Advice sites

Yardbyrd and Xray ........... I couldn't have said it better. Sometimes the very FIRST VICTIM is the TRUTH.

Look at what being "politically correct" has caused in our own society. When someone new is fact finding before they make a purchase, they deserve the truth. When they come to us for advice, and we are not able to give an honest answer, then we stand a chance of losing our credibility. I am not condoning disrespect, or grounds for argument that can escalate. If three people post that a particular piece of equipment is sub-par, and a 4th is in disagreement, then let the person making the inquiry weigh it out. I remember looking at certain ads from a dealer with a very large website that touted some of their "house brands" as being on par with the "second comming". Had it not been for some of the honesty on the old forum, as well as taking my time researcing, maybe I would have bought one of those "SUPER MACHINES" that can do everything short of digging up the target and handing you a cold one after you make a recovery.

Everyone was a newbie at some point. If we can encourage the hobby by giving them the straight dope, then that is what we should do, and we will be making more friends doing so. We are more about the people than the equipment. The equipment is only the tool that helps create the experiences. The experiences and knowledge that we share is what brings us together. Comming together is what has created this community. The engine that drives this community is the SHARING of information.
 
Snowy said:
I'd rather have someone tell me what my car CAN do than tell me what it CAN'T. Now, if I ask outright if my car will go 200 MPH, I expect an honest answer.

If you were to ask if the Ace 250 would make a good beach detector? It would be alright to say it works well in dry sand, you wouldn't want to hear it doesn't do well in wet sand? OR The multi-Tone ID is a useful feature, you wouldn't want to know you can't shut it off because at times it can drive you nuts?
Wouldn't it be fair to warn you there are two different ways to pinpoint depending on the size and depth of the target.
To me it wouldn't be giving very honest advise if you only tell the good points without telling the drawbacks. I personally would like to hear the bad along with the good and separate the hay from the shaft for myself.

Let it be known, I'm not bashing the Ace 250 I'm just using it for an example..They all have their strong and weak points whether it is dollars & cents, feature's, or personal preference.

DirtDigger
 
Hi all !* *Really good discussion and agree 90% what was said.

The rule to myself is, if I feel the situation requires I be candid and go beyond what would be considered good taste in the public arena, I can always use a pm (personal message).
This is one-on-one, private communication, and allows
me total freedom of expression with the person asking advice,
without offending anyone in the general public or doing any real harm to a manufacturer's reputation.

Just my $0.02 .* * ;)
 
Re: About Advice

I agree, but my point was to not focus on negativity. Tell me what my machine can do - "It works solely on multi-tone and can be used in wet sand but was designed for use in dry land, therefore performs best there." Now, if I ask more specific questions like, So you're saying it doesn't work as good in wet sand, and there is no other way to listen to the detector, just multi-tone?" I expect honest answers without mean comments. And I don't think the style of comments I used as an example are neither shading the truth in any way nor being derogatory.

See the positive spin? That's all I meant.
 
Snowy, I hear ya.!!!! There is absolutely no reason to go crazy with negative comments. The pros AND cons will provide a complete picture. Short, simple, and "to the point" replies will get the message across without the stigma of being overly negative.
 
Re: About Advice

Snowy and WThesing you are both right. Besides If I say a certain detector will not do such and such it doesn't mean that it won't for someone else.

The DFX to a novice might seem like a very hard machine to use which in turn will not allow them to find what they think it should find. On the other hand the same DFX in the hands of someone that understands it may be the most fascinating machine they could possibly own.

My point is, it's not just the detector it's also the detectorist

I would say to anyone that has their first detector and are thinking of upgrading. No matter what you have you owe it to your self to learn the machine you have as well as you can before upgrading. In some cases some might find an upgrade more of a want then a need depending on what type of detecting they are doing.
 
Re: About Advice

Jeff R said:
Let's not say that detector ABC is the best or that detector XYZ is horrible. We may feel this is true but others may have one of them and have a different opinion than you. This thread is not here to bash detectors, it is here to give helpful advice from your experiences. Please point out pros and cons and what-nots but, lets skip the idea that mine is better than yours.
Thanks
Jeff
i say do your research if 10 guys say or have the same opinion on the same model then I'll take it at face value. i did my research before i bought the fisher 1236x2 maybe not a good detector for 1000 dollar but a dam excellent detector for 300 bucks. you get what you pay for, :lol:
 
Re: About Advice

smg said:
After buying my detector, I was informed it was basically a piece of junk, but it has worked underwater. It is very accurate, and picks and sorts junk from good finds and I have found it is actually vary sturdy. . I applaud your advice about keeping brands out of it, if a 1000dollar one works for a person, fine. If a 150 dollar one works for another person, fine. The objective is sharing info. and our wonderfull finds with each other. The bottom line is we all get that rush when you see that coin and pull it out , be it a penny or a pound, silver , copper,whatever. We all are after the same thing , finding treasures, no mater what they may be. smg

I agree too! The purpose of this great forum is to share and learn.
 
Re: About Advice

I've said it before, and I'll mention it again. Maybe we should have a section that is reviews of new machines that we get, reviewed by us. Maybe some type of a read-only file that can't be replied to.
 
Re: About Advice

Aloha from sunny San Diego.

I am in the research stage of my metal detecting.* With that in mind I have a hard time understanding what is posted by most people.* I don't know what is meant by the acronyms that are used (DFX, XLT, MXT, etc.) and when people use different abbreviations or references for certain brands and models it can get very confusing.

