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Need Your Advice on UNDER $250 detector

M

MIssouri Secessionist

New member
Don't want to get in too deep, money wise, but am looking for a good water machine for Missouri's lakes with mud, gravel, and sand combo shoreline.

I have been reading reviews, and in one case, while I was searching for reviews on a DetectorPro WADER, decided it was well reviewed, came back to the FINDMALL classifieds to buy it and someone else had just scooped it up.

Seems every time I go looking online for reviews, I become more confused as a detector that I had just looked up the other day with favorable reviews was now just so-so according to a new set of reviews.


I started detecting in the early 80's and loved my Bounty Hunter Red Baron 7. Hated the RB-10. Bought a Whites Eagle Spectrum (Rainbow) in 94, then got so busy that I had no time to detect until now.

I have a couple of land machines, the Whites, a Safari, and a Tesoro SIlver uMax. Now, I want to go after water finds, in the gravel, sand and mud man made lakes, and creek swimming holes. I sure could use some advice on a detector from those who have been using them. Would love an Excalibur, but am more in the used $250 and under range.

Have found these detectors in that price range and wondered what was the consensus of those on this thread.

Would appreciate your expertise. My $250 and under choices seem to be,

1. Tesoro StingRay 2 $250 OBO

2. DetectorPro WADER looking... missed here on FINDMALL for $225.

3. White's Surfmaster II $250

4. DetectorPro Pirate (not PRO) $150 plus shipping



Posts here and PM's are welcome.
 
How about this one? Been thinking of selling it because I want to build another one. I looked at the Detector Pro machines but felt the kHz were too low (2.4) to pick up small gold and Platinum. I used this machine in one of your swimming holes and got a nice silver bracelet and silver ring my wife now wears. It looks like I won't be heading downs south to your rivers and swimming beaches the rest of the season. Plus I'm raising some more cash for a new land machine.
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?31,1523292
 
Kenny,

I admire your creativity. I had picked up an old Pioneer 101 at Goodwill, for like $25, and wondered if something like what you did could be done with it. Like the guy said in that thread, if I tried it, I would mess it up, and it would surely leak. I can turn crappy, crappy radio stations around and make them profitable, and I have done a bit of soldering in the past, like repairing headphones, but I would definitely screw up a mod like the one that you did.

If I had water experience, I might be game for a mod like yours, but since I am a water newby, I am probably going to stick with a detector like I named above, so that I can read all those online reviews and see what users here think of the machine that they used.

Thanks for the offer.
 
All you need for fresh water hunting is a machine that will disc out small iron. You scoop up everything else - even iffy one way targets. So you really don't need a high power monster to get the job done. I have $240 in my machine and that's what I would take for it.
 
If you want to be hunting in and around water, you need a water machine. I could list some good ones, but NONE are in your price range, not sure if any used ones would be either.
 
Just remember the Detectorpro Pirate is water resistent, not waterproof, so I wouldn't get the headphones wet.
 
The excals, CZ-21 and 20s, tiger shark.. all will be more than your limit unfortunately.

You might think of an old 1280.. there are still a few around and they might meet your criteria... both in price and depth capabilities,

Good luck

Calm seas

Micheal
 
Smudge,

Great point. I think that I read that when I was reading reviews on all these detectors, but to tell you the truth, it is all beginning to run together now, and I may have bought one without remembering this critical point.

Again, thanks!
 
Jason,

I figured that the top end detectors, the Minelabs, and such would be way out of my price range now. I cannot justify to myself sending a grand for a used Excalibur for what I am intending to do now. That is the freshwater lake or two in the area, and an old swimming hole from my pre-teens.

I know that there is a difference in good equipment and entry level stuff. I first bought a Bounty Hunter TR-440, and decided that day, that it wasn't what I needed and bought a BH Red Baron 7. I was totally happy back in the early 80's. I know that a top line detector would be great, and I would consider one if I lived near the ocean, where, in time, it could pay off. I doubt that I would be the only water guy in the area, slim pickins to start with, and to invest a grand, to me, at this time, would not be a wise decision.

thanks for the input.

dex
 
Michael,


Thank you. You are right about the price of a good machine being more than what I would invest for my area with limited water pickins. Thanks for the suggestion on a 1280. I had been talking to someone about a 1280 on the boards but the guy disappeared. His price was right. Tried to get one off of eBay. Guy never responded, cause I always pay with a US Postal Money Order, since I have been debt free since 2000. eBay doesn't like that because the want you to pay with PayPal which they own, and collect the fees from sellers.

I will renew my efforts to find a 1280, cause I have read good things about them. Called the guy with the Sting Ray II today, he was out and has not returned my call. Not beating him down on price as it is fair.

Thanks, again,

dex
 
The Rick,

Thank you. I will definitely take you up on that advice. Someone PM'ed me, and suggested that I check with some of the sponsors to see if they had gotten anything in. I would much rather buy from a member of FINDMALL, where I have had good success in the past picking up the things that I want, or, from a sponsor, than from an online fee based selling service.

Thanks, Rick.
 
Rick, I wasn't even talking about the top of the line machines. Even the ENTRY LEVEL water machines are close to $500 and up.

Don't forget you will need a scoop too. Dry sand scoops can be had fairly cheaply. Digging in the water, surf, rocks, shells, etc will be much more expensive, but necessary.
 
Jason,

There was a DetectorPro WADER on FINDMALL, recently, that sold for $225. I believe that a SURFMASTER II sold for about $150. I have missed similar deals. There is a STING RAY II online for $250. These were all used machines.

the reason that I missed them is that I spent a lot of valuable time, trying to read online reviews, and decide if a shortcoming was all that detrimental to the type of water hunting that I will be able to do when I go back to Missouri on vacation.

Yah, I know that the new prices are as you said, for an entry level machine, about $500. I am going for a used machine and came here to get the expertise of those who may have used one of these machines when they began and can steer me right on it's pluses and minuses.

thanks...

dex
 
I would save your money, wait longer and buy an excal. It is worth the $ to have quality, stability and depth.
 
Of course, you are right. I am just afraid that I may run out of time, before I get enough money to buy an Excal.:rofl:
 
Run out of time? Thats all there is in the world is time.

Since you are looking for used, then you should be able to find something but it will be hard, even buying used. Biggest problem is that most people go to Ebay now, so it gets harder and harder to get a great deal.
I guess you will just have to be ready to yell "SOLD!" when you see one. Keep watching, they usually go up for sale right after the main hunting season ends.
 
Thanks for the hint on waiting until after the main season. When I said that I was afraid of running out of time, before I got enough money for an EXCAL, you know what I meant, right? :crazy: World and time would keep on going, but who knows when the time comes when I wouldn't....:yo:

Good advice, Jason. Thanks.
 
Am looking at an original EXCALIBUR that is priced at a little less than $450. It has the HORSESHOE coil. Is there anything that I should know about this detector if I should decide to go over my budget and buy it? Now, it is an iffy decision, because all that I could find on it is that Minelab is no longer supporting repair on the horseshoe model, and that one poster said in his review of an Excal II, that he liked it better than the Excal 1000, having owned all three.


I didn't know if the Horseshoe coil had problems, or, was a design flaw, if another coil could be substituted, if it was prone to leaks, so, I thought that I would ask here.

Any other advice on the original detectors I mentioned, the Wader, (which has serious MIXED reviews, and comments that it is prone to leaking), the Surfmaster II, and the Tesoro Sting Ray II, would be appreciated.

Thanks,

dex

PM's welcome, also.
 
n/t
 
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