Metal Detector information please..

I am going to buy my son a metal detector, and I wouldn't mind polling the CPF collective to help with yet another decision..
I won't spend a penny over $20k for one, actualy, I would be happier with about $100-$150 to get us started..
Where do I begin my search?

I have thetreasuredepot.com bookmarked. Every now and then I get the bug to buy a metal detector and then a new flashlight comes along. You should be able to get some good info and advice on their forums.

I do not have one however a couple of guys I work with go alot and they "swear" by "White" I assume it is a brand name and guess they have a range of prices. I think the ones they got run around 250/300 bucks.
Topper

I have been metal detecting for 2 yrs now,some good, some bad ,like weeks not finding anything good,my advice is go with a name brand not too expensive in case of boredom . bounty hunter or garret ,entry level around 100 to 250. All it takes is practice practice practice. I have seen low dollar machines beat out big dollar machines.Get to know the machine it takes about 24hrs out in the feild to get to know the machine. Thanks

It's been a while, so I'm not up to date...
And unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions in your hoped price range.

Uhh... How old is your son? I guess if he is just a 'sprout' (under say 16) my following comments are wasted...

But in general, when it comes to general metal detecting I'm of the opinion that if you can't buy a pretty high end one, don't bother, unless you are doing it primarily for the exercise and the excuse to get out in the sun.

The enjoyment and success factor of using a really good detector is a thousand times better than a mediocre one and a million times better than a cheap one.

When I was last actively using a detector, the Whites Eagle was just wonderful. It was followed by a Whites Spectrum...

I guess that basic type is now called the E- series. And If I were buying one now, that's what I'd get. Trouble is, you are talking in the neighborhood of a thousand bucks.

And of course the type of metal detecting you want to do makes a difference. what I addressed above is for a general purpose machine that does everything quite well. If you are just looking for lost jewelery on the beach, you can get by with cheaper stuff.

And if you are primarily going to look for gold nuggets, you can get a pretty decent specialized unit for a moderate price.

If you are looking for lost pocket change in parks and playgrounds a cheap one will find stuff, but you will dig a thousand pieces of trash for every keeper you find, unless you are really serious about learning to use the machine.

If you expect the hobby to pay for itself, then go for a high end machine.

One of my buddies form the old days was a Whites Dealer and a serious, fairly successful 'detectorist'.. (He paid for his two Masters Degrees and living expenses with his detector) ... And the HEADPHONES he used with his detector cost as much as your budget... and that was 15 years ago.

Take all this with a grain of salt though; It has been about 10 years since I did any research at all on this kind of stuff, and maybe there is a great $150.00 machine out there now.

Check out this handheld metal detector.

I think to get him started we will try an inexpensive model out, if he takes to it we will upgrade, if not then no harm is done..
There has been alot of information and brand names on this thread, today I am going to start going through them.

I would recommend a Whites Prizm II for $200.00. It is a top brand with object identification. Plus it's $50.00 off from the manufacturer (normally $250).

Of course, you could always go with a higher end unit and sell it on ebay if the interest isn't there. I was going to recommend the secondary market until I saw that Whites are going for .80-.90 on the dollar.

I went to Radio Shack today to see what was on the shelves, te prices were from $59 to $400..
The learning has begun, metal discrimination?? So if I spend enough money I wont be digging up beer caps all day? How precise are these things?

I'm one of the biggest corner cutters and cheapskates around, So I often buy the cheapest thing I can find. Metal detecting and socket wrench sets are about the only things that I have REALLY learned the hard way not to skimp on.

Again, I caution that I'm speaking from my knowledge from ten or more years ago, and I don't know how much the technology has changed.

That Said:

Even the cheaper units can be pretty precise... The problem is, communicating that information to the operator;

The cheap units communicate with squeaks, squaks and squeals, and maybe if you spend a little extra an analog or pseudo-digital meter that swings a bit when you pass over something metal. Translating those noises takes a LOT of practice and good hearing, as the difference between a nickle plated bumper bolt and a gold dubloon can be pretty subtle.

The better units still squeak and squawk, but have digital meters that narrow down what your machine is sensing plus give you an estimate of how deeply it is buried. I'd say the old Whites Eagle digital display was at least 85% accurate in indicating the classification of the target and the depth.

With My old Whites Classic II (squeak and squak only) I was never able to be more than 25% certain of what it was sensing and 10% correct at guessing the depth. Some of the 'old timers' that had been using one or one similar just about every day for years could do some amazing things with a cheapie detector, but they had invested hundreds or thousands of hours of time seriously learning how to translate those squeaks and squawks.

Back then, the most respected manufacturers were Whites, Garrett, Bounty Hunter and maybe Tesoro.... I say maybe Tesoro because they didn't have a lot of users back then, but their factory was about 5 blocks from my house, and I stopped by there a few times and they impressed me with their seriousness about building good machines at a good price. I never actually used one though.

Minelab made some that were THE choice for serious gold prospectors, and for underwater, the Fishers were popular.

