Dig it all, Find it deep.....

GM, I think you are missing the point that digging LITERALLY thousands of nails and scraps of iron that exist at every park and yard in the nation is an exercise in futility. This is the reason no company sells PIs for these uses. They have VERY specific uses, but are terrible as a "general use" metal detectors.

You are new, and seeking information is NEVER a bad thing. Just don't get wrapped around the axle of the search for ultimate depth and sensitivity. 99.9% of all buried metal objects are within the reach of almost every detector made today. The ability to find the good targets AROUND the iron is the penultimate goal. (That and being able to differentiate between gold and aluminum).

But to answer this question Honestly, it wasn't that complicated of a question. If someone wanted the most sensitive detector in SOIL with no concern for discrimination what would one use The answer is the Minelab GPX5000
 

GM, I think you are missing the point that digging LITERALLY thousands of nails and scraps of iron that exist at every park and yard in the nation is an exercise in futility. This is the reason no company sells PIs for these uses. They have VERY specific uses, but are terrible as a "general use" metal detectors.

You are new, and seeking information is NEVER a bad thing. Just don't get wrapped around the axle of the search for ultimate depth and sensitivity. 99.9% of all buried metal objects are within the reach of almost every detector made today. The ability to find the good targets AROUND the iron is the penultimate goal. (That and being able to differentiate between gold and aluminum).

But to answer this question Honestly, it wasn't that complicated of a question. If someone wanted the most sensitive detector in SOIL with no concern for discrimination what would one use The answer is the Minelab GPX5000

Thanks for the reply. I do understand and appreciate what people are trying to tell me. Perhaps my original question was too vague and rather uninformed for this audience. Ultimately, would I want to dig up 100's of nails on a site? Not really. However, if I picked a site that I thought had "low junk" potential I would start with no discrimination and go from there. So, a PI machine would likely be out unless I had a second machine to switch to.
 

Not to worry. You will be digging plenty of nails. :) I still dig nails on occasion with my explorer. Not because they give me good tones but because they give a broken response that I will dig if I am in the right mood. I have a handful of 1800's coins that had nails corroded onto them. Most coins in a yard are not going to be wicked deep. I have dug a fair share of coins in the 10 in range. Those deeper coins were in parks. If you are hunting construction sites then depth is not a concern. Mobility of the coil around obstacles is the more important feature.

So as you see no machine is perfect in every instance. Just like lots of tools you have to buy the one that suits your style best. Just like you shouldn't buy a mountain bike to ride on the road. Find your interest and start with that info first.
 

Even in sites someone thinks is "low junk", they are simply unaware of the amounts of targets that the "deep-seeking PI's" can reveal.

I had the occasion to hunt with the pulse GPX5000 once. It can litterally find a nickel up to 2 ft. deep! And it can tackle the toughest of ground minerals! And it will hunt in true all-metal and "not miss a thing" ! What more could a person ask for, right? :tongue3:

The site we had to hunt was for a police evidece hunt, looking for a spent round in a murder case. The location was a simple dirt parking stall area, where a parking canopy had been, near where someone had some cars parked over the years, near a work-shed. And I COULD NOT BELIEVE how sensitive that machine was! We spend HOURS and never got out of an area bigger than a few feet square. Doh! Every little staple, pinhead, etc... rang the bells of notre dame. And this wasn't even a very old site! It was then that I switched back to my standard detector, and figured "maybe I don't need that extra depth."

So you see, sometimes that extra depth comes with a price that isnt' worth it (unless you're looking for bird-shot sized stuff at insane depths).
 

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Thanks for the reply. I do understand and appreciate what people are trying to tell me. Perhaps my original question was too vague and rather uninformed for this audience. Ultimately, would I want to dig up 100's of nails on a site? Not really. However, if I picked a site that I thought had "low junk" potential I would start with no discrimination and go from there. So, a PI machine would likely be out unless I had a second machine to switch to.

I think you are starting to get the picture. Look at what I am using. Two proven detectors that serve different purposes, one in sand, and one in turf. They are both 12+ years old and I am 75 and have detecting since the 70's. Sure I use a 2 Box Hays that will go down at least 6', but it will never pick up a coin. Frank...

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Well I bit the bullet and bought the Garrett Seahunter Mark II and Kellyco says if they match the price then you get no accessories or goodie packages.
They also say they will not help me out with the Divorce papers for when the wife gets the bill!!!

PS: Steve is good to work with on the phone.
 

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