2 questions from a newbie

[Skitz]

Hello.

I am thinking of buying a metal detector for general use in New England. I just retired and I have room for a new hobby.

I would want a machine that has at least some ability to do most things, except prospecting. NE is not known for its gold deposits, and I have read that searching for gold nuggets might require a more specialized machine anyway. I would like to do some beach detecting, some fields, and some woodlands. I would also not want to miss detecting a meteorite should my coil pass over one.

Top of the line machines may be too much for my budget right now, and sub-$200. machines are probably better suited for kids. I do not want to buy something I will grow out of in less than a year, and I have no problem with the learning curve as I am able to build a desktop computer from scratch (self-taught, mostly). Enough background, on to the questions.

1) How high up the price scale do I need to go to get a machine that may satisfy me for up to two years?

2) What are the best choices in that particular price range?

I know opinions are like noses, we all have one, but I hope not to spark a debate. I am just trying to narrow my choices as much as possible. I have done a good bit of Web searching and I already have a couple of machines on my short list but I want some objective suggestions from people with experience before I make decisions.

That's it. Thanks for providing a place I can ask such questions.

 

[Keith Southern]

n/t

 

[Skitz]

LOL, oh no you don't, I won't make it easy on you . And we should not discuss what I want just yet because, well, what do I know?
I'm still working on the short list, so first I need to know how much $$$ it takes to get a good all-around machine I won't quickly outgrow, and which machines best fit that price range.

I promise to honestly admit my current pricing target, and the machines I put on the short list all by myself so far, later.

One hint though, I started by thinking something around $200. would work for me. The first thing I saw was the Garrett 250. It looked fine but then, of course, I had to go looking at what ELSE I could get for that money. As I learned more I started to think I would need to spend at least double that to assure great happiness. Then I started looking at the higher end products I could not afford and self-doubt started to creep in.

The one thing I really can't afford is to buy something I won't want later on. If I discover that the only thing that will make me happy is a $1000. machine then I might have to start picking up bottle returns and pennies, but I am hoping something more moderately priced may be the sweet spot.

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Garrett Ace 250 is a good starter a bit more than $200
Whites MXT would be your next step good for relics,coin and jewelry and prospecting about $800
both detectors turn and go machine slight learning curve.
I have both and use them for there specific purposes

 

[Keith Southern]

all offer different things..price is a hard category to put a machine into.. I have seen 300.00 detectors out do 1000.00 detectors...Depth now days really isn't an issue.All machines in the last 7-8 years are running pretty deep...Mineralization is a bigger problem and the way a detector handles or does not handle it....

Price usually comes with features..But sometimes theres one certain feature a machine has that you want but you have to buy all the other features to get it...

I relic hunt for civil war relics... I dont need a Meter on a detector but some detectors I like to use have meters and that drives the price up as does notching and backlights.tones and such!Over the years as the sites get cleaned out more and more you need a detector that unmask more than you need a detector that goes extremely deep remember I already said they all are pretty deep now a days but unmasking is more productive than depth!

Its hard to tell a person what machine to buy..everyone like's a little something different.. But that takes time.. unless you are just a occasional hunter..Then maybe one machine will suffice for a long time..But if you really get into it you always have to try a see what else is out there...

All machines are pretty good once you get out of the Kiddy detectors...You will find alot of people bash a machine but rave about theres ..we'll its 80% user 20% machine and alot of people wont take the time to learn a machine and quickly bash it.....

If I just had to throw a machine at you for the way you are talking about inland-Coin ,relic?? Beach -coin, Jewelry?? I assume these are your avenues..First Texas is offering some pretty good bang for the buck right now and they have a 5 year warranty..all there machine's except a couple of left over Los Banos fisher models have meters, tones , most have a ground grab to simplify ground balance..and are light weight and easy on battery consumption..they range any where from like 300.00 up to 1300.00 or so.
An Omega 8000 is around 599.00 or so discounted maybe a little less and I believe to a new hunter that would give you alot of bang for the buck ..Easy setup you can grow with it its deep and stable unless you really push it...and has features to get you into understanding the principles of detecting..Its on a good frequency for coins which is what most are after!!

