What metal detector and best place for me

[bubba13]

I retired 6 years ago and have always wanted to go hunting for gold or other things. I am a beginner and know very little about metal detectors and where to look. I live in SC and have a small place in Florida near the west coast but can go anywhere in Florida or for that matter anywhere else. I need to know what metal detector to buy that is not too expensive because I will need to buy two one for me and one for my wife. I want one that does not pick up every bottle cap and every other piece of metal that is worthless. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Bubba13

 

[ThTx]

All metal detectors will pick up trash. However, one with good discrimination capabilities will let you tune them out or at least understand that they are trash targets before you dig. That being said, you must learn whatever machine you get. I prefer Garrett machines for many reasons. Not the least being the superb customer service should you ever need it. A very good machine is the ACE 350. However the operating frequency is 8 kHz on the 350 and if you want to hunt for gold you would probably want a higher frequency machine. The AT Pro is a a 15 kHz machine. This frequency range is used by several detector manufacturers for gold machines. You will probably get several responses telling you to get a PI (pulse induction) detector. However, they do NOT discriminate iron out. Anyway, I don't believe you can beat Garrett detectors for the money. If you PM me, I can quote you prices on any Garrett machine.

P.S. Be prepared - this hobby is addictive!

 

[dogpound]

gotta agree, garrett machines are very user friendly, light weight, priced right and their customer service is top notch

 

[Keppy]

I will say that Garrett has good service and easy to learn detectors........ Now you will hear a lot about minelab & Fisher and at this time even though i use Minelab......... I will say they have the worse service of all the detector companys...not good ...... There service has gotten worse than Fisher but i think that Fisher has got a little better..........

 

[Sandman]

First welcome to Tnet.

Starting out in this hobby can be a lot of fun with all the reading you should do about the hobby and the different metal detectors. You should subscribe to Western & Eastern Treasures magazine for some of this info.
http://www.treasurenet.com/westeast/

Go to the major manufactures web sites to learn all you can about entry level detectors. I suggest you try to visit a metal detector dealer within driving distance from your home so you can try out the various detectors side by side. The one you decide on might not be the one you'll love till you get to handle it first hand. No reason to try to shop for the lowest price because all the dealers have to sell within a couple dollars from each other. Its rude as heck to pump a dealer for info and then order mail order cause you aren't going to save any money and if you need help with using it, the dealer won't be of much help.

Try to get the same model detector for both you and the wife so to make learning easier. Also if one of you are "luckier" than the other it won't cause hard feelings. The Garrett ACE 350 is a good one to start with and so is the AT PRO by Garrett also.

Its really a nice hobby and all my detectors have paid for themselves, a couple a couple a couple times over. But I don't have a real life.....

Good Luck,
Sandman

 

[Woodland Detectors]

"Its rude as heck to pump a dealer for info and then order mail order cause you aren't going to save any money and if you need help with using it, the dealer won't be of much help."

With all due respect sandman, we really don't mind helping people out. I'd rather see someone get honest advice than going somewhere else, and get something they are going to regret down the road. Some dealers are more concerned about the profit from the sale than the satisfaction of the customer.
Feel free to call us please.

828-242-5407

Mike

 

[dpitt8]

although i don't have one myself, when i do get one i plan on getting a Tesoro of some variety. lifetime warranties are hard to beat.

 

[Willee]

I retired 6 years ago and have always wanted to go hunting for gold or other things. I am a beginner and know very little about metal detectors and where to look. I live in SC and have a small place in Florida near the west coast but can go anywhere in Florida or for that matter anywhere else. I need to know what metal detector to buy that is not too expensive because I will need to buy two one for me and one for my wife. I want one that does not pick up every bottle cap and every other piece of metal that is worthless. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Bubba13

Hey ... you can hunt the Florida and SC beaches.
But yourself a new Garrett AT PRO for $499 and hunt the beach.
Take turns with the wife.
By summer you should have found enough coins and gold to buy the wife one also.

 

[Smudge]

Bubba,

Take a good, long look at Tesoro. The Compadre and the Silver uMax are very inexpensive and perform beautifully. The are also very light weight (less than 2.5 lbs) and have a lifetime warranty.

The Compadre is a beast in tot lots and parks. With its 5.75" coil and 12 kHz, it really discriminates well, recovers fast, and bangs on gold if its there! Just keep your discrimination as low as you can tolerate.

The uMax is excellent in open areas like soccer fields and dry sandy beaches. In wet sand you'll have to turn the sensitivity down which will cost you depth, but that is true of almost any VLF detector you purchase.

I'm not a big fan of TID screens as they are wrong about half the time, both in what you've found and in how deep the target is. But if you really want one, the detector of choice tends to be the Garrett Ace 250/350.

Good luck to you!

 

[oldcoon]

Bubba, please be advised that any detector will pick up bottle caps and other metals, worthless or not. As was stated in a subsequent post, the discriminator can eliminate much of that. What was not stated was that gold, the metal you seek, rates very low on the conductivity scale and will be eliminated with the worthless metals. If you want to use a metal detector to hunt for gold you must be prepared to dig many targets, most of them worthless or nearly so. If I were hunting gold I would not run my discriminator any higher than to eliminate iron.

As to brands, makes and models I am not in the business and thus have nothing to sell you. Most dealers are reputable and will
give you a straight steer.

Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[Uncle Willy]

The detector hasn't been invented that won't pick up some junk. The key word in metal detector is "METAL". Keep that in mind as there are no magic machines. Having said that give the new Garrett Ace 350 a whirl. Easy to learn, easy to use, and a real coin magnet. And Garrett has the best customer service in the business.

Bill