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Tot lot detector

J

jlw

New member
What is a good tot lot detector for under $400.00? looking for mostly coin and jewelry.
 
On the less expensive end a Tesoro Compadre. For more depth and great sensitivity a used Fisher Gold Bug Pro or Teknetics G2. Both are easy to use and work well. I have both.
 
Take a look at the Garret ACE-250 or 350.
 
Any metal detector is a good one for tot lots since depth, ID and discrimination is not a concern. You will want to dig anything that is not iron and depth is limited to the depth of the wood/rubber chips and gravel. All you really need is discrimination to reject iron and sensitivity so you can turn it down when near the equipment and fences.
 
kai_gold said:
On the less expensive end a Tesoro Compadre. For more depth and great sensitivity a used Fisher Gold Bug Pro or Teknetics G2. Both are easy to use and work well. I have both.
Click to expand...

I'll second that.

tabman
 
Ace 250 with the super sniper coil. You'll work right up near all the chain link and metal poles.
 
Hands down Compadre nothing comes close and you don't have to buy any extra coil that just makes the cost even higher.

Compadre $150
 
While I'm crazy about my Compadre, nothing gets you closer to equipment than the Ace/sniper coil-and you can use a/m mode and have tones.:thumbup:
 
johnnywayne,
I have a compadre, gold bug pro, and gold bug 2 that I use at totlots. The compadre is is excellent for its price range but to say nothing comes close is not true. Both my gold bug pro and my gold bug 2 are more sensitive and get better depth than the compadre. That can also be ground balanced which helps since the sand tot lots here have some mineralization.

Slingshot,
In addition to the metal detectors I just mentioned, I also had an ace 250 with the sniper coil. It has a lot of features for the price, but the three above are more sensitive. I have no problems getting close with any of them. It is just a matter of learning to search around the poles. I regularly scrape around the poles with my gold bug 2 coil often touching the poles as I go and still separate the good signals from the pole. I sold the ace because it just can't compete with the 3 I have for the type of searching I do which is for small gold jewelry. IMO the only advantage the ace has over the compadre is more depth on coins, which I don't care about and notch discrimination for those who want to be selective. If the OP will spend much time in the grass, the ace may be a better choice than the compadre but not at the tot lot. If the OP is willing to buy used, a gold bug pro will trump both the compadre and ace.
 
The compadre replaced my MXT for Tot hunting. I pull dimes at 6" with it. And detect up aginst the poles.
What more do you need? And you'll love the light weight.
 
kai_gold said:
johnnywayne,
I have a compadre, gold bug pro, and gold bug 2 that I use at totlots. The compadre is is excellent for its price range but to say nothing comes close is not true. Both my gold bug pro and my gold bug 2 are more sensitive and get better depth than the compadre. That can also be ground balanced which helps since the sand tot lots here have some mineralization.

Slingshot,
In addition to the metal detectors I just mentioned, I also had an ace 250 with the sniper coil. It has a lot of features for the price, but the three above are more sensitive. I have no problems getting close with any of them. It is just a matter of learning to search around the poles. I regularly scrape around the poles with my gold bug 2 coil often touching the poles as I go and still separate the good signals from the pole. I sold the ace because it just can't compete with the 3 I have for the type of searching I do which is for small gold jewelry. IMO the only advantage the ace has over the compadre is more depth on coins, which I don't care about and notch discrimination for those who want to be selective. If the OP will spend much time in the grass, the ace may be a better choice than the compadre but not at the tot lot. If the OP is willing to buy used, a gold bug pro will trump both the compadre and ace.
Click to expand...
Us poor guys use the best we can:crylol: I would love to have a gold bug. I'm not concerned about the depth,either-so the Ace gets it for me. I use a/m mode to try to keep up with those gold detectors, and can also touch the poles.
 
plidn1 said:
The compadre replaced my MXT for Tot hunting. I pull dimes at 6" with it. And detect up aginst the poles.
What more do you need? And you'll love the light weight.
Click to expand...
I can't get within 6" of the metal poles with my Compadre. On the other side of the coin, my Compadre finds gold chains other detectors won't even sound off on.
 
slingshot said:
Us poor guys use the best we can:crylol: I would love to have a gold bug. I'm not concerned about the depth,either-so the Ace gets it for me. I use a/m mode to try to keep up with those gold detectors, and can also touch the poles.
Click to expand...

The Ace does provide a lot of bang for the buck that is for sure. The OP had a budget of $400 which allows for some of the more expensive units if bought used which is why I suggested the gold bug pro. If JLW chooses to go the less expensive route I would suggest picking up a used compadre and ace 250 to try both out and see which is preferred and sell the other. That is if JLW is even interested in any of the ones mentioned. It would also be helpful if JLW would share more information about the search locations. Perhaps we totlotters are giving this advice for nothing?
 
slingshot said:
I can't get within 6" of the metal poles with my Compadre. On the other side of the coin, my Compadre finds gold chains other detectors won't even sound off on.
Click to expand...

Some poles sit on a square metal base. You won't get close with anything.
If your looking for the most efficient and cheapest new detector on the market, under $400 for hunting Tots, the compadre is hard to beat.
 
not to mention its jewelry finding talents!
short money "sleeper!"..just sayin

(h.h.!)
j.t.'
 
ace 250 is hard to beat. i have one and wouldn't trade it for anything esp. when it comes to schools , parks and such...
 
I don't do much tot lot detecting anymore, but my Compadre became a favorite for tot lots out of several detectors.
 
You could also get an F2 with the sniper coil and a Garrett Pro Pointer and stay under your budget buy quite a bit. That is the combo I got (Thanks Bart @ Big Boy Hobbys) and am pleased with it. If you are a newbie then whatever you get I would suggest the Garrett pro pointer, if you are not a newbie then you already know this. At first I thought it was a lot of money but once I got it and started detecting I realize it is worth every cent. Whatever you decide to get I would call one of the sponsors from the forum you will get a better price then what you see advertised. Most companies have set prices as to what dealers can advertise but they can and will usually sell for less then the listed price.
 
There is a wide choice ...... any of the low to mid end detectors would work.

F2, F4, F5, Gold Bug Pro, G2, any of the X-Terra's, Discovery 3300 / 3500.

I like the X-Terra 705 with any of the 18.75kHz coils on it, ideal for the gold stuff.
 
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