Big Boys Hobbies

looking for depth

Your soil will have a lot to do with it.
My same detectors, all detectors except PI units really, that couldn't get much past 4" in the Birmingham Ala. devil dirt on a good day can come close to that 8" mark and some will go way beyond in my almost perfect Kansas soil.
 
Pretty much none of the detectors recommended above would be considered deep, except maybe the vaquero or mxt. Ace 350/Fisher F2/Eurotrek are deep? Come on... they are decent starter machines, but aren't deep by any stretch of the word...

If you want the deepest for your money, you are definitely going to want to get a used machine, then you can get a $500-$600 machine with your $350.

I personally would find a used Whites DFX, which can be found around $400 used. DFX can be used in multi-frequency mode for hotter ground or saltwater beaches, or single frequency mode (5khz or 15khz) for extra depth in mild ground. DFX will blow most of the above recommended detectors out of the water. DFX is also a machine that you will grow into and wont be wanting to replace in 6 months, like you would with a starter machine that you grow out of quickly.

Whites is an awesome company and takes care of their customers, their repairs are cheap if you even need them, so buying a used Whites isn't a concern.

My $.02
 
I had a MXT 9.5" coil & it got some dimes & quarters to 6". You have the 12" coil if it is a MXT 300. Still, in my soil it would not get 12". Glad to hear you have good soil. HH, George (MN)



pescadore said:
My first question would be, what are you calling deep? 2nd, Are you wanting to hunt for coins or what? 3rd Do you want a machine with a display? I have a Whites MXT that will hit a 10" dime and a 12" quarter and ID them correctly. You could probably pick a used one up in your price range or a little more.
Click to expand...
 
George (MN) said:
I had a MXT 9.5" coil & it got some dimes & quarters to 6". You have the 12" coil if it is a MXT 300. Still, in my soil it would not get 12". Glad to hear you have good soil. HH, George (MN)
Click to expand...

I was actually using a Detech 10x12 SEF coil. I do have good soil and the MXT had no problem. The test bed has been there a couple of years and I have tested a few different machines. The MXT out performed several more expensive machines. I have the 10x12 and 6x8 SEF coils and they rarely leave my machines.
 
Crumble said:
Pretty much none of the detectors recommended above would be considered deep, except maybe the vaquero or mxt. Ace 350/Fisher F2/Eurotrek are deep? Come on... they are decent starter machines, but aren't deep by any stretch of the word...

If you want the deepest for your money, you are definitely going to want to get a used machine, then you can get a $500-$600 machine with your $350.

I personally would find a used Whites DFX, which can be found around $400 used. DFX can be used in multi-frequency mode for hotter ground or saltwater beaches, or single frequency mode (5khz or 15khz) for extra depth in mild ground. DFX will blow most of the above recommended detectors out of the water. DFX is also a machine that you will grow into and wont be wanting to replace in 6 months, like you would with a starter machine that you grow out of quickly.

Whites is an awesome company and takes care of their customers, their repairs are cheap if you even need them, so buying a used Whites isn't a concern.

My $.02
Click to expand...

+1
 
Tek Eurotek Pro, BH Land Ranger Pro & BH Quick Draw Pro might get 8" on a dime or quarter, with accurate ID at slightly less depth. BH Land Ranger Pro is my favorite of the under $290 detectors, see detecting.com for more info. Also see metaldetectorreviews.net/ for user satisfaction ratings.

A bit better depth can be had with the Garrett AT Pro, which can go under water to 10 feet. Air tests 10" on dime with sensitivity 7 of 8. Setting the ground balance approximately correct is necessary. Got a 7" deep dime that IDed correctly in every pass.

Foreign detectors & foreign coils may be in some cases better. But we must wait for used prices to come down. The DFX has about 45 user adjustments, uses 8 AA batteries & is fairly heavy. Only you can decide if that is right for you. The cheap detectors I mentioned have huge numerical IDs, are very light in weight, & use only 1 9 volt battery. Best wishes, George (MN)


Crumble said:
Pretty much none of the detectors recommended above would be considered deep, except maybe the vaquero or mxt. Ace 350/Fisher F2/Eurotrek are deep? Come on... they are decent starter machines, but aren't deep by any stretch of the word.

I personally would find a used Whites DFX, which can be found around $400 used. DFX can be used in multi-frequency mode for hotter ground or saltwater beaches, or single frequency mode (5khz or 15khz).
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for your recommendation of those coils! HH, George (MN)


pescadore said:
I was actually using a Detech 10x12 SEF coil. I do have good soil and the MXT had no problem. The test bed has been there a couple of years and I have tested a few different machines. The MXT out performed several more expensive machines. I have the 10x12 and 6x8 SEF coils and they rarely leave my machines.
Click to expand...
 
