YouTube verse Reality?

Coin Digger

Sr. Member
Jul 13, 2008
328
47
Williams County Ohio
Detector(s) used
Whites Classic 3 SL
Fisher F2
Bounty Hunter Platinum
Whites XLT
Nokta Legend
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I've been getting back into the hobby after being away from it for several years. To say there's been advances in the machines would be an understatement.
I've been watching YouTube videos and I have to say some of the youtubers do a really good job at producing video's that I enjoy watching.

I can't help but ask myself why would you buy a $1500 machine to search a tot lot just to dig everything as some seem to do in the videos. I've searched tot lots and nothing is ever deep. I mean if you're going to dig everything at a battlefield site or old home site, then an old Whites Classic 3 with Mr. Bills Mods would be more than enough. I owned one and it was a crazy deep machine, especially in all metal.

Now if you want to be picky about what you dig then the new multifrequency machines with state-of-the-art discrimination would be a must. I can't say I've seen many videos like that. I'm looking to upgrade from my XLT come spring, and with Old Man Winter knocking at the door I'm going to wait, I'll to wait to see how the Manticores feedback turns out. The videos look promising. ;)
 

Last edited:

FreeBirdTim

Silver Member
Sep 24, 2013
3,757
6,731
Scituate, RI
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yup, any $300 machine will get the job done at tot lots, schools and ballfields. You're going to have to find a heck of a lot of silver coins to recoup the extra $1200 you paid for a machine!
 

AstralDruid

Sr. Member
Oct 22, 2019
406
515
Detector(s) used
Garrett ACE 250i Nel Hunter
Equinox 600 15" coil
XP-Mi4
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I agree.....
My kid uses my old Ace,, and turns up stuff way deeper than the Equinox... and as we dig everything , it really comes down to "machine weight" with the new stuff being so much lighter,,,, just my thoughts...
Recovery speed, de-masking, target ID,, etc... is all a fools game. Marketing at it's finest.
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,032
137,024
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Yup there it is once again.
Folks will bash every machine because $$$ more important than their $$ machine, and that's fine.
But seriously the ergonomics, and the separation abilities are not even in the same book.

If recouping the investment is first, and foremost, then I think they'd better get into another money making adventure. (it would suck having that achy/nagging thought of swinging a $1500 machine digging only a silver)
I have no idea if I actually paid for my investments - probably back in 80's when it was easy to gleam gold/silvers still out of the ground.

Now for the comments of digging everything at a homesite....:laughing7::laughing7::laughing7:
Get frigging real, what a thought.
I can produce sites where you would be digging from morning to sunset, and not make it to the end of the site in one row.
You'd be better off screening it, than detecting and retrieving it.

But yes the low end machines will detect to a limit, hell some have great depth capabilities.
Yet out in the real world it has been proven that certain machine are just better-period.

Garrett Ace 250 (yellow) a buddy really thought it was a pretty good machine. (Which it was-in it's own ranks)
So we met up in High Park Toronto, went out onto the trails, and ravines of the 400 acre park.
Time after time, I'd detect a target with the Minlab Explorer SE.
He'd try, and get a minor little chirp, a non-diggable signal.

10" down a IH Penny, 14" a LC, 6" a Fishscale-those are keepers, in the pouch recoveries.
Sure not "BANNERS" as some rant about-but quality items that make up an array of targets that make any day a good day of hunting.
He went out the very next day and bought a SE, and his recovery rate shot up.

Now if a person has more time on their hands than a horse has hair.
They dig every signal, because it's important to dig every signal regardless because it's just a target, then fill the boots.

When a person has a few hours, or a day of hunting squeezed in, they only want to cherry pick the non-ferrous out of the iron.
Time trumps $$$ in the book, well no low end machine is going to fill that need fully.

From swinging the White's GoldMaster, non discrimination machine, metal/mineral setting, 14 AA batteries, slug of a machine, 2" depth in dry sand, relic hunting use the mineral setting.
It would hum/buzz till it went over a target then we dug like a dog digging a bone out.
Never knowing what it was, iron, or a hot rock, or something that one would keep, but the depth was great.(So we thought)
Still these machines were over $300-400 back in the early 70's.
Give me a $ Bounty Hunter Discovery today, and it would blow the early machines out of the water.

