how to set up my whites still ends up asking me to do everything which is fine she would rather sun bathe than MD. But I see the above BH at store and consider buying it for the kids when they tag along and want to be involved. However I don't think running out and buying another DSX for $800-$1200 would be prudent either even with the best of tech support. Even My 19 yo son has a limited attention span and I think the Md would spend more time in the closet than in use. While A cheapo from wal-mart might pick up alot of junk it will also keep the interest factor higher than a detector that exludes alot depending on settings. As well as alot less money possibly wasted.

 

[diggummup]

Sounds like a good idea to me.I think a Wal-Mart special would be perfect for that scenario.That is as long as your not hunting very trashy areas.I think the interest factor would soon disappear after digging 20 bottlecaps or pulltabs in a row.

 

[MD Dog]

Thanks dig, I live in western ny so i have alot of very historical site as well as alot of lake erie beachfront parks playgrounds etc..

 

[Libralabsoldier]

I have a BH Pioneer EX that I got off of ebay. It finds coins fairly well, but dont expect too much out of it. I have yet to find silver, and pinpointing is a straight up biotch....Other than that, It is a good way to start someone out, as I am.

 

[TonyinCT]

Kids don't keep their attention on one thing for long in many cases. I know if I were one of them and had a detector like the one you mention and found 10+ pieces of trash to every coin , I wouldn't want to do it anymore. Ans think of all the unnecessary holes they'll be digging. You'd be better off getting a Ace150 , 250 or Prizm II where you can be a little more discriminating on targets and still get a lot of depth. 8)

 

[cryptodave]

I was detecting with a guy that has the Pioneer EX this weekend. It is the EXACT same detector as the BH Quicksilver.
Pinpointing was not that big a deal as long as you worked the tight x pattern.
He ended up having a better day than anyone else. Several flat buttons, two very nice dropped round balls, a buck n ball, a nice cuff button with a glass top that had a wave pattern and the best coin of the day an 1862 indian head penny.

Downside to the EX in my opinion, it did not have a headphone jack and was rather annoying to hear it going off all the time, even across a large field.

The story behind this detector is that he was so intriquied by some of my finds he wanted to get a detector himself. His wife wouldn't let him spend alot of money, so he called around to the radio shacks to see if their were any more Discovery series left. Then he called pawn shops and found the EX for $35.

And you will find alot of people who dislike BH for prior service or repair reasons. I can tell you this... His $35 detector was missing a screw and the battery cover. I called first texas for him to inquire on the cost, they took my name and address and shipped replacements. No questions, no charges. Personally, that is some of the best service I have gotten in a long time.
Yes, BH makes cheap machines, ENTRY level machines in most cases. They do have higher end models that seem to have some good features. First Texas the parent company bought Fisher and has remarketed the Teknetics brand they bought a while back. They are trying to grow in a positive direction, yet sadly some people will never give them a second chance, and discourage others from buying them.

As far as the Pioneer 101 goes, it is the exact same model as the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV.

 

[MD Dog]

So I guess the take I'm getting here is that I might be better off looking for a bargain on a second hand model of a better maker, like say a 3300 off ebay.. I think that could be riskier and possibly a costly mistake, at least with a wal-mart special I can take it back for a refund or exchange if it doesn't work or has missing parts etc...

 

[MD Dog]

As far as finding more trash than give the top of the line to an amateur and most of what they'll dig will be trash if the site has alot of trash. but give a cheap basic MD to a seasoned treasure hunter and they'll already know to go to a clean site where they'll out find any amateur anywhere.

 

[cryptodave]

So I guess the take I'm getting here is that I might be better off looking for a bargain on a second hand model of a better maker, like say a 3300 off ebay.. I think that could be riskier and possibly a costly mistake, at least with a wal-mart special I can take it back for a refund or exchange if it doesn't work or has missing parts etc...

