Should I buy this metal detector?

[The Caped Canaveral]

Hi all, I REALLY want to get into metal detecting on the beach, and I found this detector on Craigslist for $20. Should I buy it? (I'm super poor, so I can't afford an expensive one.) The guy says it's a Mikron (he called it a 'Microns' in the ad, lol), but doesn't say what model it is, so I'm trying to contact him to find out. Can anyone tell anything about it from the picture?

 

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[GA_Boy]

No what?

I believe the topic was "Should I buy this Metal Detector".
Marvin

 

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[Phantasman]

Well...I did it, I bit the bullet at $35! I am now the proud owner of a White's Coinmaster 2500! I can't wait to get out there and start beach combing!

I'm still unclear whether or not it can be dunked in the water? I read the entire manual and it doesn't mention water immersion, but it does mention rinsing it with tap water if it gets saltwater on it to protect it from corrosion.

It shouldn't be dunked underwater, though Whites says you can spray the unit off with fresh water if you hunt beach areas where salt spray gets onto the control box. I'd wipe it with a damp cloth, just to be sure. The older Coinmasters were heavier, and had an unforgiving angled handle that made long scanning times almost torturous. It will go deep even by todays standards for depth. It also has a simple ground balance system that may or may not help in wet salt sand. The salt setting on the discrimination is not the same as ground balance. It will just eliminate everything from salt and lower from conductivity detection.

For $35 dollars, it is a steal, and should find you enough over the year to buy a more state of the art detector.

http://www.whiteselectronics.com/me.../samples/c/m/cm_2500_d_instruction_manual.pdf

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Well...I did it, I bit the bullet at $35! I am now the proud owner of a White's Coinmaster 2500! I can't wait to get out there and start beach combing!

I'm still unclear whether or not it can be dunked in the water? I read the entire manual and it doesn't mention water immersion, but it does mention rinsing it with tap water if it gets saltwater on it to protect it from corrosion.

It is NOT waterproof ....

Just so you know, it is a single freq detector and it is all but useless on saltwater beaches below the dry sand line in the wet salt sand... It can be used above the wet salt line in the dry sand.........

 

[Garrett424]

I would not buy that machine. I actually had one of those Micronta machines and it's not going to do what you would like it to do. It will detect metal but not what you're looking to find. It'll find lots of big pieces of iron and other trash and it has almost no depth whatsoever. I gave mine away to a kid I know and he upgraded after about two weeks of disappointing hunts..

If you're really short on money, save a few more bucks, be patient and look for a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV or something similar. You can often find BH units really cheap. I bought one for 30 bucks off of CL and it paid for itself in no time. It's a capable beginner machine that is head and shoulders above the one you're looking at. They're not depth monsters but they will find tons of coins as well as jewelry.

Then if you find you really like the hobby you can sell a few of your treasures and get an upgrade. As far as the Micronta goes, I will honestly tell that even at 20 bucks you're paying way too much for that machine. It's not even at level to be considered a "toy" imo. Don't waste the money you have.

 

[Garrett424]

Well...I did it, I bit the bullet at $35! I am now the proud owner of a White's Coinmaster 2500! I can't wait to get out there and start beach combing!

I'm still unclear whether or not it can be dunked in the water? I read the entire manual and it doesn't mention water immersion, but it does mention rinsing it with tap water if it gets saltwater on it to protect it from corrosion.

I didn't read the entire thread before my first post and didn't realize you bought the White's. That was definitely a better choice. At 35 bucks you pretty much can't lose on that deal.

Now you need to get out there and start finding treasure. I've never used any older White's units but from what I've heard, they were great machines in their time. I'm just really glad you didn't get that Micronta. You've spared yourself from great aggravation and disappointment.

 

[The Caped Canaveral]

Haha, yeah that Micronta seemed like a raw deal. Thanks for all the help guys! I'm trying to play around with it and get to know it but...it detects the tile on the floor of my apartment? Is that possible? Or is there maybe a giant metal sheet underneath my entire floor? Doesn't matter how I set the discrimination, unless I set it ridiculously high. It doesn't do this anywhere else, just the ground in my apartment.

 

[Garrett424]

Haha, yeah that Micronta seemed like a raw deal. Thanks for all the help guys! I'm trying to play around with it and get to know it but...it detects the tile on the floor of my apartment? Is that possible? Or is there maybe a giant metal sheet underneath my entire floor? Doesn't matter how I set the discrimination, unless I set it ridiculously high. It doesn't do this anywhere else, just the ground in my apartment.

There are nails in your floor, your walls and pretty much everywhere indoors, not to mention wires, pipes, etc.

Take it outside. If you haven't read the manual yet you need to. I'm sure you can download it online easily. READ the manual and do whatever air tests it may tell you so you learn how the machine responds to different targets. Once you have a basic understanding you'll be digging targets in no time.

This is a great hobby and to be honest, extremely addicting once you start digging up some cool stuff. Good luck and if you have any questions, you've definitely come to the right place. There is a wealth of information on this site. When I started two years ago I knew NOTHING. What I've learned here would have taken a very long time by trial and error and everyone here has always been more than helpful answering my "dumb" questions; not to mention patient.

I hope you have some beginner's luck and hit something really cool on your first hunt. It happens. I dug a 10K band in the first hour of my first hunt (with my first "real" detector after ditching the Micronta) and I've been hooked ever since. Had I not dug that ring I would have still been hooked because this is such a cool hobby. The clad alone that I dug up would have paid off the 30 bucks I spent on my detector in no time.

I also found gold and silver jewelry as well as multiple silver coins with that 30 dollar machine. It wasn't the best detector in the world by a long shot but it was mine and it detected metal. That's all that's required to get started.

I also realized that there is literally treasure of some kind almost everywhere. When I say "treasure" it may just be modern clad coins or some kind of cool old relics but they all add up. You can also convert those modern coins to silver coins (or even gold if you find enough) by saving them up and spending them on collectible coins that you like (or whatever else). And once you dig up a nice piece of silver or gold jewelry you're gonna love it.

There's just something about freeing and old hidden object and bringing it back out into the light; especially when you find something that's been buried for a century or two. It's like it's been there waiting for you to come along and pick it up.

But you just need to get out and practice, practice practice and you'll find that you know what that machine is telling you in no time. And remember, the more you dig the "luckier" you'll get. If you're digging lots of trash (which you WILL because there's way more trash than treasure in the ground) don't sweat it for a minute. It's just part of the hobby and sometimes that "trash" is gold or some other treasure. Sooner or later there's always another surprise. Oh and remember, location is everything. Choose your sites wisely and you'll do well in the long run. You can start in your own back yard and go from there.

And again, I'm REALLY glad you didn't buy that Micronta. It could have soured you on the hobby before you even got started.

Good luck out there and HH...