Metal Detector advice $500 to $1500

Hi guys, I'm in North QLD, Cairns area and new to detecting. I saw a minelab 2300 in action once. Can't afford anything like that and was hoping to find something reasonable for beach detecting as priority, and 'slight possibility' of some gold inland for $1000-1200 level. Not sure if this is realistic at this price? One model I was considering is the Garrett AT pro or Garret AT international( not sure if these are different items?)
I am semi retired, looking more for being able to pay for the hobby and petrol than support myself. Finding enough bits and pieces at the beach eventually for the detector to pay for itself would be nice...

Am I in the ballpark for the price, performance and expectations?

For a machine that does relics/beach hunting
with a "Slight "possibility of gold getting,
And under $1200.00
Minelab XTerra 705 Gold Pack.
They are a well supported and respected machine.

Some times on special for well under $700.00
and the price is coming down due to a new machine being introduced.
Good Luck.
Doug

Tathradj said:

For a machine that does relics/beach hunting
with a "Slight "possibility of gold getting,
And under $1200.00
Minelab XTerra 705 Gold Pack.
They are a well supported and respected machine.

Some times on special for well under $700.00
and the price is coming down due to a new machine being introduced.
Good Luck.
Doug

Click to expand...

Don't forget that the Minelab Gold Monster 1000 is around that price range and "does" work on the beach with practise and also has the ability to find gold. Just takes a little bit to listen and understand what the detector is telling you. We will find gold with it next time I go to the Georgetown area. I just have to be positive about it. :Y:

Cheers

Doug

Garret ATPro great beach machine and waterproof works on wet/dry sand and in the water also good for relic hunting/park hunting will find gold but not tiny bits some good videos to watch google nugget noggin on YouTube he is a Yankee reiic hunter and uses the ATPro heaps good machine cheers Muk.

You could wait for the Equinox and save another $300 whilst you wait

Okay just googled the equinox, looks interesting.

In the meantime between the garret AT pro and the Minelab xterra 705 gold pack, for a newb concentrating on beaches wet/dry sand and water, is there a clear cut winner?

did you also check out the Gold Monster 1000 might be worth a look ] ] ]

secondhand at gold

Not knowing the equinox's actual capability's that is a hard call.
AT Gold is a very good machine.
XTerra, We all know it for it's versatility and gets the job done.

hiker43 said:

Okay just googled the equinox, looks interesting.

In the meantime between the garret AT pro and the Minelab xterra 705 gold pack, for a newb concentrating on beaches wet/dry sand and water, is there a clear cut winner?

Click to expand...

Despite some above comments, The AT Pro is NOT a good all-purpose beach detector, as it struggles with wet sand and even Garrett don't recommend it for salt water use, as highlighted in the below excerpts from the AT Pro User Manual. Their suggestion to turn the sensitivity down may spare the operator's aching ears, but only at the expense of effective detection depth. The AT Pro isn't going to be much use chasing small nuggets in mineralised goldfields either, even with reduced sensitivity, as it doesn't have a true 'all metal' mode like the AT Gold and the Xterra.

Pretty hard to find a detector that will do both prospecting and wet beach detecting with flawless performance, hence the why most usually go for different detectors for both types of detecting.

Sounds like you have your heart set more on beach detecting vs prospecting, if so, maybe look at a multi-frequency Minelab Safari, and then sell it when the Equinox is released, or purchase a separate gold detector down the track when budget allows.

Another option is something like a second hand pulse induction Whites TDi, that will give you both excellent beach ability as well as gold ability - just won't offer the same level of discriminating ability of the Safari. So many different ways to go, all depends on whether you want to buy from new etc.

Bottom line beach = multi-frequency or pulse induction, so much easier to use on wet sand than a VLF, plus a distinct depth advantage.
Prospecting = pulse induction (or VLF for the more experienced detectorist - more of a learning curve than PI)

I own a Gold monster so I am allowed to say this I would not purchase a Gold Monster until the Equinox has come out and a few non minelab reports have come out - especially to see if the prospecting mode is workable. It just seems far more versatile for not much more money. But the proof will be in the pudding.

As far as the others that you are looking I can't comment because I don't own them :Y:

My first detector was the 705 gold pack, great machine found plenty of coins and relics with it. I paid $990 for it in 2015 but now they can be found for around $750 I believe.

The 18khz oval gold coil that comes with it is a bit noisy in highly mineralized ground. I've been renting a SDC2300 lately and found my first gold in my second outing with it, amazing machine that is fairly easy to use, I'll be buying one soon. I highly recommend one if your wanting to look for gold

Very confusing lol.

Thanks though for replying folks.

With all the different frequency options that the Equinox will offer, it will cover a lot of different current VLF machines. Might be worth the wait.

Otherwise, maybe a second hand 705 until it comes out to save some money and get some practise.

Have used my Red Makro Racer on dry/wet ocean beaches around Australia with ease and success, have also used it on our Gold fields with success, last gold found with this detector was on a Gold field in WA. :rainbow:

hiker43 said:

Very confusing lol.

Thanks though for replying folks.

Click to expand...

i have a 705 for 2 years and it has paid for it self twice both on beaches and in parks so i cant fault it Also found a 7.08 gram nugget with it in the adelaide hills. So great detector

You could take a look at a nokta fors gold plus.
Its a 19 kHz machine priced at around $1,200.
I was looking at getting one before from central west prospecting out at Mudgee.
According to them and the reviews a good all around machine for the price range.
http://phasetechnical.com.au/product/nokta-fors-gold-plus-detector/

Some reviews on the forum as well just search Nokta fors gold plus.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=18839

A bit late to this topic. The Fors Gold+ doesn't have a COG/Salt mode so you will struggle on the wet sand with it.

Best machines that will:
1. Work on the wet sand
2. Very good for coins & relics
3. A proper all-metal mode that can handle a bit of mineralization

My picks would be:

1. Nokta Impact $1280
2. Makro Racer 2 $990 + 10x5" coil $1160 approx.
2B. Nokta Fors Relic $1175
3. X-Terra 705 (various options)

Fors Relic is an interested one. It is hotter than the Racer 2 and runs on 19 kHz, but lacks the iSat (stability) control in the all-metal mode. So in milder soils it will hit small gold better, but the Racer 2 will handle mineralisation better.

All the above except the Fors have November specials so a good time to get a good deal.

Cheers, Nenad

You might also want to consider a second hand Whites MXT Pro or All Pro, It has a proven track record and many of it's features have been included on many of the above mentioned brands.

J.