Big Boys Hobbies

which metal detector to start with?

1

123backwoods

New Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
18
Location
virginia beach, va
hey, im chris. I currently live in alaska and in 2 months im moving to virginia. i will be near the coast so i am planning on hitting the beaches alot. I've been thinking about getting a metal detector for a long time and now i have decided to actually get one. for just starting out what would be the best kind to buy for only a few hundred dollars?
 
I'll start since I was asking the same question just one short month ago. I ended up with the Fisher F2 and I am loving it. I bought the package that came with the 8" coil and the 4" sniper coil. It also came with the Fisher FPoint pinpointer.

The unit has been easy to learn and I it impresses me every time I take it out.

These finds are from my first 3 hunts..not counting playing around in my yard.

 
I have a Garrett Sea Hunter MkII that I found 18k gold with on the first day I used it, but even if I didn't have it, my White's M6 has a beach mode on the TRAC selector. In Beach mode it has extended ground balance and tracking range to compensate for salt and alkali. To utilize Beach mode you simply flick the selector into Beach and pump the coil a few times and the M6 will compensate for the salt present in the area you want to hunt in. The Sea Hunter is PI and by design it ignores salt for the most part, big waves passing the coil with force will give a little bit of a tone but the Sea Hunter tracks that and is ready for business in short order. I don't know what your budget is, but I hope this helps.
 
I would get the fisher f2 (get the bundle with the 4" coil) also talk to some of the sponsors they can hook you up with a discount.
 
Welcome to the forum and good luck with your move to Virginia. I do not have a detector yet, but I decided on the F2 as well. The F2 goes for $200, but if you contact one of the sponsors on the forum and they will cut you a deal. Happy hunting!
 
123backwoods said:
hey, im chris. I currently live in alaska and in 2 months im moving to virginia. i will be near the coast so i am planning on hitting the beaches alot. I've been thinking about getting a metal detector for a long time and now i have decided to actually get one. for just starting out what would be the best kind to buy for only a few hundred dollars?
Click to expand...

hi Chris and welcome to the forum from Billy in Virginia. I just got my first metal detector. I bought a Bounty Hunter Time Ranger. It's easy to use and it was at a good price. Do some research and choose the one that fits your needs.
 
Hi! and welcome from Virginia Beach! Where in VA are you moving to?

Give some thought to being able to ground balance if you're going to be beach hunting.

Later,
Brian
 
Hit the park with my new F2 today for the first time. Loved it! Going to try the 4in coil tomorrow on the tot lot.
I would check out out the Ace 250 as well. Not sure how they work on the beach though, wet sand might be a problem?
 
First MD

The sponsors will have sponsor under their name on their posts. also in the top right corner are banners of the different sponsors. PM them and give them your info. Price range, main targets wanted, Areas you plan to search, Make sure you let them know you plan on beach hunting... They will help you figure out your best MD for your needs in your price range!!! I prefer Bart at Big Boys Hobbies and New England Dteectors....:digginahole:
 
You can also find them in the classified section at the top where it says sponsor's specials.Good luck with whatever you decide to get.
 
Clarify

Welcome to FMDF from the Dallas Area Texas. Sorry, Bart at Big Boys Hobbies, and New England Detectors, are 2 different sponsors. I have gotten great prices from both and have Bought from Both, My Purchase from BBH was ordered at like 10:30am on a Tuesday and was at my door at 3:30pm the next Day. Bart is Very Helpful and he is on the ball! Andrew at NED Answered all my questions about MDs very clearly and seems like a great guy also. I have gotten great prices from every Sponsor I have contacted....:digginahole:
 
Welcome from NY!! I lived in VA Beach for 8 yrs on the beach. I wasnt metal detecting at the time but knew a guy who did it.

I'm not a sponsor but have to tell you that I love my Tesoro. It's a great starter machine. I just got the Garrett AT Pro so I could do some water hunting. I borrowed a PI machine (pulse) md. It was difficult to use.

Most coils are waterproof.. but you have to make sure when the water gets inside the pole it doesn't travel upwards to the control box. This could accidentally happen if you put it down, etc. If you are primarily doing salt water hunting you will need a PI. With a regular md, the salt water will affect it and you will lose depth due to turning the sensitivity down.

I would take a look at the beach hunting forum and ask some of those guys. The pulse MDs are really what you need to look into if you are beach hunting. I'm sorry I couldn't offer you any more help. Good luck :)
 
Last edited:
Call Bart at big boy hobbies he's great to deal with. I have the fisher f2 and the at pro. The fisher is a great machine fir the money.
 
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