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What to buy for a kid

Bubbs

New Member
Joined
May 22, 2020
Messages
2
Hello

I would like to purchase a metal detector for my son who is turning 6. I don’t want to spend a ton of money as I have no idea if he will like the hobby(he says he will but he’s 6!!!)

Any recommendations on what to buy? Looking at reviews I see the Bounty Hunter TID junior seems to be highly recommended for a kid of his age. The problem is I am in Canada and everyone seems to be out of stock with no ETA for new stock while this pandemic is happening.

I also see the National Geographic Junior. I can’t find any reviews on this one. I want a beginner metal detector not a toy. Is the National Geographic Junior model ok for a beginner kid or is it just a toy?

Below are the two links for the two detectors I was looking at. Any help would be appreciated as I have no knowledge about metal detectors.

https://www.mastermindtoys.com/15369-Bounty-Hunter-Junior-Target-ID-Metal-Detector.aspx

https://www.amazon.ca/NATIONAL-GEOGRAPHIC-Adjustable-Waterproof-Lightweight/dp/B07CC8GYMP

Thanks in advance

Kevin
 
My nephews got these when they turned six to try it out. They enjoy them, but they are simple and don't have any fancy features. They use them on their own often, but if I'm around detecting with them all attention becomes fighting between digging and pin pointer holder


Link
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Good question.

The problem is how much the shaft can be adjusted to fit your son, and the weight. In that realm most consider them little more than toys - like the ones you linked to. They like my first detector (the orange duck) when I was 10 with my dad, are only good for finding coins on the surface to maybe 1"-2" (3-5cm) if the soil is wet.

Personally I feel anything that can't compete with a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV is a toy, especially at the $70 sale price or $100 mark as it is one of the most affordable ones in the US.

That said your son will likely not be digging 3-5" (8-13cm) holes, or very many at least. So a toy is acceptable and warranted in your case at age 6, as even a ultra-light adult detector weighs in at 2 pounds (about 1 Kilogram).

Online I found a few articles about kids and metal detectors, and they tend to list lower priced adult models, and say they are suited to kids 9 and over.

I'd say get what you can with delivery times in Canada, and in a price you want to spend. If I was choosing for a 6 year old I'd likely get the Bounty Hunter Junior Metal Detector - it weighs in at 1.5 pounds (680 grams), could adjust to his size, and is a solid detector brand. Then once I knew he could swing a larger detector a Tracker IV.

I'd also suggest if he is loosing interest in detecting, especially if your both out somewhere and your not done, seed a few clad coins secretly for him to find. I have no doubt my dad did that for me as well because looking back I should not have found what I did as a kid with that detector maybe 1" (3cm) below the dirt. :)
 
Hello

I would like to purchase a metal detector for my son...........

I modified my first detector, a $100 Bounty Hunter IV, into a junior detector for my youngest. I used the detector myself for years, found lots of stuff with it, and think the audio-only nature of it helped develop my ear.

Basically, I shortened the shaft and put the control box on a strap. Or, you could put it in a lightweight backpack, which would do a better job of keeping it out of the way while digging targets but interferes with changing settings.

If I ever wanted to remount the control box I could, and I left enough on the shaft to lengthen it as she gets taller.

Here's the post where I described the modification in more detail:


https://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=269258
 

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The B-H jr doesn't have the arm cuff. A friend's son hated it for that reason. The disc did work well. I'd choose the nat-geo model over the BH although I never seen one in use.
 
I would prob get the Nokta / Macro Pulse dive pinpointer with the scuba pinpointer .. If they get uninterested you will have a pinpointer to use with the green wireless headphone .. I have the green headphones on the Nokta Impact also on the Simplex + .. Green wireless headphone and the pulse dive .. You can even let them dig your finds ..

The Simplex will go very short for a kid and long for the man / woman to use

Simplex + .. Green wireless Headphone .. Pulse dive Pinpointer
 
Welcome to FMDF!

It's great that your son is interested in the hobby. :grin: I'll second the vote for the Bounty Hunter BHJS Junior, which was my first metal detector. (It's a different model than the one you linked to in the original post, but having had no personal experience with the others, I thought I'd recommend this one.) The BHJS was thoroughly enjoyed by both my brother & myself, and we used it steadily for two years. Although the target indicator meter was pretty much useless, we learned to listen for the right signals, and found it to be a good clad machine. It was also with this detector that I uncovered my first wheat cent... a pretty exciting & memorable find for me. :grin:

Regardless of the equipment you choose, have a great time metal detecting together with your son! :waytogo:
 
I’d recommend the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV. I love mine and it has been great to learn on. It is a very capable detector and you will find stuff with it. It has no problem sniffing out coins and the discrimination on it works very well. This is important if you don’t want to spend your days digging up rusty nails. If he sticks with it, he can use it for a while without having to run right out and buy something better. You can swing it too. It’s easy enough for a kid, but capable enough for an adult. You just might find a new hobby yourself and you’ll probably be amazed at what it finds in your own back yard.
 
Thanks everyone.

I decided to go with the NG model for no other reason than it was easy to get here in Canada. If he likes it I will upgrade to a better model that we can both use.

Thanks again

Kevin
 
Thanks everyone.

I decided to go with the NG model for no other reason than it was easy to get here in Canada. If he likes it I will upgrade to a better model that we can both use.

Thanks again

Kevin

Nothing wrong with that, and it is indeed kid friendly in size/weight. Let us know how it works out. I hope you two have some fun, happy hunting.
 
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