How about this...what was the FIRST detector that just blew you away...

[Hombre]

My first detector was the White's XLT bought new in 1995, the same year my wife bought a new Tesoro Toltec ll which blew the XLT away. The XLT was a fast sweep 4 pole filter detector with a longer ring time and had a slower recovery and was not very good in the iron. My wife with her Toltec would usually do better than me with it in the the old victorian house sites where there was an accumulation of built up trash for over a 100 years. The XLT was a very good detector for more open areas with less trash, the Toltec with it's 2 filter slow sweep, fast response and quick recovery were better suited in these old yards. We still own the Toltec ll and the XLT got traded off for the new DFX but that is another story.

 

[happycamper08]

I started with a whites coinmaster 3 years ago and when I upgraded to an MXT I saw what the hobby was all about.

 

[Woodchuck]

My first ever owned detector a brand spanking new Spectrum Xlt by whites eons ago !!!!

 

[Rick(ND)]

I have used many different detectors since 1973 and some liked and some not so much. The very first one that blew me away was the Compass Relic Mag 7 automatic as it would re-tune itself which I never seen before. The Teknetic Mark 1 was the next detector that blew me away after I learned it a bit, but at first i hated it and got me many nice older coins from well worked area. The one that replaced it was my Sovereign and it too I wondered what i got myself into, but after I got to know it a bit and using a Sun Ray DTI2 meter and the Sun Ray S-1 probe I will say this detector made many of the well worked area other had gave up on were like virgin spots again. This was the most impressive detector I have ever used and it impressed everyone I detected with. The one old park I started detecting in 1973 and most people couldn't find anything in got me many IH pennies,V nickles and even some shield nickles and barber and seated dime too. I will always have a Sovereign to use and do try others detectors too like a CTX 3030 I have been trying to learn and it has impressed me too, but not like a Sovereign did.
If I had to have a Whites it would be the MXT as it is a very fun detector to use and does good, on Fishers it would have to be a F-75 Ltd, on Tesoro the Tejon is my favorite of the Tesoro while the Troy X-5 is the better of the 2 for me anyway, but a bit more costly too.
Another thing I will say is some like 1 detector while others may not and fell it is all about how well you use and understand it, like the Sovereign many hated it when they got it and some still do but those that know it well will tell you it is probably the best there is.

Rick

 

[nugget71]

I have bought and used has been amazing for sure. The first explorer was incredible with what it could do and the flute tones really didn't bother me that much lol. But the machine that has blown me away thus far is my ATP. Why? Because there has not been a place a time or bad weather that has prevented me from doing this hobby. I put alot of hours in with both explorers but because the ATP is a go anywhere detector I have found more treasure with it then any other machine to date.
Cheers!

 

[Mxt Sniper]

My first really meaningful detector was the Bounty Hunter Red Baron with motion detection, wow, reallly cleaned house on silver back then with that. Bought it new From catalog store, Sears or something like that. I believe it was one of the first motion detectors?? Faster you swung it deeper it would go, hehe.

 

[Fletch88]

The Sovereign GT was the first machine that blew me away as to how well it picks targets out of trash compared to previous machines used (whites, tesoro, garrett)

 

[cosmic]

M6 !! Piles of silver !!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

ah the memories. I remember when that first came out. A few of us saw someone with one of those (or maybe it was the first 6000 which came out a year later in 1978?), and WE THOUGHT THEY WERE NUTS. Afterall: everyone "knows" you're not supposed to be swinging a detector that fast! I mean, duh, how are you going to hear the whispers and deep ones? We laughed at them.

But .... after a few club meetings seeing them bring in the silver from worked out parks .... we all shut up, went out, and bought them . Doh!

 

[Prep1957]

Whites 6DB I think it was first motion detector.Dealer gave it to me to try out said he read directions could not see how it could work.I used it 3 hours bought it and kept my mouth shut and hauled in the coins for a long time before everyone caught on.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Hey prep, what year do you recall that that was? The 6DB was the "little sister" to the 6000D. I think the only difference was the the 6db didn't have a tr disc. on it. Which no one ever used tr disc. anyhow, so ... essentially .... I think it was the same as the 6000d. The 6000d came out in 1978. And I'm not sure if the 6db came out at the exact same time, or shortly thereafter. In any case, neither of them were the "first". The first was the Bounty Hunter Red Baron which came out in 1977. But it didn't catch on, and didn't get much exposure. It wasn't till the following year with Whites, that the craze really took hold . I guess because Whites had more popularity as a brand, more dealers to get it out there, etc.... So for all practical purposes, most people remember the 6000 and the 6db as being the first.

A fellow in my town had the first 6db here, and he'd scarf up on the silver from the parks. At first, we all laughed at him, the way he'd be swinging like he was golfing! But after awhile, seeing the silver he was bringing into the club meetings each month for show & tell, we all shut up and went and got our own motion machines. Doh!

 

[WV62]

I had about 6 junkers before my dad picked up a used White's 5000D. Man I had to have one of those and after I found one I was hooked, TR was the the only way to go. But then here comes the 6000di series 2 machines, had to have one of them, good combo machine, detector/weedwhip. I found a lot of nice silver coins with those machines.

Ron in WV

 

[skookum]

My XLT - it took me at least two months to read and understand the manual and about two years to put all the theory into practise.
hh
skookum

 

[Prep1957]

Hey prep, what year do you recall that that was? The 6DB was the "little sister" to the 6000D. I think the only difference was the the 6db didn't have a tr disc. on it. Which no one ever used tr disc. anyhow, so ... essentially .... I think it was the same as the 6000d. The 6000d came out in 1978. And I'm not sure if the 6db came out at the exact same time, or shortly thereafter. In any case, neither of them were the "first". The first was the Bounty Hunter Red Baron which came out in 1977. But it didn't catch on, and didn't get much exposure. It wasn't till the following year with Whites, that the craze really took hold . I guess because Whites had more popularity as a brand, more dealers to get it out there, etc.... So for all practical purposes, most people remember the 6000 and the 6db as being the first.

A fellow in my town had the first 6db here, and he'd scarf up on the silver from the parks. At first, we all laughed at him, the way he'd be swinging like he was golfing! But after awhile, seeing the silver he was bringing into the club meetings each month for show & tell, we all shut up and went and got our own motion machines. Doh!

I can not remember but I thought the Red Baron came out after the 6DB,I know I bought the detector from a guy named Dennis in Kankakee,IL,Told me to take it for a spin at the KanKakee State park for about 3 hours I kid you not I had my pockets full and several very nice pot pipes.He was shocked when I showed him what I found and sold me the detector was only one he had but placed an order for more whileI was there.He was only detector shop that I knew of was 2 hour drive to get there.I started hunting that park hard after that was gold mine had to get a permit to hunt it even back then was worth it though because I would go to other Illinois State Parks and they would tell me no metal detecting and I would whip out my KanKaKee State Park Permit they said If KankaKee let you in you can hunt here.They had a very large detector club over there in the 70's wonder if it is still there.

 

[markg]

F75 was fantastic at hunting behind the Tejon. Within a month I'd found more silver that the prior 5 years of detecting.

 

[ken ward]

COMPADRE

 

[richbat]

I have had a gob of detectors. The one that blowed me away was my little Tesoro Compadre. That thing has been so much fun. Very light weight. Will find very tiny gold items. I hate to put it down... KEN. Ind

I'm in the same boat here as Ken,the little Compadre has got to be the one for me as well,that little 1knob wonder has some serious tricks hidden up it's sleaves,great little machine for sure.

 

[shortribs]

The tesoros notch feature or the Mark 1 was the best of the crop. shortribs.