Metal Detectors (again).

My wife really wants me to invest in a metal detector. I figure I would go straight to you pro's and ask a question that has probably been asked a hundred times. What I am looking for is one that is a real "no brainer" to use. I saw a TV ad for White brand detectors that actually tell you what is under the ground, is that possible? Are the White detectors the best? They sure looked impressive. I figure that way I could see what I have, then give her the spade (since it was her idea) and let them do all the hard work!

 

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White is what my dad has and its pretty good...it can tell somewhat what it under it but sometimes a bottle cap shows up as a $1 coin....It is about as good as me telling you what is under the ground with out looking!!!
I haven't found any coins (I haven't been out too many times either) but did find a old ax head and some things like that.

Speedy

 

this place seems to have some good info:
www.gometaldetecting.com

I just got a garrett ace 250...

 

Can't go wrong with a White's. I have one and love it. It lets you know what is in the ground based on size and what metal it is. That doesn't usually help though and I don't really pay attention to it. - James

 

Have used White's and Garrett and, at this time, I think Garrett has the upper advantage. It will tell you what you have found and how deep it is? I myself would love to have one if I could find the time to use it but until that time comes I just borrow from two of my friends (not very often) who have high end detectors and not enough time to use them. Seems we all have the same problem---all work or making ends meet---not enough time for fun! Hope you find one you like but still would highly recommend you check into Garrett before buying anything. Good luck from another darn Hoosier!

 

Be wary of the detector's ability to identify what is in the ground. The longer a coin or any other metal is in the ground makes the detector think it is larger tha it really is. (has to do something with mineral absorbtion in the soil). But to answer your questions, Whites makes a great dectector.

 

Thanks for the input. I just can't decide if I want to spend $700+ for my first detector. I know the old saying, "buy good, buy once" but I still feel that might be overdoing it a bit since it will be a once-in-a-while hobby. Are there units that are also considered VERY good but maybe in the $300-$400 range that are more than adequate that you would recommend?

 

I had a cheap detector when I was a kid. When I decided to get back into it I bought a $90 Wally world detector. After a year I Purchased a $250 Garrett and again a year or so later moved up to a $450 Tesoro. I use the Garrett in some places and the Tesoro in others. Also my wife and son join me on occasions. Each one has paid for itself. As for Target ID, you have to learn your machine and what its telling you. They give you a "best guess" on what is in the ground based on the signal it recieves. Moisture, mineralization and many other factors will effect the accuracy.

 

ACUALLY, IT'S JUST THE OPPOSITE! The longer in ground the more accurate.

PS. I have a White XLT, I would buy it again. The key isn't the picture icons on the display, it's the sound. U will learn to not even look at display. Get A White!

 

Detectors....

..Silverdollar Man is right. Its all in the sound. The commerical lies. You really never know until ya dig. BUT it can give you a very accurate idea of what your diggin and the more you use a detector and learn what it is telling you, you can 8 out of 10 times tell what a coin sounds like.
Any top of the line model you won't go wrong with. Whites have great detectors. I used a whites QXT for my first detector. Found a lot of great old coins with it. It wasn't good on Indian heads though. Gave a broke signal on them. For the last 4 years I have been using a Minelab Explorer. A great detector. I have found over 300 Indian heads with it over those 4 years. Not to mention all the other cool coins.
My suggestion is to buy a mid range detector, $4oo range. Get to know how to use it and then if you still love detecting buy up to a top of the line model. I would lean towards a Whites. Make sure it has a depth meter. Tells you how deep the coin is.
A hand held pinpointer is a must as well. They also are made where you can connect the pinpointer right onto your detector. The pinpointer helps you find the coin in the hole or in your dirt pile miuch quicker. Its like a mini-detector but only detects metal to a couple inches.
MOST OF ALL. Remember this.........Location, Location, Location. Just like in real estate the key to successful detecting is all in the location you go to detect. When I first started out I got so frustrated and thought people were lying about all the old coins they were finding and posting on the Metal detecting forum I went to. I then got a e-mail from someone telling me to get outta the parks and go to old home sites. I soon found my first old coin which was a 1935 mercury dime. I was hooked right there.
Don't get me wrong parks still hold old coins and I still go to them when I don't have a home site or old church lot or old one room school house site to go to. But old home sites are much funner. You can almost always find at least one old coin at them and a lot of times much more than one. Example, in 2003 at one cool old home site after 4 return visits I nabbed 18 Indian head pennies outta that one yard. Thats my record for one site on Indian head pennies.
Enough rambling. As you can tell I love this hobby. Its a blast to find old stuff in the dirt that has been laying there for over 100 years until we come along and dig it up an wonder who may have held this coin last. Fun stuff. All the odd ball finds are a blast as well, Watch fobs, civil war tokens, tokens, rings, pins, you name it. ITS A BLAST !!!!

