What is the best metal detector for your buck?

[Shott1970]

I want to buy a metal detector but I dont have a fortune to spend, so I dont want to sell my srams or legs. Any ideas?

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

 

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[gary in idaho]

I guess I'll post one more time to this topic. The best metal detector for your buck is the one that works for you. I've owned many different brands of detectors over the past 10 years. My first 2 years I bought and sold many different detectors, never really lost much money doing this, I just wanted to try as many machines as I could. I'd have to say my favorites are the Tesoros. Excellent discrimination, average to above average depth depending on the model, and IMO only a slight learning curve, also you can't beat the lifetime warranty and the people that back it! Tesoros I've used are the Lobo ST, Lobo, Diablo umax, Bandido umax, Amigo and currently using the Vaquero and my new favorite the Compadre. Had a Fisher CZ-7a pro, great machine for depth but really loved iron and at the time I was searching old ghost towns when I lived in Nevada, so I got rid of it, I wish I would have kept it because I don't believe I gave myself enough time to learn the machine. I've got an F2 now and it's a keeper! I've used the Minelab gold machines XT 18000 was an ok machine at best, very overpriced, not a deepseeker, and I had the SD 2000 and that was a great machine if you were after deep nuggets and I liked it, downside was carrying the motorcycle battery in your backpack! Well sorry for rambling on. If you're really serious about this hobby you may have to try many machines before you find one that you like and suits your needs. The way I looked at it was I was just renting the detector to see how I liked it, so I'd lose $20-30 on average for my chance to try a different detector, it was worth it to me. My newest toy is a Compass Relic & Coin Finder. So far I'm very impressed with the accuracy of the analog meter and it's capabilities to reject iron. It has a depth/sensitivity mod done to it by Keith Wills at East Texas Detectors, I'll be giving it a good workout this weekend. So I guess what I'm trying to say is try out a few detector brands and models, if you're lucky enough to have a good detector shop near you ask if you can try out a few mahines before you buy, most have demo models. The problem with opinions on any forum is let's say for example a guy buys an Ace 250 for a few hundred of his hard earned dollars after doing a little research or listening to other's opinions, then he figures out, because he's a smart guy, the detector is not all that great, maybe not even good, then someone asks him what he thinks of it. Well not to look the fool, because he did the research (mostly by listening to others reviews) he says it's a great detector, best bang for the buck, great 2 year warranty. Do you see what I'm getting to?
OK, gotta go, I'm sure this post will be deleted (lol)
HH,
Gary

 

[hsjrev]

Seems like we have this discussion every few weeks or so but I'll say it again. My opinion is based on what I've seen with my own eyes and in my soil, in side-by-side tests on buried coins, the Ace 250 detected and correctly indentified buried silver and copper coins deeper than the Fisher F2 every time I tried them. I have no brand bias but the Ace has been a very good detector for me and has found lots of silver. I was dissapointed with the F2 and wouldn't recommend it to anyone who asks me. I am very impressed with the new Fisher F70 so far and think it's a great detector in it's price range so they do put out some great products.

 

[Keppy]

Well mabey we will all buy that detector off UBID for $55.00 and sell all our high price detectors. .........mabey not............But ....Gary in idaho.... You hit the nail on the head...........I bought the one on UBID for $55.00 i just have to try it out for the price..carry bag...ear phones....& looks like a nice detector well i will find out......................I think i could get $20.00 for the carry bag on ebay even more mabey........

 

[Keppy]

And easy money you hit the nail on the head also at lease you give facts not BS.

 

[hsjrev]

The FACTS are that in the soil in my back yard, the Ace 250 performs better on copper cents and silver dimes than the F2 every time at any depth over 3". But hey, I've only been detecting for about 30 years and only owned detectors from Garrett, Compass, Tesoro, Minelab, Whites and Fisher so I guess I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm not trying to claim the Ace 250 is the greatest thing out there, but it's not bad for the price and it beats the F2 in the soil around here on high conductors. The F2 did do better on nickels and my gold wedding band. My old Goldscanner Pro and the new F70 blow them both out of the water though.