It really comes down to what a person can justify in life for a hobby/sport cost, or anything else.
My arse feels pretty good sitting on the $6K down-filled cushion couch,($100 online estate auction) but I prefer my office chair for a sit as well.
Some justify the $10's of thousands of dollars tied up in the hunting/fishing equipment.
$100K bass boat with 300 hp and it fly almost from one end of a lake to the other.
But I have seen more fish caught from the dock, and the $50 fishing pole set up.

Just because Joe Blow needs that $80K pick up-doesn't mean I need one.
Sure it might be nice to have a new 4x4, but the 14 yr old Tundra does the job, scratch it-:dontknow:I really don't even care.
I want to drive through the Prickly Ash/Hawthorn trails to get closer to a site, no problem.
Hearing the scrapping of the thorns going down the paint job, really don't matter.

One can justify just about anything in life-twist it-turn it-till it sits real comfy on their thinking mind.
Want to dig metal, don't care if it's a sq. nail, or a button, or anything else-then the $$$$ machine isn't going to fill that need.
I prefer to dig something that goes into the keeper section of the pouch.
I can fill 45 gallon drums with steel-but that's not my objective when digging. I want to put something on the shelf.
Time trumps all $$$$ in my books, as I age I still hold this close to the chest.
Being 20/30/40/50s is a lot different than it is today.
But that my thinking behind the hobby.

I'll swing a high end machine-just because it's free-no smoke-no fast food-no drink-no gambling-I sleep on my own front pouch-so this is a pretty cheap hobby.
Go out no matter how bad life is at that moment, and totally forget all about the outside world.
I put it this way to folks that just don't get what this hobby is about,

I can have my house burn down this morning-and right here now digging things up in the dirt-alone-I'm good, as I wouldn't even really think about it.
I see the tad bit of envy creeping in-because where/what can take a person away like that?
Yes a $150 or a $1500 machine can certainly do that. :headbang:
 

AstralDruid

Sr. Member
Oct 22, 2019
406
515
Detector(s) used
Garrett ACE 250i Nel Hunter
Equinox 600 15" coil
XP-Mi4
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The Original post, by Coin Digger,, was addressing the thought that "youtube" and reality may differ.. I don't think it was really anything to do with what someone can afford, or how much time they have to enjoy outdoors...
Anyone here with any machine will verify (if being honest, and not fanboy yadda) that if the machine costs 150 or 1500 (choose currency that seems relevant) that they will still dig up crap.. or else they just exclude everything that doesn't have a certain very specific ID...
Most machines make a guess at what the target is.... iron, low conductors, high conductors, whatever,,, but the big question .... Is a 1500 machine ten times better at it than a 150 ?? is a manticore twice as good as a Nox ?? ....
I personally can afford to buy any machine I want, or any number of them,,, ,,, not relevant in any way to grown-up discussion ,, just blah blah.
I also have lot's of time on my hands, retired 14 years ago, and will be 50 soon.... time equals more than money,, true..
Lightweight and slightly better guesses at what the target is, that's what we are being sold.... Lightness i will pay for as i tend to do a lot of hours.... the rest is :BangHead:
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,032
137,024
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
The Original post, by Coin Digger,, was addressing the thought that "youtube" and reality may differ.. I don't think it was really anything to do with what someone can afford, or how much time they have to enjoy outdoors...
Anyone here with any machine will verify (if being honest, and not fanboy yadda) that if the machine costs 150 or 1500 (choose currency that seems relevant) that they will still dig up crap.. or else they just exclude everything that doesn't have a certain very specific ID...
Most machines make a guess at what the target is.... iron, low conductors, high conductors, whatever,,, but the big question .... Is a 1500 machine ten times better at it than a 150 ?? is a manticore twice as good as a Nox ?? ....
I personally can afford to buy any machine I want, or any number of them,,, ,,, not relevant in any way to grown-up discussion ,, just blah blah.
I also have lot's of time on my hands, retired 14 years ago, and will be 50 soon.... time equals more than money,, true..
Lightweight and slightly better guesses at what the target is, that's what we are being sold.... Lightness i will pay for as i tend to do a lot of hours.... the rest is :BangHead:
He also as did #2 post address the cost of the machines.

14 yrs retired-Congrats
16 yrs myself, but I was much older-will be 65 on the next one.