Whites is my personal preference and their top-of the line models do EVERYTHING real well.

Not sure what your local Radio Shack has on the walls, as some stores can carry whatever they want in addition to Radio Shack branded items. But I checked out the Radio Shack website... The only one I would consider there is the Discovery 3300. They call it a Bounty Hunter, but it isn't really... The Bounty Hunter website is all screwed up, but best I can tell, they don't offer a Discovery 3300... I think they probably manufacture them for Radio Shack, but are selling them for less there because they don't pass the Quality Control requirements to be part of the Bounty Hunter branded line.... Kind of like Mitsubishi sold their QC Reject TV's under the Memorex name back in the 80s...

Or perhaps Bounty Hunter did the design work and farmed the manufacture to China or Honduras or something.

Well, good luck.

This IS for looking for stuff in the ground, right?? He's not out wanding people at the airport or anything...

I have decided to go with one of Radio Shacks upper models, not the best and not the worst..
Thanks everyone for the help...

Though I've not gone detecting in years - still have a very trusty White's 5000 D Series 2.

Technology has only gotten better (and more expensive?), so I'm sure there's some better ones out there - but my 5000 is like my right arm! I know how it "talks" to me and when I'm scanning junk or "treasures"!

Take a look at KellyCo for some good prices - well when I bought mine they were the best as far as prices/shipping/support.

I forgot all about Kellyco, Sigman.

I second the recommendation. Very good company. (At least back when I was buying stuff.) Low prices AND they stand by their stuff.

'Course it is too late for Pyd this time, but he will probably want to 'accessorize' and they carry all kinds of neat stuff that make 'treasure hunting' easier.

I haven't bought anything yet..

tthere is one in bst i have no idea about thase things just thought id tell ya one was there

hello, currently have a whites eagle II. it is about 5-6 years old i think. have owned several whites, and a bounty hunter. personally, i would stick with the whites. you need discrimination and auto ground adjust. you can use a meter or lcd screen for info. why buy a good one($250-800)? the ground detunes the machine. the cheap machine will probably only go 2" deep. i will come behind you and get most of what you miss. say you use the low cost unit for 3 years and then upgrade to a better one. you now have to go back and hunt every square inch previously hunted to see what you missed. if it fits your price range, a mid-priced whites will suffice well. mine came with rechargable batteries, thus cutting cost.

spock said:

...the cheap machine will probably only go 2" deep. i will come behind you and get most of what you miss. say you use the low cost unit for 3 years and then upgrade to a better one. you now have to go back and hunt every square inch previously hunted to see what you missed. if it fits your price range, a mid-priced whites will suffice well. mine came with rechargable batteries, thus cutting cost.

Click to expand...

Indeed spock!

I hunted an old picnic area that was supposedly "hunted out" and found 13 mercury head dimes, a ring, and a bag full of wheatback pennies! As soon as I found my first wheatback penny - I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD HUNT! It was lousy weather that day too, my buddy backed out! THANK YOU!! Had to be very alert for bears though!

BTW, remember this - VERY IMPORTANT!!! Learn to dig properly and fill in behind yourself or it'll look like the moonscape! Improper recovery will result in a bad impression from others and isn't good at all!! RESPECT the property!!

Personally, though it looks like I've never been there after I get done hunting - I like to go to places or at times when not many folks are around. Kids, as innocent as they are can be a real PITA when hunting treasures! They'll follow you around and want to use your detector, will want to start digging...not my idea of a hunt. Then again with all due respect to the young ones, there's a proper place and time for that.

Old homesteads are GREAT!! I always wanted to hunt some old logging camps in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ("heard" they used to use $5 gold coins during card games and the tent floors had cracks in them where the coins fell through.) Gee, I may have to charge my packs up and go hunting - seems Spring was always a "better time of year" for me. I thought it had to do with the moisture content in the soil? :thinking:

Found my dropped gold nugget wedding ring in a snow covered parking lot with it!! That's probably the best treasure I ever found!!!

just sold off my Whites DFX with extra big foot coil for $965. this is Whites current top of the line model.

as with most things, you can really go off the deep end. there really is a huge amount of info to learn about discrimination, back ground feedback etc.

if you are going to find anything, one is going to dig a large amount of trash. lots of common items like beer tabs give signitures simular to gold.

it's like anything else, results corespond with amount of time spent. treasure hunting seems to follow the 80/20 rule. meaning the 20% that are serious find 80%+ of the good stuff.

sold off my DFX after realizing, I was not going to be able to put enough time into treasure hunting. Whites is an excellent detector.

Time for this fine old thread to get a

:bump:

Sigman said:

Though I've not gone detecting in years - still have a very trusty White's 5000 D Series 2.

Take a look at KellyCo for some good prices - well when I bought mine they were the best as far as prices/shipping/support.

Click to expand...

Called Kelly today.

Sadly, they are no longer allowed (by White's Electronics)

to ship their merchandise.


You'd hafta' come into the store, and pick it up, or else you are SOL.







However . . . .


Looks like White's has some Very Nice new models.



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