Need input on fiirst detector

S

sugarbear9959

Tenderfoot
May 9, 2012
7
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Going to purchase my first detector this week. I am on a budget ad have been reading a lot on this site. My budget is $300. The only preference I have is I want a screen. I'm open to combo packages from dealers also. I will be looking for coins and relics mainly around home sites and farms.

Any and all input appreciated.

Mike.
 

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That doesn't leave a lot af room given that u need a pinpointer too. The cheap will find stuff but u need to not make big holes looking for the target. Home owners are a little touchy about that. Check kellyco, they have used ones too.
 

Hello and Welcome from White Plains, New York! Are you SURE you want a screen? You can get a Tesoro Compadre, Lesche hand digger, knee pads, a good finds bag, gloves and a pinpointer for around $350.00

sugarbear9959 said:
Going to purchase my first detector this week. I am on a budget ad have been reading a lot on this site. My budget is $300. The only preference I have is I want a screen. I'm open to combo packages from dealers also. I will be looking for coins and relics mainly around home sites and farms.

Any and all input appreciated.

Mike.
Click to expand...
 

i would highly suggest the ace 250 combo pack its an incredible starter detector
 

Terry Soloman is right. And I agree. You don't need a screen. It is the SOUND that you must learn! All else is a distant second.... just bells and whistles (nice.... but not needed). TTC
 

I was going to say Fisher F2, Harbor Freight pinpointer and a Lesche will still leave you gas and burger money.
 

The ace 250 has a pinpointer built into it
 

I have and still us a Whites coin master. Even though it's showing its age,it is still a good detector for my wife to start off with. I've used it since the late 70's and now my wife if getting interested in detecting with me. I'm looking at getting her the coin pro. For the money I don't think you can go wrong and its a great machine to see if relic hunting is a hobby you want to pursue. I think every house hold should have a metal detector. I'm glad I had one when my three year old daughter decided to hide all the lug nuts (She called them Easter Eggs) from my truck while I was rotating the tires.
 

sonofadigger said:
The ace 250 has a pinpointer built into it
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The Garrett Pro-Pointer is far superior to the pin-pointer function in the unit itself. Best $127.45 I've spent in a long time.
 

Skip the screen, you don't need it, I bet 90% of the people that are good using a detector with a screen started on a detector with no screen and learned to understand the detector and the sounds first, a screen is just going to lie to you since you want understand the tones and you will be relying on the screen and skipping good targets....

I would seriously consider a good Tesoro for that amount of money, I know it seems like a lot to you but that price will keep you on the beginner detectors range unless you buy used. You might check out our Classified Form and see what pops up...
 

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What part of the country in, what are the soil condions? That could help you in what detector to start with,when I move around sometimes I switch brands,just a thought
 

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I use detectors with screens now but one year I used a Tesoro Cibola and that year I found 11 rings. You dig more with a screenless machines but chances are you are going to find more tokens and jewelry.
 

Coinstriking Michigan said:
I use detectors with screens now but one year I used a Tesoro Cibola and that year I found 11 rings. You dig more with a screenless machines but chances are you are going to find more tokens and jewelry.
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Tesoro machines are awesome. The sound is easy to learn. Depend on it. It will find when more expensive machines will not. It is common to find junk and coins in the same hole, while the machine with all the bells and whistles nulls out.
 

I started with my bounty hunter quick draw 2. I like it compared to my friends ace 250 which I have tried a couple times. I would say they are about even just in differant ways. But looking back I wish I went with a Tesoro machine. I am drooling over getting a Vaquero and it will be my next.

Trust me the screen doesnt mean much. Atleast not on something $300 or less. The screen can spot coins pretty reliably but anything else is hit or miss. So when coins are the only reliable reading thats the only thing you can shoot for. If your shooting for coins then it stands to reason you're going to aim for anything above a zinc penny signal. At this point you're going to dig wahtever the machine tells you is above a zinc. So why do you really need a screen to tell you what it may be when you're going to dig it anyway.

If you're going for jewelry or anything else, you have to dig all signals besides maybe the lowest. At this point what does the screen help? Nothing cause you're digging everything anyway.

There are ways to tell what the Tesoro is picking up without a screen aswell. Just by using the discrimination knob.
 

MickeyMaguire said:
The Garrett Pro-Pointer is far superior to the pin-pointer function in the unit itself. Best $127.45 I've spent in a long time.
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no doubt there
 

New Direction said:
I started with my bounty hunter quick draw 2. I like it compared to my friends ace 250 which I have tried a couple times. I would say they are about even just in differant ways. But looking back I wish I went with a Tesoro machine. I am drooling over getting a Vaquero and it will be my next.

Trust me the screen doesnt mean much. Atleast not on something $300 or less. The screen can spot coins pretty reliably but anything else is hit or miss. So when coins are the only reliable reading thats the only thing you can shoot for. If your shooting for coins then it stands to reason you're going to aim for anything above a zinc penny signal. At this point you're going to dig wahtever the machine tells you is above a zinc. So why do you really need a screen to tell you what it may be when you're going to dig it anyway.

If you're going for jewelry or anything else, you have to dig all signals besides maybe the lowest. At this point what does the screen help? Nothing cause you're digging everything anyway.

There are ways to tell what the Tesoro is picking up without a screen aswell. Just by using the discrimination knob.
Click to expand...

New Direction is right. If it is not coins you are hunting, you will have to rely on the sound anyway. Starting out with a screenless machine is the only way to go. You will find that the sounds will become second nature shortly and before long, you will be able to tell what kind of item is in the ground just by the sound alone anyway. I promise that it is not hard to learn. I started out with a screenless machine and stayed that way. For a while, I wanted a machine with a screen. But soon found out that my buddies were missing a lot of the good stuff and I was going behind them digging it up just because their screen said it was something entirely different. Give me the beep and dig detector any day. A nice tesoro would do you nicely. I use the tesoro cibola. The choice is entirely up to you of course. Best wishes on whatever detector you decide and welcome to the hobby. :-)
 

Looks like I'm going with the ace 250. Thanks for all the input. I'm looking forward to sharing my adventures here.

Anybody else from Georgia?
 

Cant wait to see your finds good luck
 

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