Justification of a purchase can be obtained in many ways.
We all seem to have a way of skewing the reason to fit the needs.
My insulated jeans are 30 yrs old-phone dropped through the hole in the back pocket today!:BangHead:

The videos that are up today seem to be there for many reasons other than just a truthful review/dig.
I don't need 5 minutes of face going to the site/nor an idiot screaming over a flat button.
Don't need the music, the cut ins, pasted BS that so many have-and what sells to the armchairs of the world.

Be normal, and explain things in logical ways where most can relate-that might get me to a thumbs up like.

Ever notice the detecting videos that dig up a "Planted" recovery, gag me now obvious buried, then dug up again.
They never have the comment section turn on-why is that.

It's like digging a Crotal bell up, and ringing it on the camera-high 5s-pumping the air with fist type of BS.
Same goes with the mason jar full of large silver coins (Morgans) no top, dumping them freely out on the ground.
If that's not bad enough the editing is, yet folks lap it up like warm milk.
But there's always a void to fill in the needs dept.
 

FreeBirdTim

Silver Member
Sep 24, 2013
3,757
6,731
Scituate, RI
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
As I've stated many times before, you can't buy your way into this hobby. I see this happen in all sports and hobbies. Guy buys a $200 bat to play softball. Guess what, he still stinks! Guy spends a small fortune on the best golf clubs and balls. Guess what, he's still lousy at the game! Guy buys a 20k bass boat to outrace everyone to the best spots. Guess what, he still doesn't catch much because his 200 HP motor and huge boat coming at them scares the crap out of all the bass in the area!

Bottom line, stop trying to outdo everyone by buying the latest 1.6k detector of the month. You're being played by the metal detector companies. Buy a decent machine and spend a few hundred hours mastering it. Then learn how to do research and pay your dues detecting the spots no one wants to detect. Spots that are two miles in the woods, swampy areas that guarentee you'll have wet feet or overgrown spots that annoy the heck out of you! And most of all, stop trying to squeeze out a few mercs from spots that have been detected to death and then brag about it. Guess what, you just spent 1.6k to find coins worth a $1.60 in melt value! Just my take on it...
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,032
137,024
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
As I've stated many times before, you can't buy your way into this hobby. I see this happen in all sports and hobbies. Guy buys a $200 bat to play softball. Guess what, he still stinks! Guy spends a small fortune on the best golf clubs and balls. Guess what, he's still lousy at the game! Guy buys a 20k bass boat to outrace everyone to the best spots. Guess what, he still doesn't catch much because his 200 HP motor and huge boat coming at them scares the crap out of all the bass in the area!

Bottom line, stop trying to outdo everyone by buying the latest 1.6k detector of the month. You're being played by the metal detector companies. Buy a decent machine and spend a few hundred hours mastering it. Then learn how to do research and pay your dues detecting the spots no one wants to detect. Spots that are two miles in the woods, swampy areas that guarentee you'll have wet feet or overgrown spots that annoy the heck out of you! And most of all, stop trying to squeeze out a few mercs from spots that have been detected to death and then brag about it. Guess what, you just spent 1.6k to find coins worth a $1.60 in melt value! Just my take on it...
There are couple of things that stick out with the comparisons.

All are time invested = better results.
$$$ invested has some influence on those results.

In boating there was a thing called 2 footitis (buy boat, gain experience, sell, buy another 2ft longer, repeat xxxxx)

Detectors-most buy an entry priced detector.
Then buy another, then another, then xxxx
The stable is never full.
Can only swing one at a time, but they buy another.
(Guilty as charged got 5 over a period of last 15+ yrs)
I have read guys toting 40 machines in the last 10yrs.

Buying the magic bullet might be a major factor here when the count gets up in the double digits.
Your comment on learning the machine has merit, as how can one really learn a machine when it doesn't get the hours on it to begin with.

The point is most buy the next level/top level because of the belief of it will squeeze out more targets for the pouch.
Justified as the experience is gained
It's not about the flocking $$$ return.
You look at this way-$$$ melt value never is going to pay for the $1600.00 detector.
True maybe-maybe not.
I know one guy that the silver coin totals are 3-400 a year. So the top end machine paid (Minelab SE).
(Doesn't ever post up, but reads the forums.)
Nor the does it take into account the gold, or high relics as buttons/buckles.
Could the low range machine do this? :dontknow:

It doesn't really matter does it what ANYONE swings/ drives in life.
To say that it does actually shows that the gills are green with envy/jealousy actually.