Theres a couple of discontinued Fishers that are nice also and you can run across them with a lifetime warranty if you look around..My favorite of them is the Fisher I.D.Edge.. real stable works great in trash and has great depth...not as much control as the omega8000 though and accessory coils are short on the list. but they can be bought new with lifetime warranty for like 400.00 or so..

If you dont want a meter there are some nice offerings from Tesoro like the Cibola or Vaquero .. Great coil choices and a true Lifetime warranty..A Cibola is hard to beat for 340.00 bucks..Its just a straight detector no bells or whistles but it will find plenty ..


1st pick Omega8000

Hard question man!

But at least you got a reply

Keith

 

[Skitz]

Ahh, finally I made you sweat. Thanks for that advice. Now I will spill:

After leaving the $200. price point behind I looked at $400. machines. Much better, but then I saw some $500. machines, specifically the Fisher F5. That one is at the top of my own short list, but I am a newb. The F5 is talking to me, and over on the Fisher F forum here it seems to have a rabid following. Reviews are very good, and I like knobs :blush:

ATC, the whole $400. to $600. price range has several machines that attract me including those from Fisher, Teknetics, and Tesoro. Ahh, but those knobs

If I could talk myself into going for $1000. I also really like the Minelab Safari, and to a slightly lesser degree, the Fisher F75, but can I be just as happy for half the price? And about Tesoro, no visual display, but how much time does an experienced hunter spend actually looking at the display? As much as I like a high tech display, do I actually need it? Tesoro seems to think not, and they are experts. And the lighter weight of the Tesoros is very appealing. I can imagine a half pound difference, over many hours, can take a greater/lesser toll on your muscles.

My decision making is always based on value, and that means sometimes spending more money up front if it will avoid having to buy something better later. Am I right in guessing the $400. to $600. range will get me a machine I might be happy with for a long time?

 

[Nauti]

Hi Skitz,you are asking a question that you will not get a very straight forward answer to.......as you are probably now finding out......everybody will recommend their own favourite machine which is not very subjective.I always suggest to people that they spend a lot of time on the net reading about all the different detectors available today,read about the specifications and features and read as many reviews as possible on each model.When you start to like the sound of a particular model,such as the f5,try and visit a dealer and get him to show you the detector in a way that you can understand...don't let him rush you,after all,it's an expensive purchase that you want to get right.It sounds like you may be doing your homework well....the f5 is getting quite a following and is a high performing machine that will serve you well.Another model worth consideration(that few talk about) is he whites matrix M6.This is one of the easiest to use detectors on the market today but performance matches most top end machines.It's deep,sensitive,good in the trash and has a large choice of coils to try...it's also a very good price.Another plus is it's ability on the wet sand at the beach....very stable with it's dedicated beach mode.I could not comment on the f5's ability on the beach because in all honesty i don't know,but i bet it's probably quite good.Whatever machine you decide on,make sure it's the one that you have chosen yourself and not one that somebody else has persuaded you to try....if you do this, you'll always be thinking about the one that you wanted in the first place.As long as you have done your research,you won't go far wrong with any of todays mid to top range detectors,they are all capable of excellent results....it's just about what features etc suit your particular hunting needs.
Regards,Neil.

 

[James02]

Two pieces of advice:

1. Take a test drive, a local club is a good place to find folks willing to let you use their machines.

2. Consider used.

 

[Skitz]

I see the Whites are well reviewed, and that they tend to be heavier. Does the extra weight become a factor after a while?
It's only an extra pound in most cases which seems pretty small.

 

[SoArk]

If you could squeeze out a few more dollars..... that Troy Shadow X-5 in the classifieds forum for $725 is not a bad deal.... especially with 3 coils. Otherwise, it looks like your doing a pretty good job at narrowing your choices down......and, the guys responding to you here are offering some great choices.

 

[GunnarMN]

[size=x-large]skits my nose is the companion of many bogers and has brought much reproch on me and may be the reason why i still am single , but on a more seriouse note , you will need a good sniper coil and a deep coil so a machine whith interchangeble coils a must or two machines x tera 505 or a fisher F 4 but if you could aford it the safari would really be hot and use an xterra whith a 6" coil [/size]

 

[Skitz]

Thanks for the tip. I see that the Fisher F5, if I choose it, has optional coils available for it.

