low budget detectors need not feel threatened!

[joncooper1986]

Just thought I would share this for those of you swinging one of the cheaper detectors on the market: even if you at times feel like others may have the upper hand that have more expensive machines, its still possible to have the best luck with a good ear, practice and luck. I went out yesterday with two friends to an old home site and swung for a couple hours. I had my XP Deues, my friend Matt had his AT Pro and Dave had his Ace 250. Well at the end of the day I had found nothing at all but the Ace 250 had found a 1908 company token and 3 wheat pennies, the AT had found 3 Wheaties and a 1875 Indian Head.

I'm not discouraged at all because I am still learning my machine but I al pleased to know that with practice and patience you can find cool things with something that doesn't cost a three weeks pay. Granted the AT pro is not a cheap machine, but at 1/3 of the price of the Deus it is still a great unit.

Just thought I would share for anyone feeling discouraged today thinking about what goodies they may be missing in the competition of others out there. Practice Practice Practice.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[Oddjob]

Dude, your MD is like a bicycle. You buy one based on what you need one for and what you want to do with it. When you get it you enjoy the sport just as much as he rest of us. Low Budget I would consider a matter of opinion though, when my son turned 12 we decided to let him hunt on his own staring then and got him what we would consider low budget, an AT Pro International and some Nel coils, over the past year he got some more coils as well. He saved up enough money from his find to purchase him self a 12K Velomobile (but he only paid 7K) so that he could expand his search range during his limited time after school. We hunt all over Europe and he has done amazing on his low budget machine.

The most important thing is he is having fun doing it; to him very few other things matter, just finding his next pay check and thats it. I personally can not wait to see how he does when he upgrades to something better; but who knows maybe that will be a few years because right now he is happy, he is making great money, having tons of fun and thinks his machine is as good as gold.

The Thrill of the Hunt.

 

[Sherpat]

I've been involved in a number of sports and hobbies over the years, and the story is always the same: technique trumps technology. Better equipment won't compensate for poor skill. Metal detecting seems to be yet another example of this.

Says the guy with the $160 Tesoro Compadre who is having way too much fun with it (and wearing a nice silver ring he found with it!).

 

[Loco-Digger]

A majority of my finds are 8" deep or less. My 1st detector (a Treasure Cove 1023) could get a quarter at that depth and lesser depth for the smaller coins. It was a fun detector to learn on. If the bug did not bite I wouldn't have much to lose. Two months later I knew I wanted a little more depth and bought a used F4. The stock DD gave me more depth and it also had a VDI and more options. I totally agree that most of the good stuff can be found by lesser expensive detectors. Many of the members who used the Ace 250 have been pretty successful when it comes to digging their share of keepers. Heck if I remember right there is a "Banner Find" which was detected by someone swinging a lower end Bounty Hunter.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Dude, your MD is like a bicycle. You buy one based on what you need one for and what you want to do with it. When you get it you enjoy the sport just as much as he rest of us. Low Budget I would consider a matter of opinion though, when my son turned 12 we decided to let him hunt on his own staring then and got him what we would consider low budget, an AT Pro International and some Nel coils, over the past year he got some more coils as well. He saved up enough money from his find to purchase him self a 12K Velomobile (but he only paid 7K) so that he could expand his search range during his limited time after school. We hunt all over Europe and he has done amazing on his low budget machine.

The most important thing is he is having fun doing it; to him very few other things matter, just finding his next pay check and thats it. I personally can not wait to see how he does when he upgrades to something better; but who knows maybe that will be a few years because right now he is happy, he is making great money, having tons of fun and thinks his machine is as good as gold.

The Thrill of the Hunt.

One man's low budget is the top of the line to others. I know that any detector you start with could be considered a starter detector, but a cheap skate like me considers the AT Pro to be a great mid-level detector.

 

[Chizzy]

I've been involved in a number of sports and hobbies over the years, and the story is always the same: technique trumps technology. Better equipment won't compensate for poor skill. Metal detecting seems to be yet another example of this.

Says the guy with the $160 Tesoro Compadre who is having way too much fun with it (and wearing a nice silver ring he found with it!).

My Compadre has been very good to me.........there hasn't been a lot of silver, but it has more than paid for itself in clad finds and it has given me hours upon hours of enjoyment................

 

[DiamondDan]

Yeah. My el-cheapo machine has treated me pretty well. It's a productive machine, but it has its faults, for sure. I'm trying to keep metal detecting as a self-funding hobby, (not that I have a lot of spare money lying around) but I'm gonna be ready to throw my detector out the window by the time I have dug enough goodies to fund a Vaquero.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Yeah. My el-cheapo machine has treated me pretty well. It's a productive machine, but it has its faults, for sure. I'm trying to keep metal detecting as a self-funding hobby, (not that I have a lot of spare money lying around) but I'm gonna be ready to throw my detector out the window by the time I have dug enough goodies to fund a Vaquero.

I cleaned out most schools and parks within 30 mile of my house in a 3 county area. The 1st year 2014, I only detected for 8 months and dug over $500. That 1st year I hunted every weekend and many nights a week. So far the hobby has paid for itself and then some. The El Cheapo paid for itself in 2 month.