What is the best detector?

[rainwajd]

I am interested in metal detecting beaches and parks in the Houston Texas area. With all the detectors out there it is tough to make the right decision in regards to a detector. Looking at spending a moderate amount for a detector, getting in the water at the beach, etc. Any thoughts are appreciated, Thanks

 

[montanagold]

That seems to be the age old question, i like to think of it as purchasing a vehicle its a matter of taste. ( Ford vs Chevy) i think most manufactures have a wide variety of detectors to offer so i think the best thing to do is choose a manufacture then see what they offer. i think if you ask what the best detector is your going to get allot of different opinions i myself being a Chevy man like and use minelab and would say for beaches and parks go with the Xterra 70 but i wouldn't be opposed to the Garrett GTI 2500 or any other. its just preference. hope this helps.

 

[rainwajd]

Thanks, I was considering the Xtrerra and the Excalibur II but am concerned that the Excalibur would not be an easy transition for land use.

 

[Michaeldoc]

My first thought on purchasing any detector, aside from what I would use it for (beaches, prospecting, coin, relic, etc) would be my pocketbook and EASE of use. If you are inclined to like to fiddle with or tweak your settings to get optimum performance, then go with the higher end models. I have read up on most and have spoken to plenty of folks using all kinds of detectors. However, like the earlier post, some like Chevys and some like Fords and even some would not have either, preferring to go with exotics with all the bells and whistles. Almost forgot about your physical condition in the arm category. Some detectors are lighter than others and some can be hip mounted for ease of use and less stress on the arms.

 

[rainwajd]

It appear that many folks have multiple detectors, i am hoping to find the right one first versus having to buy and sale until I find that right one. Although it's kinda like fishing, you keep buying rods and reels just for the fun of it. Metal detectors are more expensive so i have been reviewing many and its a tough call to make. Thanks for the feedback, I will look at the weights of the various models.

 

[silversmith]

Well here we go...... With some exceptions most detectors are capable of finding the same things, The differences that exist are how they communicate those finds with you. Some detectors have a read out the tells you what you've found. Some use tones to tell you. By far the best, in my opinion, do both. My Bounty Hunter has triple tone tagging. It has a high tone, a low one and a medium tone. Depending on what you find, it will give you a tone or a combination of tones. Mine also has a digital display. You can look at the face of the detector and you can read what you have found and how deep it is. If I had my choice of either method I'd choose the multi-tone tagging. My previous detector was a Golden Sabre. It was multi-tone and I liked it alot! Now you should decide what your going uses your detector for. Now's the time to get extra coils if you're going to need them. If you're going to only hunt for coins down at the local park, you'll probably only need the one that comes on the unit. All brands have something to offer so shop around. Don't buy a cheap detector if you're at all serious. Some are so bad they've deterred some new users from continuing the hobby......Good Luck.

 

[Uncle Willy]

There is no such thing as the "best" detector - only the detector that is best for you, your type of hunting, your type of soil conditions. What might be great for someone else could prove to be lousy for you. Detectors are not universal and do not perform the same everywhere - plus your operator experience and expertise has a great deal to do with it. Detecting is 90% operator - 10% machine.

Bill

 

[Shovelhead]

NO NO NO NO Bill I think your wrong, now I think the detector I have now is a good one and the one I want to buy is the best one

 

[jim tn]

n/t

 

[silversmith]

Naw.........B.S. These companies compete by *borrowing* each others ideas. Every time a new detector comes out the other companies would be foolish not get one, take it apart and see what that company's doing............SO.................the more they basically become alike! Go find me a detector thats just made for finding Baltimore Tax Tokens in Little Rock Outhouses.......It ain't out there. Just minor things like tone tagging, analog vs digital read out, mines red, yours is purple...Blah. Don't confuse this guy! Just stick with name brands. Tosoro, Whites', Bounty Hunter, Minelab and others.......the ones you find advertising in treasure type magazines. Read about 'em, make up your mind before you let some salesman twist your normal good judgement. Remember that first Crappie you pulled out of the little polluted pond? That's whats its gonna be like when you pull out that first Mercury dime out of the ground, in the old Beer Gardens parking lot! Go get 'em Rainwajd...............
Damn, I just love catching Crappie!

