Hi All (NEW to Treasure Hunting) need advice

[long_gunr]

Hello, this is a great site! A lot of good information backed by years of experience. I would like some advice as to what detector to start with. I have narrowed down my choices to three units based on reviews and what I can afford at the moment. They are: "Whites Classic II", "Silver ?Max" and "Fisher 1225-X". Can some of you let me know your opinions on these three units? I will be using it at the beach, parks and school yards and old trails.

Thanks for you input,

Long_Gunr

 

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[Lasivian]

Ok, some stock questions:

#1 What are you going to be looking for? coins? relics? jewelry? gold? (Primarily, I know you'll probably want to look for all of them but different detectors are better for different things)

#2 Is the beach you want to detect salt or freshwater? If it's salt would you be content with detecting only the dry sand? (Saltwater sand presents special problems)

 

[long_gunr]

Thanks for the quick response! I probably should have indicated what I am interested in finding
I would mostly be looking for coins and jewelery. The beach is salt water (I live in North San Diego Co.) I would be ok with keeping to the dry sand. What do you think would happen if ti got a bit damp with sea water?

Thanks again!

 

[elkboy]

I started with a Whites classic II and loved it, I never had a chance to use any of the others but man after a short learning period I was quickly picking up the good stuff. good luck and HH Dave

 

[Lasivian]

It's not a matter of the water getting the detector wet since most detector coils are watertight. It's that the salt water and the sand give VLF (Very Low Frequency) detectors a hard time. That's why heavy beach hunters use PI (Pulse Induction) detectors which are usually more expensive.

Just about any detector in your price range from a name-brand company will suit your demand (IE. Whites, Fisher, Garret, Tesoro, etc.).

I recommend going to a local store and trying out different brands/models. You can often rent them to try out as well.

 

[long_gunr]

Do you think the models I have specified will be OK for the dry sand?

 

[Lasivian]

Well i'm not familiar with those exact models, but VLF detectors in general are good with dry sand.

 

[long_gunr]

OK, I am going today and try the three I have narrowed it down to.
Thanks for all the help.

Oh, one other thing. The Tesoro Silver uMax says it has built in mineral rejection. Does this mean it will do better in wet sand?

 

[Lasivian]

That's why I recommend you rent one before you buy.

Saying XYZ is one thing, testing it yourself is another.

 

[elkboy]

let us know how the testing went. HH Dave

 

[long_gunr]

Hi all

The testing went well. I started with the Tesoro Silver uMax. This is what I ended up with as it excelled at depth and discrimination. I pitted it against the Whites Classic II. The Tesoro was lighter and better in all ways. These were the two I narrowed it down to due to price range and quality. BTW, I got my Tesoro for 210.00. Great buy!

Thanks for the help.