Which detector fits this?

[JakePhelps]

I am looking to upgrade my land machine maybe as soon as next year, but i am in no hurry at all.?
I need one that meets the following:
It needs to be under 400 dollars used or new.
If it finds nails on disc or notch mode i dont want it.
I do want to find larger pieces of iron though, say teh size of a half dollar.
I wanted one with a thing that shows what the target could be, such as pulltab, nail, 5cent, 10cent, etc...
Really light weight.
One that has decent depth or maybe an adjustable depth.
It may be a water/land machine combo.
I will use it primarily for relic hunting but every now and then i hit the beach or a lawn with it.
Must be really easy to pinpoint with.
Will add anything else if i can think of it.?

I currently have a Bounty Hunter Tracker4.? If anyone could suggest a model that operates similar in terms or discrimination and stuff but has depth and target readout that would be a great help when i go to upgrade.? If you have used the tracker before you know its pretty easy to pinpoint with.? Maybe its the 8 inch coil?

 

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[JW]

If it finds nails on disc or notch mode i dont want it.
I do want to find larger pieces of iron though, say teh size of a half dollar.

Good luck!

 

[JakePhelps]

I know, but my tracker4 never ever finds nails unless its on all metal mode, why do other detectors find nails??

 

[JW]

I think if they are bent they begin to give off the same response as silver, sometimes a nail can mimic say a bracelet or if bent enough a ring...Some people look for nails, old square ones to date a potential site, so if you relic hunting a nail may be something you want to find, just not for a living.
I own an Explorer2 and its everything everyone says it is. I know it is expensive, but, wow, it can find everything and you begin to 'see' what is in the ground through the sounds you hear in the headphomes. No joke. I know other detectors are great as well with the tone id, I just don't know what they are off hand, (perhaps the Prizm4 or 5 which ever is higher), they nix out the nails from what I understand.
I tried another detector for a while, just wasn't getting the finds I was seeing Explorer users get, when someone let me listen to what a silver dime sounded like and then a nail I kenw that there was no other way to go than with the tone id systems. Buzz, buzz just doesn't cut it when your looking for specific things.

Hope this isn't too long...

JW

 

[Monty]

Jake, take a look at the new Garrett 1350 series detectors, or perhaps the older reliable 1500 detector if you can stretch that budget a little. The only complaint I have ever read on the 1350 is that it does not do well on wet salt water beaches. The 1500 does however have a salt elimination feature. Then, you do still have your Cobra for solving difficult salt water beach problems if all else fails. They both have all the bells and whistles you were wanting with a target ID feature that lets you know the size and depth of a target, and the probability of what the target might be. Both detectors are highly praised for their pinpointing ability. I am not saying they are the very best detectors out there, only that they most readily fit into what you have expressed as desirable on your part. Just take a peek and compare them to others. JIM

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

Jake,

what Jim said..........ERRRRR WHAT QUACKSLIVERS SAID.

have a good un.............
SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS

 

[gldhntr]

someone on this site has a garrett cx3 used for around 300 that should help you out.......otherwise i'd have to say explorer 2..........i haven't used the units jimmileo mentions but would be inclined to sway towards his experience with the units he mentions also .......gldhntr

 

[Bill(de)]

