Whats the best MD for kids?

[Moonshiner1963]

What's the best MD for kids?

I want to buy metal detectors for my three boys (7 year old & 9 year old twins). What is a good detector to buy for their age? Of course I don't want to spend a whole lot of money - maybe $100 to 150 each.

 

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[rmptr]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

Tesoro Compadre gets my vote, it's a great detector for the price and a lifetime warranty.

I agree!

I would advise the Tesoro Compadre also.

Very easy to operate, excellent quality, very liteweight, and lifetime warranty!
Can't beat it.
rmptr

 

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[RPG]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

Tesoro Compadre gets my vote, it's a great detector for the price and a lifetime warranty.

I agree!

I would advise the Tesoro Compadre also.

Very easy to operate, excellent quality, very liteweight, and lifetime warranty!
Can't beat it.
rmptr

Compadre all the way. I bought one for my little girl and I use it all the time. Well...when she will let me.
Randy

 

[DKinPA]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

I have no personal experience with this detector but there's a very knowledgable detectorist on this forum who has spoke highly of it. It's called the gold century GC1023 and sells for $60.00.

Here's a link:
http://www.lg-outdoors.com/proddetail.asp?prod=GC1023

DK

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

Ace 250.

 

[rmptr]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

Yup.

I think that GC1023 might be the one EZ money had regards for...

I've owned, and used side by side, the Little Yeller Feller and the Tesoro Silver Sabre uMax.
The 250 just does not have the response and recovery the tesoro has.
Anyone, who tried them side by side could tell.

The Compadre has fine circuitry, and can be sold inexpensively in part because the coil is not interchangeable.
It really is a superior machine.

 

[bayoukid]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

The Tracker IV and Ace are good machines.

But the Tesoro Silver uMax has the best warrenty.

 

[LuckyLarry]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

Larry here. AKA "EasyMoney"

A 2.6 pound metal detector for a 200 pound man is ok but not for a kid aged 7 and 9 who weighs in at less than half that 200 pounds. Picture just how long you would last with a 6+ pound metal detector in your hand for an hour. Not long, I'd bet. If you weighed 50 pounds as a child the math comes to roughly 4X 2.6 pounds=10.4 pounds! What person in their right mind wants to carry a 10.4 pound metal detector for very long, so-so TID meter or not? And yes the F-2 is better balanced for kids but it's still a heavy piece of equipment for them.

There is a close clone to the Tesoro Compadre with a 5.6 Khz (Compadre is about 10 Khz) search frequency that weighs in at only 1.5 pounds. It's called an "Explorer", not to be confused with the Minelab one. Air depth is 7" on a clad penny or dime, or nickel and 8" on a clad quarter.

I got one for my 36 year old daughter and one for myself, which I use very often, in fact almost as much as my cz-70, the best all-around coin hunter ever made. Her children are age 4 1/2 (a very tiny little girl less than 40 pounds for sure) and her son is age 11. They both use it too. I bought my other (40 yr old) daughter an Ace 250 which sits in her closet being used as a door stop. She wants one of the Chinese ones. It gets the same (air depth) as the Compadre and Ace AND F-2 and in the ground it only gets 1/2" less depth. It LOVES old copper coins and silver jewelry and has at times outhunted both of the other detectors I mentioned above, including some of my 30 other metal detectors. The reason? Because it is less sensitive to ground and other noise (interference) ie: radar, 60 cycles, high-band, etc).

It retails for about $70 (or less) at Amazon.com and will out hunt any cheap Bounty Hunter under $199. I have a BH that cost $299 new that I bought used for $30 which works just like it should.. but I prefer the Chinese cheapie because it is more productive and doesn't like iron and nails as much as the BH does.

Kids tire of metal detectors more because of the weight than anything else. Next in line it's not fun finding nothing, and discrimination really limits total numbers of things found. A few buried pennies every now and that makes life fun for them. TID's are even more boring to kids because they spend nearly all of their time looking at them expecting some miracle to happen, which it seldom ever does.

Gold Century makes one and so does another brand (same company) too and "Michigan Badger" on here knows the name of the other one. The same Chinese company makes both of them. Do not think the more expensive one from that company is better - because it is not. I own one of them too, plus a Compadre and a whole truckload of others that I either bought, or made myself. I would chose the Compadre over either the Ace [OR] the F-2 for kids. For adults though the Silver uMax is the best detector made for the price anywhere.

Good luck.

Hope this old TH'er, detector repairman and EE has helped.

Larry

 

[rmptr]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

Thanks Larry!

 

[John (Ma)]

Re: What's the best MD for kids?

Tesoro Compadre! Price is right and are great, light detectors wether young or old.