Appreciate advice in selecting a first detector

[Sky1]

Hey Guys,
I am interested in buying a nice metal detector. I have always wanted one since I was a kid but every one I tried was a toy and was rather disappointing. Now at 48 my wife asks me what I want for Christmas and out of the blue I said I always wanted a Metal Detector!! I want a good one to give this hobby a fair shake my budget max is $1000 but would of course like to spend much less if possible. I want to buy one that best fits my needs nothing more nothing less.

After much reading of discussions with long time users my head is spinning. I tried to read reviews but many say they like something or they don't like it but never attest to what it is that they did or didn't like about it. Also I have reasons to believe that many of the reviews I read have been seeded by manufacturer's reps.

So I thought just days before Cyber Monday I would send a plea out for help!


It is my understanding that the VDI's and digital functions and rather meaningless if objects are over 3-4" deep. They also slow you down and you need to go by sound.

I was really interested in the Minelab X-terra 705 hoping to try some prospecting on occasion but afraid of the hype on some of these digital units therefore I am now leaning toward a new Tessoro Cibola or a Minelab Sovereign Gt. Wish there were real specs for me to compare with like most other electronics equipment.

I live in an area where there should be a lot of old coins (relatively speaking for North Carolina) and I am about a 2 1/2 hr drive from the ocean. I would like a machine to comb the beach even if I can only make it there just a couple times a year. Not sure if wet sand is a necessity but would be nice as I hear that is where most of the good stuff is.

There is also a lot of lakes and streams here and many parks. From what I have been told there is a lot of trash in the parks.

First I thought the X-terra 705. But then I thought about the Minelab Sovereign GT with a small coil for the parks and then have a machine that works well on the beach. Then thought about an inexpensive Cibola for park use and get a separate waterproof detector for the beach.

Are my thoughts and assumptions correct? Should I stay clear of the "Digital" machines and look at these machines with a proven track record like the Tessoro and the Sovereign or will the advanced discrimination and notch filters that these new machines provide help a newbie like me combing a park or stream?

Just don't know now.

 

[Nauti]

Looks like you have been doing your homework....the two machines you have in mind are great machines.....i've owned both.The Gt as you rightly assume will be slower in the trash and a smaller coil is a must in high trash areas.On the beach however the GT will outperform many detectors,it's one of the best.It's a detector that will cope with virtually all soil conditions and is stable in areas of electrical interference.The control box can be hip mounted which makes long hunts more bearable and there are a lot of coils to choose from,both from minelab and aftermarket coils.
Now onto the tesoro.The first thing to say is it is pretty good in trashy areas....it has a good recovery speed....better than the GT.It will not do all that well on the wet sand...you need to use a higher discrim setting and a decreased sensitivity setting,definately looses out to the GT in this respect.It is an ultra light detector,you can swing it all day without any effort at all.Tesoro do the 12x10 coil for this machine which increases performance,especially in bad soil.
Both detectors will give you a good day out in the field and will keep up with most machines on the market today.As for screens etc i have never been a big fan...they are never really that accurate and should NEVER be relied on to determine whether to dig a target or not.I've owned lots of so called top machines and have now gone back to a high performing,simple beep and dig detector.You only have to look at Nautilus detectors....they have won a certain competition for the last 7 years in a row and they have no screen.
In summary both the detectors you are looking at will serve you well and after using both i can honestly say i would be more than happy with either.Regards,Neil.

 

[dave5710]

Personally I would recommend a Teknetics T 2. VDI is right on alot deeper than 3-4 inches, and yes you should go by sound. Sound will tell you when to look at the screen/meter.

They are light, easy to use, and 4 AA batteries last for days. You can turn it on, set it, and start hunting in less time than it will take you to put on your kneepads or nail apron. A new one is in your price range and has a 5 year warranty.

I have never sold a metal detector in my life. I sell groceries.

Take care, Dave

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Sky,the Sovereign will serve you well and is probably the best detector for the beach ever made.I would suggest a used Sovereign with a 180 meter and S-1 probe these are very important items to make this detector complete.Buying used would let you stay on budget with the add ons. Good Luck. Ron

 

[SandPhantom]

You cant go wrong with the 705 or the Sov Gt. Learning curve on the 705 is not bad and the XTerra forum here on findmall is full of information. Whites MXT should not be out of the suggestion circle. The Whites XLT is also worthy! I would go with the 705.

 

[khouse]

The Xterra 70 is everything that people say it is. I'm sure the 705 is too. Also the MXT is too. Both will do what you want. This is if your looking for just one machine. I really suggest you get a lightweight fun coinshooting machine and then another for the wet sand and water. If you bought an Ace 250 for your fun coin and jewelry land hunts or dry sand you will have enough for another water machine and be around $1000. Or you could buy the Xterra 305 and a used water machine. With target ID machines you can "beep dig" hunt if you like. Then have the flexibility to notch out unwanted targets if you like. With non metered non tone ID machines you'll find yourself turning the disc knob "thumbing" on your targets for ID information.

