Beginner Help

[KJP462]

I'm looking to get into the hobby of metal detecting. My dad has been hunting for 30+ years, and I have some experience hunting with him.

He's always raved about White's equipment, and they've seemed to have served him well over the years. I've read numerous posts about White's, and they seem to be a good brand to go with.

My question is as a beginner, what model would you all recommend for a beginner? Which model would get the best bang for my buck? I'm mostly interested in coin shooting. I've heard so many mixed reviews on White's Coinmaster & Treasuremaster. Would either of these be good detector for a beginner like myself? If not, what model would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for the help!
-KP

 

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[digger27]

I'm looking to get into the hobby of metal detecting. My dad has been hunting for 30+ years, and I have some experience hunting with him.

He's always raved about White's equipment, and they've seemed to have served him well over the years. I've read numerous posts about White's, and they seem to be a good brand to go with.

My question is as a beginner, what model would you all recommend for a beginner? Which model would get the best bang for my buck? I'm mostly interested in coin shooting. I've heard so many mixed reviews on White's Coinmaster & Treasuremaster. Would either of these be good detector for a beginner like myself? If not, what model would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for the help!
-KP

Hey, not a White's guy here at all but I checked out these two and from a ease of hunting point of view, price vs. features, the Treasure Master is the way to go.
Big VDI numbers on the screen, a must have for me on any screen unit and not just icons, auto ground balance too.
If you can swing it and save up a little more the Treasure Pro has even more going for it if you want to stay in the Whites family, a bit more money but extra features that will prevent you from getting bored and upgrading so fast which most of us eventually do as we progress in this hobby.
If I was going for Whites and knowing what I know now this is the one that would be on the top of my list I think.
Call dealers and talk to them about actual prices because what you see posted online is not always the lowest best prices possible.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=goFCbOWfIEs

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cCc3Q3BTsds


https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=ED4oeaIeiBQ


Of course there are others out there, I am a Fisher guy and the F22 and F44 have value, the Land Ranger Pro from bounty hunter has many fans and is feature rich at a pretty good price and you can catch them on a great sale from time to time, the Euro Tek Pro has had fans since it came out, I did phenomenally well with the lowly F2 but other entry level units now have more features and this one will probably be phased out eventually.
The First Texas company has Teknetics, Fisher and Bounty Hunters in their fold and in the last few years have started to share technology across many platforms.
Whites has lagged behind in the lower end lines but with these newer models seems to have caught up.

6 years ago when I started there weren't many to choose from in entry level area...now there are a ton.
No matter what you choose take the time to learn it well and you will be successful because they all find metal.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[KJP462]

Digger,

Thank you very much for the good insight. I am leaning towards the Treasure Master Pro as it's at my comfort level price wise, just glad to get some insight as to if the machine is worth the money. And you're right, I was shocked at how many entry level models of detectors there are. Being new to the hobby, I'm not looking for a Cadillac detector, but also want one that will perform well for me as a beginner. Am I correct in viewing the Treasure Master Pro as perhaps a "middle of the road" level detector and the Coinmaster being a true entry level detector?

Thanks again for the advice and insight. Looking forward to getting started in the new hobby.

-KP

 

[digger27]

I would say the Pro could be considered top of the entry class...almost to mid range but about $100 or so below that actual mid range price point which most would consider the $500 or so area, the $700 as the upper mid class and $900 to over $1000 as flagship level for many brands...but not all.
Closer to $2000 for the CTX and that is not that brand's most expensive.
From what I see on those videos that Pro is a very value oriented unit with a lot of features for the price...hardly entry level at all considering what you get for the money and how it seems to perform.
If I was aiming for something to spend a lot of time with and to learn this hobby this would be high on my list from first impressions.
6 years ago the landscape was totally different than it is now, you had the Ace 250, the F2, the Compadre and Silver from Tesoro and that's about it...Whites, Bounty Hunters and other brands had entry level units but none I would consider that held any value comparatively at the time.
Things are so much different now, I think the major brands finally realized that making money on flagship models is not the only way to do it but shear volume on lower priced models can make you a ton if popular features are there and the performance levels still stay high.
I had a mid range Vaquero but I wanted another backup unit to take on vacation and I wanted a screen in case I lent it out as a guest detector which would be easier to deal with for newbies I thought at the time so I went with the F2 because the Ace had no VDI numbers, that awful yellow color and listening to Garrett bell tone sounds were not my thing.
What surprised me was how well the thing worked, how fast it was, how much fun it was to use and how much it would find me right out of the box, (more than 10X's it's $200 cost eventually), and as I used it more and more I found I had a great affinity for Fishers and their language...something I thought about deeply when I decided to upgrade to another more powerful upper level unit with a screen.
I ended up with a second hand new but never used F70 for a fire sale $400 price and never looked back.

Choosing your first is confusing because you don't really have a handle on what kind of hunter you want to be, site conditions and how they can affect performance or experience to put it all together...something that will not be an issue if and when you decide to upgrade someday.
Such a large amount of good choices on the market today at all price points can be confusing too but ultimately a great thing if you do your homework and ask for opinions as you are doing now.