First, the 3300 is a Bounty Hunter product. Its the top of the line of the Radio Shack Bounty Hunters. Its also the same as the Titan 3000xd by First Texas (BH parent company). I have one, and I love it. For the 100 clams I spent on it, I can not say anything bad about it.
Second, I have not read anything to say not to buy anything else, except two people with bad opinions of BH and think that if you don't have a $800 or more detector its crap, and another one trying to sell you a detector.
Buy the 101. Like i said, its the exact same model as the Quick Draw IV, just marketed for WalMart. Who cares if Jim Bob the WalMart associate doesn't know anything about metal detectors... Chances are he doesn't know anything about all the other stuff at Walmart either but that doesn't stop people from buying from there does it?
The simple fact is, the 101 is made by Bounty Hunter, and you have their number to call if you have problems and a whole internet to help you with techniques.

Good Luck to you!

 

[Libralabsoldier]

Yeah, the lack of headphones is a major annoyance. My wife uses the beeping noises to figure out where I am in the yard......And it seems to draw people when I am detecting a park.....

 

[MD Dog]

thank you crypto, that seems to me to be a smarter move. Also I know the 3300 is a BH product But it isn't sold through wal-mart. I was suspicious about one reply that sounded like a commercial for another brand. But I still don't understand the dislike for the BH brand by so many is it elitetism or has the company had a poor track record for some reason. seems to me they sell a cheaper version of a type of electronic equipment and don't seem to make extra romises beyond the capabilities of that equipment. In other words you get what you pay for and shouldn't expect a low end high school band to sound like the New York Philharmonic.

 

[Montana Jim]

I own two, and have used Bounty Hunters since the 80s.

I find tons of stuff, I dig silver, I dig necklaces, rings, bracelets, and everything else that a guy can dig with any other machine. The fact that they are cheaper (IMHO) is because Bounty Hunter sells through outlets nobody else will - WalMart, hundreds of different sports stores, radio shack... etc. I think this helps keep the price down across the board, making them less expensive - not just "cheap".

Also IMHO, and I've said this before... if you learn your machine, you'll find more stuff! The guy who spends $1000.00 on his top-o-the-line outfit will still dig every signal!

Sacrificeing anything? Maybe a little depth in certain conditions, maybe something else... but they are an outstanding company with great support, with machines for EVERYONE! Those WalMart specials are one of the reasons this sport/hobby is so widespread today!

The BH debat is like a "fly fisherman purest" telling a spincasting fisherman he has the wrong equipment!

Look at how many people here own the ACE 250 and love it!

 

[cryptodave]

Underbear, people get a bad taste in their mouth, and no matter how good the product becomes, they will never try it again.
Their are people on this site who won't buy from KellyCo ever again because of one problem.
Their are old timers that won't buy insurance from GEICO because they almost went out of business in the 70s.
People are strange like that.
Bounty Hunters make super 1st machines, and pretty great back up machines. It gets people interested in the hobby, and it is their to provide back up when your $1000 machines craps out. To me its win win.

WalMart is WalMart. It provides low cost items at low cost prices. You can either buy the 101 there, or call a Bounty Hunter distributor and order the Quick Draw IV for $50 more.
Personally I think your going to see great things come out of First Texas in the next several years. They are drawing the lines in the sand.

 

[MD Dog]

Thanks MJ and Crypto, I'm gonna go ahead and do it I'm buying the wal-mart model. It just seems to make so much more sense to me than paying alot for something that will probably get very little use. I think a metal detector is just that, it either detects metals or not no matter what you add to it.

 

[BigRon]

Enjoy your BH, ; I do mine!

 

[vic910]

I've got the cheapo BH from Walmart for my son. He found out he hates metal detecting so it ended up in a closet. That is, until my Minelab had to be sent away for repairs. While waiting I pulled out the "cheapo" BH and was finding just enough stuff to keep from getting frustrated on how long Minelab was taking to fix my machine. In some ways I liked it better, it just didn't have the depth my machine had. Which was okay, I didn't have to dig for stuff really deep! LOL!
Anyway, how did it work out for you?

vicki

 

[MD Dog]

pretty good actually, not much depth but it does detect clad at the local school so, it worked out fine for the money.