sjvalleyhunter
Silver Member
- May 5, 2014
- 3,716
- 2,173
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab E-Trac and Whites MXT
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Let me preface my rant by saying that this is just my opinion. I’m sure others will disagree with me and may even have some valid counterpoints, but....
Today I was walking through Costco and happened to see a big stack of metal detectors they had on display. Looking a bit closer I saw that they were Bounty Hunter Discovery 3300 models that were selling for 85 bucks, which frankly is a great price for that machine.
I have no issues whatsoever with people being introduced to this great hobby. I am not concerned with people taking one of these machines to one of my honey holes and hunting it out. My issue is this: Nobody gets interested in the hobby, does their research on detectors, and then goes to Costco to buy one. No, the vast majority of these machines will be bought on a whim by someone who walks past the display and thinks, “Oh, look at that. That will be a great Christmas present for Bob.”
These detectors will then be in the hands of someone who never previously had even a thought of swinging a metal detector. And that’s ok, like I said I don’t have an issue with others engaging in this hobby. However they will have no clue about the etiquette that is required in this hobby. THAT is my issue.
So now that Bob has his new Christmas present what will he do? He will run out to the neighborhood park and start putting holes all over the place. Bob won’t have any idea on how to cut a clean plug and to leave no trace. He will be doing this while being watched by others who won’t like Bob leaving holes in their park. And all it takes is one or two loud voices to get rules changed. Of course they won’t understand that Bob’s actions aren’t a representation of all detectorists, but we all can suffer from Bob’s actions.
The particular Costco I was at had 19 machines, and there are two other Costcos in my city they are also selling them, not to mention all of the other Costcos nationwide. There will be a whole lot of Bob’s out there soon.
Yes, I know that Costco has previously sold metal detectors and the world hasn’t come to an end because of it. But get ready folks, in about five weeks there are going to be some holes popping up in your local parks.
Today I was walking through Costco and happened to see a big stack of metal detectors they had on display. Looking a bit closer I saw that they were Bounty Hunter Discovery 3300 models that were selling for 85 bucks, which frankly is a great price for that machine.
I have no issues whatsoever with people being introduced to this great hobby. I am not concerned with people taking one of these machines to one of my honey holes and hunting it out. My issue is this: Nobody gets interested in the hobby, does their research on detectors, and then goes to Costco to buy one. No, the vast majority of these machines will be bought on a whim by someone who walks past the display and thinks, “Oh, look at that. That will be a great Christmas present for Bob.”
These detectors will then be in the hands of someone who never previously had even a thought of swinging a metal detector. And that’s ok, like I said I don’t have an issue with others engaging in this hobby. However they will have no clue about the etiquette that is required in this hobby. THAT is my issue.
So now that Bob has his new Christmas present what will he do? He will run out to the neighborhood park and start putting holes all over the place. Bob won’t have any idea on how to cut a clean plug and to leave no trace. He will be doing this while being watched by others who won’t like Bob leaving holes in their park. And all it takes is one or two loud voices to get rules changed. Of course they won’t understand that Bob’s actions aren’t a representation of all detectorists, but we all can suffer from Bob’s actions.
The particular Costco I was at had 19 machines, and there are two other Costcos in my city they are also selling them, not to mention all of the other Costcos nationwide. There will be a whole lot of Bob’s out there soon.
Yes, I know that Costco has previously sold metal detectors and the world hasn’t come to an end because of it. But get ready folks, in about five weeks there are going to be some holes popping up in your local parks.
Upvote
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I'm surprised they don't have a bunch saying the RF will fry you, and digging in dirt has a laundry list of hazards. Still waiting for the sticker saying staring at the meter will cause you to go cross eyed.
