Elton said:
A brief preliminary on my research........... I received many E-mails and Some Pm's with times from a lot of people telling me of time spent, machines used, and their abilities plus the posts here and other forums at findmall I read and figured out from their posts detectors and time spent.
The biggest thing I "think" I have learned is that Minelab users find the most and oldest on a regular basis..I also have determined that the Minelab users detect longer on average than most users. travel greater distances, and hunt many older sites.. so it would reason out..More time, More places, more new areas, better finds...Not so much the machine but the user and their abilities.. F75's seem to be next. Very close in time and effort spent but in relic hunts..not as deep finds reported on coins but very good finds.... From there it goes down in time, finds and new spots..and type detectors used.. Most of us and me included go out for an hour or two, once a week and make decent finds but not in big numbers.. we more enjoy the detecting as a hobby..some do it as an obsession........7 8 10 hours a day 5 6 days a week..some two, three four times or more a week, others twice a week or after work every night.. It varies... Age plays a big role in time out and finds. Many older people use detecting as a means of getting out and having a little fun.Some hunt everyday.. The real surprise was the amount of time a lot of Minelab users go detecting..They are a dedicated bunch of people and their posts of finds prove it.. Their total understanding of their equipment is amazing... I also learned that The V3 units are starting to find some amazing items.. Many are understanding the detector better and some of the upgrades have made it an awesome machine........ Again the hours used makes the big difference and the areas of use.. So all said for the moment..People make the difference, and understanding of their detector makes the biggest difference. More later as I compile more info..This is just an opinion from sent info..I hope more accurate info comes to me too. Just for the record I use a T2, and Love it..No possible chance I will change..it does fine for me..and the time I spend in the areas I detect..So I am not pushing any detector just giving out the info I have compiled..