what makes a good detector?

[dk dogs]

I am brand new to this detecting thing. I know that you can spend well over $1000.00 for one, but I have only about $200 to spend. I was wondering what you look for and what are some good things in them and the things to stay away from. I picked up a Cabelas one the other day but I am not to sold on it since the 10 times I have used it. Some times it is right on the money and other times it bounces from one thing to another and I go to dig some spots and there is nothing there and I scan what I have removed and what is left in the hole. SO some ideas would be great.
Thanks for the help
Dave

p.s. Here is a link to the one I picked up.. Let me know what you HONESTLY think for under $200

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0015074616610a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all_NYR&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&sort=all&Go.y=9&_D%3AhasJS=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&nyr=1&Ne=46&Ntt=metal+detector&N=51&_D%3Asort=+&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&Go.x=24&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1

it is the adventure 5500 model

 

[Steve(MS)]

Trying to get a good new detector for 200 you are limited in what you can get.
Personally I would try to get a used older detector for 200 or somewhat higher but if you want to buy new, maybe a Garrett Ace 150 or 250 if you want tone ID and a meter. Non-metered, Tesoro has 2 models, one the Compadre but it has a 5.75 coil on it and the Silver umax.
I prefer my detectors to have both motion and non-motion modes but you may have to pay more to get that, I am not sure if the Garrett Aces have true non-motion mode, I haven't owned them but the Ace 250 has a good following, check the Garrett forum here on F.Mall.
The Fisher F2 is around that price too, maybe some who have it can comment.

 

[cavinkeven]

The Ace 250 is an awesome detector!! Has alot of features that the high dollar ones have. It does have a pinpoint button which is a non motion mode. It is VERY user friendly also. I've found that it will often go way deeper than it's supposed to. It has very few drawbacks, but for the price MANY feel it can't be beat. It's also very lightweight unlike the fancier ones. The biggest complaint some have is that it doesn't have a MANUAL ground balance. I've had no issues with this. May depend on where you live if this effects you or not. I love mine and don't have any reason whatsoever to buy anything different for several more years. Hope this helps some.

 

[dk dogs]

Thank you for the imput. You would mind taking a quick look at the link I posted and tell me how the Ace 250 compairs to the one I purchased? Also what is Manual ground balance? Sorry for all the questions, but I am brand new to all this
Thanks
Dave

 

[tabdog]

Hay DH Dogs,

Arkie Tabdog Here.

Tha 250 puts that pup with tha dogs.

Tha 250 is a good coin dog.

I'm a Gold Dog.

I like something for small gold doggie treats.

I use Tesoro. It can sniff tha gold.

My best gold finder is my $70 used Compadre.

They are $152 brand doggie new.

Tha Silver uMax is about $240. It is a good all

around MD dog.

Believe me, I have lots of gold under my dog collar.

But, if coins is what you're after, tha 250 is a good

dog. It's about $220.

Happy Huntin,

Tabdog

 

[Southwind]

I believe the ACE 250 is the better detector than what your link has.

You can pick up a used ACE 250 well within your $200 range. Most on ebay are around $180

 

[zeekeys]

Hi dk dogs the first detector is always hard to pick out. If you get the wrong one it might mean the end of your metal detecting. A cheaper one for the first one is best also. You don't know if you will like metal detecting?

There is an XT 30 on the classified section, page one that might fit you needs. I have nothing to do with the guy selling it and do not know him. Remember some people dump used detectors that are not in best working order. Just a warning... I got burnt and will not go to used anymore. You can save money but if something goes wrong it is not cheap to get it repaired. Tesoro does repair second hand detectors under life time warranty but one never knows if they will repair the one you have? Not sure how they work the repairs of second hand machines?

Just my thoughts and good luck and hope you like md'ing....Z

 

[slingshot]

You can deal with Kellyco online and save $30 on a Quicksilver by Bounty Hunter. Bounty Hunter was my starter detector. The only thing is that they are plastic-but endurable. They do well. The only thing about Kellyco is that they (as of now) don't have Tesoro-a well built detector (even the low-priced Compadre) and have a LIFETIME warranty. They do have the Garrett Ace-and you can save money on them there,also. I have the Ace, the Silver umax, and the Fastracker -all three from the above mentioned companies. As Tab said, the Ace is a FUN detector that is loaded with features. You CAN even get the Ace 150 for under $200 if you can pinpoint without a pinpoint button and get most of the features on the Ace 250. I don't even use the button on my Ace 250 unless I get lazy. I would probably opt for the 150 if I had it to do again-but I've been used to motion pinpointing for years and newbies may find this discouraging at first. The Compadre doesn't have a pinpoint button-it doesn't need one it's so easy. I love my Ace, I love my Silver and Royal Sabre, but Bounty Hunter was a starter.

