Best Florida detector for around $200.

[2wheeldevil]

Friends asked me for advice on getting their son a metal detector for Xmas in the price range of around $200. The son lives in Florida and what detector in this
price range would be best for Florida beaches. I have no experience with salt water beaches.

Some suggestions:
Fisher F-2
Garrett Ace 250
Bounty Hunter- number of them in that price range
Tesoro Compadre
Tesoro Silver U Max
Teknetics Euro Tek
Teknetics Alpha 200
Teknetics Delta 4000

 

[CladDog]

You need to note that none of these machines will work in the wet salt sand. To work the wet sand or surf, you need a pulse induction or multi-frequency detector and those are fairly expensive. However, all of the detectors you list will work in the dry sand just fine.

I live in Florida near the east coast beaches.

Of all of the ones on your list, I would recommend the Tesoro Compadre with the 8" coil. The compadre has no screen and a single knob controlling your discrimination. However, it has excellent senstivity to gold jewlery so long as you keep the discrimination very low. It's senstivity will probably beat all the others on the list. Some will no doubt argue that point.

Take the balance of the money and get him a long handled sand scoop, which make retrieving targets much easier, and he's good to go.

 

[imalookin2]

None of those machines will work on the wet sand of the beach, only the dry sand up at the top. It is no fun looking at the beach from the dry sand and wishing you could detect there. Don't waste your money on those machines. If you want to play, you have to pay.

 

[CaptEsteban]

You DO need to up your price to find something for the beaches.I have a Fisher CZ5 for sale that will work fine in wet sand or dry land. $400/shipped