Metal Detector advice $500 or under

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Tomlin

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Hi guys and girls,

My name's Tomlin and I'm from Southeast Queensland, I currently practice archery, bow making and bush craft as well as fishing and other DIY.

I was recently talking to my Pop about his detecting days and the stories he was telling were very interesting. He was explaining how every beep is a new experience as you have no idea what it is you're picking up on your detector and that it's a new mystery no matter what you find. He showed me some item's he had found, Mainly a few kooky rings, coins and some other stuff like badges and belts and i instantly wanted to start hunting. (He has found some nice rings and coins but sold them off to pay for the hobby, Which i think is great!)

I did ask my pop for advice on detectors but it's been years and years since he was into it and said he would be of no assistance as it's all so different now.

Would you guys be able to give me a hand? I've done a fair bit of research and I have asked around on youtube quite a bit too but answers there are rare.

From what I've gathered the starting models seem to be: ($250-$500 is my price range for my first purchase)
Minelab X-Terra 305
Garrett ACE 250 Metal Detector
Teknetics Delta 4000

Is there any advice you guys can give me for my first purchase? I've read that there are a lot of dodgy sellers around, especially online and that i should be careful who i buy from, So if you could tell me any trustworthy/reliable dealers that would be great!

Do i need a pin pointer too? If so any models you could recommend would be great!

(Sorry if they aren't called pin pointers, I'm talking about the little torch size thing i see treasure hunters poking around with)

Thanks for reading and i look forward to contributing to the forum.

Tomlin. :)
 
Hi Tomlin and welcome. My advice, for what it's worth, would be to look at either Minelab or Garrett. I've used the X-terra and it's great. I know others who use the Garrett and they're very happy as well. I can't comment about the teknetics. As for a Pin Pointer (You got it right) they are a must. They save you so much time getting your target out of the ground, which allows you a greater search time. Both Minelab and Garrett have their pin pointers and they're both great. There are some cheaper ones on the market but as they say 'you get what you pay for'. I hope this helps and others on the forum might be able to help you with info on the teknetics.
 
Cheers Scoopa, Appreciate it mate. I've had a quick look at the pointer you're using, the Garret Pro-Pointer, Im seeing them for about $150. What's your opinion on that pointer?
 
I've had the garrett pro-pointer since it was released and it's never let me down. Easy to use, long battery life what else can you ask for. (Sounds like an advert for them, sorry). As for the Minelab I can't judge it as I've never used one. I haven't heard any bad reports so that's gotta be good. If my pro-pointer gives up the ghost I'll check the minelab out and see if there's any advantages.
 
Watch out for cheap Minelabs on EBay. There are a lot of fakes getting around at the moment. There are several topics on this forum that will point you in the right direction. Main safeguard is to get the serial number and check with Minelab.

Welcome to one of the greatest hobbies around and enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

Regards

Richard
 
Can anyone tell me which detector is best for coin,relic,and bit of gold hunting.for around $300-$400(fisher,gerrett,minlab)thanks just want to start this hobby.cheers Lincoln
 
You would be best looking at second hand in that price range, not much available from new for the money. It's a hard ask to have an all-round detector to cover everything thsse days, best to have a detector to cover each application, say a higher frequency detector for gold, and a mid to low frequency detector for coins/relics. For a one unit that does it all, you would want a detector with a mid range frequency around 15kHz to be effective enough to pick up reasonably small gold. Also don't limit yourself to just buying from Australia, often you can pick up a good second hand detector from the states for less than what it would cost in Oz, even with shipping included (that's if the au dollar doesn't keep dropping).

Would you prefer a detector with digital readout showing target ID's, depth, discrimination etc, or a detector with simple dial or push button controls where you simply rely on the target sounds to pick out coins, gold etc? Some people love the digital type readouts, whilst others prefer the simplicity of the more old school detectors.

Most of the coin relic machines run too lower frequencies for gold, but may pick something up if large enough or very close to the surface, if not right on the surface. (Garrett Ace 150, 250, 350 (EuroAce)). Best bet for gold on some of these detectors would be the Ace 350/EuroAce with a small sniper coil, it also has an expanded iron range and runs a higher frequency than the 250, but still not too much higher to be considered as a competant gold detector. The double D coil will run quiter in mineralised ground, but without ground balancing, you are still limited to quieter ground.
If you can find a Garrett Scorpion Gold Stinger, they can cover all bases at 15kHz, have decent motion discrimination for coin relic hunting, TR mode for pinpointing, ground balancing, all metal mode for gold, and a decent range of coils available for them.

