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Please help me decide on a lightweight metal detector

B

back forty

New member
I bought a new Teknetics 9000b in 1984. It still works fine, but I don't. My shoulder is not what it used to be and I need a new metal detector that is lightweight but I do not wish to lose any features of the Teknetics. The 9000b weighs about 5.25 lbs. with batteries. I thought about the Ace 250 but I read it has no volume control and I do want that. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
Thank you.
 
It would help to know what you're going to do with it and where? Coinshooting is different than relic hunting and inland is different than hunting at the shore. With this info it will be easier to give you some of the best choices. Also, did that old machine have Target ID in some form (meter or tones)?
 
Thank you for your response. Yes, my old Teknetics has target ID, both tone and visual. I metal detect for coins and relics in the midwest at former home, school, church and cemetery sites found by studying old plat books Any help will be appreciated.
 
The ACE 250 has no volume control you're right .
That can be solved by using headphones with built in volume control
I use mine this way unless you don't like headphones, that would be of no use to you.
 
I too have shoulder problems but bought a T2 and haven't looked back. It is so well balanced that I can swing it for a long time. Another one is the Omega. It is super light and you can swing that all day as well. Look into the Omega with a DD coil. Fantastic combination!!!!
 
I would strongly recommend the X-terra 70 then, I've been using one for over a year and also have the X-terra 705 and a 50 as well. They are the lightest, most versatile machine I know of and because of the 705 just coming out, the 70 can be had for a good price.
 
I like my x-terra 70 it is very light and deep has coice of 1,2,3,4 or 28 tones also. Also has volume control.
 
I used a Teknetics Mark 1 for a while I felt like that guy in the commercial using the old giant cell phone.For a effective all around hunter a Fisher CZ3d or CZ5.Good Luck Ron
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I will keep reading this post and also check out the specs on the detectors mentioned.
 
All of the Minelab X-terras (30, 305, 50, 505, 70, 705) has a volume control and they all have saturated volume too, that is a deeper object will "hit" with the same volume as a shallower object, and they are lightweight.
 
I would recommend the Xterra 70 also. As mentioned before, the Ace 250 does not have volume control, nor does the Teknetics Omega 8000. Tesoros are lightweight, but most of them do not have tone ID, they are single tone, and only a couple of their models have numerical ID. If you are looking at used machines, the Fisher ID Edge might be something you would like.
 
as it featured the LCD display with Target ID, and your 'B' version had audio Tone ID. You had control of ground balance and three models to select from (GB All Metal, GB-Discriminate (motion), and TR-Discriminate. It was definitely one of the typical 4-filter type detectors of the period and that meant it required a very fast sweep speed for any sort of decent performance.

You will find most models offered today that provide visual TID, and some that also have audio Tone ID. Most are limited to 2 or 3 tones, or perhaps a few more based on a limited number of notch segments. A very few will offer a wide-ranging Tone ID that mirror an equally wide range of TID readings. Few top-end models provide manual GB like we used to know it, and most of the best feature auto-tracking GB circuitry.

You will find that virtually every model offered today will have a much better balance and feel. You're not going to find any detector made today to require that very fast-sweep operation. That's the good news. With my age and health and bad back and shoulder, I can't work those old favorites like I used to, either.

There is one thing about your 9000B that made it very versatile and helped them work well for most of the hunting you plan to do that you WILL NOT find offered today, and that is a standard coil close to what those old Tek's came with. The stock 7
 
It's great to hear from someone who actually owned a 9000b. In 1984, I paid $560. for it at Kellyco and it was a top model. I know it did require a fast sweep. Thanks also for the tip about the coil. I do detect in very brushy areas and I'm sure I'd want a small coil for that purpose.
 
The Tek T2 is very light, I think it is 3.25 pounds with batteries. It has an knob volume control (the X-Terras have a menu you have to go into and push the arrows up and down).

I own both an X-Terra 705 and a T2 and I prefer the T2 though I am mainly a relic hunter and the T2 is the better relic machine. If I spent more of my time coin shooting I might prefer the 705 more as it has a few more features that make it a little easier to coin shoot with.

Hope this helps.
 
Minelab's Xterra 70 or the Xterra 705 both less than 3 lbs and with all the bells and whistles. Both are able to except up to 8 different coils to match your different type of hunting, just change coils and ground balance and go.
 
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