 

[gary in idaho]

The FACTS are that in the soil in my back yard, the Ace 250 performs better on copper cents and silver dimes than the F2 every time at any depth over 3". But hey, I've only been detecting for about 30 years and only owned detectors from Garrett, Compass, Tesoro, Minelab, Whites and Fisher so I guess I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm not trying to claim the Ace 250 is the greatest thing out there, but it's not bad for the price and it beats the F2 in the soil around here on high conductors. The F2 did do better on nickels and my gold wedding band. My old Goldscanner Pro and the new F70 blow them both out of the water though.

hsjrev, I certainly respect your opinion, your experience speaks for itself. In my case the F2 outperformed the 250 in every way ,so did the Compadre, also no comparison in target response with the F2 probably being the best (fastest) I've ever used (new circuitry vs old?). I'm thinking maybe your F2 isn't working quite right. I know Fisher had some problems with the first F2's they released. Did you ever think about sending it in on the warranty to have them check it out? I don't know your soil conditions but here in N. Idaho it varies from pretty mild to highly mineralized, just depends where you're at. In my experience a detector that works well in mineralized ground will work just as well if not better in unmineralized ground. I just think the F2 is a much better detector than the 250 and your F2 may have a problem. I guess it really doesn't matter, if you like the 250 then that's all that really counts, right? Use it and have fun, because that's what it's all about!

Gary

 

[Keppy]

Well folks, I'll say this one more time just so that someone else can know..

My electronics engineering experience, and my education and R&D in metal detecting engineering and my experience as an electronics mechanic and electronics technician, plus my experience in repairing and using enormous numbers of detectors, many of which most people on here have never even heard of, plus my side-by-side experiences comparing the aforementioned detectors against the Aces has clearly shown me that the F-2, Silver Umax, Compadre, and White's low end detectors are decidedly superior to the Aces of all varieties. The Aces (again) use circuitry that is at least 20 years old, and that's (partly) why it is inferior and a dinosaur compared to the more modern circuitry currently used in the Tesoros and Fishers detectors that I mentioned above..

As I said above, the Aces are fine for someone who really hasn't used any other detectors because they would not know the differences between them anyway, would they? If they really did, they would never make statements saying that the Ace was superior because the real world proves the facts and the impossibilities..

Now let's get back out of the dream Alice, and we'll rescue the dog too. The Aces do not have the ability or the power or the more complex current circuitry to enable them to beat the cheaper Tesoros or Fisher currently made, and as most of you already know, I have no opinions, I only state facts, nothing more. Maybe that's because of my precision work in life and maybe it's because of my candor and not wanting to BS anybody about anything, but the truth is, that in the hands of an experienced detectorist, the Aces are inferior to the other mentioned detectors, case closed.

EasyMoney

Easy money now John of Enmond says that the Aces have newer technology..See how people can get confused on what to get.......It is the last post under Garrett..... F4..Ace 250...Eagle Spectrum............

 

[TOWcritter]

MXT....Hands down .....excellent all around detector.

 

[TOWcritter]

And I quote-----


"All Around Detector"


.....End quote.




Oh....I didn't see that on the list...........HHMMmmmmm.......

