Best and lightest metal detector

[lafatlife]

Can anyone tell me what the best and lightest metal detector is for all around hunting?

 

[Magicman]

What do you consider light?

What is your budget?

All around hunting include water at times?

 

[foreverRich]

As for the best, that is a hard question to answer. All of the American detector manufacturers make units that work quite well. It is more a matter of preference. That said, the best all around unit for weight and ability to hunt on land and water would be a DetectorPro. The electronics and battery are in the headset, so the only weight you have to deal with is the rod and coil. There are many that excel on land or in the water, but DetectorPro is one of the few that is made for both.

 

[trueblue]

take a look at Tesoro

 

[macattie88]

tesoro without a doubt...imho.you will find they are very light(2 lbs)...they have a lifetime warranty and are just great detectors,the silver is a great all around detector,and dont forget the cibola.

 

[bigolhorns]

Tesoro

 

[nw1886]

I run with Whites but if weight was a bigger factor for me, I'd check out the Tesoro's for sure. A friend has the Tejon and he does better than well.

 

[larzam]

TESORO and DETECTORPRO for sure. Also, hip or chest mountable ones like MINELABS have less notable weight. sam in ms.

 

[Furious T]

Tesoro, a good range of light detectors which perform very very well. Minelabe X Terras are about the same weight as the Tesoro Tejon and DeLeon. All good detectors. Sapper.

 

[harpsoft]

Most Tesoros run about 2.2lbs I think.

But if you want target ID... The new Teknetics series, Delta/Gamma/Omega and X-Terras 30/50/70 are light as well and I think better TID machines.

 

[lafatlife]

What do you consider light?

What is your budget?

All around hunting include water at times?

Weight= under 3 pounds
budget=right now say not an issue
water= not much around here except a couple of lakes

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I appreciate it!!

 

[lafatlife]

Ok, has anyone used the Teknetics Gamma 6000 or know how much it weighs? Thanks

 

[lafatlife]

Ok, has anyone used the Teknetics Gamma 6000 or Omega 8000, or know how much they weigh? Thanks

 

[tab-nabit]

Best is subjective to the individual - lightest - My Tesoro's seem the easiest in the long hunts times to my arms. Also don't run the shaft extended to much, a short setup you may not get as wide a sweep, but makes my arm last longer.

 

[lafatlife]

Best is subjective to the individual - lightest - My Tesoro's seem the easiest in the long hunts times to my arms. Also don't run the shaft extended to much, a short setup you may not get as wide a sweep, but makes my arm last longer.

I don't have a choice on the long shaft...I am only 5'5" and need a shorter shaft.

 

[harpsoft]

I looked in the manual online and it didn't say. Its gotta be less than 3lbs though. The F2 is 2.6lbs, I'd guess about the same, and it only takes 1 battery which can be a good part of the weight on the detectors that take a few.

 

[lafatlife]

I just found it online, it is 2.6 lbs with the battery. The Omega is 2.9 lbs.

 

[silverman]

X-Terra 70!!

 

[SteveP(NH)]

First decision to make is if you want a target ID meter or not. If you don't need a TID then Tesoro is probably the best choice. If you want a target ID machine (which is going to be a few ounces heavier due to the meter) then you should consider a Teknetics T2, or Fisher 75 (they are based on the same design with the F75 having more bells and whistles) or the Minelab X-Terra 705.

I have a Teknetics T2 and won a X-Terra 705 with 4 coils at a hunt about 3 weeks ago. I like them both a lot and find them very closely matched. The X-Terra has a better selection of coils and can run at different frequencies by changing search coils. The T2 is a very deep machine and straight forward to use. Its hard to say which is my primary machine and which is my backup as i use them both. The X-Terra has more bells and whistles and I have a good range of coils with it but I know the T2 better and it has a wider range of TID numbers.

Anyway if you pick any of the brands being discussed in this thread you will get a good machine no matter which one you choose.

 

[harpsoft]

I have a Delta and Omega on the way. I'll let you know how they are as detectors. They have 1/8" jacks (and volume control) so you can even wear light headphones without an adapter.