Looking to buy a decent detector for between $500 & $700

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Hi all am looking to find a detector that someone is upgrading from, no longer uses, has given it away or any other reason (apart from stolen goods - thieves should be Fu!@3n crucified, had many $$ worth of dewalt cordless tools pinched recently)
So if you've got a bargain that I just can't refuse please let me know either here or via PM (I will be posting serial number on the forum before any potential purchase). Cheers guys n gals.
P.s (read this in the voice of a 1940's movie news reel) aren't you tired of dragging that heavy old model around? Imagine a new light and BRAND NEW one. There's much more gold out there to be found with the latest and greates in technology and you'd be helping a digger get digging. Come on folks it's a win win all round ???? ADded humor
 
I'd say $500 might get you a pizza tray on the end of a broomstick, $700 will get you one of these

1612079258_cheapdetector.jpg


But seriously, why not scratch up another grand or so and buy a QED? If I had have known they existed before I bought the 5000 I would have happily bought one. If you're looking for gold that is, otherwise you'll end up buying somebody else's dud detector or something that has been screwed around with internally.
 
2nd hand you might get lucky on a monster or some of the older minelabs sd2200s just are sure you can test it 5 or a 10 cent coin at 300mm on top of the ground sorta test. Your probably going to end up with a old VLF machine at that money but that's miles In front of a new 500 buck no name broom stick.

Someone on here will have something gathering dust out in the shed , don't be afraid to ask our opinion once you find one.
 
SD2200D $800 Negotiable
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/wes...-mine-lab-sd2200-with-discrination/1266948151
Great old detector (if in working order).

Edit: It's not as far fetched a request as some may think.
Seen plenty of SD series detectors sell for under $1000 as per the SD2200 above.
Also seen unmodified F1A4 detectors go cheap.
On Gumtree there's also a Whites GMT (VLF) asking $680 & a GM1000 (VLF) asking $750.
The GMT is a decent but older option for gold in milder ground too.
There have been used QED PL1 (Pulse Induction) detectors sell for well under $1000 to.
 
Definitely bargains out there. Dont be discouraged by any naysayers mate, if you have a prospecting dream you're pretty close to the entry level price for a second hand gold detector.

I will say buy the best you can afford, and the higher the budget the better your options.

$650 will get you a GM if your patient.

Keep an eye on Gumtree, and Facebook market place.

Good Luck.

Edit, just to add to what Mbasko wrote I picked up a Whites PI (TDI) , 2 coils and a goldrat 6 inch highbanker with dream mat for $850 two weeks ago for a mate. Seller also had his SPP for $400.
 
Yep, bide your time. But make sure it is not a fake. Very important.

Garage sales, local supermarket boards. Plenty of detectors in sheds where the owner is no longer around and family/friends are just getting rid of stuff quickly and don't know the real value of things.

Always makes me think of the meme "I hope my wife never sells my fishing rods for the price I told her I paid for them!!"

Cheers, N.E.
 
Makro Gold Racers are probably the cheapest dedicated gold machine on the market these days. $875 brand new. Dynamite on small gold in milder ground, and can be used for coins/relics as well.

But if $700 is your upper limit, you can take your pick of many used VLF's. Getting a good used PI machine for that price may be a little trickier.

Mbasko has given you some great suggestions.
 
Thanks to all the positive feedback guys, I did a bit of a gumtree search and did see detectors between $100 and $2000 so thought that there might be exactly what mentioned above that someone might have something that's "decent" but not a super fancy wizbang gold magnet kicking about in the shed.
Janos when's the last time you read the forum rules? Cause putting me on show like that is breaking the rules you're supposed to be moderating. You actually made me feel crap with your comments. There's no such thing as a stupid question only stupid statements and replies. This is coming from a person who has been instructing kind outdoors for years learning to rock climb. You're lucky that you're talking about a grown man and not a 15 yo kid getting into the hobby.
 
Got your PM UEGeo, thanks heaps, another kind member on the forum has offered a crash course info session at his place with a bunch of his machines to explain the differences between them and what you get for each type of style machine and edumecate me a little as to what detector would best be suited to what I'd like to focus on with my detecting.
I've described say half pea size gold down to 2-3ft perhaps but I'm not sure how un/realistic that is but it's the larger gold I'd want to detect as I'm going to focus on running highbanker most of the time but would love to go for a walk around with a detector and also check my tailings. I'll know more after my education session and questions that I'll be stupidly asking in the meantime of this particularly nice member who's offered to show me some spots, take me out and even show me some maps to get me going. Cheers bloke!
and thanks UnempGeo! I'll get back to you asap with a yay or nay.
 
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