 

[Keppy]

Easy Money ....I will have to go along with the facts and you give out only true facts.........Yes i do have a Ace 250.. but it is up for sale.............................==Jim==

 

[Drudge]

EasyMoney - Im going back and reading all your posts bro

 

[Keppy]

Drudge....I read all of....Easymoneys....Posts all you get from his posts is good information not a lot misguided info. like in a lot of posts. That have a lot of wrong detectors bought then there money is gone and they are stuck with a detector they don't like.. I still say if you want a detector go to a local dealer and try them out..............But then i got a lot of local dealers around me that will sell & tell you any thing just to get a sale and these dealers know less than i know about detectors..................==Jim==

 

[kindafoundabuckle]

I did not read the whole post but just wanted to add my opinion. Without a doubt you can not get a bigger bang for your buck than with the now becoming legendary ACE 250. My good friend rodeo recon owns one and when I first laid my eyes on it I thought nice machine for a TOY!!! He has owned it for quite sometime now and he has made some finds that would make most of us drool. The last piece I seen him get was a 2 cent coin and it was super deep. AND it has held up very well after all the hunts he has used it for. If I was going to get a machine in that price range it would be a no brainer. ACE 250 ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!!!!!!!!

KFB

 

[kindafoundabuckle]

Hey Kinda, what do you think of the 1270?

I know the soil there is pretty mild compared to west of the great divide, but how does it fare in your own soil?

EasyMoney

It does great in the red clay we have here in KY.

KFB

 

[kindafoundabuckle]

Thanks KFB, that's one thing I always wondered but never did get a chance to try since I lve so far from there. The 1270 will beat a Tejon in my area and I always wondered if it would beat one there too.

Thanks for the info,

EasyMoney

I think it will smoke the Tesoro (sorry BB) BTW I just sold that machine on EBay last week. It brought over 400.00!!!!

KFB

 

[JOE(USA)]

I've said it before and I will say it again. ******** Listen to "Easymoney" not some newbie that thinks his detector (one and only) is the best. And don't harass him or he will stop posting and then everybody suffers! Joe

 

[Arch Stanton]

Questions for Easy Money

I have Troy Shadow X2 (Super 7 and 9" coils), which I've used on and off for the last eight years. I've made some nice finds with it. I've been told that it's essentially a Tesoro Silver with some added features. I have a Tesoro Tejon, which I've only tested in the back yard. I just bought to used detectors: Tesoro Bandido II Umax with the stock 8" coil and El Dorado with a 10x12 concentric coil. I tested all of the detectors and they got about the same depth on an air test with a quarter between 5-6 inches, with the exception of the Bandido that got 4 inches. None of them would detect the quarter at 7-8 inches in the ground. I thought that I needed a manual-ground balanced detector for Arizona, but I'm disappointed with the depth. I wanted a detector that could go much deeper than the Shadow X2. I'm going to send the three of the detectors to Tesoro to have them checked out. I was told that they could calibrate the coils that go with each machine. I was also told that I could send a soil sample from where I live and they would adjust the Shadow's ground balance to the soil conditions. I was thinking about trying the 10x12 coil on the Shadow as well to see if I get extra depth. I put the Tejon together yesterday and tested it, but I didn't get the depth that I was hoping for. I think that I'm going to put it back in the box and sell or trade the Tejon. I've read reviews and posts that it doesn't do well in mineralized soil. The soil here in Arizona supposedly has moderate to high mineralization. Maybe my lack of experience with ground balancing is the cause, but I followed the directions stated in the manual. What do you think about the Fisher 1270 for depth in mineralized soil? I read that it is on the heavy side. I read that lower frequency detectors do better in bad ground. The new Fisher F5 has a lower frequency, so I might give it more consideration. Any comments or recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you. HH.

 

[Larsmed]

Easy

What about the Whites surf PI pro? have you tried it? Is it worth it?

Larry

 

[Arch Stanton]

First of all, thanks for sharing your wealth of information regarding all of these detectors. After reading many post on manual ground balance, I thought that a detector with a manual ground balance was the way to go for detecting in mineralized soil. It now seems that I was fine with my Shadow X2. Maybe all I need is a big coil to get some extra depth. Do you think that the Bandido II Umax and Eldorado (last version) are still good detectors worth using in mineralized ground? I was thinking about a Vaquero, but after reading your post, it seem that the older Tesoros will fare better in bad ground. As far as the Tejon is concerned, I guess I might trade or sell it. Thanks again for all your help.