I am new to this Forum. I want to ask what the best all around Detector to buy no matter the cost. I have had several different Detectors, but they have all been cheaper ones. I'm in the market for a good all around detector that i can stick with and use for years to come. I want one that will find coins old and new and relics if i choose, also can reach them coins that are deep down in the ground. everyones help will be appreciated Thanks, Mike
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Best Detector no matter the cost
- Thread starter mikeinmo
- Start date
Mike - Welcome to the forum.
You're going to get about as many different answers as there are detectors.
The reason for that is there are quite a few different brands and models of excellent detectors, and doing well depends more on the detectorist than the detector.
Spend as much time as you can looking at different forums here on the Find's forum.
I've checked out other metal detecting forums and my unbiased opinion is this one is definitely the best, although there are a couple others that are worth checking out.
Before long you'll realize that there are certain experienced dirt fishers who really know their stuff, and you can go zero in on their posts.
Some of the names that come to mind on the forums I frequent include Monte, John-Edmonton, dahut, Uncle Willy, Bill Ladd, tabdog, Mike Hillis and that just scratches the surface.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, I've found a lot of wonderful people on here that love this hobby and graciously share their extensive knowledge.
metaldetectorreviews.net is a good site to check out too, as long as you remember that not all reviews on there are unbiased and without an agenda.
Also most of the manufacturers will gladly send you information on their models just for the asking.
Good luck and have fun!
You're going to get about as many different answers as there are detectors.
The reason for that is there are quite a few different brands and models of excellent detectors, and doing well depends more on the detectorist than the detector.
Spend as much time as you can looking at different forums here on the Find's forum.
I've checked out other metal detecting forums and my unbiased opinion is this one is definitely the best, although there are a couple others that are worth checking out.
Before long you'll realize that there are certain experienced dirt fishers who really know their stuff, and you can go zero in on their posts.
Some of the names that come to mind on the forums I frequent include Monte, John-Edmonton, dahut, Uncle Willy, Bill Ladd, tabdog, Mike Hillis and that just scratches the surface.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, I've found a lot of wonderful people on here that love this hobby and graciously share their extensive knowledge.
metaldetectorreviews.net is a good site to check out too, as long as you remember that not all reviews on there are unbiased and without an agenda.
Also most of the manufacturers will gladly send you information on their models just for the asking.
Good luck and have fun!
Thank you for your post, i did figure to get many different suggestions but was hoping to get people agreeing on 1 or 2 to give me a good idea. i will deffinitely look for the more experience like you suggest. I have been looking at a couple of detectors, the DFX-300 and the Fisher f75, i have seen alot of controversy on these 2 detectors. the DFX is the one i have been leaning toward. I hate to spend the money without a lot of research. Once again thanks for your reply Marcomo. thanks, Mike
John 'n' W.Va
Active member
I use the F70. For $649 it does what you are asking for. You will get the depth without the hassle of having to have it set just "right"like some other detector have to be. It is also very light and runs on 4 AA batteries. I get coins easily over 12" deep. I helped a farmer locate a 2" gas pipe over 24" deep. It will find relics. That detector will surprise you.
Mike Gresham
New member
Been MD'ing for 30 years and used a lot of machines. The new Minelab E-trac is the most outstanding I have ever used. Just my 2 cents worth.
..at something. One person's criteria might be way different from another's. Take, for instance, the ML E-Trac that was mentioned. High dollar detector with lots of stuff going on under the hood, will find coins 'n stuff like nobody's business.. now take it out to the gold-fields. An MXT going for 1/2 the price would probably give it a whuppin', especially on small gold. I've had many detectors and have yet to see the one that covers all the bases. Actually, I tend to think that it's better to get 2 cheaper (not CHEAP) detectors that excel in different areas than one expensive one. ..Willy.
Pick the options you want. Pick the price you can afford.
It will take you a little time on the machine for great results....or rather consistent results. Luck does factor in and your first find may be a gold coin. But it takes time and experience for consistent good finds.
Minelab, Whites, Tesoro, Garrett,Technetics, Fisher . All good, all a little different.
It will take you a little time on the machine for great results....or rather consistent results. Luck does factor in and your first find may be a gold coin. But it takes time and experience for consistent good finds.
