Metal Detector advice $500 to $1500

705 is a great detector for the dollars just love mine

DetectingSA said:

What's your price range? The Garrett AT pro international is around $1100 and fully waterproof upto 10ft and apparently is very good on wet sand and salt water.

Click to expand...

I think you have been mislead - the AT Pro is NOT very good on wet sand or in salt water, which Garrett themselves make quite clear in the AT Pro user manual. See my linked post for more details:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=365702#p365702

grubstake said:

DetectingSA said:

What's your price range? The Garrett AT pro international is around $1100 and fully waterproof upto 10ft and apparently is very good on wet sand and salt water.

Click to expand...

I think you have been mislead - the AT Pro is NOT very good on wet sand or in salt water, which Garrett themselves make quite clear in the AT Pro user manual. See my linked post for more details:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=365702#p365702

Click to expand...

Oh my mistake, thanks for the info, I don't want to mislead anyone.

roy cobb said:

705 is a great detector for the dollars just love mine

Click to expand...

Thanks Roy, this one is appearing to be quite the popular one!

If you want to do wet and dry sand and want something relatively easy to use, the Minelab Safari is hard to beat.

PhaseTech said:

If you want to do wet and dry sand and want something relatively easy to use, the Minelab Safari is hard to beat.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that!

The 705 is a more capable detector than any of the Ace series, simply down to the fact that the 705 has the ability to ground balance whereas the Ace 400i cannot. That essentially means that the 705 will operate more efficiently over more diverse ground conditions, whilst maintaining optimum depth capability. The Ace has a preset ground balance, and will as a result will struggle in some areas.

Probably better off categorising the Ace series as beginner detectors, the 705 being able to run different frequency coils, having adjustable ground balance, more tone and discrimination options, screen backlighting etc makes it a more advanced option.

Having said that, if beach detecting was your primary objective, I'd have to agree with Phasetech on the use of a multi-frequency detector over the other two options (ie. Minelab Equinox, Safari, Etrac).

PI detectors like the CS4PI are great for operating on wet sand, but ultimately the lack the discrimination of the multi-frequency detectors (ie. You will be digging many junk targets with the CS4PI).

Just have to weigh up which machine offers the most performance benefits for your budget.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to write that Goldpick, I'm going to check some out tomorrow, will keep that info in mind.

Picked up the 705 in the end, needed it this week thanks for all your replies

You wont go wrong with that :Y:

Cant go wrong with the 705 have fun and enjoy it

roy cobb said:

Cant go wrong with the 705 have fun and enjoy it

Click to expand...

Thanks, I will when I pinch, I mean borrow it off the person who just got it lol

The 705 is a beast on the beach and a monster on the turf...It's a good machine and will pay for itself many times over...

Hi guys new to the forum and relatively new to detecting and fossicking. I purchased a cheap eBay detector and have been out with it a few times around the golden triangle but have come up empty handed and have realised I have to buy a decent brand detector. Can anyone recommend any good models to find the yellow stuff around the 1k mark and if possible on your opinion in the detector. Thanks for your time and hope to speak to more of you as time goes by.
Regards,
Neil.

Minelab Gold Monster 1000 or an Equinox.

The rest are above the $3K mark.

Good luck.

Makro Gold Racer, less than $900
White's GMT $1399
Fisher Gold Bug Pro $1189
Nokta FORS Gold+ less than $1200
Garrett AT Gold $1249

We have all these detectors in stock and on display at our store in Maldon.

There are many good detectors below $3,000, and there are a few over that price. Some are just overpriced.

Thanks guys really helpful info. Yea I've noticed a lot of detectors people are using today are quite pricey but the finds seem to be good! Hopefully I'll end up upgrading in a couple years to a gpz or something along those lines.

nox 600
and pinpointer for 1k

Maybe go second hand some good machines out there. Just buy as good as you can .Do research lots of info on this forum. Look for extras coils picks and so forth.