Advice needed for 10 yo boy detecting.

[controlfreq]

A friend of mine asked for some advice on a detector for his 10 y/o boy (5 brothers/sisters and is in the middle.) From talking to the Dad, a VLF should work, the problem is which one. He's looking for something decent that will not break the bank but works well enough not to discourage the lad. Infinium and ATP do pretty much what I need so have not looked a lot at new detectors lately. Too, I'm probably not a good judge for entry level. Thoughts, recommendations, etc? My one thought for a boy that age is it should probably be able to handle a little bit of water.

 

[MuddyMo]

Quest X10 Pro.

 

[woodbutcher]

Vanquish 440. In it's price range it's well above the rest

 

[rogueaviation]

If I had it to do over again, I'd probably start with an AT Pro. I started with an MXT, that was used. It's nice to not have to worry about the detector getting wet and the 15 kHz is a good all around frequency.

--Matt



Edited to fix kHz from MHz...work brain, sorry.

 

[Coin Rescue Inc]

Simplex- Kids these days are very tech savvy

 

[controlfreq]

Vanquish 440. In it's price range it's well above the rest

So, I'm always skeptical when VLF say they work in wet salt sand due to all the trade offs (too, my tendency is to compare to PI), especially since it does not have ground balance. On the other hand that does not seem like something Minelab would ignore. How does that work out?

 

[woodbutcher]

I've never used a vanquish in sand ,I'm in Pennsylvania. But,I can say it works great in my soil, ID is like equinox,tones etc leke equinox. Thing goes deep and us stable...does a noise cancel at startup so it's always running smooth.. I've watched and read many articles from people using them on the beach and they all say they're fantastic..you tube it, you'd be surprised

 

[wltdwiz]

bounty hunter tracker 4
fun & ez to use

 

[oldkoot]

A friend of mine asked for some advice on a detector for his 10 y/o boy (5 brothers/sisters and is in the middle.) From talking to the Dad, a VLF should work, the problem is which one. He's looking for something decent that will not break the bank but works well enough not to discourage the lad. Infinium and ATP do pretty much what I need so have not looked a lot at new detectors lately. Too, I'm probably not a good judge for entry level. Thoughts, recommendations, etc? My one thought for a boy that age is it should probably be able to handle a little bit of water.

Answered your question on another forum which I believe was friendly forum, but something is going on with friendly that I cannot get on rite now.

I would look at the simplex, i picked one of the Simplex Plus up for my grandson and he loves it, the simplex plus is fully submersible in water and is a great little beginners detector, it also detects way above what its price point would suggest it is a single frequency detector, I personally watched my grandson dig his first target which was a clad quarter at approximately 10 inches with his simplex, it impressed me so much I purchased a second one for myself, I also started with the AT PRO and never took to the ATP the ATP i have donated to a good cause but the Simplex is going no where, I would also suggest if the simplex is the route your friend takes for his son that he also look into getting the 9.5x5 coil for the Simplex also it is a great all around coil and is a lot lighter coil than the standard 11 inch coil that comes with the simplex the depth with the 9.5x5 is not that much difference than the stock 11 inch but it makes the Simplex a lot less toe heavy and is less susceptible to EMI

 

[controlfreq]

I've never used a vanquish in sand ,I'm in Pennsylvania. But,I can say it works great in my soil, ID is like equinox,tones etc leke equinox. Thing goes deep and us stable...does a noise cancel at startup so it's always running smooth.. I've watched and read many articles from people using them on the beach and they all say they're fantastic..you tube it, you'd be surprised

Answered your question on another forum which I believe was friendly forum, but something is going on with friendly that I cannot get on rite now.

I would look at the simplex, i picked one of the Simplex Plus up for my grandson and he loves it, the simplex plus is fully submersible in water and is a great little beginners detector, it also detects way above what its price point would suggest it is a single frequency detector, I personally watched my grandson dig his first target which was a clad quarter at approximately 10 inches with his simplex, it impressed me so much I purchased a second one for myself, I also started with the AT PRO and never took to the ATP the ATP i have donated to a good cause but the Simplex is going no where, I would also suggest if the simplex is the route your friend takes for his son that he also look into getting the 9.5x5 coil for the Simplex also it is a great all around coil and is a lot lighter coil than the standard 11 inch coil that comes with the simplex the depth with the 9.5x5 is not that much difference than the stock 11 inch but it makes the Simplex a lot less toe heavy and is less susceptible to EMI

Did you use the tapatalk app? I got an email notice on it but could not open it and it does not show up in the webpage. I've been having problems with tapatalk and almost stopped using it.