 

[grumpyolman]

I second buy used! If you try it and don't like it, it's much easier to turn around and sell without losing the drive it off the car lot type depreciation.

I think for the money you want to spend consider the ACE 250. It has 2 accessory coils available. A tiny one for high trash and a larger one to cover more area. It's a Target ID machine that's has significant adjustment capabilities. It was said in one of these forums that Garrett put $700 worth of detector in a $250 case.

Don't want to rain on your parade but the detector is just the main thing you need. Soon you'll want a pinpointer, a good digging tool, some kind of belt with pockets to carry your stuff, extra batteries, and so on. Once you get that stuff and if you get good stuff, you'll be done with that part of the expense. Again, a used pinpointer or a used Predator digging tool will save $$. It's pretty hard to ruin the Predator line. So you buy a muddy dirt covered Predator. It's still works like new. HH Jim

 

[MNCoinhunter]

I would have to agree that the Ace 250 is the way to go. If all you are going to do is hunt for coins and jewelry..it does all of that..and is very user-friendly.

 

[Nailbender]

It may be hard to find but look for a used M6, I bought one that I don't even think was used for $500 you may be able to pick up a new one for around $600. But it is a turn on & go machine that you MAY never out grow. I love mine it is so simple to use and will pretty much keep up with the big boys, and did I say simple to use? Lots of coils to choose from, just as deep as most and will find just about everything. An impressive machine.

 

[WisconsinMD]

I love my Fisher F5 but to be fair to all it's the only detector I ever owned or tried. BUT it did pretty good in my eyes down in Florida on the beaches there and it's proving itself back here in Wisconsin. I love hunting in all metals mode more so than disc mode. I found its easy to ground balance and I have learned in a short time what sounds are good and have a great sense of how deep the target is just by the sound for the most part. I have to say buying my F5 was one of my best investments. I get out of the house and plus get the sense of digging up history and finding what has been hiding for years. I wish I would of picked up this hobby years ago.

I do miss the beach hunting but the park hunting is paying off well. I'm keeping all I find and when Feb/March rolls around and its time to go back to Florida I'm cashing in my finds to help me go back to that beautiful state.

Well good luck to you on what ever machine you choose. I for one believe you won't be disappointed with the F5 but again I am new to the hobby hehe but I still did my research to find what I was looking for.

 

[gilfordberry]

I have owned a few. My first detector is still my favorite - an XLT that's now older than dirt. I like it because I know it. That's the case for most people. Their favorite detector is the one they know best. My wife uses a White's IDX PRO (one of White's cheaper detectors) and she often out-detects me - not because her detector is better than mine (it isn't) but because she knows her machine very well and is tenacious and determined - and has a lot more energy than I have. I couldn't find a silver dollar laying in plain view on a golf green with that machine but she wouldn't swap it for a new V3.

I have used a Tesoro on a couple of occasions and find that a very nice machine - very fast and with good discrimination. The one I tried did not have a meter, but once the discrimination was set to accept nickels, I really didn't need one.

I have tried a couple of Fisher machines. The ones I tried I did not like at all because they felt "coil heavy" to me, as if the coil needed to be better balanced by moving the electronics and batteries farther back. Of course, I have tried only a couple, and the ones I tried were old models. I have no idea of the newer Fisher's are similar. I will admit, though, that they were excellent at picking up and pinpointing a target.

I have used Minelab (I own one) and they are excellent machines.

Garrett, Whites, Fisher, Minelab, Tesoro, Teknetics, and several others are all good detectors. I recommend buying used, picking a later model (if it uses 9V or AA batteries - or even better NICAD or NIMH battery packs it won't be an antique), and sticking with a name brand. $400 or $500 should get you a decent detector you won't outgrow for a few years after which time you will probably be able to upgrade to a used V3! Getting a good used detector with a couple of different sized coils is a nice bonus, as would be a decent pin pointer, digging tool, sand scoop, or other detecting goodies, as these can add up to the price of the detector itself. Don't be too concerned about getting the perfect machine. Your finds are 20 per cent machine capability and 80 per cent your familiarity with your machine and your detecting experience anyway. Good Luck!

 

[Skitz]

OK guys, thanks for all the replies. Putting them all together answers my questions pretty well.