OK ... OK ... You All Have Me Interested!

[luckyinkentucky]

I've been following you 'metal heads' around for awhile, and even though my true calling is hunting for Indian Artifacts I would like to try my hand at metal detecting. I will still hunt indian artifacts 90% of my free time, but want the option to metal detect a few old home sites I have come across on some of the properties I hunt.

With that being said .....

What is the best, in your opinion, low dollar metal detector for the money? When I say 'Low End' I mean anything $500 or less with the emphasis on the 'Less'. I'm totally ignorant to any technical jargon that anyone might throw at me concerning metal detectors, so take it easy on the technical terms.

Thanks in advance.

 

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[Baggins]

I would tell you to just do some research on some brands, check Ebay, buy what you can afford, and learn the machine...My first machine was a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV I bought on Ebay for $40 and it was great! I used it so much that it finally broke....once I get it fixed, it will be my back up machine...
My two cents.
Baggins

 

[RON (PA)]

Lucky,

Stay with the major brands like Fisher, Garrett, Whites, Tesoro, Minelab. They are in no particular order. They all have nice entry level detectors for your price range.

 

[EasyMoney]

The Fisher F-2, F-4, and F-5 do EXTREMELY well in searching in between high iron targets for semi-precious and precious metals. So do Tesoro Compadres, Silver uMaxes, and Golden uMaxes, etc. The Fisher 1236x-2 is SUPERIOR for searching old farmsteads and homesteads, and have very good depth in these situations and in some very bad soil too. They also have an excellent small iron masking mode. The above detectors are the best overall in this regard. All should cost less than $500 too.

White's low end detectors aren't as superior as the above, and neither are the Garretts, although the White's do get fairly good depth for a cheap unit.. Cheaper Bounty Hunters are not good either, but the high priced ones aren't really too bad.

The cheap White's tend to love small linear iron such as fine wire and small nails more than most other detectors, and can give you fits at times with all the noises. The cheaper Garretts Aces from 100 to 550's have a following but are not the best for finding good targets in-between the bad ones. Additionally, they have some real serious troubles with bad ground and hot rocks if you encounter it or them, and some people gripe about pinpointing problems too.

Many people are sorely disenchanted with Minelab x-terra 50's and the jury is still out on the new Detector Pro's.

Always try before you buy, and almost never take another detectorists word for anything, because mostly they only have their own personal opinions, and little more.

For me, hunting in your area I would chose the Fisher 1236x-2 or a Tesoro Silver UMax. The 1236x-2 would do the best of all the above on meteorites though - because of it's really LOW search frequency plus other qualities inherent in it's circuitry, hands down!

You might like something entirely different though. We all have our own preferences.

Good luck.

EasyMoney

 

[Jeffro]

A lot of people here prefer the Garrett Ace 250 for a good entry level detector. As Easy Money said, all the major manufacturers have entry level detectors for that price or less. Stick with the majors and you won't go wrong.

Garrett, White's, Fishers, Tesoro, etc. all have good warranties and good customer service after the sale. Whites is actually excellent for customer service from what I've heard.

 

[EZrider]

Im going with what EZmoney said. Hard to beet the fishers.

 

[stanjam]

I have an ACE 250 and like it. However I am new and can't offer you a lot of comparisons. What I can say about it is: Loves foil. Really likes iron, to the point where it may hide some good targets (again,don't know, because I haven't been able to compare). Also if you find someone who says it will not pinpoint then they either have a bad machine, or more likely they haven't taken the time to learn their machines. It isn't easy, but it can be done, and consistently.

I hear real good things about the F2, but haven't tried one. Since you are just using it some of the time, and aren't getting seriously into the hobby, I would pick one that has an easy learning curve. Read the reviews. Oh, and take time to learn the detector! That means spending at least ten serious hours with the thing learning how to use it! They all have some form of learning curve, so spend the time! You will find more of the good stuff that way!

 

[warsawdaddy]

DeLeon - Silver umax - F2 - Time Ranger.

 

[TreasurdiggrNY]

I just got the F2 and it's great. 199.00 gets a great machine with 5yr. warranty. It comes with the standard 8" coil and an additional 4" coil with lower shaft, pinpoints your target very easily. There are several other larger coils you can buy for it too. Light machine you can swing all day, just turn it on and go. I've found 2 rings, one 14K and one older 18K plated in 3 trips out and have about ten hours on it. Good Luck!
Glenn

 

[Rifleman]

I agree with the above posts. The only thing that I want to bring up to you is that you seem to be a dedicated hunter of artifacts. That shows you spend a lot of time in the field. Sometimes it's false economy to buy a lower priced detector. The reason I say that is once you start detecting, you usually get hooked on it. The results and limitations of a lower priced machine become evident pretty quickly and you end up buying a better machine. Instead of paying $300 0r $400. for a lower priced detector, you might just hold off a little and save your pennies for a better machine. I started of with an Ace 250. I soon got tired of no threshold tone, just beeps and the limitations of the Ace. I then bought a Minelab X-Terra 70. I have not looked back. The difference between the two machines is like night and day. I wish I had just sprung for the better detector to start with. Just some food for thought. Whatever you buy, welcome to the world of metal detecting, you will enjoy what it adds to your artifact collecting hobby. We would love to see some of the Indian artifacts that you have found, Have any pictures that you can post?