The Tesoro range of detectors generally run higher frequencies than most detectors, hence are a bit more flexible for finding various metal targets. The pick of the range would be the Vaquero, with ground balancing, 14.7kHz maximum frequency, excellent discrimination for coins/relics, and a good range of coils (mainly aftermarket). These sell for around $350 - 400 second hand in the US and sometimes here as well. Tesoro detectors also have lifetime warranties on all their machines, even after being transferred from owner to owner, but will probably require the detector to be sent back to the US for maintenance.

The Minelab range in this price bracket is quite limited, the x-terra 305 doesn't really do good on gold, nor the 505, and the 705 which is the most versatile machine, it's too expensive. A second hand Sovereign may do ok on mid to larger gold, but is really a coin relic machine, you don't really hear a hell of a lot about it being used for gold prospecting. Would be good though if a majority of your detecting is on coins/relics. Some older units go for around $400-450 in the US.
Best bet in the Minelab range would be an older X-Terra 70, but even these still go for decent money.

Another option if you are not too worried about discrimination on foil/ringpulls etc, you could buy an older FT16000, XT17000, 18000 (if you can find one), but will have to be prepared to dig all targets, but they do have basic iron discrimination built in. My missus uses the xt17000 on the beach for coins, and has no issues in 32kHz mode in the dry sand, 6.4kHz even better. Plus you will obviously have a decent gold machine as well.

Whites produce the MXT E-Series which looks to be a good all-round detector, with coin/relic/prospecting modes, auto ground tracking, digital display showing actual targets and a good range of factory coils. Some prospectors prefer this machine due to it's mid-range frequency over the ultra high frequencies of gold only detectors, gets better depth, and handles mineralisation better. You can often get these for around your price range from the US.

Fisher make some great gold detectors, but not many do it all machines, bar the F75 which would be way out of your price range. Same with Teknetics, most of them run very low frequencies, with thd higher ones out of your price range.

As you can see, you are really limited looking for a one machine does it all, especially new, and for your budget. Personally I would look at two second hand detectors, one specifically for gold, and another for everything else. Buying detectors is also a very personal choice, regarding control layout, detector weight, aftermarket support, parts and coil availability, target recovery speeds, discrimination, ability to notch out junk, pinpointing and so on. :)
 
Wow, that's a great in-depth breakdown that answers a lot of the questions that people looking to buy a detector, like me, are asking ourselves. It's what makes this site so good: unbiased advice.
 
thank you goldpick thats great.Thanks for ur time.The most i will look for are coins and relics.helped heaps
Goldpick said:
You would be best looking at second hand in that price range, not much available from new for the money. It's a hard ask to have an all-round detector to cover everything thsse days, best to have a detector to cover each application, say a higher frequency detector for gold, and a mid to low frequency detector for coins/relics. For a one unit that does it all, you would want a detector with a mid range frequency around 15kHz to be effective enough to pick up reasonably small gold. Also don't limit yourself to just buying from Australia, often you can pick up a good second hand detector from the states for less than what it would cost in Oz, even with shipping included (that's if the au dollar doesn't keep dropping).

Would you prefer a detector with digital readout showing target ID's, depth, discrimination etc, or a detector with simple dial or push button controls where you simply rely on the target sounds to pick out coins, gold etc? Some people love the digital type readouts, whilst others prefer the simplicity of the more old school detectors.

Most of the coin relic machines run too lower frequencies for gold, but may pick something up if large enough or very close to the surface, if not right on the surface. (Garrett Ace 150, 250, 350 (EuroAce)). Best bet for gold on some of these detectors would be the Ace 350/EuroAce with a small sniper coil, it also has an expanded iron range and runs a higher frequency than the 250, but still not too much higher to be considered as a competant gold detector. The double D coil will run quiter in mineralised ground, but without ground balancing, you are still limited to quieter ground.
If you can find a Garrett Scorpion Gold Stinger, they can cover all bases at 15kHz, have decent motion discrimination for coin relic hunting, TR mode for pinpointing, ground balancing, all metal mode for gold, and a decent range of coils available for them.

The Tesoro range of detectors generally run higher frequencies than most detectors, hence are a bit more flexible for finding various metal targets. The pick of the range would be the Vaquero, with ground balancing, 14.7kHz maximum frequency, excellent discrimination for coins/relics, and a good range of coils (mainly aftermarket). These sell for around $350 - 400 second hand in the US and sometimes here as well. Tesoro detectors also have lifetime warranties on all their machines, even after being transferred from owner to owner, but will probably require the detector to be sent back to the US for maintenance.