Drive an old beater-snide remarks about every other vehicle on the road that is top end.
Leaky row boat-:BangHead: BASS BOATS!
Goes for everything actually-I get along with mine-so everybody should too!

If somebody buys a $70 or a $7000 detector the out come can be the same results
Low end=disappointment of no instant riches as gold.
High end=same/same.

If it's not in the ground to begin with-no machine is going to find it.
But if it's in the heavy laden iron patches-well let the debate mid/high end machine continue.
Time on any machine makes it a better machine than a newly purchased machine-TRUE THAT.
 

brianc053

Hero Member
Jan 27, 2015
972
3,359
Morris County, NJ
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
XP Deus 2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
What an interesting discussion. I hope it remains a civil exchange of points of view.
So far I think that's what it is: different people with different points of view. My opinion is that everyone's right - from their own perspective - and not everyone has to view this hobby the same way.
Here's my story. I'll try to keep it brief.

My son and I started detecting on the beach with a White's Prizm, and on the beach I believe that most machines can be effective because I tend to dig most non-ferrous signals. Even my Equinox can't really tell between a pull-tab and a ring (and in Delaware where I swing it there are these thousands of copper shrapnel from WW2 artillery practice that ring up between 12 and 30 - no detector can tell me whether a target is a piece of that copper or a 1700's KG3).

We eventually upgraded to the Equinox 800 because my son and I enjoyed the hobby together (video below - I'm not a YouTuber, I just sometimes make a video to remember time spent with my son). That Equinox is amazing - the target ID's it produces are very reliable. I have maybe 1500 or 2000 hours on the machine and feel like I know it well. And I sometimes swing it in a park or even a school/tot lot, especially after I've been skunked at a Colonial era site and need to hear a nice clear "beep".
But my personal opinion is that the Equinox doesn't do all that well in heavily iron-infested old homesites. And these are my favorite places to detect, so with that in mind I added a Deus 1 to my arsenal two years ago.
(Side note for FreeBirdTim: I've looked at every available old map of the area where I live in New Jersey and used that research to find many old homesites that the previous generation of detectorists missed, but many of those were also picked over by those others. In my area I'm not the first to venture into woods I share with coyote packs, pricker bushes that poke through even the thickest pants, and farm fields covered in manure. But even if someone detected the site before I like the satisfaction of being able to pull some extra mercury dimes with my higher-end detector and my skills that were missed by my predecessor. Example story: https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/a-hot-hunt-at-an-1880s-queen-anne-style-home.658108/)

The Deus 1 helped me effectively detect some sites - iron-infested sites where one swing of the coil produces 20 beeps of all different tones using Full Tones - and that's when I had my personal realization: if I want to be serious about this hobby (where serious = make the most of the limited time I have while also getting the personal satisfaction out of the activity) then I should use the best tools available to a hobbyist. I like having options when it comes to the detectors I use.
Buying the Deus 1 about twelve months before the Deus 2 was released was a mistake in hindsight, but I had no way of knowing. I didn't buy the Deus 2 right away, though, because the combination of the Equinox (for homesites where the home is still standing on the original foundation) and the Deus 1 (for old homesites in fields/woods where iron is everywhere) gave me a good combination of tools to apply to different situations.

And then a friend bought the Deus 2. So I took him to a 1700s home here in town that has an iron-infested yard and that I've pounded with both the Equinox and Deus 1. This friend's skills and mine are similar, which made it a good test for the new equipment. It only took him an hour to pull a dandy button, a Mercury dime and - shockingly - a Standing Liberty Quarter from a small area I am certain I had detected before. The SLQ came out of a hole with two square nails, and I'm confident those square nails masked it from the Equinox. But not the Deus 2.

So, I've now added the Deus 2 to my tool box. (A used unit from Bart @BigBoyHobbies - turned out to be a great deal). And I took that Deus 2 to a homesite that me and a different friend had pounded with our Nox's. Took me an hour to pull two mercury dimes and a nice button from that site with the Deus 2. (I'll take some video the next time I'm there of how iron-infested the site is).

