Newbie from North Alabama. Got a couple questions.

[Bama_BigJohn]

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving to all. Love this place and hope to make some new friends. I'm looking into buying a metal detector and I've read about so many, I don't know which way to turn. North east Alabama is my hunting area, I'm a big guy, 6'6" so I'm wondering if they sell extensions and I'm wondering what the best model would be for the all around hunt..Coins, jewelry, etc...Thanks for any input. John

 

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[Nana40]

Hey John! Welcome to the forum! I have an MXT that I think is GREAT, but most everyone here will have their own idea of 'great. Probably depends on what you want to spend on one and what you are going to be hunting for.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours too!

Nana

 

[randall61]

welcome john ,nice to see a fellow southerner,go to kellyco.com and look around i'm sure you will find what your looking for ...good luck

 

[sendin]

I think budget is the next question to narrow the field. If you are looking for the "best", then that will also narrow the field and you should be looking at the major manufacturer's top of the line machines listed on this site, but remember you will be spending several hundred dollars more on these when compare to 'entry level' detectors

See:
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/board,208.0.html

It is a lot of reading, but that is part of the research that is needed in order to get your question(s) answered.
Otherwise, you'll get what we like to give - "I have a 'blank' and it is really great." There's nothing wrong with that answer, but for most new to the hobby - that's not going to satisfy.

The other thing, is how much of a challenge do you want with a new machine? Many here will advise that you should get the best machine you can afford and resign yourself to a longer learning period where you get to know your machine. I agree with this advise - but it doesn't apply to everyone. The good news is that if you can afford a top of the line detector, many will have pre-programmed modes that let you get started without having to have a thorough knowledge of the detector's capabilities.

Happy reading and best of luck!

 

[Farmercal]

Welcome John. The decision making process is a rough one. There are so many makes and models of detectors and they range anywhere from $200-$2000. The best advice I can give you is to look over reviews of detectors and see which ones strike your fancy. You have to also keep budget in mind...if you only have $200 to spend, then a DFX is out of your price range. I personally own an Excalibur to use in the ocean, an Explorer II which is heavy and is used with a swingy thingy (to save my shoulder), and I also have an Xterra 70 which is light as a feather and works very well. But all detectors for the most part do what they are designed to do. Hopefully someone from your area will chime in and tell you what they use.

Cal

 

[bill gent]

if you intend to do a wet beach MD hunt as well as dry soil then you need a dual frequency MD but expect to spend more like the 800 range. A general all purpose MD that is fine for beginners is about 200 like the ace250 dont make the mistake and buy a machine with features that you would never expect to use
to make an intelligent decision read read read decide how what and where you want to MD. Most all machines in automatic mode are fairly equal what sets one from the rest is all the extras that you may not use or can figure out. So ask around but like i said read read read draw your own conclusions is the best advice

 

[Postalrevnant]

Ahh I posted on your other post whether you were joining as a metal detector or not. I guess this answers the question. Ummm I am kinda shorter at 5' 8", but I know both of my detectors can really extend out a good amount.

Which detector is definately the question. You will get a lot of great information from many experienced peps here. Atleast I hope many of them get a chance to read your post and give you thier experience.

There are so many detectors and many good ones in many price range. My first was a Bounty Hunter.. My second a Fisher. My second one appears to be higher end to middle. It was probably higher end when it came out, but some of them Minelab explorers and the depths peps find stuff at is pretty awesome. However, a lot of peps say they are complicated and lose interest fast. You can find some fairly reasonable now on ebay starting at about 600ish or so for the Minelab Explorer 2 up to $900, I would not pay higher at the moment since I have seen many go in that range recently with peps buying the new Explorerer SE and selling their older Exp 2. Anyways, I don't know if getting that machine as a first machine is good for everyone. I would not suggest you buying a newer bounty hunter. I had some good finds with mine, but I am definately way happier with my other detector the Fisher CZ-6A.

Since there are so many good detectors and so many suggestions possible, I would suggest this first. Take a look in the section here for local states and clubs. See if one is near you. If one is near you perhaps you can get in touch with them and get a chance to go with them on a hunt and get to use a few different machines for a little bit of time.

I also found that there are a lot of Metal Detectors in some Pawn shops, where peps have for one reason or another had to pawn them and never get em out. The pawn shops here all said they had no problem with taking out a few detectors and showing them to me. I don't know if they would do that where you live or not, but might be worth a shot. I found that most all Pawn Shops Employee's here had Metal Detected at least a little bit, so they could probably know their way around enough to show you.

NOW I can't think of a Pawn Shop that will give you a good deal unless they are in real need of money or space. SO I do not suggest buying one from them, but would be nice to see someone getting to take advantage of their services for once in a positive way for you.

I am not saying Pawn shops don't help. Yes I needed money bad before and had to Pawn. I am glad they were there to help. I basically mean getting something good from them and for once its not an emergency or something.

Anyways please tell us the amount that you are thinking of paying and I am sure the members here will have some excellent suggestions for the price range you are talking about, and a great suggestion of where to buy them at.

Good luck. Once we know what you want to spend I am sure you will get steered in a good direction or many LoL. Will check back on this post, hope to see what you choose.

Postalrevnant

 

[willie d]

I'd check all the major companies' websites, from there you should be able to find a local dealer. That's what I did. The closest dealer ended up being a pawn shop. They carried Whites and Garrett detectors and some accessories. I went in with intentions of buying a Whites after seeing their commercial. I ended up buying a Garrett GTAx 400 and a pair of headphones brand new in the box for around $400. That was almost 7 years ago. One of the best purchases I've ever made. Good luck on your decision.

 

[alabama]

hey BBJ welcome to this great hobby. Just remember if you have never used an MD before and then you buy off the internet. You probably won't get that warm a reception at your closest/local dealer when you realize you need some help and stop in to ask them some questions about your detector. Sometimes the dollars you save are not worh the difference if you need the help. You can't go wrong with a name brand detector. White's, Tesoro, Minelab, Garrett. Just get our there and start learning your machine.
Good Luck
Tom