I don't have a gold detector, but have heard great things about the Lobo Super Traq from Tesoro. Others may have a better opinion. But I figured this would be a least a starting point for you. Hope it helps.
GB2 and the Tesoro LST are fine with me. The truth of the whole matter is there are a lot of great vlf detectors put out BUT it's the man behind the machine that makes ALL the difference. Nugget hunting is 100 times the hardest form of detecting there is,so ya better have some coin and relic experience under your belt. I've swung,sold and used detectors for over 45 years now and you are graced with fantastic small coils of great configurations,lifetime warranties for original purchaser, and good customer support as long as you buy from a local dealer. Don't buy discount because when the checks cashed and your 2,000 miles don't expect squat!!Tons a au 2 u 2-John
AND THE QUESTION YOU ASKED IS REALLY A BROAD ONE WE COULD GO INTO OTHER DETAILS ABOUT YOUR NEEDS BUT FOR NOW READ ON.
FOR 1000.00 ACTUALLY LESS THAN 1000. THERE ARE NUMEROUS VLF MACHINES AND 1 P.I. MACHINE THAT I KNOW OF THE GARRETT
INFINIUM, VLF's WILL DO THE JOB, ONCE YOU BECOME ASTUTE AND ENGULFED IN THE HOBBY YOU MAY WANT A DEEPER SEEKING UNIT SUCH AS THE P.I. UNITS. YOU CAN FIND MINELAB P.I. UNITS USED GENERALLY AROUND 8-9 -1000 AND UP DEPENDING ON THEIR AGE AND ACCESSORIES, BUT ITS TOUGH FINDING A REALLY GOOD COND. MINELAB P.I. FOR THAT MONEY.
I WOULD RECCOMEND YOUR RESEARCHING THE VLF's
HERES A LIST TO BEGIN THERE ARE MORE COMPANYS THAT HAVE SOME MODELS AVAILABLE BUT THESE ARE THE BIG ONES TO START RESEARCHING, HAVE FUN LEARNING THATS WHAT IT ALL ABOUT
MINELAB X-TERRA'S AND EUREKA MODELS
TESORO LOBO ST
TESORO DIABLO
FISHER GOLD BUG AND GOLD BUG 2
AND MY NEW FAVORITE FOR GOLD AND METEORITES
WHITES GMT
THERE ARE OTHER WHITES GOLDMASTER MACHINES ALSO
THERES ALSO THE NEWER WHITES MXT COMBINATION MACHINE
FOR COINS/RELIC/GOLD
GARRETT MAKES VLFS FOR GOLD BUT I HAVENT HEARD MUCH FROM PEOPLE IN THE FIELD AS THE VLF UNITS BEING A GOOD CHOICE IT DEPENDS ON YOUR AREA GEOLOGY MOST LIKELY
THERE ARE MORE, YOU CAN SEARCH OTHER COMPANYS. YOU SHOULD TAKE THE TIME TO READ AND IF POSSIBLE SEEK OUT SOME INDIVIDUALS WHO OWN VARIOUS MACHINES TO ASK THEM THEIR PROS AN CONS
thanks for the suggestions
I have a Garett Scorpion Goldstinger but it is maddening to operate and it doesent seem to work well on mineralized earth
i definitley wanna get something more modern and more specialized 4 gold
I'll look into the Whites GMT
One thing you outta figure out is what size gold you're after. The GB2, GMT, older Goldmasters, will find veritable specks of gold.. maybe too small. The LST, MXT, X5 and such will find subgrain gold to, say, 1/3 grain. PI's won't be finding this small stuff, even if you rub em on the coil. They will, however, find larger stuff at, generally, greater depths. I'd hold off on buying a PI for the moment.. there's some new stuff coming down the pipe thatmight make you regret buying one. There are also areas where VLF's are superior to PI's because of unique ground conditions. The hell of it is that, whichever you buy (PI or VLF), they'll both find gold and find it deep. ...Willy.
I've got a Tesoro Lobo Super Traq. I've had it for about 7-8 years. It has a lifetime warranty and it's easy to operate. It also has a built-in pinpoint function. I've only used it twice for nugget hunting -- was successful once. Found a nugget about the size of a 00 buck shot. I believe the model has been discontinued, but I see some brand new ones for sale on eBay at around $650 or so. Use the spare money (difference between $1,000.00 and the price of the machine plus shipping) to buy yourself some really good headphones and a handheld GPS unit, then hit the trail!! Good Luck!!!!!!
AFAIK the LST is still in production. I wouldn't be surprised if the ones you see on ebay are from dealers 'cause around $630 is the general selling price of a new LST. ..Willy.
wow that article is so awesome it really gives good info on the gold detectors
Hmm... i really like the looks of the MXT and the GMT
I dont know which one is best. Seeing as i want to find the small stuff because thats all that there is in my area
I am not affiliated with either Eric Foster or Surfscanner. I have several Minelabs (SD2000, Excalibur, and Quattro), but The Foster PI units are great (especially for the money).