Which Detector to buy for all kind of surface

[goldstone]

I've been wanting to buy a metal detector that is for underwater use, sand, the park, etc. I also want to use it for the desert (the Mojave). I was thinking of getting the "Garret Sea hunter Mark II" it seams that it's for all terrain. So far that's the one i want to purchase, other than that it could be the "Whites Beach hunter" but i want to hear what someone with lots of experience has to say. This will be my first metal detector so i don't want to buy a crappy one but i don't want to buy a $1500 detector. What do you suggest? And thanks for replying. Good luck hunting

 

[DrJoeprime]

Hi Goldstone,

What you are looking for should strongly effect your choice of detector.

From what you write you want to find everything, even gold nuggets in the desert? or is it meteorites?

I'm probably a lot like you then 'cause I too want to find everything. But my usual hunting is the beach. I started with a Bounty Hunter 3300 a couple years ago which I got used from eBay for under $150. It got me my first diamond rings and I loved this hobby so much and quickly exceeded the detector's capabilities. It's a great beginner's detector and will easily find gold and silver jewelery and of course all the clad you want at the beach in the DRY sand. Turf hunting is another matter. It lacks the depth of the "bigger boys".

I then upgraded to a used Fisher F-4. It uses the same coils as the BH but has upgraded electronics and more features with increased depth. It's a great detector (for me) and I really am very pleased with it. But now I've reached it's limitations in the turf (depth) and it won't detect in the wet sand for any reasonable depth. I've got my eyes on a Fisher F-75 but that's $1000 new or about $600 used. So, I am reasonably content with the F-4. I feel I know it pretty thoroughly but I do long to upgrade.

Luckily late last year a fried detectorist showed me his White's PI. I tried it out with him in the dry sand at my usual beach. Man, it was Love at first sight! It picked up every deep coin (down to 12"+) at the beach. PI's pick up everything and especially like the small iron. It picks up a small fish hook at 8" deep! I guess he saw I loved the machine and a couple weeks later he mentioned that he'd be willing to part with it. WOW.. I counted out all my clad and came up with the $350 he wanted. This was the fall/winter season in Southern California so dry sand hunting was poor. I discovered wet sand hunting and it was amazing. I picked up about 15 Silver rings and 3 gold rings at my secret "Erosion Beach". It also gave up a few dozen Silver coins, from Mercs to a '64 Kennedy half and a few Silver bracelets and chains. I also got tons of nails and iron junk but it's all fun for me.

SO....anyways, I am of the opinion that a Good starter detector is the route to go. Then as you learn and improve upgrade to better detectors. Finding a single unit to do everything means you will need to compromise.

The photo is one typical day (about 1-1/2 hours) hunt at my "Erosion Beach".

HH Joe

 

[BigCatDaddy]

We all wish there was a "Do-all" machine, but sadly, there isn't. If you go the the ocean beach mostly, with the occasional dive or wade, get a Minelab Excal..period. They excel there and in freshwater too. I love Garretts, but their water machines are PI's and you will dig a ton of iron junk that the Excals will ignore, just a fact of life. If you plan of heading for the desert and, I'm just guessing here, looking for nuggets, there again, all the serious nugget hunters use the Minelabs. They are VERY pricey, but if you want to come home with loot, it's the price you pay. Since you are new to detecting, get a nice simple entry level machine first. It may turn out you don't like detecting, you wouldn't be the first, so you wouldn't be out a lot of dough. The 2 machines you mention have a big learning curve, not a good way to start. Start simple, find some goodies, get hooked and then upgrade. Give some more details on where you would hunt the most and I'm sure a selection of good entry level machines can be recommended.

 

[Bobbie]

You need to decide what you will be doing the most of. If it is both then get the lower end Minelab or Whites for land and the DetectorPro Pirate or Wader for water.. They are good machines but also specific for what you want to use them for. Lower end machines have the same guts as the higher end but less bells and whistles on them. Start out with the type of detecting that you think you will like the most then buy the machine (lower cost one) that will fill that need. You may not like detecting........it is hard work.........long hours.........will find a lot of junk and that gold and diamond ring is like finding a needle in a haystack. It also takes time to learn your machines and how they work along with the terrain and water that you will be using it in. Keep in mind that your machine is only as good as you are. Many of us here are well seasoned and we get skunked very often......you will not find treasure every day. After you think you have mastered the art of detecting then go after the high end machines most of them have a high learning curve and if you don't know what you are doing to begin with you will become frustrated.

 

[TXPIRATE]

If i WAS GOING TO hunt gold in the desert then gold on the beach I would go with the Garrett Infinum and buy a Ace 250 for the parks,

 

[Gulf Hunter]

Hello goldstone. I used the Garrett Mark IIs exclusively, my 1st 2 seasons of water hunting. The Discrete Trash Elimination feature is really not a good way to run the unit, that is if you are counting on discrimination. It is VERY easy to learn and performs well in the surf though. Standard Trash Elimination, Threshold/Volume barely audible and Discrimination/Elimination on 0, that is if you want to find gold. A Mark II in a park would be a friggin disaster, as there is SO much trash out there. You will hear EVERY metallic piece of trash! Nugget hunting, well I think you would do better with something else there too, but that is out of my scope of expertise. If it ain't wet, I don't hunt there, savvy? You can find used Excals (underwater or land use) and I would recommend the 8", if you wanna do the park gig too. I do not think it would be a good nugget machine either though.

 

[lazyaussie]

i"v done most types of hunting over my detecting career nuggets,old coins, new coins, water, sand, relics & others i"d say what your asking is a bit much out of one detector like TXPIRATE said get a top quality water/beach detector if it"s a PI it may cross over to nugget hunting like the infinum which dose both then get a park detector like a ACE250 which is great in parks, play grounds, schools,