Big Boys Hobbies

Which two or three models should I focus on to reenter the hobby...

I

I M Lookin

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
52
Location
The Villages, north central Florida
At age 67, I am looking to re-enter the hobby of metal detecting that I was engaged in 30-some years ago. I had an entry level machine back then - I think some version of Bounty Hunter like one of these:
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My new criteria are as follows:

  • Below $400, but a bit higher if it is a real stand out in discrimination or other factors listed below.
  • Average or lighter in weight than most
  • Good ergonomics; well balanced and comfortable
  • I am a visual person, so I want good graphic indicators of what's going on in addition to the sounds.
  • Highly legible screen in bright sunlight
  • Backlight (in central Florida, sunrise and sunset are most tolerable, heatwise, except in winter its all good, but the backlight will come in handy as the sun sets and other people begin to clear out of the area)
  • Mainly coin and jewelry hunting
  • Standard 1/4" phone jack; no proprietary jacks
  • May take to beach on rare occasions; would like wet sand ability
  • Best possible discrimination in the price range
  • Preferably new
  • Relatively simple to operate; don't want a steep learning curve. At this age there may not be enough time to master an overly complex system:roll:

If there is anything I could give up, it would be wet beach sand capabilities. Although I understand that Whites Coinmaster GT is not bad at it. Correct me if I am wrong.

When you recommend specific models, could you please also mention your understanding or experience with their strengths and weaknesses, especially as pertains to the criteria listed above, or criteria that I ignored that I should not have ignored.

Thanks.
Jerry
 
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Thats a tough one if you want wet sand. I think you will need to spend quite a bit more for a machine that is good in the wet sand, or possibly try and find something used.

for dry land however, I would venture to say maybe a Fisher F2 with a good pinpointer to get you started. Some of the sponsors should have a good combo deal
 
Of all my criteria, "wet sand" is probably the one that is near the bottom in importance. More of a "nice to have just in case" sort of thing. Although White's Coinmaster GT has some capability in that area, I'm not sure how well it really performs there.

What is the next model Fisher above the F2? What is the benefit of that unit compared to the F2 and is it worth the extra money in your opinion?

Jerry
 
If you want a great low/mid range detector look into getting a used Minelab Xterra 505, it will be your best bet if your looking for a starter detector but wont feel the need to upgrade, plus the 505 allows you to get 2 different frequencies plus the ability to ground balance so a bit more versital on the beach, you could always save some money and get a 305, but not quite as versital but still a great detector. The 505 was actually my first detector, I liked it a lot, I went to a 705 from there and then to a Safari. I would say I kinda preferred the 705 over the Safari just because of the weight to performance ratio. If you want a direct upgrade to the f2 you would be looking at the F4 which has a couple different features that the f2 doesn't have, one of the most important I would say is the ground balance. If you live in a area with highly mineralized soil, I would say a detector with ground balance is definitely worth the extra money.

Rich
 
Plenty of people will show up on the thread in a few to try to convince you to buy a Garrett AT Pro- and it wouldn't be a bad choice.

You detected before I take it, because of the thread title, so.....

You're not new to the hobby, but you didn't specify a budget, hmmm

Ok, here we go- take a look at everything in the mid-range from all the manufacturers. The ATP, 505, 705, F5, F70, Gold bug, Gamma 6000, Omega 8000, G2... And.. the Whites GMT, M6, MX5, MXT, and MXT Pro.

The Tesoro Tejon, DeLeon, or Cortes might be good too.

So, forget the entry level stuff and head for mid range territory ($500-$800) it's a bit more serious than the entry level MDs, but won't cost you several thousand for the detector alone.

In the end it's only up to you, but if you aren't worried about having the ability to hunt in the rain, or submerge to detector, I say look at the Omega, MXT, 705 or F5. One of those teamed with a Garrett pro pointer or whites TRX.
 
Danny Memphis said:
Plenty of people will show up on the thread in a few to try to convince you to buy a Garrett AT Pro- and it wouldn't be a bad choice.

You detected before I take it, because of the thread title, so.....

You're not new to the hobby, but you didn't specify a budget, hmmm

Ok, here we go- take a look at everything in the mid-range from all the manufacturers. The ATP, 505, 705, F5, F70, Gold bug, Gamma 6000, Omega 8000, G2... And.. the Whites GMT, M6, MX5, MXT, and MXT Pro.

The Tesoro Tejon, DeLeon, or Cortes might be good too.

So, forget the entry level stuff and head for mid range territory ($500-$800) it's a bit more serious than the entry level MDs, but won't cost you several thousand for the detector alone.

In the end it's only up to you, but if you aren't worried about having the ability to hunt in the rain, or submerge to detector, I say look at the Omega, MXT, 705 or F5. One of those teamed with a Garrett pro pointer or whites TRX.
Click to expand...


He stated under 400
 
I think really the best choice that would fit everything on his list would be a used 705 if you could find one for $400. Its very lightweight, its back lite, its got 3 freq options to help setup for specific hunting from coin to jewelry to gold nugget, its got nice large VDI display, it has ground balance so a bit more manageable at the beach although its not submersible the coils are waterproof though.. if you wanted to spend about $600 on a used Safari the FBS option would probably help a bit more on the beach ive heard, but if beach is not super important then 705 is a great machine, you could find a used AT Pro for the 400 range too like mentioned, but I don't remember it being back lite and the VDI numbers are quite small, the ATP is a light machine tho too. The F5 or F70 would be another good machine, really like Danny said there are so many choices, best thing to do is go to a local detector store and talk to someone there and have them show you different detectors so you have the ability to actually hold the detector in your hands and see which one feels most comfortable.

