My son (8 years old) is starting to show an interest in metal detecting. I would like to get him his own detector (not a toy). I was considering the Garrett Ace 250, 350 or the Whites Coinmaster Pro. He will be hunting at the beach primarily, most likely in the dry sand and maybe a little in the wet sand. Can anyone provide any feedback or information on any of these machines? I am open to all comments or recommendations. Thank you.
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Metal detector for 8 year old
- Thread starter digaholic
- Start date
The ace 250 or the 350. STAY AWAY FROM THE ACE 150. JUNK!
People who have had the Ace 250 will swear by it. The 350 is juet a bigger coil and
much eaiser to pin point in my opinion, buut you can use the Ace 250 coils on it.
The 250 and the 350 are EXCELLENT detectors and the little guy can grow into it,maybe
someday graduating to something bigger. The coin master is ok but it does not
have VCO pinpointing like the Ace 250 or the 350. So for the money stay with these two
machines. I've had my ace for nearly 6 years with NO problems.
Katz
People who have had the Ace 250 will swear by it. The 350 is juet a bigger coil and
much eaiser to pin point in my opinion, buut you can use the Ace 250 coils on it.
The 250 and the 350 are EXCELLENT detectors and the little guy can grow into it,maybe
someday graduating to something bigger. The coin master is ok but it does not
have VCO pinpointing like the Ace 250 or the 350. So for the money stay with these two
machines. I've had my ace for nearly 6 years with NO problems.
Katz
joe dirt_1
Active member
Buy your son a Tesoro Compadre to start with. It will teach him to dig all good signals and not rely on a meter to tell him what a target is, plus the build quality and lifetime warranty is the best out there.
fowlercharles
Member
I agree with Joe dirt ! Compadre, and don't take it to hard when that boy begins the habit of smoking your butt more than now and then. HH, Charlie.
I agree with the suggestion of the Tesoro Compadre due to the fact you are primarily hunting the beach. You do not need a meter at the beach. And the Compadre is hot on small gold jewelry.
I bought a Tesoro Amigo ll for by Daughter way back when but she was not interested in detecting, so now I get to use it.
I bought a Tesoro Amigo ll for by Daughter way back when but she was not interested in detecting, so now I get to use it.
Joe Dirt said >Buy your son a Tesoro Compadre to start with. It will teach him to dig all good signals and not rely on a meter<
I have to change my suggestion and agree with Joe. His suggestion is sound. I've only owned one Tesoro; it was a higher end model and wasn't a good fit for me but I AHVE head good things about the Compadre. That might be the way to go for right now. If I'm not mistaken they are right around $150.00.
Good luck
I have to change my suggestion and agree with Joe. His suggestion is sound. I've only owned one Tesoro; it was a higher end model and wasn't a good fit for me but I AHVE head good things about the Compadre. That might be the way to go for right now. If I'm not mistaken they are right around $150.00.
Good luck
Jim West Pa
New member
n/t
For what you pay for an IDX Pro you might as well buy a NEW machine: The Ace is really good and its basically a $400 dollar machine
selling for $212 but the Tesoro compadre and the Silver Umax is also good and less money than Whites. For an 8 year old starting out
the Tesoros are probably the least expensive, good quaality, and like Joe menyioned, teach the young fellow not to relie on visual
displays. The Compadre at Kelly Co is $160 and the Silver Umax ( I have always heard raving reviews about it) is around $250.
Hey, who knows...after YOU try it out you might end up using it yourself!
Katz
Take time to smell the flowers.
selling for $212 but the Tesoro compadre and the Silver Umax is also good and less money than Whites. For an 8 year old starting out
the Tesoros are probably the least expensive, good quaality, and like Joe menyioned, teach the young fellow not to relie on visual
displays. The Compadre at Kelly Co is $160 and the Silver Umax ( I have always heard raving reviews about it) is around $250.
Hey, who knows...after YOU try it out you might end up using it yourself!
Katz
Take time to smell the flowers.
Having the detector id as :"pulltab" and then someone else pull a ring out of the hole would discourage me! The Compadre helps focus by the sizing feature so prevalent with the Compadre. To further avoid discouragement, you can set the discriminate to just knock out small foil and give him a chance to really find something great.Geo Unit said:
Mike Hillis
Well-known member
Doesn't matter what detector you get as long as it is physically fit for an 8 years old. 8 is still pretty small so detector weight is important. Also the length has to fit him. If you use a three piece pole, you can drop the middle rod and put the lower rod right into the upper rod ( I rig my F5 this way for mountain sides and caves) and that will make it short enough with out having to saw rods.
=The Garret ACE series is coil heavy, and a two peice pole design. Not good for a 8 year old.
=The Tesoro uMax series are light weight, and has a three peice rod so you might could get it short enough for him by just removing the middle rod but I don't remember if it a straight plug n go, or if it requires a mod???
=The Tek Delta is as light as the Tesoro's, has a three peice pole that you can remove and just use the lower rod with without any mods, and has enough performance and visual info to keep him happy and interested.
Good luck,
Mike
=The Garret ACE series is coil heavy, and a two peice pole design. Not good for a 8 year old.
=The Tesoro uMax series are light weight, and has a three peice rod so you might could get it short enough for him by just removing the middle rod but I don't remember if it a straight plug n go, or if it requires a mod???
=The Tek Delta is as light as the Tesoro's, has a three peice pole that you can remove and just use the lower rod with without any mods, and has enough performance and visual info to keep him happy and interested.
Good luck,
Mike
Mike has hit the nail right on the head....he wont like detecting if his arm feels like it's going to fall off 15 minutes after he starts. The machines Mike mentions (which includes the Compadre) all sound good. If it was 8 yr. old, I would lean towards the Compadre, as it runs on a 5.75" coil, which is as light as a feather, and so makes the machine even lighter than a standard U max machine. Smaller concentric coil also means easier to pinpoint targets.
Good luck, and whatever you buy, I hope he and you have fun.
Good luck, and whatever you buy, I hope he and you have fun.