What is the best metal detector (all around machine)?

[dex378]

So, what are the pros using? What is the best all around metal detector? I have been using my ace 250 and enjoy this hobby very much. I want to upgrade right to the top, why wait! I will be doing the usual , some fields, some beach etc.... Thanks in advance ....

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Sandman]

Here we go again.......There are to many variables to consider which detector as no one detector does it all and that is why many of us either specialize in one type of hunting or we buy a lot of different machines to meet the type hunt. (something is wrong this that sentence structure, but I am to lazy to fix it.)

For water I prefer the Excal 1000, but there are times I like the CZ20/21 or even my Tiger Shark. A lot depends on if you are hunting fresh or saltwater beaches too.

Land hunting is best done with a light weight jobbie with a wide range of coils. The use of it having a meter is a personal preference. You could use a water detector for land, but they are built heavier to withstand the water pressure and rough conditions.

Anyone else wanna add to this?

 

[dex378]

So there is no "all around" detector?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Sandman, what do you mean "here we go again"? Well of COURSE everyone KNOWS that the "best all around detector" is the Minelab Explorer! haha. And if you didn't know that, well then you learn something new on the internet everyday, eh?

Seriously now, that's like asking "what's the best motor vehicle?" Someone will merely ask you "what do you want to do? best for gas mileage? best for speed? best for hauling rock & dirt to quarrys? best for 4-wheeling?" etc.. etc... etc....

dex378: You have to be more specific. There are different strengths and weaknesses for each detector. They are designed from the ground up to excell in different areas. One may be great for nuggets, but s*ck on coin-sized items (as those goals are diametrically opposed). Another may be great for depth on coins, but not excell in nasty minerals. Another may separate targets, and see through nails well, but lack super depth. So refine your question, and you'll get an intelligent answer.

For general coin and relic shooting, I'm in love with the Explorer though

 

[willie d]

For water I prefer the Excal 1000, but there are times I like the CZ20/21 or even my Tiger Shark. A lot depends on if you are hunting fresh or saltwater beaches too.

Land hunting is best done with a light weight jobbie with a wide range of coils. The use of it having a meter is a personal preference. You could use a water detector for land, but they are built heavier to withstand the water pressure and rough conditions.

Anyone else wanna add to this?

I agree with Sandman. I have a Silver Umax with a couple different coils for land. Different coils for trashy areas, fields, tot lots, relics, etc. I have a Tiger Shark for the water.

The only all around detector I can think of would be a Sovereign that has been waterproofed. Although, waterproofing would be an aftermarket modification. There are a few people on here that have one. Maybe they can weigh in.

 

[dex378]

Ok Thanks guys. I guess I need to be more specific, so here goes : I enjoy mostly coin/jewelry hunting on old house lots and parks. I have also been doing some beach hunting ( low tide no underwater) but only sporadically , so should I go with 2 machines? Thanks again!

 

[bazinga]

Ok Thanks guys. I guess I need to be more specific, so here goes : I enjoy mostly coin/jewelry hunting on old house lots and parks. I have also been doing some beach hunting ( low tide no underwater) but only sporadically , so should I go with 2 machines? Thanks again!

If you want the deep, old coins then the explorer is for you. I don't dig any gold with mine, though. But that is because I am only going for the deep silver coins. Digging lots of trash for the occasional gold ring doesn't interest me. It also works beautifully at the beach and you can go into the water with it, just not super deep. The wet sand doesn't faze it like it does many other land machines.

But, when I am at the beach I use a minelab excalibur.

 

[dex378]

If you want the deep, old coins then the explorer is for you. I don't dig any gold with mine, though. But that is because I am only going for the deep silver coins. Digging lots of trash for the occasional gold ring doesn't interest me. It also works beautifully at the beach and you can go into the water with it, just not super deep. The wet sand doesn't faze it like it does many other land machines.

But, when I am at the beach I use a minelab excalibur.

So your combo of the excaliber/explorer works pretty good for you ? All for under $2400?

 

[hollowpointred]

a loaded question since different people like different features. i happen to like the Explorer SE in most instances but not in every instance. i agree with Bscofield6 though, for the old deep stuff its an explorer of some type (XS,2,SE) all the way. for water hunting the Excalaber seems to be the top dog. for clad in the park and jewelry i like a Garrett GTI 1500 or 2500 ( i have the 2500, but a 1500 would do just fine as well). in my opinion no one machine really does everything well. it depends on what suits your tastes.

 

[utah hunter]

I am in love with my Fisher F75, but I wouldn't go straight from the Ace 250 to an F75. The learning curve is a little bit tough to get through, and it is so sensitive that there is a lot of noise going on the hotter you run it. I had a GTI 2500, and could find clad and silver rings at a blistering pace, and didn't think it could be outdone for newer sites. The weight got to be too much for me because of several disablilties, and I went to the Minelab x-terra 70 for the lighter weight.

I love the x70, and I would suggest that is your next choice for it's depth, pinpointing, tones, and being a very nice machine for the price. Look at the deal right now here on tnet http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,179992.0.html Hard to beat that price, especially with the coils. The learning curve is very short and you will love the machine.