For me personally, it's comforting to know that I'm using good quality tools as I enjoy the limited time I have to go metal detecting. I'm not embarrassed to use a detector that is "overkill" if I choose to visit a school/tot-lot or a park. Instead I think the good detector helps me get the most out of the visit. One of the first places I tested the Deus 2 was a local elementary school we call "penny field" for obvious reasons. One of the first targets sounded weird and as I carefully swung the Deus 2 over the target(s) I realized there was at least a penny and a nickel in the same hole - all before I put the shovel in the ground. When I did dig the plug there were...two pennies and a nickel. First time out with the Deus 2 I could tell exactly what was in the ground. I'm not sure I would have been that certain even with the Equinox, since I find that the Nox tends to get "jumpy" when two different clear targets are under the 11" coil.

Anyway, I wrote way more than I planned to - sorry about that. But I'm happy to hear feedback on any of my points of view.

Enjoy your time metal detecting. That's what it's supposed to be about!

- Brian

PS - here's a real video of my son and I finding stuff at a great old homesite. And no, I'm not looking for subscribers or likes. I just hope you enjoy sharing our experience, and I'm glad I have this video for the rest of my life.
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,032
137,024
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
What an interesting discussion. I hope it remains a civil exchange of points of view.
So far I think that's what it is: different people with different points of view. My opinion is that everyone's right - from their own perspective - and not everyone has to view this hobby the same way.
Here's my story. I'll try to keep it brief.

My son and I started detecting on the beach with a White's Prizm, and on the beach I believe that most machines can be effective because I tend to dig most non-ferrous signals. Even my Equinox can't really tell between a pull-tab and a ring (and in Delaware where I swing it there are these thousands of copper shrapnel from WW2 artillery practice that ring up between 12 and 30 - no detector can tell me whether a target is a piece of that copper or a 1700's KG3).

We eventually upgraded to the Equinox 800 because my son and I enjoyed the hobby together (video below - I'm not a YouTuber, I just sometimes make a video to remember time spent with my son). That Equinox is amazing - the target ID's it produces are very reliable. I have maybe 1500 or 2000 hours on the machine and feel like I know it well. And I sometimes swing it in a park or even a school/tot lot, especially after I've been skunked at a Colonial era site and need to hear a nice clear "beep".
But my personal opinion is that the Equinox doesn't do all that well in heavily iron-infested old homesites. And these are my favorite places to detect, so with that in mind I added a Deus 1 to my arsenal two years ago.
(Side note for FreeBirdTim: I've looked at every available old map of the area where I live in New Jersey and used that research to find many old homesites that the previous generation of detectorists missed, but many of those were also picked over by those others. In my area I'm not the first to venture into woods I share with coyote packs, pricker bushes that poke through even the thickest pants, and farm fields covered in manure. But even if someone detected the site before I like the satisfaction of being able to pull some extra mercury dimes with my higher-end detector and my skills that were missed by my predecessor. Example story: https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/a-hot-hunt-at-an-1880s-queen-anne-style-home.658108/)

The Deus 1 helped me effectively detect some sites - iron-infested sites where one swing of the coil produces 20 beeps of all different tones using Full Tones - and that's when I had my personal realization: if I want to be serious about this hobby (where serious = make the most of the limited time I have while also getting the personal satisfaction out of the activity) then I should use the best tools available to a hobbyist. I like having options when it comes to the detectors I use.
Buying the Deus 1 about twelve months before the Deus 2 was released was a mistake in hindsight, but I had no way of knowing. I didn't buy the Deus 2 right away, though, because the combination of the Equinox (for homesites where the home is still standing on the original foundation) and the Deus 1 (for old homesites in fields/woods where iron is everywhere) gave me a good combination of tools to apply to different situations.

And then a friend bought the Deus 2. So I took him to a 1700s home here in town that has an iron-infested yard and that I've pounded with both the Equinox and Deus 1. This friend's skills and mine are similar, which made it a good test for the new equipment. It only took him an hour to pull a dandy button, a Mercury dime and - shockingly - a Standing Liberty Quarter from a small area I am certain I had detected before. The SLQ came out of a hole with two square nails, and I'm confident those square nails masked it from the Equinox. But not the Deus 2.