Rich
 
Used Whites DFX. Why you think i own 2 of them?:D You can actually just cut one on and go. If you like to tinker, you have that option as well. Smaller coils it's balance pretty well to me. But it's always best to try before you buy if possible.
 
GetDiggin said:
I think really the best choice that would fit everything on his list would be a used 705 if you could find one for $400. Its very lightweight, its back lite, its got 3 freq options to help setup for specific hunting from coin to jewelry to gold nugget, its got nice large VDI display, it has ground balance so a bit more manageable at the beach although its not submersible the coils are waterproof though.. if you wanted to spend about $600 on a used Safari the FBS option would probably help a bit more on the beach ive heard, but if beach is not super important then 705 is a great machine, you could find a used AT Pro for the 400 range too like mentioned, but I don't remember it being back lite and the VDI numbers are quite small, the ATP is a light machine tho too. The F5 or F70 would be another good machine, really like Danny said there are so many choices, best thing to do is go to a local detector store and talk to someone there and have them show you different detectors so you have the ability to actually hold the detector in your hands and see which one feels most comfortable.

Rich
Click to expand...

:thumbsup: I love my AtPro but it is not back lit.. Worth a drive to test in person to see which one you prefer if you have a shop anywhere in your area.
 
Eurotek Pro

Look at the Teknetics Eurotek Pro. It is VERY light. The VDI numbers on the screen are large and easily read. (not back lit though, try a headlamp)The ETP have a good pinpoint feature that works well. It is a VERY deep and fast detector. As the others stated, it will not do well in wet sand. you can get a standard Eurotek pro for aroung $225 and get a Garrett Pro-Pointer for around $130. With the money that is left, you can get a Lesche digger. you can cover all of your needs for $400. Just my opinion. Good Luck!
 
The 705 does all that, just need to learn the machine, it gives VDI with the target icon, it gives the depth of the item in inches when you pin point like a lot of other machines. The 705 has a simple looking screen, but its far from a simple machine and I don't mean that like its a confusing machine because it's actually a quite easy machine to learn, but I mean it has tons of options and functions. I only used a 2500 once, but that machine didn't do nothing for me, and I personally think the 705 blows the 2500 out of the water. I am sure there will be people that disagree. . But I am fairly confident that there will be many more people that agree with that statement then there is that disagree. :-)

Rich
 
Take a look at Whites, Fisher, Minelab, Tesoro, Teknetics, and Garrett. Look at the best model you can afford from each company, and decide which one most appeals to you. Basically they will all have similar depth and disc, the real decision will be based on weight, display, options, and thing's like that. With any of those brands you can't go wrong.
 
Although no back light the Teknetics EuroTek Pro should be able to do what you are wanting to do & at a very good price. Never hurts having a detector that has adjustable manual ground balance, the EuroTek Pro does not but the Teknetics Gamma does. The EuroTek and the Gamma detectors are easy to setup and use & are light as a feather, have good depth, and a very quick response/recovery.
 

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Keep in mind you will want to get a pinpointer if you dont already have one. contact a sponsor and give them your budget they should be able to set you up with a package deal.

I recommend Bart from big boys hobbies
 
I M Lookin said:
I would like a MD that shows more information on the display than the 705 appears to do: depth, VDI, size, likely item type. The Garrett 2500 has the most useful screen I've seen. But alas, the price...
Click to expand...

seems like your going more off what the detector looks like, which is the worst possible thing to do when buying a md IMO.. The garrett 2500 is a good machine but its a bit older and has very slow recovery time. If you want a screen that is helpful in your price range that gamma 6000 posted above is nice, my BH platinum has the same screen setup, even though you'll look at the screen less and less as you get to know your machine.. but look at used whites XLT's and DFX for sure..
 
Jay:

When you say "very slow recovery time", I have a couple of questions to help me understand:

As all measures are relative I have to ask: "Very slow" is relative to what?

For example, on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being extremely slow and 10 being extremely fast), the Garrett 2500 is what? the Gamma 6000 is a what? How would you classify the Coinmaster GT? I also heard that the older but former top of the line Bounty Hunter Time Ranger also had a "slow recovery time." What might that be on my 1 to 10 scale?

What hunting scenarios are most impacted by "recovery time"? When a desirable object is close to or below an undesirable object?

And a another question: Does a design that shows a lot of screen information tend to slow down the response time in some models? Is that why the Tesoros tend to be considered fast? No screen?

As a relative newby (detected for a year or two 30 years ago), the richness of screen information, i.e. "visual feedback" is helpful and important to me in learning what the audible sounds mean - a learning aid. It is not simply "what the detector looks like" as in "the screen looks pretty". But important to me is "the screen is informative. " And that criteria, for me, is only one of several as I listed in my opening post. I understand that sensitivity and selectivity (discrimination) are both important.
 
SkiWhiz said:
Although no back light the Teknetics EuroTek Pro should be able to do what you are wanting to do & at a very good price. Never hurts having a detector that has adjustable manual ground balance, the EuroTek Pro does not but the Teknetics Gamma does. The EuroTek and the Gamma detectors are easy to setup and use & are light as a feather, have good depth, and a very quick response/recovery.
Click to expand...

+1 ^
 
How come no one has recommended the White's MX5? It's a little over budget but, realistically, the OP's desire for a backlit detector under $400 brand new is unobtainable. Seems to me the MX5 hits the target on almost all fronts except price. I think they list for $599 but I'm sure there is wiggle room on that price.

Dan
 
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