Hi Jake,

I had a GTP 1350 and some folks have just superb success with it and the GTI 1500 ?but wasn't for me. I purchased a used Whites IDX Pro and just had the Mr Bill mod done and it is by far one of the best ?lightweight detectors i've used. The IDX has a single tone , and has the target id ?just like you described as a preference.What i really like is the rapid target recovery reset which allows it to have fantastic separation between fairly close targets and is very sensitive to good small targets, small nails are very easy to pick out and the detector id's them as iron however the larger iron will hit solid and it's very easy to size objects in the ground by sweeping the coil slowly.The IDX will also target id in all metal mode and the Mr Bill mod allows you to control threshold volume and adds manual GB to the all metal side, he also tweeks the sensitivity in disc mode.Even without the Mr Bill mod the IDX is very very good and can be had for about $300 or less used and the mod cost about $80. ?There are so many coil options for the IDX as it uses the same coils available for the XLT which i also have and love it too. I have no brand loyalty and just want the best detector for the site i'm trying to hunt and besides the XLT and IDX i have a Sov.GT, and an Advantage which is another outstanding mid range detector, a Fisher 1236x2 that is collecting dust now along with an old Eagle Spectrum .Other detectors ?that i've used are the CZ5, HH Wader, and the GTP 1350 and even if i had those detectors back i'd still use the IDX about 80% of the time thats how good i think it is. This is just my opinion and everyone has their own personal prefences and experiences but it's my honest opinion. Good luck with whatever you decide to buy. HH Bill

 

[birdman]

Lots of good detectors in that price range,I have heard good things about the mid range minelabs. I have read they have better depth then some high end detectors . Never used one though . Fishers are real nice and lite and you can pick up good deals on used ones.Mine has really good pin pointing and nice depth also.

 

[Monty]

Jake, I agree with all these posts! There are just so many available. By the time you are ready to buy there may be something entirely new or some fantastic breakthrough available. In spite of any recommendation you just have to do your own comparison and make the choice based on what you think fits your wants and needs. KS

 

[jeff of pa]

I know, but my tracker4 never ever finds nails unless its on all metal mode, why do other detectors find nails??

SENSITIVITY

 

[Crutch]

You might look for a used XLT e series. Should be able to get one used for that price if you look around.
Would be a good machine for your application. I have also heard a lot of good things about the ACE 250.

 

[JakePhelps]

Thanks for all the info guys!!
Does anyone know whats the "best" relic hunting machine in that price range? I have heard of multiple levels of iron discrimination, whats that all about? Most of the areas i detect are full of square nails but no other trash.

 

[kermit]

Jake,
I have an ACE 250 and it has a relic mode. For the most part that turns off the small nails and if it don't just lower the sens and or maybe take the edge off with the discrimination . But you have to understand that if that nail is bent up or just a little larger then most it will ring thinking it's something else. The ACE also has a coin mode. But i still dig plenty of trash. If you take a small piece of metal or foil and twist it up or fold it. I would think that could cause about any detecter to have a false reading. I can make a 1 inch square piece of soda can ring as anything on the scale. It's just a matter of how you fold it and the angle it is placed in or on the ground. The ace is great for coins sometimes I find dimes at 6 to 8 inches deep. If the dime is laying flat on it's side I get a solid reading. Pinpoint and dig. But at that depth if that dime is standing on end or at a angle the tone is weaker and may rang from one side but not the other. Leaving me to believe that it's trash. As with foil and can slaw most of the time if you scan the target 3 times you get 3 differnt reading. That's my ace saying trash trash trash. I am looking to buy a top of the line detecter and have no ideal what to get. I think I will make a post in a few days DFX or Garretts GTI 2500. I think the key is to buy a good machine and take the time to learn how to use it. Hunt slow and dig everything starting out that is what will teach you what the machine is telling you the fastest.
I hope that helps

Kermit

 

[JW]

The XLT is rumored to do very well with relic hunters.

 

[Bill(de)]

Jake,

I think we would all be lying if we said what was the best in any pricerange but we can give an opinion and in my opinion on the non-metered side i would have to say the Minelab Advantage with awesome depth and discrimination qualities and perhaps the Tesoro Vaquero which i haven't used yet but see nice posts about it. I must say though for all around detecting whether it's coin shooting or relic hunting and the added benifit of target id and add the Mr Bill modifications, it's hard to beat a Whites IDX Pro for ease of use and with accessory coils it will hang with even higher cost detectors.One thing to notice Jake, there are many many Explorers and DFX's and CZ's for sale all the time because there is no best anything for everyone. HH Bill