Help w next Detector

[Steelhead]

Hey guys N gals, I was hoping to get some assistance with deciding on an upgrade detector for my 10-year-old son. He currently has a Compadre but wants something that's a step up but still light weight. I've done a fair amount of research and narrowed it down to whites Coinmaster, Garret Ace 250, Teknetics Delta 4000, Trsoro Silver Umax and Fisher F2. The problem is I have no experience with any of these. Primarily it will be used for parks, homesites in PA and beaches in DE. Would like to stay in $250 or less range. If anyone can speak to these detectors w pros or cons and recommendations we would greatly appreciate it!

 

[REVIER]

I used an F2 that came with 2 coils for 3 seasons, found a ton with the 8"coil but found way more with the sniper.
I bought this just as a backup/take on vacation detector but it worked so well, was so much fun to use and found me do much right out of the box it became my prime tool for the next 3 years.
At least 3 members of my club bought this same unit because they saw me winning contest after contest with it at our monthly meetings including most coins dug several years in a row.
The small sniper coil is better to learn this machine with as a newbie and I tended to hunt mostly trashy sites so that coil stayed mounted most of the time after I put it on as a lark.
My $200 investment turned into over $2000 in clad, silver and gold finds for me,the fun I had with it was priceless.
Discontinued now, the new Fisher F22 took its place but it is still being sold and there is still great value in that 2 coil package while it lasts.
The silver is great but still no screen, I love Tesoros and own 2 myself but hunting with screen units are also fun but in a different way than that Compadre which he might like.
The Ace 250 has no screen.
The Whites is ok but again no VDI numbers...if you get a screen unit you will not believe how handy this feature is.
The 4000 is decent but slower than the F2...the fast recovery the Fishers posess is one of their prime assets.



Like most Fishers it is light as a feather.
No manual GB but I used mine in some of the worst soil in the country and some of the best...found tons in both kinds of soil.
In the really bad stuff manual GB wasn't a whole lot if help, in the good stuff it wasn't really needed.
Useable on the saltwater beach, kinda, but no single frequency units will work well in saltwater or wet sand...dry sand no problem.
Home sites...the sniper coil will come in very handy there.
Parks...that is my prime hunting spot and can't tell you how well this thing works there.
Wait...actually I can, Google, F2...final impressions.
One of the longest threads on the net and what started out as a simple review turned into a daily log of what I learned as I learned it and what I found along with many other happy owners.
This thread is responsible for selling a ton of F2's over the years.

 

[MI-AuAg]

Hello Steelhead,

Nice to see your son is in the hobby, and you want to provide him better equipment.

Honestly, in my opinion, none of the machines mentioned will give him a huge upgrade boost. All decent machines, but none, that I am aware of, have any form of adjustable ground balance, they are fixed factory preset. While in most soils these are acceptable, a machine with some form of adjustable ground balance would give more ability in more mineralized ground. There are machines in the ballpark budget you mentioned, slightly more, but that would be more of an upgrade. There are now machines at entry level prices which have auto ground tracking, with the ability to lock the ground setting, along with excellent multi tone audio ID, and good discrimination settings.

I guess what I am saying, is, if it were me, I would consider looking at some of those also, I think you would be surprised at what's available for just a few dollars more.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[Steelhead]

Thx for the feedback! Any recommendations? I need to keep weight in mind which is why I was considering the detectors mentioned.

 

[After-1-]

Check out the classified forum-----F2 for sale -----------Can't hurt to make a offer!!!!!!!!---------------------after1---------

 

[MI-AuAg]

Thx for the feedback! Any recommendations? I need to keep weight in mind which is why I was considering the detectors mentioned.

Hey Steelhead,

Some of the newer model examples:

Fisher F44, only 2.3lbs, manual ground balance (I believe), lots of good features too.

Whites Treasurepro & Treasuremaster. They took over the upgraded Coinmaster series (GT & Pro). Treasuremaster, auto ground balance, 2.8 lbs $279.00. Treasurepro auto ground balance w/lock 3lbs. $369.00 Plenty of features in those two also.
Those are just a couple examples, other ones out there.

I saw a Whites Coinmaster GT on Ebay. It has auto tracking w/lock. Was the top of the line Coinmaster model through last year. Whites doesn't sell that model in 2016 due to the Treasure series now in that slot.