I'm aware of Nokta (Makro), the Turkish company but only started hearing of either a few years ago. I was not sure how their function and quality was. I have the Nokta handheld underwater PI but not a lot of chance to use it. Seems OK for what it is. I also have the Detex (Scubatector) underwater handheld. The two seem to share a lot of features giving me cause to suspect they both use the same processor.

 

[oldkoot]

Did you use the tapatalk app? I got an email notice on it but could not open it and it does not show up in the webpage. I've been having problems with tapatalk and almost stopped using it.

I'm aware of Nokta (Makro), the Turkish company but only started hearing of either a few years ago. I was not sure how their function and quality was. I have the Nokta handheld underwater PI but not a lot of chance to use it. Seems OK for what it is. I also have the Detex (Scubatector) underwater handheld. The two seem to share a lot of features giving me cause to suspect they both use the same processor.

No I do not use tapatalk app

The detector I suggested to you and its big brother the Legend, have probably the best build quality of any detector out there on the market of any company, even though they are a Turkish company, you will not find another company in my opinion that listens to their customer, yes there are other companies that give good service after the purchase but Nokta is top notch, the simplex came out shortly after or before the Equinox 800 and 600, those two are multi frequency, as is the Legend, the simplex as I stated earlier is a single frequency detector that can be purchased with the stock 11 inch coil for around $279. if you want wireless headphones add another $96 and the 9.5x5 inch coil is another $109. Nokta does have deals quite often where they include all that I mentioned for $339. if you contact some of the dealers you may be able to get a great deal from one of them for less

yes there are other detectors out there that are pretty close in price but not water proof, like the Vanquish or the Garrett Apex, not even sure the vanquish is rain proof since they include a rain cover for the Vanquish again the Simplex Plus is completely submersible under water

I own two Nokta detectors the simplex and the Legend in fact I own two Legend's, I also own the AT PRO, a Mine lab Xterra 705, my Xterra 705 will never go anywhere because it is my favorite detector of all I have used and has sentimental value since it is the detector I found my best find ever with, also a Garrett 24K and a Garrett Axiom, the latter two I use for detecting gold nuggets the simplex and the Legend I use for everything else, the ATP I have donated to a great cause that Terry Soloman sponsors for veterans, like I said in my earlier reply me and the ATP never did get along and I just never jelled with it

 

[Odanscoils]

No I do not use tapatalk app

The detector I suggested to you and its big brother the Legend, have probably the best build quality of any detector out there on the market of any company, even though they are a Turkish company, you will not find another company in my opinion that listens to their customer, yes there are other companies that give good service after the purchase but Nokta is top notch, the simplex came out shortly after or before the Equinox 800 and 600, those two are multi frequency, as is the Legend, the simplex as I stated earlier is a single frequency detector that can be purchased with the stock 11 inch coil for around $279. if you want wireless headphones add another $96 and the 9.5x5 inch coil is another $109. Nokta does have deals quite often where they include all that I mentioned for $339. if you contact some of the dealers you may be able to get a great deal from one of them for less

yes there are other detectors out there that are pretty close in price but not water proof, like the Vanquish or the Garrett Apex, not even sure the vanquish is rain proof since they include a rain cover for the Vanquish again the Simplex Plus is completely submersible under water

I own two Nokta detectors the simplex and the Legend in fact I own two Legend's, I also own the AT PRO, a Mine lab Xterra 705, my Xterra 705 will never go anywhere because it is my favorite detector of all I have used and has sentimental value since it is the detector I found my best find ever with, also a Garrett 24K and a Garrett Axiom, the latter two I use for detecting gold nuggets the simplex and the Legend I use for everything else, the ATP I have donated to a great cause that Terry Soloman sponsors for veterans, like I said in my earlier reply me and the ATP never did get along and I just never jelled with it

Yup.
Simplex all the way.
For the money.
Nothing is better.

 

[controlfreq]

OK, I think I know part of what happened then with tapatalk. It used to be a good app but lately it's been going down hill.

I'll check out the Simplex and pass the info along to my friend. Like I said, I'm just not familiar with Nokta other than my small underwater model which I don't get to use as much as I like to.

 

[Wild Willy]

Oldkoot, tell me about Terry Soloman. Tele., address, etc. I have a couple of detectors he might could use. I agree also about the Simplex. Never read anything bad about it. I bought one when they first came out. Only kept it a couple of months. A bad habit I've got.

 

[MuddyMo]

The Simplex is too heavy for a lot of 10 year olds. The tones suck which can make determinating good finds from bad harder depending on target.
The Q10 pro is almost the same weight as a deus (an oz heavier?), the tones are great and I think there is 5 or 6 choices including a high tone for nickels.
Both are fully submersible with built in rechargeable batteries. Two friends and I have had both and all have liked the Q better and sold our Simplexes.
Last but not least the Q10 is $69(?) less.

