Looking for metal detector recommendations

Erik H

Erik H

Greenie
May 17, 2022
10
15
Durango Colorado
Detector(s) used
Fisher Gold Bug 2
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Upvote 2
Erik H said:
Hello all! I am fairly new to prospecting and am interested in getting a metal detector. I would mainly be using it to search for nuggets and specimens in old hardrock mine dumps. Does anybody have any recommendations for good lower priced detectors that would work well for my purposes?
Thanks, -Erik :)
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Have looked at the possibility of buying a mid/higher used machine?
Don't know the budget so it's kind of hard to recommend something.
 

I'm thinking I probably want something under $400. I'm not opposed to getting a used detector
 

A budget VLF gold machine.
Fisher Gold Bug Pro ~ $600 USD is a good entry and has a good value for your money.
Fisher Gold Bug 2 ~$800 USD
ORX ~$600 USD. The HF coil is the key piece but works with the Deus as well.
Minelab Equinox 800 with 6" coil ~$900 + $179 for the coil
Minelab Gold Monster 1000 ~$1000 USD

Haven't used one but
Nokta Gold Finder 2000 ~$600 USD
Garret AT Gold ~$640

The Nokta Legend has a gold mode and small coil but I don't know of anyone who has used it nugget hunting or seen any videos.

Most important is learning to use the machine. Get some birdshot, if you can find #10 lead birdshot then you can find nuggets the same size.

If you want to go deeper in hot ground then you'll need a PI machine that is quite a bit more money.
 

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I'd look for a used White's Goldmaster. Like a GM3 or V-SAT. Manual ground balance, but once you learn to use them, great machines. Usually available around $250-$300.
Jim
 

should be great. Surprised you found one that cheap.
Jim
 

If you ever want to upgrade to a pulse type that searches twice as deep... i recommend a Garret Seamaster. Got one from craigslist for $500 and used by truck driver on beaches. Cheapest PI detector i have found cause everyone thinks it is only for water. Added longer rod and works nice. Got some smiles using it in New Mexico drywashes! Good starter box and you never know when a friend might ask you to find his $15,000 ROLEX in the golf pond after a bad swing.:laughing7: Cheap skate bought me a beer, just one.:occasion14:
 

Has anyone noticed i transposed the garret sea hunter name with the white's surf master name. getting old sux. garret is a cheaper water proof PI machine i can not recommend enough. Surf master is twice the price and twice the features whose coil options are job specific.
For an inexpensive beginner non water proof powerhouse i recommend the nokta simplex at about $250. As you progress the nokta legend worked the same for me as the deux but so much lower in cost i giggle finding gold rings at 13 inches that pay for it and then shrug my shoulders with the deus ll cause it was expensive for retired dude.
minelab has always been out of my price range when they are twice the cost of a DfX(corrected)that introduced DUAL FREQUENCY simultaneous transmision[patent#5642050,patent#5654638]. A sly thing to wait for the patents to expire then adopt the competitions technology, like how apple phones introduce samsung features 2 years later and declare it as "new".
 

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Minelab produced world's 1st dual freq detector, the Eureka Dual Ace in 1989, and multiple freq detector in 1990 with the Sovereign series (17 freqs).
 

Treasure_Hunter said:
Minelab produced world's 1st dual freq detector, the Eureka Dual Ace in 1989, and multiple freq detector in 1990 with the Sovereign series (17 freqs).
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You should tell METAL DETECTING NYC to pull his YouTube video "We broke metal detecting: Simultaneous Multi Frequency..." featuring the DFX(sorry for my mistype) and Mark Rowan chief engineer of White's claiming to be the first!
It does reference Bruce Candy's MPS circuitry as SEPARATE signal transmission of 2 frequencies...
Thanx for your service.
 