Minelab, Whites, Tesoro, Garrett,Technetics, Fisher . All good, all a little different.
You want modern and old coins and relics?
I would look into the Explorer and/or E-Trac series. They both go deep, they have a gain control for "weak signals".
I find the Explorer easy to use but slightly heavy, though still better then the GTI 2500.
They also have a wide selection of coils for varying environments and conditions.
Their noise cancel helps to work close to interference and such.
Some will say their (the Explorer's) recovery speed is slow and it is true but if you go some what slower it will find the goodies.
The DFX was also mentioned and I think it is a good machine, thing is the Explorer is much easier to get good performance out of. More user friendly.
I think the DFX is more of a modern coin shooter and as such good for just that -- modern coins.
It does well for most things though you have to adjust a lot to get the best out of it and this will take time.
Now remember it's in the field finds are made, not the manual or menu's. LOL
Don't get me wrong I got a DFX and love it but for general hunting I find the Explorer to be superior depth wise.
The DFX is better if you want to cover much ground quickly.
Hope this helps,
Eu
I would look into the Explorer and/or E-Trac series. They both go deep, they have a gain control for "weak signals".
I find the Explorer easy to use but slightly heavy, though still better then the GTI 2500.
They also have a wide selection of coils for varying environments and conditions.
Their noise cancel helps to work close to interference and such.
Some will say their (the Explorer's) recovery speed is slow and it is true but if you go some what slower it will find the goodies.
The DFX was also mentioned and I think it is a good machine, thing is the Explorer is much easier to get good performance out of. More user friendly.
I think the DFX is more of a modern coin shooter and as such good for just that -- modern coins.
It does well for most things though you have to adjust a lot to get the best out of it and this will take time.
Now remember it's in the field finds are made, not the manual or menu's. LOL
Don't get me wrong I got a DFX and love it but for general hunting I find the Explorer to be superior depth wise.
The DFX is better if you want to cover much ground quickly.
Hope this helps,
Eu
Leslie(nova scotia)
Well-known member
From the land of the Bluenose....best machine. The one that works for you. Everyone has a fav and in my 36 years at this hobby have found my niche. Good luck on whatever you choose!
In the U.K. if your not playing, you need a minimum of four.
I have three pulse which is the only thing I would use on wet sand with the exception that if its almost solid iron I would go multifrequency (NOT twin).
Dry sand anything will do but if its a huge summer beach my old Spectrum with Bigfoot coil will let me clear it before the tide turns.
On ploughed/rolled/light fluffy soil the Spectrum sucks so its the XP Goldmaxx or T2 (to much iron in the U.K. for the F75).
Pasture is different. XLT run wide open, Nautilus DMC, Treasure Baron, Arado 130.
Bridging a few different types of ground I use the Shadow X5, low frequency XP. For special sites (like 3000 years of iron and very small coins on ancient sites it has to be non motion).
So I would say get two or three older machines rather than one new. Let the first owners take the hit of the dealers profit/taxes etc. Only problem is you have to buy well and test the machine to check its not a lemon so E-Bay is not really a option.
Then buy more than one set of headphones. I use four different brands to get the best out of the machines above.
One last thing. Nautilus are heavy, Explorers out of balance etc etc. People use them because they feel they work the best/deepest but its better to sacrifice an inch (or two) and be able to detect all day in comfort than be packing up and going home after a couple of hours with the start of tennis elbow.
I have three pulse which is the only thing I would use on wet sand with the exception that if its almost solid iron I would go multifrequency (NOT twin).
Dry sand anything will do but if its a huge summer beach my old Spectrum with Bigfoot coil will let me clear it before the tide turns.
On ploughed/rolled/light fluffy soil the Spectrum sucks so its the XP Goldmaxx or T2 (to much iron in the U.K. for the F75).
Pasture is different. XLT run wide open, Nautilus DMC, Treasure Baron, Arado 130.
Bridging a few different types of ground I use the Shadow X5, low frequency XP. For special sites (like 3000 years of iron and very small coins on ancient sites it has to be non motion).
So I would say get two or three older machines rather than one new. Let the first owners take the hit of the dealers profit/taxes etc. Only problem is you have to buy well and test the machine to check its not a lemon so E-Bay is not really a option.