So, I've now added the Deus 2 to my tool box. (A used unit from Bart @BigBoyHobbies - turned out to be a great deal). And I took that Deus 2 to a homesite that me and a different friend had pounded with our Nox's. Took me an hour to pull two mercury dimes and a nice button from that site with the Deus 2. (I'll take some video the next time I'm there of how iron-infested the site is).

For me personally, it's comforting to know that I'm using good quality tools as I enjoy the limited time I have to go metal detecting. I'm not embarrassed to use a detector that is "overkill" if I choose to visit a school/tot-lot or a park. Instead I think the good detector helps me get the most out of the visit. One of the first places I tested the Deus 2 was a local elementary school we call "penny field" for obvious reasons. One of the first targets sounded weird and as I carefully swung the Deus 2 over the target(s) I realized there was at least a penny and a nickel in the same hole - all before I put the shovel in the ground. When I did dig the plug there were...two pennies and a nickel. First time out with the Deus 2 I could tell exactly what was in the ground. I'm not sure I would have been that certain even with the Equinox, since I find that the Nox tends to get "jumpy" when two different clear targets are under the 11" coil.

Anyway, I wrote way more than I planned to - sorry about that. But I'm happy to hear feedback on any of my points of view.

Enjoy your time metal detecting. That's what it's supposed to be about!

- Brian

PS - here's a real video of my son and I finding stuff at a great old homesite. And no, I'm not looking for subscribers or likes. I just hope you enjoy sharing our experience, and I'm glad I have this video for the rest of my life.

Great explanation/video Brian-no music/over the top air pumping/just sharing the time together.
Congrats to your son showing up the NOX with a pinpointer. :laughing7: Great memory and really what are the chances of that happening?
I viewing the amount of iron that was dug-seems like an average day out with MineLab/Deus 1 machine.
Digging the iffy signals, just because they sounded like it might be something good.

I have found (limited use) that the iron digging with the DEUS ll has been reduced by 85-90% over the Dues l (just using the general program)
It's about getting the little extra out of a site, and you said that well.
My sentiment exactly, and it probably falls on deaf ears as it isn't a "Banner" or a 1916D Mercury Dime in AU condition.
 

KodyB

Full Member
Aug 28, 2022
185
686
The Original post, by Coin Digger,, was addressing the thought that "youtube" and reality may differ.. I don't think it was really anything to do with what someone can afford, or how much time they have to enjoy outdoors...
Anyone here with any machine will verify (if being honest, and not fanboy yadda) that if the machine costs 150 or 1500 (choose currency that seems relevant) that they will still dig up crap.. or else they just exclude everything that doesn't have a certain very specific ID...
Most machines make a guess at what the target is.... iron, low conductors, high conductors, whatever,,, but the big question .... Is a 1500 machine ten times better at it than a 150 ?? is a manticore twice as good as a Nox ?? ....
I personally can afford to buy any machine I want, or any number of them,,, ,,, not relevant in any way to grown-up discussion ,, just blah blah.
I also have lot's of time on my hands, retired 14 years ago, and will be 50 soon.... time equals more than money,, true..
Lightweight and slightly better guesses at what the target is, that's what we are being sold.... Lightness i will pay for as i tend to do a lot of hours.... the rest is :BangHead:
You retired when you were 36? What’s the secret?
 

FreeBirdTim

Silver Member
Sep 24, 2013
3,757
6,731
Scituate, RI
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It doesn't really matter does it what ANYONE swings/ drives in life.
To say that it does actually shows that the gills are green with envy/jealousy actually.


Yes, use the "they're just jealous of me" explanation. Wrong. I just get tired of the 2k detector snobs looking down their noses at the guys with cheaper machines. I remember getting all sorts of sneers and rolled eyes whenever I showed up with my Ace 250. But you know what? Those guys never found more than I did on any given day. And with my AT Pro, I've always found more coins than 95% of the 2k detector guys at the group hunts I've attended. That doesn't say much for those "better" machines, now does it?

Again, you will never buy you way into this hobby. There are no shortcuts. Throwing money at a hobby or sport never works. If you don't have the skill, patience and intelligence to figure out where the good spots are, you'll never find jack squat. I've found dozens of virgin 1700's cellar holes and cabin sites by doing research and paying my dues. Trust me, a $150 detector could find most of the stuff I've found over the years. It's just a matter of going where no one has gone and where no one wants to go. No need to buy the latest and greatest detector. It's just a scam perpetrated by the metal detector companies. You not going to find more with them if the coins aren't there in the first place.
 

