9 volt vs AA

[EMF]

I've noticed in my research for a metal detector that the low end ones all use 9 volt batteries, some like Bounty Hunter even require two 9 volts. Go up in grade and they switch to 4 AAs and on to 8 AAs in some of the minelabs.

What is the reason for this? I know 9 volts are expensive if it only has a 10 hour + battery life. The ones that use 4 AAs boast a 20- 40 hour battery life.

Maybe First Texas gets a commission on 9 volt battery sales.

I also found a neat tool for comparing metal detectors

MetalDetectorComparison.com

 

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[Dixiegal]

We have found that buying the very best unit that you can afford in the long run will actually save you money. If you start out with a low end unit immediately you are going to want to upgrade it. Plus if you decide that metal detecting is not for you at some point a high end unit is going to be a lot easier to sell than a starter unit.

As far as batteries go every manufacturer uses a different configuration of batteries to efficiently operate their equipment. Its like "what color is the horse?" It doesn't matter what color it is its having the horse thats important. The batteries are superfluous. We have a White Sierra Madre that takes AA's, a White 808 that takes C's and a pulse induction that is Ni-Cad rechargeable battery pack. Our LRL takes a 9 volt.

 

[rustyman9791]

I had a couple of bounty hunters and I bought bulk 40 9-volt duracells on ebay. They ran me about $1.10 a piece. Alot better that $14.00 for 4 of them a wal-mart. I also found that the duracells are way better that any other brand of battery, they honestly last twice as long.

 

[Produce Guy]

Can you use Rechargeable 9 volts in metal detectors?

 

[EMF]

I'm sure you can, I would just look for as high MAH rating as you can find so they last longer, although 9v batteries don't have as high MAH as AAs.

My curiousity over the batteries though was why 9 volts (BH X 2 9v) in the cheap metal detectors and AAs in the expensive ones. Maybe a difference in the circuit boards, cheaper to build one for a 9 volt? Or is it simply because the low ends don't have the bells and whistles of a high end and don't require the power of AA to run them?

You can look at each brand of metal detector and as you go up in price they lose the 9 volt and switch to AA batteries.

 

[Frankn]

Well, here is how it all started. The first transistor circuits used transistors that worked on 5V. The next generation worked on 12V. The 5V circuits were plagued with problems in the connectors. 12V can overcome a bad connector where 5V cant. The ballgame has changed today. The most modern boards have the circuits embedded in them. So what counts now? Size of the battery and weight of the battery. Todays circuits use far less power than the older ones, and integration of the circuits has made them smaller. So it has gotten to the point where size and weight of the batteries are a determining factor. My first 2 Box detector used battery packs that weighed over a pound. The 2 Box I use today uses 2 9v batteries. The shelf life of batteries today is measured in years, so buy in bulk. In my MH I carry 2 boxes each of 9V,AA,AAA & D batteries. I only use Duracell's. Hope this helps you out Frank

 

[Ace350]

You guys ever look into these for the AA, C & D batteries using just AAA rechargable batteries?
It will save you $$ in the long run.


Ziotek ZT1610385 Ziotek AAA to D Battery Upsizers - Amazon.com

 

[jmoller99]

The Gold Bug Pro uses 9 V batteries. The people I know that use them to prospect for gold would disagree that the type of battery used relates to if its low end or not (they have found natural gold with them). The weight of a detector is pretty important to me (I find those using heavy battery packs just tire you out quicker). Many of the Bounty Hunters use 9 V batteries - Many are entry level models, but they have higher end models too. My Tesoro Compadre uses as single 9 V battery (It has a single knob and no meter of any sort) - it's not expensive at all - It's also an exceptionally good detector.

Some types of detectors (like the Pulse Induction detectors) tend to have heavier battery packs - they need bigger batteries to work (MineLabs PI detectors provide capabilities that no VLF detector can compete with). My Whites GMT is a great Gold hunting detector, but personally, I feel it's too heavy (aa batteries) to swing all day long.

 

[4reale]

You can not use rechargeable batteries in a Fisher CZ-20, which takes 4 - 9 volt batteries to run. Those batteries would last 160 - 180 hours of hunting time before they croaked. NiCads yield less voltage than alkaline 9 volt batteries, and WILL damage the electronics if used.

The cheapest place I've found for batteries is an outfit out of California called All-Battery.com, AKA Tenergy. I bought 10 CR 123A Lithium 3v batteries for $9.90. They sell carded in Walmart, Home Depot, etc for $6.97 each, or $13.87 for 2. I had to replace 7 wireless alarm system batteries that were installed in February of 2006, so even with the $10.00 they charged me for shipping, I still made out. The more you buy, the cheaper they are.

 

[spartacus53]

want to save even more money on AA batteries. Watch this

 

[Frankn]

A word of warning, all of those 6V batteries are not made that way. It can get very messy opening up some. Frank

 

[New Orleans Relic]

want to save even more money on AA batteries. Watch this

I found the bonus buy 6 volt! It has 33 aa's. Or was it as's? lol

 

[bug1958]

I have a fisher CZ 75 that I've been using for the past 4 years and I can get an easy 35-40 hours of use out oif the 2 9volts. I have found that the duracells last the longest. And as far as saying cheap detectors are powered by 9 volts doesn't seem to be true because I don't think that 900 and some odd dollars is cheap for a metal detector.