 

[BarberBill]

You started this by asking what makes a good detector? I may get some disagreement , but here goes. The detector should have both a motion discriminate mode with good discrimination and a non-motion all metal mode. It should have good depth and several or more coil options besides the stock one. It absolutely (for me) has to have an extremely fast response to aid in pinpointing and separating junk targets versus goodies. Light weight is a plus, especially if on is gettiing up in age. The best option out of the above suggestions that fits this criteria in my opinion is the Tesoro Silver umax. If one is going to hunt in more mineralized ground or on salt-water beaches it's very desirable to have either manual or true automatic ground tracking. From this point on, tid displays, multiple tones etc. are just bells and whistles that are nice, but they don't make the machine detect any better. My two bits.
BB

 

[tabdog]

[size=large]I always tell everyone that for a low cost way to add

tha option of finding small gold jewelry, just get a

Compadre.

TID's will not help find gold. It is a great aid for coins.

I made a short video demonstrating how easy tha

Compadre responds to tha well known hard to find

gold chains.



Want a look? Click on this.

http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/dcb1265/?action=view&current=MOV05367.flv

I just love tha little buggar.

It is even more sensative to small gold than tha Silver

uMax, which is very sensative to small gold also.

But, like I say, if you are a coin hunter, the display on

tha 250 is hard to beat for tha price.

Happy Huntin,

Tabdog[/size]

 

[BarberBill]

It's well known that Tabdog is a Compadre fiend.LOL The main reason I put the Silver umax ahead of it in my post is due to the fact that you can interchange coils on it. Having the display on the Ace is nice, but the Silver is the better detector in my opinion.
BB

 

[slingshot]

dk dogs-I guess you can see that this is the hardest question to answer. The reason is the UNDERSTANDING of the hobby itself. Although we're hiding our true feelings in an attempt to help someone,we're really trying to do our best to be objective. TRUE detecting is beep-dig. I don't care how much trash there is in an area, how much ID you have, etc., gold objects and other valuables MIMIC trash objects no matter their conductivity. And DEPTH is the most misleading feature of all as proved by the Compadre. What good does it do to have great depth if the detector ignores small gold? So those who seek fun and relaxation use great detectors like the Ace et al, more serious use detectors like the Silver umax, specialists who are after gold in it's tiniest form use detectors similar to the Compadre, and ultra-serious use detectors like the PI (pulse induction). I have days where I want FUN and use the Ace, the Silver is for my special schools (I have over a period of time picked and removed most of the trash) and as one user said, it is a coin magnet. I personally think if you got the Compadre and set it at foil for a while and dug a little trash you'd really enjoy this great hobby. There, I stuck my neck out. Chop, chop.

 

[BarberBill]

Slingshot makes several good points. Any detector that works decently at all can offer a lot of fun and help to learn about the hobby. It does take detecting time to learn what functions best for the type of hunting one likes to do and to get to know the quirks of the machines. It's pretty easy if you really get going and enjoy this hobby a lot to justify several or more detectors for different conditions and types of hunting. That said, you can't go too wrong starting out with the ACE, the Compadre, or the Silver umax and they can be found in the $175 to $240 price range. My two bits again.
BB

 

[dk dogs]

I am going to return the one from Cabelas.. NO money lost. Were is the best place to get the Garrett 250? As far as service if I had an issue. Factory or retailer and which one?

Thanks for all the time and help.. I really enjoy the sport and look forward to going out each time.
Almost forgot... What is manual ground balance and do I need it?
Thanks
Dave

 

[Steve(MS)]

In short GB allows for tweeking the circuits for optimum performance under more adverse conditions.
That said, you can still make good finds without a manual GB.
One thing I recommend is that you call the manufacturers and ask for their product flyers, they are free and Tesoro has a glossary of metal detecting terms in the back of their metal detector information publication.
Read the archives of Findmall also because there is a lot of good information of which detectors different people use, techiques they use.

 

[trueblue]

The detector should have both a motion discriminate mode with good discrimination and a non-motion all metal mode.

The best option out of the above suggestions that fits this criteria in my opinion is the Tesoro Silver umax

with respect the Silver Umax does NOT have an non-motion all metal mode

 

[tabdog]

Hay ,

You asked:

[size=medium]Almost forgot... What is manual ground balance and do I need it?[/size]

Tha Metal Detector can respond to tha ground if it is not adjusted.

That would make it hard to find anything.

For most ground, tha factory setting is OK.

But for tha best depth, especially in tough

soil, tha manual or automatic ground balance

will help. For bad ground it is a must.

Tha 250 usually has little problem. If you do

encounter a problem, Garrett can help you.

Sorry, but I don't know tha best place to buy

one.

Try one of tha forum sponsers.

Happy Huntin,

Tabdog

 

[BarberBill]

I stand corrected - I thought the all metal switch/discriminate switch put the Silver in the non-motion all metal mode. I assume it does put it in true all metal versus discrimination mode?
BB

 

[slingshot]

It IS the a/m mode, motion-based. It is not TRUE a/m however. It still has some reject qualities on tiny iron pieces or negative ground. If you used it for a day in the a/m mode it would still drive you batty with the nails,etc. It IS close enough for me!

 

[khouse]

n/t