Then buy more than one set of headphones. I use four different brands to get the best out of the machines above.
One last thing. Nautilus are heavy, Explorers out of balance etc etc. People use them because they feel they work the best/deepest but its better to sacrifice an inch (or two) and be able to detect all day in comfort than be packing up and going home after a couple of hours with the start of tennis elbow.
That's a ford/chevy question. Depends on the environment you plan to hunt, how junky the site is, your tolerance for junk and false signals, the type soil minerals in your area, etc.. Heck, I can think of some sites where the best and most numerous finds will be made by a 2-filter cheapie machine (or a 77b which can be had for $50 on Ebay), yet those machines aren't power-house deep seekers. Then why would they come in first place at the end of the day in some hunt sites? Because they are the best at averaging out iron, seeing between and through nails, etc... Contrast that to some powerhouse machines, and they become problematic in iron-ridden sites.
So it all just depends! It's like asking "what's the best motor vehicle, no matter what the cost?" The answer would be "what do you intend to do with that motor vehicle? Haul rocks to a quarry? then maybe you need a dump truck. Speed? Then maybe you need a corvette. Low end torque for pulling out tree-trunks? Then maybe you need a beefy 4-wheel drive truck, fuel economy? then maybe you want a mini-cooper. Comfort? Then maybe you want a Lexus. So you see, it all just depends. Lots of machines find "coins and relics". And heck, some of them can get them balls-to-the-walls-deep (like the Fisher 1266 for instance). But they can become instable and unuseable in all but the cleanest mineral free environment.
Some have suggest the Explorer. And I would agree. But I have also seen newbies throw down this expensive machine in disgust, because the tooty-fluty orchestra drives them crazy! In those cases, the newbie would've been much better served (and thus find more) with an easy to use machine like the 6000 Di pro, or some other such turn-&-go machine. All too often a newbie makes the mistake of assuming "the more expensive, the better". Then they take this star-ship Enterprise machine, max out all the controls (lest they be "missing out"), and then wonder why it clacks and clicks all over the place!
So it all just depends! It's like asking "what's the best motor vehicle, no matter what the cost?" The answer would be "what do you intend to do with that motor vehicle? Haul rocks to a quarry? then maybe you need a dump truck. Speed? Then maybe you need a corvette. Low end torque for pulling out tree-trunks? Then maybe you need a beefy 4-wheel drive truck, fuel economy? then maybe you want a mini-cooper. Comfort? Then maybe you want a Lexus. So you see, it all just depends. Lots of machines find "coins and relics". And heck, some of them can get them balls-to-the-walls-deep (like the Fisher 1266 for instance). But they can become instable and unuseable in all but the cleanest mineral free environment.
Some have suggest the Explorer. And I would agree. But I have also seen newbies throw down this expensive machine in disgust, because the tooty-fluty orchestra drives them crazy! In those cases, the newbie would've been much better served (and thus find more) with an easy to use machine like the 6000 Di pro, or some other such turn-&-go machine. All too often a newbie makes the mistake of assuming "the more expensive, the better". Then they take this star-ship Enterprise machine, max out all the controls (lest they be "missing out"), and then wonder why it clacks and clicks all over the place!
Thanks for all the comments and feedback. I know i have to look for whats best for me. marcomo was right on his first post that there would be alot of answers to this question. BUT it has given my some insight. I still am not sure and more info is still welcome. I live in Missouri and am looking for a detector that will find old coins in open and cluttered areas. I gather that the DFX-300 is for newer coins from what ive read here and other places so that's not what I'm looking for. The fisher F75 sounds good but i have seen in other forums that they are somewhat cheap made. I realy want a whites for the fact that they seem well made and durable but then again i am going off of what i have read. I may post another question on white because i would like to know if they have one that would fit more my need, or if the F75 is what I'm looking for. thanks for all your post and feed back, you all have been great, Mike
n/t
I like the Minelab XT70. Many optinons, not complicated very good to excellent in all types of detecting (gold, relic jewelry) light weigh, low battery usage. In my humble opinion it all depends on what your major hunt is for. I have seen detectors all the way up to 67k, But will it do what you want? You have to decide and do your research. You know what they say about opinions, "everyone has one and they all stink." Good luck and learn what ever you get!
JFK
JFK