Help a newbie?

[Peterwinkle]

I've always wanted to get into this hobby but have not yet bought a good detector... mostly because I don't know anything about them or where to start. Well this week week I ended up finding a bar of silver in the basement of an older house we bought recently. I'm convinced there is more to be found, and this gives me to perfect excuse to justify the expense of a nice new metal detector to my wife. There is such a broad range of detectors and certain ones are good for certain conditions, can anyone point me in the direction of a good one for a beginner? I'd like to keep the price as low as possible, but at the same time don't want to get something that's junk (looking for a good quality vs cost point). Also are there any good links to read up on to get started?

 

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[cochisecowboy1965]

I do not know you're budget. We, my wife and I, use a gold bug pro. We have used bounty hunter before but did not care for it. I have also been told that tesoro is a good machine.

 

[Sandman]

Tesoro is definitely a good brand. Visit this link Tesoro Metal Detectors - Official company web site with metal detector models for treasure hunting land or water. Read the articles and field tests. Lifetime warranty, not 0ne or two years with the others.

Sandman

 

[Indian Steve]

Tesoro Compadre is $160, great machine, light, easy to use, finds everything and LIFETIME WARRANTY!

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Tesoro does put out a good quality machine, and the lifetime warranty is a cool thing to have.

Budget-wise, if you really do have the MDing bug, go a bit higher than entry level. As you move forward in the hobby you'll be finding treasure and always wondering how much more you'd find with a higher level of technology - and you'll end up having two detectors! Heck, I got bit in the early 80's and ended up with 9 detectors. Now I have only three......

This hobby is addictive if you let it grab ahold of you.

I'd suggest a casual approach, read things here, look around, don't immediately jump in - haste makes mistakes! And do not ignore the fact that there are many, many used detectors out there for sale - I'd say that most who buy detectors thinking they'll get rich, and then realize this is work - they abandon the hobby fairly quickly and put their detectors up for sale. Craigslist !!! Do a search for "metal detector", and then do a bit of research on the specific brand/model. And by all means, ask questions here in your research.

BE PATIENT!!! If you can't be patient in your purchase, can you be patient enough to continue the hobby after weeks of frustration?

Good luck!

 

[Normsel]

Every manufacturer has good detectors it's more a matter of what seems to peak your interest. Metal detecting is addicting and a great hobby. From my personal experience I would start off in the $600 range. I say that because if you go less expensive you will be unhappy in a few months. Minelab, Whites and Garrett plus others have good detectors in the $600 range and I would call some one like Bart at Big Boys Hobbies. He is a straight shooter and can really help you with your decision.

The reason I say the $600 range is they are pretty easy to learn and don't overwhelm you will all the options the $1000+ detectors. If you learn a mid range detector you will never need another one.

My progression went from an $80 detector i got as a gift and only used a cpl of times. The while in Alaska i go the bug to detect so i bought a $250 Garrett Ace 250 and liked it but read so much about the mid range At Pro so I paid $594 for the At Pro and believe me there was a world of difference in the finds and info the ATP gave me.l I got really good with the ATP and averaged over $100 per month detecting with it. Then I got the bug to buy one with more options and one that would give me even more info so I spent $1000 on a Whites V3i. I can say this again I had more option and info but I have yet to find anymore with it.

Sandman always gives great advice. He knows detectors as well as anyone on Tnet

This is just one mans suggestion.

If it isn't there you can't find it.

 

[Peterwinkle]

Thanks for all the responses. Out of curiosity, how does the Teknetics Eurotek Pro compare to something like the , gold bug pro, Tesoro Compadre, or the AT Pro? I've read good things about it the Teknetics and it seems like about what I what. What am I getting by spending more for the AT Pro, or what am I losing by spending less for the gold bug pro or Tesoro Compadre? Is the Teknetics even any good?

 

[rainyday101]

Thanks for all the responses. Out of curiosity, how does the Teknetics Eurotek Pro compare to something like the , gold bug pro, Tesoro Compadre, or the AT Pro? I've read good things about it the Teknetics and it seems like about what I what. What am I getting by spending more for the AT Pro, or what am I losing by spending less for the gold bug pro or Tesoro Compadre? Is the Teknetics even any good?

There is nothing wrong with Teknetics line and I don't even own one, but if that style detector suited me, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a teknetics. If you can spend up a little bit and are interested in Teknetics, take a look at the Omega. Bart at Big Boys Hobbies or any of the other forum sponsors can give you good pricing and advice with a phone call.

At the lower price end of the spectrum, if that is what your budget allows, consider the Compadre, Silver uMax, Alpha, Delta, F2, F4, Xterra 305, Coinmaster, or Ace series. Any of these lower priced detectors will find you enough to pay for themselves rather quickly if you put a fair amount of time into them and hunt good locations.