 

[Monte]

A friend of mine asked for some advice on a detector for his 10 y/o boy (5 brothers/sisters and is in the middle.) From talking to the Dad, a VLF should work, the problem is which one. He's looking for something decent that will not break the bank but works well enough not to discourage the lad. Infinium and ATP do pretty much what I need so have not looked a lot at new detectors lately. Too, I'm probably not a good judge for entry level. Thoughts, recommendations, etc? My one thought for a boy that age is it should probably be able to handle a little bit of water.

I always encourage anyone, at any age, to get into this great outdoor sport, and have a loaner-unit on-hand for family and friends, plus got an "entry-level" detector to two of my grandkids for Christmas two years ago at ages 8 and 12. I know, or have known, quite a few adults who spent good money on a detector, but just don't get the bug and lose interest in a few months to a year. Kids can be even more of a challenge unless you get them involved with you to get out more. In your case, it would be good to ask your friend just what type of hunting the 10 yo might do, and that would help folks with suggestions.

I have a couple more grandkids and for them I would consider:
• A good, versatile Tesoro model with a 6" Concentric coil, or nothing bigger than the 8"..
• A Nokta Simplex +, an be sure to get the 5X9½ SP24 coil for it.
• A Minelab Vanquish 540 Pro Pack to have the most features and he really good 5X8 DD coil.

I know one of them might get into shallow water on occasion, but most of the time neither would be likely to need waterproof.

Monte

 

[Lost&Found]

A friend of mine asked for some advice on a detector for his 10 y/o boy (5 brothers/sisters and is in the middle.) From talking to the Dad, a VLF should work, the problem is which one. He's looking for something decent that will not break the bank but works well enough not to discourage the lad. Infinium and ATP do pretty much what I need so have not looked a lot at new detectors lately. Too, I'm probably not a good judge for entry level. Thoughts, recommendations, etc? My one thought for a boy that age is it should probably be able to handle a little bit of water.

I've trained my 2 grandsons since age 6 to do MD. They are now 19 and still love it. I do not recommend any specific brand since there are many good ones. For a beginner I do recommend a VLF detector. A PI detector will discourage him as he will get real tired of digging everything. A good quality used VLF, is my suggestion. "Used" because it will allow him to get into the hobby at a lesser expense. Then, if it turns out he loses interest, the investment loss is not as great. I would also like to recommend the book "Sweeping Sand: Metal Detecting In Florida" available from Barnes & Noble dot com. Lots of good information for anyone. One other point, it won't be long and his interest will turn to girls and MD will become secondary. Get him started MD'ing as soon as possible. Good luck.

 

[oldkoot]

The Simplex is too heavy for a lot of 10 year olds. The tones suck which can make determinating good finds from bad harder depending on target.
The Q10 pro is almost the same weight as a deus (an oz heavier?), the tones are great and I think there is 5 or 6 choices including a high tone for nickels.
Both are fully submersible with built in rechargeable batteries. Two friends and I have had both and all have liked the Q better and sold our Simplexes.
Last but not least the Q10 is $69(?) less.

Not with the 9.5x5 coil the simplex is pretty lite with that coil

 

[oldkoot]

Oldkoot, tell me about Terry Soloman. Tele., address, etc. I have a couple of detectors he might could use. I agree also about the Simplex. Never read anything bad about it. I bought one when they first came out. Only kept it a couple of months. A bad habit I've got.

I will not provide his phone number without his permission, but if you go to treasure net and do a search of Terry then pm him he will respond, his cause is a great one, people donate detectors to him for disabled Vets, he has other detectorist to teach the disabled vets how to metal detect, again it is a great and worthy cause in my opinion, I donated my AT PRO to his cause

Not sure if Terry is on Finds or not but you may want to search members on finds and see

 

[woodbutcher]

The Simplex is too heavy for a lot of 10 year olds. The tones suck which can make determinating good finds from bad harder depending on target.
The Q10 pro is almost the same weight as a deus (an oz heavier?), the tones are great and I think there is 5 or 6 choices including a high tone for nickels.
Both are fully submersible with built in rechargeable batteries. Two friends and I have had both and all have liked the Q better and sold our Simplexes.
Last but not least the Q10 is $69(?) less.

I agree with you muddy Mo on the simplex not being the best choice for a 10 year old .. Although I can use the simplex,and understand it that don't mean a 10 year old will.. like you said,the tones are harsh...I have a vanquish 340,,I've had the 440 and 540 too .. no difference in performance,tones or numbers between the 3,just bells and whistles...340 is the best non waterproof machine out there for performance vs ease of use...