It would be great and very much appreciated, for first time researchers, if people that post would keep in mind that when a new (or used for the first time in the forum) acronym, abbreviation or the like is used that they define it.* It would also be appreciated if when you explain things that you would keep it to the same explanation that you give to your friends that know nothing about metal detecting.* I hope this will help in the uderstanding of advice that is posted.

Thanks for your help.

-Erich
 
Re: About Advice

Hi Erich, and welcome to the forum. We'll use Whites for instance. If you go to the Whites electronics site, you will see that DFX,XLT,and MXT are the names of these detectors. They are all in the "E" series. What these letters mean, I don't have a clue. But when you go to purchase one, thats the name you would give to the dealer. Some people here own the Garrett ACE250 that they lovingly call the "Yeller Feller" For the most part, what you will see here IS the name of the machine in question.
 
Re: About Advice

:roll:
First off, people need to take comments as they are meant. By posting a negative comment on a detector, you are not making a personal critism of the person who owns it. Take the comments for what they are, develop a thicker skin and use the advice to better make an informed decision on your next purchases. If you like what you are using, why should you care if someone doesn't? We are after all adults here (with the exception of RustyNail)! :lol: I love to read the different posts on detectors, they are what I used to make my decision and I am happy with it. The bottom line is: when you and your detector are out together, you are enjoying the hobby and not thinking about "My tool's better than your tool" logic.
Turn down the "sensitivity" level and go for the gold!! Just my opinion!!! :lol:
 
Re: About Advice

Erich....I can understand where you're coming from. The terms used back when I started were aslo confusing until I learned them. There in lies the answer ; learning. Ask questions , look up the term online , use the forums to your advantage , call a dealer and ask them , buy a few books . There are many ways to learn the terms. I think it would be a bit unreasonable (unless someone specifically asked) to define every term every time you used it. If anyone reads a post that has terms they don't understand , then they should just ask what it means. I don't think there is anyone associated with this forum that would think that someone was stupid for asking any question. As it has been said " The only stupid question is the one you don't ask." ;)
 
Re: About Advice

spittfire said:
The bottom line is: when you and your detector are out together, you are enjoying the hobby and not thinking about "My tool's better than your tool" logic.

Its my opinion that its 90% operator and 10% detector that will make you successful or not. With that being said its also my opinion that my water detector is better than some of the more expensive ones. ;)
 
Re: About Advice

When I am looking to purchase something (be it a MD, firearm, computer part, etc) I read the forums, reviews that come from other users and dealers. However when the review has a negative tone within it, I disregard the value of that opinion. Typically that individual has a biased viewpoint for whatever reason.

Every machine is the same (oh boy, that statement will raise the blood pressure on a few!), how the machine processes the signal and the abilities of the operator is the effectiveness. As stated by others...it's 10% machine 90% operator. So put the reviews and opinons in that light...10% value on the machine 90% on the author's performance with that machine. ;)
 
Re: About Advice

"However when the review has a negative tone within it, I disregard the value of that opinion. Typically that individual has a biased viewpoint for whatever reason."

There is SOME truth in this. However, a negative responce comes from someone on a particular machine, they might just be speaking from experience too. For as good as most upper end machines is concerned, there IS going to be something that the user dosen't like or care for. All machines, no matter who made them will have something that makes them less than perfect. Could be weight, awkwardness, noisy, loose fit, etc. These are the things that someone new to the hobby needs to know going into it. JMHO :roll:
 
Re: About Advice

hoser said:
"However when the review has a negative tone within it, I disregard the value of that opinion.  Typically that individual has a biased viewpoint for whatever reason."

There is SOME truth in this. However, a negative responce comes from someone on a particular machine, they might just be speaking from experience too. For as good as most upper end machines is concerned, there IS going to be something that the user dosen't like or care for. All machines, no matter who made them will have something that makes them less than perfect. Could be weight, awkwardness, noisy, loose fit, etc. These are the things that someone new to the hobby needs to know going into it. JMHO :roll:


You're right on Bill....

I will share opinion on detectors that I have owned whether they are good or bad that is being honest.

For instance I owned a MXT, I loved it in the dirt and dry sand but it was terrible in the wet sand and I wanted a machine for the wet sand and I have it, the DFX.
 
Re: About Advice

I'm also one of the "newbies"  :grin:
Been researching the detector I have and what I'd like to upgrade to .
With that in mind I've been browsing multiple forums and searching posts with the all important 'open mind' .
These are 'open forums' , which as such allow people to post their  opinions/thoughts/experiences when replying to the various posts . I think this is a wonderful thing .
Yes , I'm fully aware that some people think "X" brand is so much better than "Y" brand but as an informed intelligent wanderer of the forums I am not going to let one persons post influence my decisions. I will take their post into consideration but will continue my research beyond that post .
Just because one person likes "X" brand and the next person likes "Y" brand isn't going to affect me . What I'd like to know is why the first person likes "X" brand and the second likes "Y" brand . Having those people explain why they like certain features when used the way they detect is very helpful .
Some people want a specific machine for a specific situation , others want a general machine that can be adjusted to different locations and situations , yet others want a 'turn on and go' type machine for any location .
I value everyones thoughts/opinions/experiences , but being open minded on an open forum I'm not going to be influenced by one persons opinions for or against certain machines and/or manufacturers . I'll add their comments to my list and keep researching .
So not only should those replying to posts keep to the facts as they know them but those reading should also keep an open mind and be aware that one post doesn't make something a fact . It's an opinion , comment or experience by that poster .

:grin:
 
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