There's lots of them out there. I would go online to a multi line dealer and look at what is available from each major brand. Kellyco for example, sells multiple brands, and has a model comparison section to compare specific features.

It would be a fun project for you and your son to go over them together.

Good luck!

 

[BarryL]

Omega 8000 right now there selling for 375.00 I believe for the original Version 4 and they are a very good detector has all the bells and whistles that he will need

 

[slingshot]

I actually agree with Revier on this one. The Ace is coil heavy, the Silver umax actually places 2nd to the Compadre, IMHO, and, as he stated the coinmaster is divided into categories. The Teknetics Delta OR the Eurotek would be a good second choice.

 

[tbird]

n/t

 

[Steelhead]

Wow thanks for all the great feedback! We have some decisions to make for sure! This forum continues to amaze me with all of the help provided over the years. Truly appreciated!

 

[Steelhead]

Thank you Revier, excellent feedback and very much appreciated! This forum Rocks!

 

[Steelhead]

Thx again for the great feedback. Much to decide upon.

 

[slingshot]

I used an F2 that came with 2 coils for 3 seasons, found a ton with the 8"coil but found way more with the sniper.
I bought this just as a backup/take on vacation detector but it worked so well, was so much fun to use and found me do much right out of the box it became my prime tool for the next 3 years.
At least 3 members of my club bought this same unit because they saw me winning contest after contest with it at our monthly meetings including most coins dug several years in a row.
The small sniper coil is better to learn this machine with as a newbie and I tended to hunt mostly trashy sites so that coil stayed mounted most of the time after I put it on as a lark.
My $200 investment turned into over $2000 in clad, silver and gold finds for me,the fun I had with it was priceless.
Discontinued now, the new Fisher F22 took its place but it is still being sold and there is still great value in that 2 coil package while it lasts.
The silver is great but still no screen, I love Tesoros and own 2 myself but hunting with screen units are also fun but in a different way than that Compadre which he might like.
The Ace 250 has no screen.
The Whites is ok but again no VDI numbers...if you get a screen unit you will not believe how handy this feature is.
The 4000 is decent but slower than the F2...the fast recovery the Fishers posess is one of their prime assets.



Like most Fishers it is light as a feather.
No manual GB but I used mine in some of the worst soil in the country and some of the best...found tons in both kinds of soil.
In the really bad stuff manual GB wasn't a whole lot if help, in the good stuff it wasn't really needed.
Useable on the saltwater beach, kinda, but no single frequency units will work well in saltwater or wet sand...dry sand no problem.
Home sites...the sniper coil will come in very handy there.
Parks...that is my prime hunting spot and can't tell you how well this thing works there.
Wait...actually I can, Google, F2...final impressions.
One of the longest threads on the net and what started out as a simple review turned into a daily log of what I learned as I learned it and what I found along with many other happy owners.
This thread is responsible for selling a ton of F2's over the years.

AHEM!!!!! The Ace 250 DOES have a screen. And I have found the same as your F2 with it- but it IS coil heavy and tiresome for a 10 year old.

 

[REVIER]

I used an F2 that came with 2 coils for 3 seasons, found a ton with the 8"coil but found way more with the sniper.
I bought this just as a backup/take on vacation detector but it worked so well, was so much fun to use and found me do much right out of the box it became my prime tool for the next 3 years.
At least 3 members of my club bought this same unit because they saw me winning contest after contest with it at our monthly meetings including most coins dug several years in a row.
The small sniper coil is better to learn this machine with as a newbie and I tended to hunt mostly trashy sites so that coil stayed mounted most of the time after I put it on as a lark.
My $200 investment turned into over $2000 in clad, silver and gold finds for me,the fun I had with it was priceless.
Discontinued now, the new Fisher F22 took its place but it is still being sold and there is still great value in that 2 coil package while it lasts.
The silver is great but still no screen, I love Tesoros and own 2 myself but hunting with screen units are also fun but in a different way than that Compadre which he might like.
The Ace 250 has no screen.
The Whites is ok but again no VDI numbers...if you get a screen unit you will not believe how handy this feature is.
The 4000 is decent but slower than the F2...the fast recovery the Fishers posess is one of their prime assets.



