The best machine made is...

cactusman said:
That's an impressive list of great machines.

I would say it's impossible to name one single best machine, as many metal detectors are like tools; some are very specialized... I wouldn't want to take my Fisher Gold Bug II and try to detect in the ocean surf!

So my vote for the best machine is the one that you know well and use often.
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BINGO!!!!
"The one you know best " , This is why my ATP is still in the box after 14 months.
 

smokeythecat said:
I need to add my new Tesoro to the list. But it's not here yet. Maybe tomorrow. Sucker goes very deep and almost as light weight as a Deus.
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What model did you get ? If you don't mind.
 

Tom_in_CA said:
cat-smokey, interesting thread. But there's other factors to take into account : The fact that XP Deus shows up a lot on the list, could simply be that a lot of hard-core relic guys have those, for awesome east coast site hunting. Thus, go figure, if you swing it enough over prime ground, and dig enough beeps, they'll of course eventually have chart-topper show & tells. But I'll bet that if you flooded those same fields with Ace 250's, a lot of those same targets would probably have been found. Because it might just be a function of "location location location".

When I attended the GNRS, I noticed very few Whites, Fishers, or Garrets. There was predominantly Minelabs (of various shades/stripes) and the XP Deus. And when/if you DID bump into someone swinging an MXT or Ace or whatever, they tended to be more in the beginner caliber. Most of the hardcore guys you'd talk to (who had scores of LCs and CW finds in their home collections) tended to be swinging the Minelabs and Deus.

Thus it could just be a question of demographics. If someone is more advanced/experienced, and if that caliber hunter tends to use only 1 of 4 or 5 different types of machines, then go figure: They'll show up on the banner list a lot. So it could just be a reflection of A) the user, and B) the sites. And not the machine itself so much.
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Word up Tom!

Also if I recall correct , a few years back the ATP was finding a-lot of Banners & great relics.
 

The ATP's are still doing great. I bought a Tesoro Vaquero. Sucker is deeper than you might want to dig something, not quite as deep as a PI machine but I have competed successfully against a few PI machines and done well. And they're built like tanks, hard to break. Though I'd get one while they were still available.
 

And now ladies and gentlemen, and mud covered diggers. An update.

#36 Fisher F75

#37 Whites MXT

#38 Teknetics T2 (cut Oak Tree shilling)

#39 Equinox 600

#40 Equinox

#41 Found on surface (discoidal)

#42 Not known But inquiring minds want to know!

#43 Garrett AT Pro

#44 Minelab 3030 or XP Deus

#45 XP Deus 71st badge

When folks do not specifically state which machine found the item but have several in their profile, I list the first one.
 

#46 $1 US gold Equinox 800

#47 eyesight find

#48 Equinox
 

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Stone soup stir the pot and the potatoes begin to boil the the carrotts roll in the pot then the meat jumps in the water as everyone sprinkles ther spice into the mix and all are steaming lol The machine that works best for you is the best machine.lol we are hunters no best gun or knife no best beer (st pauly girl) lol Endless debate
 

A2coins, I think that's what I said in my first post on this thread. It's all about having fun!
 

You said it well also my friend
 

Time for an update.

#49 Bannerstone (eye find)

#50 XP Deus

#51 Tesoro Cibola (gold chain)

#52 Garrett Ace 250 Washington Button (finders has two machines, not sure which one nailed it)

#53 Eye find (pipe)

#54 Eye find (gold thimble on top of ground)

#55 Eye find (vertebrae with point in it)

This is NOT a scientific study. Go have fun.
 

I found one banner find with my Ace250 and #52 with a Nox. The best machine imo would be a combo of both machines. Low cost, limited adjustments and simple operation of the Ace with the speed-separation, blue tooth and waterproof of the Nox. But as others have stated research, location and good old fashioned luck are more important than equipment and user skill, again imo. Really, the best machine is probably my computer and Google...
 

Pa-dirt_Nc-sand, yup, like I said. The stuff has to be there to begin with. Thanks for letting us know. NOT a scientific study. Just a fun chart. Look at all the eyeball finds!

#52 Equinox 800
 

The ABSOLUTELY BEST machine made is !! One the USER CAN COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND what it is TELLING THEM !!!
 

Or, Gare, flip that in reverse, and dig it all let God sort it out. When gold can come up at the same VDI # as a thick piece of aluminum, the VDI is useless. My Tesoro Cibola with no meter has STILL found my highest priced relic, a 1774 Gold Guinea from shipwreck. VDI's should be guides only. Doesn't matter what brand. You don't have to fully understand a machine or have hundreds of hours on it to get good stuff, you have to be over a good target and decide to dig it.

And face it, some locations are just better than others. Remember, in the pre Civil War days, folks didn't have a lot of coinage to begin with, there was a severe shortage. So it where you find it.
 

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What i mean is for someone to get a detector they can use and know what the machine is telling them. Some machines maybe to complicated for some people to use. I know My c=CTX's and Etracs are kind of complicated and i would hate for a beginner to try and understand all the settings. New people have to be ABLE KNOW how to use there machines. and NOT so much as to whats in the ground but how the machine opperates
 

Gare, I'm with you. I set my Deus on "idiot" mode, don't really mess with the settings and do very well. The Cibola doesn't really have any settings, and I do well with it also.

Some of my best finds could have (almost) been made with a pie pan on a stick and a 9 volt battery. Just kidding, but when a Civil War plate is 6" deep, even around beer cans, you just dig it all.
 

The best machine, is yours, learn it until it sings to you.....The first unit I had was a Garrett BFO, I had a heck of a time learning it, but when I had it mastered I did ok, not a deep seeker but it taught me to LISTEN...
 

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Alaskaseeker, I still know someone who uses an antique Nautilus machine! 1970's vintage or so.
 

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Thanks Treasure Hunter :)

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