First metal detector?

J

justajester

Jr. Member
Feb 26, 2014
28
2
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hey y'all, im a new resident to the beaches of south Texas, corpus Christi, and looking to get into metal detecting. I've been reading on this forum and a few others, trying to get some advice but it all seems a bit confusing. I was looking at a tesoro silver umax as my first detector probably but, im not sure how well it will work on the beaches here. I've read that if you are going after rings and jewelery you need a detector that will do well in wet sand and what not. I've also seen people detecting in the actual water. I'm not sure the tesoro is appropriate for either task but it seems some people are using it this way. What do you guys think? If not the tesoro, what detector would suit this purpose in a semi budget price range. I dont want to miss treasure but I also dont have a grand to spend. I'm thinking under 500 would be ideal. Any thoughts?
 

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Tesoro Sand Shark is great.....about $700 new but a worth the stretch if its doable. Awesome machine
 

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Good info. I watched the video. It seems by going to the sand shark or another one of those detectors I might be losing something on dry sand however. Is that correct?

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You lose the ability to discriminate out iron which is a big deal. You only want to use pulse induction in the wet saltwater sand and in the saltwater where there is less garbage metal. I use a VLF in the dry sand, and a PI in the water. A lot of folks spend the money and use a multi-frequency detector at the beach, which is able to discriminate. I use two different detectors which cost me less than one multi-frequency detector (Single-frequency VLF in the dry sand, Sand Shark PI in the wet).
 

I guess my other big concern is buying a machine that's expensive and so complicated I can't figure out how to work it and miss all the treasure. As well as one so cheap it doesn't pick up anything. I feel confident in the tesoro silver working for me except for wet sand. But maybe I dont need it for wet sand. My target like I said is rings and jewelery during spring break next month just to help recoupe some of my investment. Later it will probably be relics but for now I want to try to make a few bucks with it. Would I have a chance with the silver or do I need to step up to a sand shark for sure?

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You'll do GREAT in the DRY sand with the Silver uMax. Get a good sandscoop. When detecting the dry sand areas, successful beach hunters "grid" individual sections of the beach. Start by choosing an area 50-feet long, by 50-feet wide. First detect from the North to South. When you have detected the entire grid, turn 90-degrees and detect it again East to West. Moving slowly and methodically, you will be able to pass your coil over every inch of the 50' x 50' area. Coins, watches, rings, bracelets, Ipods, cell phones, car keys - you'll find it all! The phrase to remember is "low and slow." Keeping your coil as low and flat to the sand as you can, while moving slowly enough to assure your sweeps overlap each other is the real key to success.
 

I should mention I've never used a metal detector before. It seems from my reading that wet sand and saltwater maybe should be left to someone with experience because of chatter and what not. Does that sound about right?

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I would Check on Kellyco for used/demo detectors. If you are going to use it on the beach mostly I would suggest something that is designed for use in salty areas and is water proof. As for learning how to use one I suggest watching youtube videos, although this will help nothing beats hands on experience!!!
 

Greetings justajester,

Terry has given you some solid options. Your $500.00 budget is a bit of a drawback, if you are looking to work wet/dry sand and shallow water with one machine. Having the ability to discriminate iron is a big plus. One option MAY be, to consider a Minelab Safari. It is a multi frequency machine and will work in all the above conditions very well. ( the coil can be submerged, but NOT the control box). A new one costs about a grand, BUT, you can pick up a used one for much less. It is not complicated, as it has many automatic functions. It is quite popular as a wet/dry sand beach machine and very much so for everyday dry land use. Just another option to think about. GOOD LUCK.
 

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Hi justajester,

Okay, I like Terry Soloman's thinking and it sound like your on a budget for a detector under $500, not to mention that it sounds like you never detected before.

I will tell you how I approached metal detecting when I started last summer and maybe it will help with your decision. I didn't want to spend much on a detector until I found out if detecting was for me. I purchased a Harbor Fright 9-function detector for forty bucks with coupon. I told myself, when I find enough targets to pay off the forty dollar detector, and if I still like detecting at that time, I would purchase a good mid-range detector.

Well, I paid off that HF detector in no time, I was hooked! So I did what you are doing, but I wasn't a member of TNet at that time, so I read lots of reviews from all sources. I went with a popular single frequency VLF machine mainly because I didn't know any better and multi-frequency machine were more than I wanted to spend at that time. I never regretted my decision to this day and paid off the mid-range detector three times over within four months.

Then last Fall, I was ready for a PI detector. My thinking was, If I'm going with a PI and spend my valuable hunting time in the wet sand, water, surf, along with un-trashy dry sand, I might as well go big as not to leave anything behind. And so far, I haven't regretted that decision. I am finding more jewelry in the wet sand and water, but I have more fun in the dry sand with my VLF.

It was good for me to start with a VLF because there are so many more places to detect at the beach other than the wet sand and water. Even though I did use my VLF in the wet sand and saltwater, but the constant iron sound was annoying and I refused to detune the machine to lose a ton of depth. A good VLF will get you more excited about the hobby sooner. You will find some unbelievable stuff in places you never expected at the beach. Not only towel lines and the usual spots, but around shower areas, restrooms, parking lots, walkways, and any out of the way place that has sand. And with a VLF, you can turf hunt also.

Anyway, that's my story, I hope it helps :)
 

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Ok alot of info to absorb lol. Well, 500 is what id be comfortable spending but, I dont want to do myself a disservice and miss out on a ton of good stuff. So if coughing up another 300. Basically I know spring break is coming up and 500000 drunk people will be on the beach. I dont want to miss out on the fun and I have probably 3or 4 days a week I can hunt all day. So if I had 800, what would be a detector that is easy to use for a beginner, has good depth and can do an all around decent job in all conditions. I dont want alot of bells and whistles just a couple knobs and a beep sound lol. Or am I better off buying one for dry and a separate one for wet? Or is a good wet one just really not quite in my budget right now?

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Too Funny justajester :)

Anything that a half a million people lose over Spring Break will not be deeper than 6" in dry sand. And you can bet the water will be full of experienced MD'ers sucking up all that is lost in the water. Any detector at any price range will go 6". Maybe you should get some experience over Spring Break by using one eye on learning to detect and the other eye on the scenery laying on the beach.
 

Well so maybe im thinking to much into it and a simple detector will do exactly what I need. I dont know what's normal. That's why im asking.

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Seems I've seen the sovereign mentioned alot. I'll do some research. Thanks =)

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justajester said:
Well so maybe im thinking to much into it and a simple detector will do exactly what I need. I dont know what's normal. That's why im asking.

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The main thing YOU have to decide, is exactly where you plan on using the machine. If wet salt sand and salt water are the main area of detecting, you really only have two choices. One is a pulse induction (PI) detector or a multi frequency machine. Single freq. VLF detectors, just don't work well in wet salt sand or water. You could as you suggest, get two machines, a low cost PI for wet sand and water, and a single freq. for dry sand/land use. In that case what Terry suggested would work.

I think it would be best if you did a little research on types of machines available, and what will suite you best. You seem to be looking into basic beep and dig type detectors. Tesoro is certainly your best starting point in that area. Good Luck.
 

yeah that's why I liked the sound of tesoro. Simple, effective. So if I purchased a umax for dry land, is there a good machine in the 400-500 dollar range that would be good for wet/salt only? I'd say I could pick a specific spot to hunt but I want to have the ability to hunt anywhere whether it's a park, beach, water or land...so that's where im having the problem finding the best solution here

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Get a used Sand Shark. A new one only costs $600.00 so a good used one should run around $400.00
 

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