In the past many that started with entry level units usually upgraded pretty quickly as they advanced in the hobby but nowadays that itch cycle is much longer because of the great amount of features onboard this new generation of lower priced detectors hitting the market.

As always this is a hobby about finding things but in my mind mostly about just having fun and I can do that just the same with my Compadre, my Vaq that I still pull out once in awhile or my F70 which is my prime hunting tool right now.
For me learning to get the most out of my detectors is just as much fun as finding great treasure and I hope that will be the same for you.

As I mentioned your first is important, choose wrong and it can frustrate you right out of the hobby but choose right and you might find yourself with a lifelong passion you didn't think was possible.
There are many more "right choice" detectors available now than ever before and you seem to be on the right track so keep going

There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy's life that he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.

Mark Twain

 

[jharhed]

You could probably find a nice mx5 still under warranty for around $400 or less.

 

[airscapes]

DFX would be the best bang for the buck. No limits to the coils you can get for it and it is miles ahead of what you are looking at even though it is over 10 year old. I have 2 DFXs and the original Coinmaster GT I waisted a lot of money on and never use now I have the DFX. The models you are looking at are just re-rolled Coinmaster GTs, which was the preceding model to the treasure master..
Good luck with whatever you buy and hopefully you will be happy with it for longer than a year..

 

[Fletch88]

I liked the MX-5 out of the 5 whites I have owned. MX-5, MXT-Pro, Classic ll, DFX in that order. The other was the Dual Field Pi which is a great beach machine

 

[KJP462]

Thanks everyone for the insights, much appreciated!

I contacted a local White's dealer in my area and will be going to talk with him to see what he has available and what he recommends for someone new to the hobby. My dad bought his detector off of this guy (It's a DFX 300 I believe) and he said the guy is real knowledgeable and has a lot of experience. Being a complete beginner, I'm hoping to stay under $400 for my first detector.

 

[wingmaster]

If you go with an MXT you will have a top of the line detector that's easy to learn and use, plus it takes the same coils as the DFX, V3i, VX3, and the M6. You will be able to keep up with the V3i or E-trac in depth with the right coil, I never feel outgunned with the MXT. Don't be afraid to find a good used one, just check it out first and if you ever do have a problem White's doesn't charge much for repairs. HH

 

[Digzit2]

The treasure pro has a wobble in the shaft according to some people that I have talked to.I personally dont know.

 

[ecmo]

My two main detectors are the M6 and MX5.The M6 will run you something over $600 and the MX5 $100 less.The M6 is a good detector and simple to use,two knobs and two toggle switches.The cheeper MX5 has more features on a keypad plus screen backlight and adjustable threshold.They both can use same search coils as Whites more expensive models.I know their both a tad over your budget but if your dad is still able I'm betting he'd be glad to kick in the extra$ for a favorite hunting buddy.

 

[airscapes]

Check you PMs, I sent you one.

 

[KJP462]

Thanks again everyone for the advice. I ended up forking out a few extra bucks and went with the MX5. Based off hearing others' opinions and research I did, it seemed like the MX5 is a much better detector than the treasure master detectors. Got to take it out twice this weekend and found over a dozen clad coins and a wheat penny. Very happy with it so far. The pinpoint function seems a little finicky, but I'm also a beginner so I understand that practice is needed.

 

[Digzit2]

Congrats on your choice. HH.

 

[MackDog]

Start with a mid range detector, if you like the hobby then use your finds to get a better one. I've worked this up to the V3i. Get one that has pre set programs for different types of hunting. Make sure it has pin point, depth and some type of target ID.

 

[Gold Itch]

If you go with an MXT you will have a top of the line detector that's easy to learn and use, plus it takes the same coils as the DFX, V3i, VX3, and the M6. You will be able to keep up with the V3i or E-trac in depth with the right coil, I never feel outgunned with the MXT. Don't be afraid to find a good used one, just check it out first and if you ever do have a problem White's doesn't charge much for repairs. HH

I agree, The MXT or the M6 will grow with a person and they both will hang with 2000 Dollar machines and the MXT will beat them all on their own Turf, at a quarter of the price, Still the best machine ever made.

 

[ecmo]

Thanks again everyone for the advice. I ended up forking out a few extra bucks and went with the MX5. Based off hearing others' opinions and research I did, it seemed like the MX5 is a much better detector than the treasure master detectors. Got to take it out twice this weekend and found over a dozen clad coins and a wheat penny. Very happy with it so far. The pinpoint function seems a little finicky, but I'm also a beginner so I understand that practice is needed.

Just got back to this thread after not following for 2 weeks.Congratulations on getting the MX5, you'll love it.When pinpointing watch your depth graph while listening to the tone increase and decrease as you slowly scrub back and forth,after highest tone/highest graph reading,sidestep 90 degrees and do same.Now look at your center circle of your coil and dig there,90% of the time you will be dead on.

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