 

How about the White QXT-Pro? Jimmiejam, is the same one you had or an updated version? They compare it to their XLT unit. Looks like a good detector and priced around $650 so it must work!

 

i saw a Garret at Home Depot for about $360, any 1 know which 1 is was, it didnt give a model, is that reasonable?

 

I purchased a Garrett Ace 150, it is my first detector. It can discriminate between all metals, jewelry, and coins. It has a depth meter that shows 2, 4, and 6+ inches.

So far I have found about $4 in coins in the driveways of my house and my brothers. I have not had much luck on the beach and have found about 50 cents in the parks.

I have found that the detector works good on picking up coins up to five inches deep, after that I seem to get a lot of trash like cans, pull tabs, etc.

Also, aluminum always seems to set off the coin indicator.

About 50% of the time I find a coin when I dig.

Hope this helps, Jay

 

how much did u buy it for Jay?

 

Unfortunately I've been out of the metal detecting hobby for a few years, but I have owned both a garrett mid range detector and a compass top of the line detector (XP-Pro) and I loved the compass. I mostly detected while in Germany where I found hundreds of Roman coins (both bronze and silver), some medieval coins, and even a live WW2 hand grenade! (and I lived to tell about it ). I think you need to spend at least $500 nowdays to get a half way decent detector, although another route you might look at is buying a used detector (KellyCo has some good ones). I hope to get back into the hobby soon!

 

Garret Ace 150

It retauks fir $200 but I bought it after serveral e-mails and a recommendation from gerrysdetectors.com as he was very helpful in helping find a detector in my price range and offered a considerable discount.

I am located in Saint Augustine, Florida and have three of these if anyone would like to test them out...

Also, just to point out almost all the coins I have found have not been in the best condition, probably from the soil, penny's especially seem to rot rather quickly.

Anyways, Good Luck, Jay

 

I think I've narrowed my search down to 3 models as of today. Why didn't someone tell me how difficult this was going to be!! Not "top of the line" units (way out of the current budget) and not the "bottom tier" either (just leery of the cheaper units and their percentage of false readings). I thought a good place to settle would be the higher end mid-range models. From what I read, detectors below this level really sacrificed in the depth category and I would think that would be very important. I read testimonials where the White was detecting items down 18"-24" acurately. Is that true? Now the really hard part, picking one of these 3 detectors!

White QTX-Pro ($650)
Garrett GTP 1350 ($560)
Garrett GTI 1500 ($640)

Edited to update:

Talked to the pros at Kellyco and was told that of these 3 detectors the only smart choice would be the Garrett GTI-1500. It's features blow the other 2 away. I was told that the QTX-Pro is overpriced and not a good performer as other Whites. Also said the GTP 1350 is a good unit but spend the extra $80 and get the GTI technology and better features.

 

Good selection. Personally, I'm partial to the whites. So now I guess its just a coin toss...if you can pick which coin to use

 

Hey Steve, 18 to 24 inches. No Way. Someone is pulling your leg. Maybe a foot on a coin but thats about it.
I would go with the Whites. Garrets are not that great. Just from being in the hobby for the past 6 years and being on detecting forums. That is what I hear. My 2 cents. Jim

 

Went Detecting Today with my Cheapy Ace 150 and found...

A sports car, of course it was Hot Wheels and From the Eighties, Here's a pic..