Are there any legitimate shoot outs between machines ?

[docaudio]

I am looking to up grade from my DetectorPro wader ,And would like to Know if there are any legitimate shoot outs or reviews between machines .It seems everyone is trying sell you on there machine but on cold hard facts that are not independent or they have on opinion .[ alot of bull out there] Thanks for any input that is not company line.

 

[padgett79]

your question can cause a big stir upon members, I would say it mainly is based on manufacture prefference, just look at the finds people are finding and usually their detectors are listed,most of the success from any detector is being in the right spot at the right time and your knowledge and experience using said detector. with what ever detector you choose. GOOD LUCK and may the scoop be full of gold.

 

[John LA]

Board sponsors would not benefit from it. Also maintaining fairness and equality would be almost impossible.

 

[Tom Slick]

PM me with specific questions and I'll give you my unbiased ( I think) opinion.

 

[hershey1]

In my opinion it is really hard to compare two machines. Air test don't really mean much. If you find a target and I already know where the target is that don't prove nothing when I swing my coil over the same target. Experience at metal detecting and having confidence in your equiptment along with location and soil conditions there are just too many variables. Most machines today have a loyal following that have spent the time to learn their favorite detectors. With all htis said I don't think any detector in experienced hands is a winner or loser. This forum has great finds from every brand. So if you are looking for a machine think about where you will be hunting and what you are hunting for. If at all possible try different machines or if there is a detecting club close by that is where you can get an ear full of information. Run by the house and I will let you try out a few. HH

 

[ROBOCOP]

Also ask yourself:
How much weight do I want to carry?
How good is your back?
Are you willing to dig or scoop every hit?
Carrying a detector and a compatible scoop. Deep detector = deep digging long handle scoop.

A friend of mine bought a top level machine (won't mention name) that he wanted to use in Alaska on a vacation trip for gold nuggets.
Now he's back home in Florida and the machine is too heavy (his words) for frequent beach hunts.

It's a compromise but definitely get a compatible detector and scoop system.

 

[scubadetector]

Its almost impossible to compare machines. In order to do that you would have to have the exact same ground (mineralization, moisture, consistency etc) , the exact same target at the exact same depth. The same experience of each tester and EVERY other variable needs to be exact. I swing a Fisher and I have a friend with a Minelab. Every target he could find, he called me over and my machine picked them up with no problems and vice versa. I also have a friend with a Tesoro and its very good on the small gold.

A PI in salt water can't be beat. EACH machine has strong points and weak points. The KEY is to know your machine and USE it. I dig a LOT of trash. However its worth it to me becasue of all the good things I find. I don't get discouraged after 100 bottletops and pull tabs and can slaw.

The ONLY reasons I don't like the Minelab is I dive and I love the silence between targets so I can hear boats that have NO idea what a dive flag is, and I like the way it hip mounts. Only YOU can decide if a machine will fit your hunting applications and conditions. Fresh water, salt water, lots of trash, diving, wading, sand, rocks, muck are a lot of different variables and there are probably plenty more.

NO machine out there is going to give youi just the gold and coins and leave the trash. You will be working for your gold.

 

[Diggin-it]

Yep...what they all said. I want one of each so as to cover all possible bases/conditions...but that won't fly with the wifey

 

[Bryannagirl]

I do believe some valuable information can be gained by comparative testing. We just need to remember that there is always some variables that make concrete conclusions hard to make. I have seen a few with some of the top VLF beach hunters - what I learned most is they are all pretty good in there own right. So even more important i learned that I can be successful with any of them and my level of success is more dependent on my skill with that detector.

I do not remember where I read this but a fellow detectotist was out hunting. He ran into a new detector user who had purchased a nice beginners machine. He asked the experienced detectorists what he had found. After seeing the good finds the beginner said if I only had an expensive detector like yours I would be making great finds as well. Turns out the experienced detectorists had cut his teeth on the very detector the beginner owned. So he offered the beginner a challenge. You take my detector and I will take yours and we will hunt for one hour the person with the most good finds walks away with both detectors. The beginner thought about it for a minute and realized in this situation experience trumped detector. So they shook hands and parted ways.

Buy a good detector - learn it and enjoy!
Bryanna

 

[E-TREC-Virginia]

Well, something has to be said about what the majority of the folks use for beach hunting. People use what produces for them or they would not have purchased one and kept it. I do not have any statistics to back up what the percentage of ownership is, but I would venture to say that a good amount of people use either the Minelab Excal or Fisher CZ 21 for their VLF Multiple Frequency water machine. I use the Minelab Excal II for the beach. I think the PI market is a little more diverse and ownership is spread across multiple brands. For a PI unit, I like the Garrett Infinium and plan on getting one in the near future. It is waterproof down to 200 feet and has adjustable discrimination and is a great relic machine in some really bad soil conditions. If you have the money, an Excal or CZ 21 with a PI machine would be a killer combination.

 

[Bryannagirl]

I have a GT which should do me well up to about knee high. I also have read good things on the infinium and think it would be a great addition I like the tone discrimination. Either that or a whites DF would be a great compliment to my GT. Right now I live in the heart of America so my Beach hunting is only on vacations to Florida once or twice a year. So proably will wait till I retire and move to the Sunshine state before I get a PI. Rumors are Whites is taking some of the TDI SL and adding some other tweaks and coming out with a new Surf PI detector

Bryanna

Well, something has to be said about what the majority of the folks use for beach hunting. People use what produces for them or they would not have purchased one and kept it. I do not have any statistics to back up what the percentage of ownership is, but I would venture to say that a good amount of people use either the Minelab Excal or Fisher CZ 21 for their VLF Multiple Frequency water machine. I use the Minelab Excal II for the beach. I think the PI market is a little more diverse and ownership is spread across multiple brands. For a PI unit, I like the Garrett Infinium and plan on getting one in the near future. It is waterproof down to 200 feet and has adjustable discrimination and is a great relic machine in some really bad soil conditions. If you have the money, an Excal or CZ 21 with a PI machine would be a killer combination.

 

[artman60]

I like this discussion. I want to get a detector specifically for saltwater beaches, dry/wet sand/surf. If I can make any distinctions from all the input I've been able to find is PI's deep, lots of digging, no discrimination. Waterproof VLF machines discrimination, less digging. PI's seem to be less money, VLF's more efficient, but maybe leaving some good finds in the sand, more expensive. So I gotta weigh dollar value against you get what you pay for. ( if I could only win the lottery, or get some big $ finds, I could get one of each) If I can make a decision on which type of detector, I think it only gets more difficult about which machine, and my wife wonders how I can spend hours on the computer, looking at this stuff. At least it's a fun game to play, which detector?. Artie

 

[Hotwire]

If i won the BIG lottery i'd give my md's away.

 

[E-TREC-Virginia]

If i won the BIG lottery i'd give my md's away.

and get better ones?

 

[Habanero]

If i won the BIG lottery i'd give my md's away.

Can I have your detectors please if you win? If I won, I think I could finally afford that Excal I have been wanting to try!

 

[triplehooked]

When I win the lottery I'll buy all of the water machines out there and hire a detector caddie and a film crew to follow me into the water. THEN you will get an unbiased review.... But until then, please read the comments above from our seasoned members.....