The Minelab range in this price bracket is quite limited, the x-terra 305 doesn't really do good on gold, nor the 505, and the 705 which is the most versatile machine, it's too expensive. A second hand Sovereign may do ok on mid to larger gold, but is really a coin relic machine, you don't really hear a hell of a lot about it being used for gold prospecting. Would be good though if a majority of your detecting is on coins/relics. Some older units go for around $400-450 in the US.
Best bet in the Minelab range would be an older X-Terra 70, but even these still go for decent money.

Another option if you are not too worried about discrimination on foil/ringpulls etc, you could buy an older FT16000, XT17000, 18000 (if you can find one), but will have to be prepared to dig all targets, but they do have basic iron discrimination built in. My missus uses the xt17000 on the beach for coins, and has no issues in 32kHz mode in the dry sand, 6.4kHz even better. Plus you will obviously have a decent gold machine as well.

Whites produce the MXT E-Series which looks to be a good all-round detector, with coin/relic/prospecting modes, auto ground tracking, digital display showing actual targets and a good range of factory coils. Some prospectors prefer this machine due to it's mid-range frequency over the ultra high frequencies of gold only detectors, gets better depth, and handles mineralisation better. You can often get these for around your price range from the US.

Fisher make some great gold detectors, but not many do it all machines, bar the F75 which would be way out of your price range. Same with Teknetics, most of them run very low frequencies, with thd higher ones out of your price range.

As you can see, you are really limited looking for a one machine does it all, especially new, and for your budget. Personally I would look at two second hand detectors, one specifically for gold, and another for everything else. Buying detectors is also a very personal choice, regarding control layout, detector weight, aftermarket support, parts and coil availability, target recovery speeds, discrimination, ability to notch out junk, pinpointing and so on. :)
Click to expand...
 
thank u mfdes too for the reply
mfdes said:
Wow, that's a great in-depth breakdown that answers a lot of the questions that people looking to buy a detector, like me, are asking ourselves. It's what makes this site so good: unbiased advice.
Click to expand...
 
Goldpick, that is a great info. I have XT 17000 and very little practice with it. I was wondering if it would work on the beach and it obviously does since your missus is using it.
I have not found any gold yet, just junk but I have not had a good go at it yet. Thank you for your helpful posts.
 
Yes, I like trying out all sorts of detectors, that's what I find fun and I'll try anything that tickles my fancy. Definitely not aligned with any certain brand, they all have their place in the market.

Looking at new for your budget and for coins/relics:
Garrett
Ace 150
Ace 250

Whites
Coinmaster

Tesoro
Compadre
Silver UMax

Fisher
F2

Teknetics
EurotekPro with double D coil
EurotekPro
Delta 4000
Alpha 2000
Eurotek

Minelab
X-terra 305, 505 if on discount

Bounty Hunter
Pretty much the whole range is affordable, except the Camo LS and Discovery 3300.
 
Beagleboy said:
Goldpick, that is a great info. I have XT 17000 and very little practice with it. I was wondering if it would work on the beach and it obviously does since your missus is using it.
I have not found any gold yet, just junk but I have not had a good go at it yet. Thank you for your helpful posts.
Click to expand...

It works fine on the dry sand, and could be made to work ok on the wet, just need to play around with the "Normal" & "Difficult" setting, and adjust the sensitivity to cut back on the chatter from the salt. Also play around with the ground balancing. The lower frequency would be better here. The missus always comes up with the odd coins, swivels, sinkers, usual junk, and the odd condom wrapper, she doesn't mind digging every target, keeps things interesting. Usually she doesn't try down near the wet sand due to interference from my Infinium. :)
 
mbasko said:
http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/201010645233?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1
Theres a Tesoro Lobo Supertraq on ebay at the moment $385 no bids. Marketed as a gold detector but has discriminator mode so could be used for coins. They run at 17.8khz so not as sensitive as a Goldbug or GMT but from all reports the Tesoros are good. Retail for about $980 here.
Click to expand...

I've been eyeing that off too, am half expecting it to go off at the last minute considering it is a supertrac, and not the older model Lobo without dicrimination. Would be a good pickup if around $4-500 mark.
 
Watching too to see final price. Can't afford it at the moment - savin the bickies for a GPX but have heard good things about the Tesoros. The supertraq would appear to be a fairly good allround unit to have. Seems basic to use but with some good functions?
 
Yes they do seem to be a good reliable machine, much more popular in the US than here. Don't think you could go wrong with any Tesoro detector considering warranty and ease of use. Never used a supertrac, but would love to try one out.
 
They are great automatic ground balance never had ground to hot for it yet but havent used it down the beach set discrimination on 4 and its a dream to use for coins and buttons and just flick switch between normal and discrim and you know what you have
 
Thanks again for the replays.i will bid on the tosoro.seen it a day ago and hope i can get it for under $450.
 

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