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ZombieKnot said:
You should tell METAL DETECTING NYC to pull his YouTube video "We broke metal detecting: Simultaneous Multi Frequency..." featuring the DFX(sorry for my mistype) and Mark Rowan chief engineer of White's claiming to be the first!
It does reference Bruce Candy's MPS circuitry as SEPARATE signal transmission of 2 frequencies...
Thanx for your service.
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Whites had to pay Minelab for patent infringement law suit for their Beach Hunter ID that had 3 freqs, that was why they started listing Minelab patent number on the detector and paid Minelab Royalties.

Whites DFX was released in 2001, Minelab had dual freq detector out in 1998, and Sovereign series with 17 freq in 1991, the Excalibur also 17 freq in 1993 using same technology as Sovereign, coils are also interchangeable.
 

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BIG difference between simultaneous transmission and separate transmission of 2 frequencies. Minelab came out with simultaneous trans. called BBS after white's patent expired. They put it in the sovereign GT in 2005 and the excaliber ll in 2007 both using BBS, minelabs copy of simultaneous transmission from white's expired patents. That is why i say DUAL FREQUENCY means simultaneous from the DFX that came out in 2001.
 

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ZombieKnot said:
BIG difference between simultaneous transmission and separate transmission. Minelab came out with simultaneous trans. called BBS after white's patent expired. They put it in the sovereign GT in 2005 and the excaliber ll in 2007 both using BBS, minelabs copy of simultaneous transmission from white's expired patents. That is why i say DUAL FREQUENCY means simultaneous from the DFX that came out in 2001.
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Whites had to pay Minelab for the patents for both the Beach Hunter ID and the DFX and the Minelab patent numbers were listed in Whites documentation for detector, it was even printed on the Beach Hunter ID detector. The lawsuit was known in the mid to late 1990s.
 

Treasure_Hunter said:
Whites had to pay Minelab for the patents for both the Beach Hunter ID and the DFX and the Minelab patent numbers were listed in Whites documentation for detector, it was even printed on the Beach Hunter ID detector. The lawsuit was known in the mid to late 1990s.
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Nice try at steam rolling. Patent #5642050-Plural Frequency Method; granted 6-24-1997. Patent#5654638-Plural Frequency Method; granted 7-5-1997. Found searching White's Patents. Minelab has a patent for dual frequency staggered transmission from the 80's. BIG difference from Plural to Staggered transmission; more depth by the DFX. Yes the beach hunter has 3 staggered frequencies, hence the minelab patent. Also, some minelab coils have a patent # that is from WHITE's. Go figure.
 

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I had a pulse induction metal detector once I loved digging those 13-14" Bobbie pins & fishing weights.
 

ZombieKnot said:
Nice try at steam rolling. Patent #5642050-Plural Frequency Method; granted 6-24-1997. Patent#5654638-Plural Frequency Method; granted 7-5-1997. Found searching White's Patents. Minelab has a patent for dual frequency staggered transmission from the 80's. BIG difference from Plural to Staggered transmission; more depth by the DFX. Yes the beach hunter has 3 staggered frequencies, hence the minelab patent. Also, some minelab coils have a patent # that is from WHITE's. Go figure.
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I had a DFX but they never had the depth the Fisher CZ detectors had at the time.
back in the day the metal detecting club would have a hunt everyone had trowels.
we had shovels with the handles cut down. It wasn't long everyone had a CZ
 

Erik H said:
Hello all! I am fairly new to prospecting and am interested in getting a metal detector. I would mainly be using it to search for nuggets and specimens in old hardrock mine dumps. Does anybody have any recommendations for good lower priced detectors that would work well for my purposes?
Thanks, -Erik :)
Click to expand...
What's wrong with the Fisher? it will do the job you want it to do
 

detectorcowboy said:
What's wrong with the Fisher? it will do the job you want it to do
Click to expand...
so far I have found it to be quite satisfactory, I've been using it to look for old railroad track hardware on an abandoned railroad grade and it finds some tiny little bits of metal. I have not yet been able to take it prospecting due to snow, but now stuff is starting to melt out so i can finally go to some of the lower elevation mines that I have in mind. I'll probably be able to take it prospecting sometime this week.
 

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