Good hunting, John K

 

[luckyinkentucky]

........ We would love to see some of the Indian artifacts that you have found, Have any pictures that you can post?

Good hunting, John K

Here are a few of my recent finds.

I sent the broken dovetail to be restored. It was a big heartbreaker. My best find was probably either finding that cache of 5 blades or the small celt.

 

[Rifleman]

Very nice arrow heads. I think that you will find that a quality metal detector will greatly add to your experiences and finds in the field. Let us know what you decide.

Good hunting, John K

 

[luckyinkentucky]

It will be awhile before I can get a detector. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a good deal. The money I 'thought' I had saved up for a detector is going to another worthy cause as of today. Oh well ... I guess I'll have to keep hunting for the 'free' stuff like arrowheads for a little while longer.

At any rate .... thanks everyone for the input and great suggestions. There are a lot of knowledgeable and informative people here.

 

[rmptr]

Lucky,

A brand-spankin-new Tesoro Compadre with lifetime warranty is only $150 and would get you started.

It would go quite well with your artifact hunting.

Very nice looking arrowheads!

HH
rmptr

 

[BuckleBoy]

for the best detector for the money you should get this one

 

[EZrider]

BB In the photo bottom right there is a machine i had as a kid, solid coil, halfmoon D handle. Han you tell me about it?

 

[Jeffro]

BB In the photo bottom right there is a machine i had as a kid, solid coil, halfmoon D handle. Han you tell me about it?

Looks like it may be an old White's coinmaster. Dark blue looking box, about 4th box in from the right?

 

[EasyMoney]

BuckleBoy, I always wondered what happened to that one detector I sold someone about 300 years ago. Now I know.

RMPTR, you and I agree. The Tesoro Compadre WOULD work just fine for him. The Silver uMax is only about another 75 bucks though, and can use other coils if he ever wants to diversify.

The Compadre is hard-wired. A little bit of electronics work would allow greater potential for it, but for the extra $75 it's already a done deal and has just a tad bit more depth. As for me, I have a lot of faith in the Tesoros for squeezing right in between that iron crap, and just about as well anything else on the market too. But if I were REALLY interested in relics I know for a fact that the 1236x-2 is a powerhouse in his type of soil, even deeper than the Silver uMax or Compadre would be. It's also a silver/copper magnet due to it's 5.6 Khz operation.

Hey, BTW, when someone like me has waaay toooo many detectors, we tend to get a bit wierd about the hobby after while. I have so many detectors (some strange ones too) that I decided to take a chance on a little Chinese junk for only $49 new. No visual discrimination meter, but does have sensitivity and volume and a discrimination pot to adjust. The signal meter looks like a toy, but hey, what the hey, who knows? After it gets here I'll be looking around for a mine detector, then a pipe locator, just for the fun of it. I already have a PI with the "click" headphones. It sounds like a geiger counter.

I'll stop by here and post my findings in about a week on the asian detector, maybe less. It's in transit now via snail mail.

Oh and in case any of you who are electronically inclined, I have a Compass RM7 that I paid $25 for and re-engineered the threshold tone and Ground balance pot to accept even STONEYS, meteors FAR below the iron conductance realm or range. It is so far below the regular parameters that I can actually lay a piece of 6" X 6" X 1" iron plate on the ground, ground balance to it, and then put a nickel top dead center and it will give a signal. Pull the nickel away from it - and it returns to null (low hum, auto retune) threshold again. This is something that is never heard of in modern detectors, but I discovered how to do it through s series of at home tests using basic Ohm's Law involving RC circuitry and a new pot and side mounted add-on resistor and capacitor of different value.

EasyMoney

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Well ... The Boss Lady gave me the big 'o.k.' to go ahead and purchase a cheaper unit. I bought the Fisher F2 tonight, and it will be here sometime next week. I kind of feel bad about spending the money right now since I just bought a new house, but I put it to her this way ..... "Either we could pay $350 for a survey of the property, or I can get a metal detector and find the pins myself. " Since I put it that way .... I won the battle!

I'm sure I'll be posting some finds before too long. I plan on swinging it while walking some old homestead / indian artifact sites, so the rewards should be two fold. Wish me luck! I'm sure I'll have some questions before too long.

 

[katzgalore]

Low end? $500 is more MID-range. You can get a nice detector for that.
Depends on where you live meaning what kind of soil your hunting in.
Many people love the Ace 250 for $212 because it "brings home the treasure"
and preforms as well as many mid-range dedectors with all the fancy
electronics.

If you can afford $500 then look at the Ace 250 ($212) or the WHites Prizm IV or PrizmV.
But for a few dollars more you could go for the M6.

Regards
Ally Katz