 

[JB(MS)]

I spent a lot of years and money trying to find the "magic wand" of detectors. I was sure there was one out there that would do everything I wanted a detector to do, but that one hasn't been built yet and it's doubtful it will ever be built. I've probably went to the extreme, but I have seven different detectors I use depending on what and where I'm hunting. One has great depth on coins and coin size targets, but it's noisy at higher sensitivity settings, has relatively poor target separation and doesn't work too well where there's a lot of trash in the ground. I use it mostly at supposedly "hunted out" places that don't have a lot of ferrous trash. One was built for hunting gold nuggest. I use it for hunting jewelry and it's the best of many I've tried for that purpose, it also has excellent depth in my mild ground. One is the best VLF I've found for separating ferrous targets from nonferrous targets. It's not a depth demon but it's the best VLF for finding coins in iron I've seen. I use it for hunting older homesites mostly, but it runs at 15 khz and is also good for small gold jewelry. One has multiple tone audio and two notch settings. It gets dimes to 6 inches or so and larger coins a couple of inches deeper. I use if mostly for clad hunting or when I don't have much time to hunt, but have found quite a few silver coins with it. One has dual tones, notch, excellent depth, even with a small coil, and separates nonferrous targets well. I use it for deeper coins in older parks, play grounds and old church and homesites that don't have a lot of ferrous trash. It's the one I use most of the time. One is a Compasss 100 khz TR from the 1970's that can see through small iron better than any VLF. I use it for old sites that have a lot of nails and other small iron. The last one is a Garrett with a two box Depth Multiplier. I keep it around for large deep stuff. That one doesn't get much use, but if I need it it's here..

 

[Steve(MS)]

You also have a choice of buying new or used. If you buy used, you can save some $.
Decide what type features you want on a detector and then compare some that meets those requirements. Spend as much as you can, the detectors in the mid to upper range have more features and are the best value for the money because they offer things like GB, Threshold, tone ID and so forth.
You can buy used mid to high range detectors from 300 to about 700.

 

[montanagold]

I think the key here, and we have all heard it before. buy the best detector that you can afford, sure there's always one you want better. i started with a Bounty hunter lone star then went to the Fisher F2 then the x-Terra 50 and just recently got the X-Terra 70. all within 8 months and i still want the Quattro. so buy the one that fits you, I like the X-Terra 70 and it sounds like it would be good for the areas that you describe but again that's because i know Minelab and have been accustom to them. if money is no object pick up the Explorer, little harder to learn but man its a hunting machine.

 

[diggetdawg]

montanagold we should start a club like they have time share condos, we could exchange detectors for a month u see i have a quattro & a eureka gold but have allways wanted to try an exterra 70 and u want a quattro, & it gets epensive when u buy & hate lol. (allways thinking of schemes when i get bored) DETECTOR FOR THE MONTH CLUB......what do u think? diggitdawg

 

[David]

Vaquero-Tejon, Tesoro is about the best in analog lightweight units. Also look at the Minelab Musketeer Advantage, super depth in a simple analog hunter but heavy...if you want a little better go to a X-Terra 70...then I agree if money is no object and you want the best get a used Explorer SE or new E-Trac. Do not buy a Garrett GTI 2500. I had one and really hated it.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah varied hunting requires a variety of machines. Is your Compass the 77 IB?

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

The grass is never really greener. Just looks that way from where you're standing.

Bill

 

[rainwajd]

Thanks guys, looks like I have allot to think about but I am looking forward to the finds, discoveries and the hunt.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

The Minelab Sovereign.

 

[rainwajd]

Just wanted pass on that I decided on and purchased a Excalibur II 1000 yesterday. Looking forward to using it and hopefully finding some good stuff.