Like most Fishers it is light as a feather.
No manual GB but I used mine in some of the worst soil in the country and some of the best...found tons in both kinds of soil.
In the really bad stuff manual GB wasn't a whole lot if help, in the good stuff it wasn't really needed.
Useable on the saltwater beach, kinda, but no single frequency units will work well in saltwater or wet sand...dry sand no problem.
Home sites...the sniper coil will come in very handy there.
Parks...that is my prime hunting spot and can't tell you how well this thing works there.
Wait...actually I can, Google, F2...final impressions.
One of the longest threads on the net and what started out as a simple review turned into a daily log of what I learned as I learned it and what I found along with many other happy owners.
This thread is responsible for selling a ton of F2's over the years.

AHEM!!!!! The Ace 250 DOES have a screen. And I have found the same as your F2 with it- but it IS coil heavy and tiresome for a 10 year old.

Sorry man, no VDI numbers so it is missing something important in my opinion.
There is a reason they just revamped the whole Ace line and finally added those numbers.
As far as finding the same as me I am sure we have both done very well.
Both are good, both found a ton for their owners

 

[Phillip_in_NM]

Would the Ace 250 still be nose-heavy with the sniper coil. I had one briefly but only used the stock coil.

 

[tbird]

n/t

 

[slingshot]

Would the Ace 250 still be nose-heavy with the sniper coil. I had one briefly but only used the stock coil.

OK! Now we're talking! It's the ONLY coil I use and transforms the Ace into a very viable machine! It TRIPLED my finds and found stuff in areas I couldn't search with other coils. You have to adjust to the smaller search area coverage. The Ace made it easier to do this because it actually goes deeper and ID's better at a faster sweep speed, within reason. Hard to explain in a short paragraph- just how versatile this one concept can be. And while there are no ID #'s, there are enough segments to recognize your target probability. While I'm on this subject, I have checked targets on my MX5, and while it's true that most nickels are 18-20 ID, and zincers 67-70, etc. they are WRONG a lot of times. So I have not found enough evidence to convince me numeric ID is all it's claimed to be. And I tried my best to prove it accurate. My BEST gold ring of the year hit at 15(foil), and another at 26(square tab). And these segments, (and those next to them) show clearly on the Ace. Not saying it's for everybody-just my go to for nearly 10 years. Almost forgot. You can use the Ace at a much higher sensitivity and "burn" the searchcoil with the sniper and get some uncanny depth with it. With the larger searchcoil, it would "bong" your ears!

 

[Furious T]

I wouldn't worry too much about having manual ground balance for a 10 yo.....your son might be an exception, but most kids would just see it as a hassle, and if he doe\sn't get it right, then he is worse off than if he has fixed gb.

If I were buying a machine for one of my kids now, I would probably got for the Teknetics Delta or the Eurotek Pro. Accurate ID and good sized numbers. With the Eurotek, there is lots to learn as he develops, but can be used in a very basic way as well. JMHO

 

[MI-AuAg]

One shouldn't underestimate the abilities of kids. Most ground balancing procedures are easy enough that a five yr old can learn them. Once learned, it's learned, it becomes second nature to the operator.

The reason I find adjustable ground balance so important, is based on a first hand experience about seven yrs ago. Two detectors in the $250,00-300.00 price range. One a non adjustable/preset GB, the other adjustable. A patch of hot ground was encountered. Both machines became erratic, falsing etc. The non adjustable machine became unusable in that area. The one with adjustable GB worked well again, once the GB was reset to the new hotter ground. A tracking system would have done it automatically.

It was a stark and enlightening difference. Even in more subtle ground changes, detector performance can be adversely effected without the operator even being aware. Things like effective target detection depth, accuracy of target ID's etc.

A fellow I detect with occasionally, about 50 miles from me, has an 8 yr old son. He bought him a Fisher F5, a nice light, moderately priced machine. It has adjustable GB, and ground phase information. The kid operates it like a pro! The young man will be able to use it for years to come, with no need to upgrade.

What someone buys for their kids to use is certainly their choice. In locations with very mild soil, or wood chip playgrounds, adjustable GB may not be as much of an issue. I just feel that since it is available on low cost machines, why not take advantage of the improved performance it can provide?