FreeBirdTim

Silver Member
Sep 24, 2013
3,757
6,731
Scituate, RI
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
if I want to be serious about this hobby (where serious = make the most of the limited time I have while also getting the personal satisfaction out of the activity) then I should use the best tools available to a hobbyist.

So anyone who deosn't have a 1.5 detector isn't taking the hobby seriously? You sound like a snob to me. I metal detect in rain, cold, heat and snow at least 150 days a year. I've got drawers full of 1700's coins and relics you can only dream of ever finding. Trust me, I take the hobby WAY more seriously than you.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,306
54,469
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
So anyone who deosn't have a 1.5 detector isn't taking the hobby seriously? You sound like a snob to me. I metal detect in rain, cold, heat and snow at least 150 days a year. I've got drawers full of 1700's coins and relics you can only dream of ever finding. Trust me, I take the hobby WAY more seriously than you.
Tim please post by our rules and stop insulting members, you can reply without insulting or offending members.
 

AstralDruid

Sr. Member
Oct 22, 2019
406
515
Detector(s) used
Garrett ACE 250i Nel Hunter
Equinox 600 15" coil
XP-Mi4
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You retired when you were 36? What’s the secret?
Was actually 34,, not fifty till 2024,,, but it is coming fast...
No secret really, just worked hard and made some decisions, followed intuition .... Bit like how i metal detect... I follow my feelings.

AD
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,032
137,024
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Yes, use the "they're just jealous of me" explanation. Wrong. I just get tired of the 2k detector snobs looking down their noses at the guys with cheaper machines. I remember getting all sorts of sneers and rolled eyes whenever I showed up with my Ace 250. But you know what? Those guys never found more than I did on any given day. And with my AT Pro, I've always found more coins than 95% of the 2k detector guys at the group hunts I've attended. That doesn't say much for those "better" machines, now does it?

Again, you will never buy you way into this hobby. There are no shortcuts. Throwing money at a hobby or sport never works. If you don't have the skill, patience and intelligence to figure out where the good spots are, you'll never find jack squat. I've found dozens of virgin 1700's cellar holes and cabin sites by doing research and paying my dues. Trust me, a $150 detector could find most of the stuff I've found over the years. It's just a matter of going where no one has gone and where no one wants to go. No need to buy the latest and greatest detector. It's just a scam perpetrated by the metal detector companies. You not going to find more with them if the coins aren't there in the first place.
 

brianc053

Hero Member
Jan 27, 2015
972
3,359
Morris County, NJ
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
XP Deus 2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
So anyone who deosn't have a 1.5 detector isn't taking the hobby seriously? You sound like a snob to me. I metal detect in rain, cold, heat and snow at least 150 days a year. I've got drawers full of 1700's coins and relics you can only dream of ever finding. Trust me, I take the hobby WAY more seriously than you.

Tim please post by our rules and stop insulting members, you can reply without insulting or offending members.
Treasure_Hunter thank you for intervening. The whole purpose of my post was to share my point of view, and I was clear to state that i feel that everyone is right according to their point of view (as long as it complies with the rules, of course.)
Sadly the thread didn't stay civil as I had hoped, so I'll make this my last comment on the topic.

Tim, I was only speaking for myself in the passage that you quoted. To clarify: for me personally I want to get the most out of my time spent detecting, and I'm fortunate to be able to carry some of the better tools available.
Heck, I was even trying to agree with you when I offered you my side-note comment, Tim. I agree and feel that research and hard work are crucial to success in the hobby - but I also acknowledge that some may gain success in their own ways, and I have nothing against anyone enjoying the hobby however they want to.

I'd be happy to see an apology for the tone in your comment, Tim, but honestly I don't expect one.
Good luck in the future to you, Tim, and I hope you keep adding treasures to your drawers.

- Brian
 

AstralDruid

Sr. Member
Oct 22, 2019
406
515
Detector(s) used
Garrett ACE 250i Nel Hunter
Equinox 600 15" coil
XP-Mi4
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Well, this discussion has "gone South, real fast".......... A lot of folks taking themselves a bit too seriously. In the end it doesn't really matter... everyone is entitled to their opinions, and how they express them , this is what keeps it interesting.
 

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