Remember that in your budget you need to leave room for headphones and a Pin Pointer. Decent headphones are a must not only because you can hear targets much clearer, but also others can't hear your detector and will be less likely to bother you.

You will get many brand opinions here from loyal users. Read all the reviews you can on the one that interest you. When reading the reviews not all the bad ones are bad. By that I mean if you read some that are bad you can tell the user was clueless and expected to get rich instantly.

All that said- now my recommendation. I would seriously consider a Compadre, good headphones, and a Garrett Pro Pointer. If you can swing a little more I would go for the Silver uMax or Cibola. As you have just guessed I am a bit Tesoro biased, but hey, the work really well for me and have a lifetime warranty.

In the end stick with any of the major brands: Whites, Minelab, Fisher, Teknetics, or Tesoro. Take your pick, do your research, and most important spend the time to know your detector really well. Give it some time to learn it and know what it is telling you.

 

[Peterwinkle]

Very informative post, thanks for the info. As far as headphones, I have a pair of good quality audio headphones, are they going to work or do you need specific headphones?

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Okay, you're getting to the little details. Headphones actually depend on your hearing capabilities, as I have found. You can spend some bucks there. A really good set can go up to a couple hundred it you get carried away.

My suggest is DON'T, period!

Get settled into the hobby before you start getting really technical. A good detector first and foremost. Maybe a package deal which includes some headphones, and the grow from that.

As far as headphones, my personal gripe is that I need volume control on the headphones, for EACH side. Where headphones are important is in the capability of hearing the whispers you might otherwise miss.

Get the detector first and learn it. If you stick with the hobby, then perhaps consider a headphone upgrade. I personally have jumped into headphones people recommended, and then found they really did not suit me - they tend to be a personal preference, and each of us have a little different kind of needs. Thus for headphones I would recommend that the only real thing you should consider is a cheap set with individual volume controls on each ear. You don't want to rupture your eardrums, as you progress you want to hear those whispers. What suits for music does not necessarily suit for metal detecting.

Except for a reasonable (to you) detector, dip into the hobby as you go along. Guaranteed, you'll replace your first set of headphones, so start in a reasonable price range.

 

[daemon1971]

Okay, you're getting to the little details. Headphones actually depend on your hearing capabilities, as I have found. You can spend some bucks there. A really good set can go up to a couple hundred it you get carried away. My suggest is DON'T, period! Get settled into the hobby before you start getting really technical. A good detector first and foremost. Maybe a package deal which includes some headphones, and the grow from that. As far as headphones, my personal gripe is that I need volume control on the headphones, for EACH side. Where headphones are important is in the capability of hearing the whispers you might otherwise miss. Get the detector first and learn it. If you stick with the hobby, then perhaps consider a headphone upgrade. I personally have jumped into headphones people recommended, and then found they really did not suit me - they tend to be a personal preference, and each of us have a little different kind of needs. Thus for headphones I would recommend that the only real thing you should consider is a cheap set with individual volume controls on each ear. You don't want to rupture your eardrums, as you progress you want to hear those whispers. What suits for music does not necessarily suit for metal detecting. Except for a reasonable (to you) detector, dip into the hobby as you go along. Guaranteed, you'll replace your first set of headphones, so start in a reasonable price range.

I agree, volume control on each side of headphones is a must, you may hear better out of one ear opposed to the other. As far as teknetics goes, I have a Gamma . It's a good machine for what I paid for it. I have found silver and gold with it. I also have the ATpro , and out of the 4 machines that I have , it gets used the most.

 

[cudamark]

It's hard to beat White's for quality. That being said, there are many others that are built almost as well. Most of the major manufacturers make a decent product. I agree with normsel that I'd get at least a mid price range detector. Some of the cheaper, beep-and-dig machines can get pretty frustrating in a junky area. Get something with good tone I.D. and IMO, a good display. If you have a good set of headphones already, go ahead and use them. You can always change them to something you like better as you get more into the hobby.

 

[Gold Maven]

Tesoro's lifetime warranty is hard to beat.

I have tortured mine for over 15 years, and never had a problem.

No matter what you buy, it will take some time to learn the machine and what it's telling you.

Good Luck, and be sure to post some pics of that cache when you find it!

 

[WhiteTornado]

Very informative post, thanks for the info. As far as headphones, I have a pair of good quality audio headphones, are they going to work or do you need specific headphones?

Just to clarify, metal detectors use the old school, quarter-inch jack (think 1970s stereo headphones), not the more modern 3.5mm jack you would find on a smartphone, for example. You can always buy an adapter if you still want to use what you have.

 

[ZR2guy]

Talk to the forum sponsors and tell them your budget, what you will be hunting for and where you will be hunting. You could always look for a good used (trade-in) machine with some warranty left on it and save enough money to possibly purchase an accessory or two. There are always good deals on barely used machines. It's your $$$, spend it wisely!