 

[gmanlight]

Sky the more you read the more your head will spin, especially when looking for detector.
First off I agree you don't wanna buy a piece of junk but spending $1000 won't guarantee success either. Just like a set of golf clubs.
If the detector is too complicated you'll quickly get frustrated and want to wrap around a tree.
First off the most important thing is what detectors work in your ground if you have a dealer around you could talk to that would help.
If you have bad soil you probably want the detector with a ground balance adjustment to fit the conditions. Just because the brand x works great in California
it doesn't mean it will work great in North Carolina. Tesoros have a lifetime warranty that's nice. As far as a meter machine , or not, and I have both.
The meter is just another tool to help you if you get lazy with a you can easily walk over good finds. I can easily find a coin at eight plus inches
and ID correctly but that's my dirt.That might not happen in your dirt.
I like to buy detectors new because of the warranty and you know what you getting but you'll also lose a couple hundred dollars off the top if you don't like it
and want to sell it. I like to buy used detectors off [ trusted
sellers]so I can try different units and see what I like. If you buy used at a fair price
you could use of the six months resell it will still break close the even.
Water hunting is a totally different game you can waid into freshwater with most detectors but if you drop it or water gets in the control box it's junk
Now wet sand/salt water many detectors will fail to perform If you can hunt with a seasoned detectorist you will learn a lot quickly
Well that's enough head spinning for now. Go eat some turkey and relax. HH Mike

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Steve0-WI]

I would suggest MXT, sovergien GT or Xterra 70 or 705. Not in any special order. As for digital meter I got finds with metered machines that others missed with meter and without. Just learn your machine and use it to its full potential.
Happy Hunting - Steve0
www.deerfielddetectors.com

 

[nw1886]

I couldn't add to anything said here. All these machines are well proven and the operator is what makes the difference. Enjoy your upcoming new hobby and welcome!

 

[dirtdigginlady]

Well I'd suggest a White's MXT. It is a great detector and easy to learn to use. It has a separate setting for gold hunting, then coin and jewerly and relic. I love the relic hunting and use it most of the time. I don't think you could choose a better all around detector. Also (unless you just want a new machine) I would not hesitate to invest in a good used White's machine. People just buy and sell detectors like hotcakes. Not because there is anything wrong with them but just because they want to try a different one.

 

[goodmore]

Sovereign for the beach. Maybe a Safari if it is not out of you price range. The t2 is too noisy for a beginner. The MXT is not good in the wet sand.

 

[kd7aik]

Get the xterra multi freqs coil options as well as beach an prospects modes an very light weight.

 

[Sky1]

I am now looking at the Sovereign GT and the X-terra 705.


Does the Sovereign GT give feedback of different tones for the various metals?

Will the X-terra have any kind of depth on wet sand beaches?

Will the prospecting mode of the x-terra 705 help when on the beach looking for Jewelry in wet sand?

 

[Neil]

I am now looking at the Sovereign GT and the X-terra 705.


Does the Sovereign GT give feedback of different tones for the various metals?

Will the X-terra have any kind of depth on wet sand beaches?

Will the prospecting mode of the x-terra 705 help when on the beach looking for Jewelry in wet sand?

The Sov GT has multiple tones but please understand that if your thinking of being able to seperate gold jewelry from other metals thats not going to work and the best your going to be able to do is dig a "range" that most jewelry lies in. on the sov you will need the meter to help with this as the sov groups in pennies right near quarters and gold jewelry can range up as high as zinc pennies(maybe even higher but Ive never seen it). bascially with the sov your going to dig most everything that is repeatable while in disc mode(unless you get the meter and then you can eliminate quarters and dimes). the multiple tone feature will be more helpful when digging coins. also avoid those "notch" setups when hunting jewelry, the machine you get may have the ability but avoid using it.

The Xterra 70(I never used the 705) does well on wet sand beaches, runs smoothly and gets pretty good depth but not as well as the Sov. The prospecting mode on the 70 has way to slow a recovery to be a useful mode for jewelry hunting on a beach.
The regular mode on the 70 will give you better response to small gold than the sov, it will hit small gold the sov gt wont even sound off on.

If you plan on wading at all anywhere, the Sov gt is a better machine as the coils are waterproof(if I remember the Xterra coils are only waterproof to 2ft) and have the longer cables so you can chest mount the control box and get into some decent depth of water(waist deep is usually pretty good).

honestly your always going to wonder about another machine, if its better than the one you choose, and while reading alot about detectors before purchasing is one way to learn a little, it can also work against you by making you wonder about the others. I would say make a list of what you want to do and how much you want to do it(you mentioned just a little ocean beach hunting), then list next to it the detectors you want and put checks next to each detector on which it will or wont do. whatever one has themost checks, buy that one and hunt with it and enjoy. since you havent detected you might find you dont even like it, alot of people do. if you do end up liking it, you will have a better base now that youve used one, to choose another detector or keep what youve got.

best of luck to you,
Neil

 

[silversmith]

What ever you do, don't buy a mediocre or cheap detector. You're better off buying a used "top of the line" older detector, than this years low baller. Too many gung-ho detector enthusiasts try to start out with a crappy detector " just to see if they are really interested', find little, then give it up. In my opinion detectors haven't advanced that much in the last few years, that an older, cheaper, high end unit won't give you what you need. Go for it......................

 

[khouse]

What ever you do, don't buy a mediocre or cheap detector. You're better off buying a used "top of the line" older detector, than this years low baller. Too many gung-ho detector enthusiasts try to start out with a crappy detector " just to see if they are really interested', find little, then give it up. In my opinion detectors haven't advanced that much in the last few years, that an older, cheaper, high end unit won't give you what you need. Go for it......................

I have been hunting for over 25 years and find the Ace 250 a great machine in moderate soil. But Silversmith brings up a great point. The XLT that's been around for around 15 years plus. It still sells and has a huge following. The same can be said for the Classic ID, IDX and IDX pro. Garrett's and Tesoro too. Who wouldn't want a 1964 to 1971 true muscle car?

 

[chuck ky]

the t-2 is good but most hunters on the t-2 forum say to hunt only in one tone. i like at least 2+ but then everything but iron sounds the same.

 

[chuck ky]

i have a t-2 and its no noisier than the others if set up right.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

n/t