Big Boys Hobbies

New metal detector

A

altereddezignz

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Messages
414
Hello everyone. I am new to this site and this is my first post. My dad won a 5000$ gift card to bass pro and he gave it to me on my birthday. WAHOOO.. Well i am not much of a hunter but i do a lot of photography. I was going to buy a new long zoom spotting scope but i already have one of those. I cant seem to find anything to buy. I was in Bass pro yesterday and realized they sell metal detectors. Well i have a coin master pro that i purchased on my last trip to Florida and used it at the beach. I really enjoy using it but around that water when i got close it would freak out b/c of the salt. Back home in Arkansas i have no issues using it but i want a new upgraded model.

Now i do not want to spend 5K on a detector but i really would like a good one but to be honest i do not know enough about them to make the decision myself so i am looking for help. I plan to go back to Florida and to the Bahamas this summer and would like to take it along with me but i am not dead set on using it on the waters edge just at the beach's for sure.
We have alot of parks, wooded trails and so on around here that i can hunt.

I do not want to spend all of the 5K on a detector since it is not something i would use everyday. Normally just weekend thing and when we go on trips that i can take it along.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Here is a link to bass pro metal detectors.
http://www.basspro.com/Outdoor-Recreation-Prospecting-Metal-Detectors/_/N-1z0usq0
 
Being a minelab guy go for the etrac! Its the best land machine for silver coins

Sent from my LG-LS840 using Tapatalk
 
From that site I would definitely go with the Etrac because it will be great on land and since it's multi-frequency it will work on the beach better too.
 
Wow had no udea bass pro had so many metal detectors.if it was me I would start small. Buy the F2 and a good pinpointer. Would say go straight to the F70 or Etrac but im almost sure that ur not ready for that.
 
TN_INDIAN said:
Wow had no udea bass pro had so many metal detectors.if it was me I would start small. Buy the F2 and a good pinpointer. Would say go straight to the F70 or Etrac but im almost sure that ur not ready for that.
Click to expand...

Well i may not be ready for it but i would rather learn and grow into it than buy one now and have to spend a lot later for another upgrade.
 
Etrac, CZ21, and Excalibur are the only ones on the list that will work in saltwater. Saltwater requires a multi-frequency machine.

Etrac is an awesome machine for land hunting for silver, pretty much the best. The CZ21 or Excal are better for saltwater because they are waterproof to 200ft and they are built strictly for saltwater hunting.

If you plan on doing mostly beach hunting and a little land, I would go with the CZ21 (excal is very fragile and prone to breaking...). If mostly land and a little beach hunting, the etrac is the one to get.

PS. Holy !!!! a $5,000 gift card! :lol: Buy an Etrac and CZ21. :yes: Best of both worlds.
 
altereddezignz said:
Well i may not be ready for it but i would rather learn and grow into it than buy one now and have to spend a lot later for another upgrade.
Click to expand...

You will do fine with the Etrac. It is not that difficult to use. There are a lot of good people here on the forum that can help if you have questions. The biggest down side to buying an expensive detector is the initial investment not knowing whether you will enjoy the hobby or not. For a newbie there is a learning curve with any machine so since you have the money, I would go ahead and get the Etrac. Getting another entry level machine like the F2 would be a lateral move from the coinmaster and in my opinion would be a mistake. I have used most top of the line detectors and I thought the learning curve on the Etrac was highly overrated. If you are a fairly tech-savy guy, you will do fine !!!
 
pescadore said:
You will do fine with the Etrac. It is not that difficult to use. There are a lot of good people here on the forum that can help if you have questions. The biggest down side to buying an expensive detector is the initial investment not knowing whether you will enjoy the hobby or not. For a newbie there is a learning curve with any machine so since you have the money, I would go ahead and get the Etrac. Getting another entry level machine like the F2 would be a lateral move from the coinmaster and in my opinion would be a mistake. I have used most top of the line detectors and I thought the learning curve on the Etrac was highly overrated. If you are a fairly tech-savy guy, you will do fine !!!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. I would rather buy what i could grow into now rather than buy something simpler and then ave to upgrade again and either eat the cost of the first one or try and sell it later for a reduced cost of what i paint for it.

I work very well with electronics and am the it engineer with my work. So with some learning i think it will be good.
 
Crumble said:
Etrac, CZ21, and Excalibur are the only ones on the list that will work in saltwater. Saltwater requires a multi-frequency machine.

Etrac is an awesome machine for land hunting for silver, pretty much the best. The CZ21 or Excal are better for saltwater because they are waterproof to 200ft and they are built strictly for saltwater hunting.

If you plan on doing mostly beach hunting and a little land, I would go with the CZ21 (excal is very fragile and prone to breaking...). If mostly land and a little beach hunting, the etrac is the one to get.

PS. Holy !!!! a $5,000 gift card! :lol: Buy an Etrac and CZ21. :yes: Best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

Most all my hunting will be around land or freshwater. I live in Arkansas so just trips to the ocean will be when i am around saltwater. I do not plan on submerging the detector for diving or anything like that.
 
Everyone has an opinion on the best model and type. So, I wont tell you what mine is. Just here to welcome you to the Forum from N. Arizona. Stop in the Chat room some evening and meet a few of the people that share the forum with you. Good luck on your search for the perfect MD machine!
 
Payloadjim said:
Everyone has an opinion on the best model and type. So, I wont tell you what mine is. Just here to welcome you to the Forum from N. Arizona. Stop in the Chat room some evening and meet a few of the people that share the forum with you. Good luck on your search for the perfect MD machine!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for the welcome.
 
What detector

First of all, determine you type of hunting, which I gather would be coin, jewelry and or relics. Then the soil condition of your part of the Country. Is it highly mineralized, or moderate? Talk to a sponsor, check out models of each manufacturer. Does it need to be wáter proof? Do you want a detector with a screen or not? What about the weight of the machine does it matter to you? Investigate features and decide what is most desirable for you. If you buy minelab, Fisher, Tesoro, Whites and Garrett you cant go wrong. All good companies.

The key is to determine what fits your needs best.
 
lem said:
First of all, determine you type of hunting, which I gather would be coin, jewelry and or relics. Then the soil condition of your part of the Country. Is it highly mineralized, or moderate? Talk to a sponsor, check out models of each manufacturer. Does it need to be wáter proof? Do you want a detector with a screen or not? What about the weight of the machine does it matter to you? Investigate features and decide what is most desirable for you. If you buy minelab, Fisher, Tesoro, Whites and Garrett you cant go wrong. All good companies.

The key is to determine what fits your needs best.
Click to expand...

Well only one problem with all of this. We dont have ANY local shops with metal detectors so going to a store and checking them out is out of the questions. This is the reason i am looking for advice.

Hunting coins, relics, jewelry. No need for complete waterproof. WE normally make a trip to Florida every year and i would liek to be able to hun around the beaches with it.
 
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