The F75 I use now because it is so well balanced. It weighs more than the x70, but the balance makes it easier in my shoulder than any other detector I have used. I find more clad and rings than I ever did with the 2500 because of the coverage area of the DD coil. It goes deep almost the full 11 inches of the coil, and you can swing fast and get awesome target seperation at the same time. It has also been getting good reviews for wet ocean sand, but of course the control box is NOT waterproof.

The Explorer's were heavy and you had to swing slower to get the better finds. They are awesome machines, but just not my style. In my opinion the Explorer SE and the F75 are the 2 best detector's out there, but the Xterra 70 will be close behind and easier to use. The x70 can also be used at a faster swing speed then the explorer and get good target seperation.

My 2 cents. Free advice is sometimes worth the price paid, so hopefully this gives you a few ideas.

The following was an opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the views of tnet, it's sponsors, or any sane person

 

[bazinga]

If you want the deep, old coins then the explorer is for you. I don't dig any gold with mine, though. But that is because I am only going for the deep silver coins. Digging lots of trash for the occasional gold ring doesn't interest me. It also works beautifully at the beach and you can go into the water with it, just not super deep. The wet sand doesn't faze it like it does many other land machines.

But, when I am at the beach I use a minelab excalibur.

So your combo of the excaliber/explorer works pretty good for you ? All for under $2400?

I purchased both of mine used for about $1500 combined. Thankfully I have never had any issues purchasing used machines.

Unless you go for the new Minelab E-Trac at about $1500, I would recommend a good, used Explorer XS with a sunray probe and then purchase the new 11" PRO coil. All of this can generally be had for around $600-800 depending on how good of a deal you can find.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Unless you go for the new Minelab E-Trac at about $1500, I would recommend a good, used Explorer XS with a sunray probe and then purchase the new 11" PRO coil. All of this can generally be had for around $600-800 depending on how good of a deal you can find.

I agree.

If you live in an area where there are old coins to dig out of trashy sites you can't beat this machine.

It's not that others aren't also very good, it's that Minelab does have a very definite technology edge today in most of their models. Visit the forums where the big CW relic diggers post their finds and beside the finder will most likely be a Minelab.

But the XS isn't for everyone. The weight and learning process isn't suitable for all people. If one doesn't have an absolute passion for detecting one should never buy an Explorer. It's definitely not for instant gratification weekend warriors. For those I'd recommend the Silver uMax

 

[Coin Digger]

The best detector is the one your good at using.

Don't buy into the theory that a $1000 detector is better and is going to find that great find, it's the person that learns their machine that makes a great detector great.

My $200 detector is an extension of my arm and it plugs into my brain, I wouldn't trade it for all the frustrations and long learning curve of the high dollar ones. (been there done that)

 

[Weasel_Loader]

I just got back into MD a year ago after being away for about 10 years. My first detector was a Tesoro Sidewinder that I used detecting in Germany. It was great for relic hunting and VERY lightweight. I now live back in my home state of California and strictly coin hunt. Earlier this year I bought a Minelab SE and now have the Pro coil.

The SE is a great machine and took quite a bit of time to get used to. I've still got a long way to master the unit and look forward to winter (hunting season in my area).

Things I like about it:

-Tone I.D.
-Carbon Fiber shaft and cam lock feature. To me, much better than traditional metal wobbly units on other detectors.
-Very honest meter readings, but then again I dig mostly clad in my area and I can I.D. about 80% of my finds before I dig.
-Lot of seasoned pros out there helping us newbies to the Explorer world.

Things I don't like:

-Weight
-Slow processing (which is good and bad)

If they found a way to hip/chest mount the Explorer, I'm sure they'd sell even more units. I see a lot of people that were quite happy with the Explorer but switched to other units because of weight issues.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Detectors are like golf clubs, different detectors for different situations. You wouldn't use a putter to tee off with, or a driver to putt with......It is the same with detectors, different detectors work better for different situations.........................

 

[muttandjeeps]

Dex, I gotta go with the X Terra 70. But as has been well illustrated, the best detector is the one you feel confident with. Theres tons smart folks on this forum who have used the lot of them. If you want , you can head out my way, and I'll let you take the X70 out for a spin.

 

[dex378]

Thank you all! I will let you know my decision!

 

[Keppy]

So there is no "all around" detector?

Your right you want to hunt.... water get a water detector ...gold get a gold detector...beach get a beach detector... the rest are for inland..coins a coin detector ..relics ect...ect...ect...

 

[littletwig]

I think you need to look real seriously at the Whites DFX, MXT or M6. For simple coin /jewelery relic and beach hunting the M6 IMHO is the best detector for the money on the market today. If you plan on doing some additional prospecting you should look into the MXT. If you want to dish out the money and get a machine that will do it all as well as any other machine on the market look at the DFX. It's only limitation is the skill of the operator to program it and get the most out of it.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I think you need to look real seriously at the Whites DFX, MXT or M6.

I don't think you can't call them an "all around detector" since you can't get any of those wet which leaves out water and shallow surf hunting.....The majority of my good jewelry finds at the beach have been in the water knee to chest deep...... My primary water detector now is a Minelab Sovereign GT that has been waterproofed. I am very happy with the Sovereign GT both on land and in the water, but it has to be customized to be used in the water.....

I have land detectors, water detectors, and a competition detector.