George (MN) said:
Tek Eurotek Pro, BH Land Ranger Pro & BH Quick Draw Pro might get 8" on a dime or quarter, with accurate ID at slightly less depth. BH Land Ranger Pro is my favorite of the under $290 detectors, see detecting.com for more info. Also see metaldetectorreviews.net/ for user satisfaction ratings.

A bit better depth can be had with the Garrett AT Pro, which can go under water to 10 feet. Air tests 10" on dime with sensitivity 7 of 8. Setting the ground balance approximately correct is necessary. Got a 7" deep dime that IDed correctly in every pass.

Foreign detectors & foreign coils may be in some cases better. But we must wait for used prices to come down. The DFX has about 45 user adjustments, uses 8 AA batteries & is fairly heavy. Only you can decide if that is right for you. The cheap detectors I mentioned have huge numerical IDs, are very light in weight, & use only 1 9 volt battery. Best wishes, George (MN)
Click to expand...

George, no disrespect intended but if you can get 8 inches with a BH and only 6 with the MXT then there was something wrong with your MXT.
 
I agree none of these lower cost detectors are super deep, some are deeper & ID better than others. I have Minelab Safari that air tests 11.5" on a dime at sensitivity 17 of 20, but nobody in their right mind would sell one for under $500 or so. I suppose a Garrett AT Pro would be possible to find used for about $400, air test 10" on dime, sens 7/10. Best wishes, George (MN)



Crumble said:
Pretty much none of the detectors recommended above would be considered deep, except maybe the vaquero or mxt. Ace 350/Fisher F2/Eurotrek are deep? Come on... they are decent starter machines, but aren't deep by any stretch of the word...

If you want the deepest for your money, you are definitely going to want to get a used machine, then you can get a $500-$600 machine with your $350.
Click to expand...
 
Your best bet for depth is finding a used detector. There are several older higher end models that can be had in the $350-$400 range. You will want something with ground balance as well.
 
Around here, most of the parks are pretty new, so I may not even have enough deep coins around here. The problem I've had with most White's is that while they beep pretty deep, the ID is usually too inconsistent for me to want to dig. It doesn't help either that most areas in many parks are athletic fields, made with hard-packed clay! It probably takes 30 years for a penny to get down 3"!

After rain, it mostly sits on top of BB diamonds until the sun evaporates the water. Around the edges of parks, besides regular trash, there is iron rust chunks in some of these places. Some places have many rocks in the ground including large boulders that stick out of the ground.

White's just don't usually ID well around here, with the IDs on newer models in $179-$500 range really bad. Had a XLT that didn't ID good beyond 4" or so & I used it in several older parks. Sent it in, came back same way. I tried it at an 1873 park with about 400 acres one day. Got over 100 coins, all new ones within 2" of surface. Best wishes, George (MN)





pescadore said:
George, no disrespect intended but if you can get 8 inches with a BH and only 6 with the MXT then there was something wrong with your MXT.
Click to expand...
 
Lol on the hundred different suggestions! I would say whatever you choose, go used and step up to the next one up. Deciding factor, as others have said, will be based on what appeals to you about MDing. Coins? Relics? Any and every thing?

You'll quickly outgrow your first MD if you fall for the hobby so always go 'most for the money' when just starting out. That's preowned IMO.
 
DIRT DOBBER said:
Lol on the hundred different suggestions! I would say whatever you choose, go used and step up to the next one up. Deciding factor, as others have said, will be based on what appeals to you about MDing. Coins? Relics? Any and every thing?

You'll quickly outgrow your first MD if you fall for the hobby so always go 'most for the money' when just starting out. That's preowned IMO.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Get used and highest quality you can. If you don't like the hobby it's always easier to sell a name brand machine. The two listed above that I personally would not call deep are the delta 4000 and the bounty hunter. I own both these and yes every once in a while they will hit a deep target but you will pass over so many that you didn't know existed. I hunt with a buddy that follows me sometimes and pulls targets behind me with his f5 that I didn't even know where there with either machine. It's fairly frustrating. Another option is get a good detector that has upgrade coils for it. Spend the money now on the machine and get a coil in the future when you have some extra cash. Like the at pro for example since I've been in the hobby for about a year now I've seen a lot come up for sale in the $300 dollar range then but the larger coil for it later. Stock it hits deep. Only reason I recommend this is it seems like the majority of us always upgrade our detectors from the entry level ones we start out with.
 
George (MN) said:
Around here, most of the parks are pretty new, so I may not even have enough deep coins around here. The problem I've had with most White's is that while they beep pretty deep, the ID is usually too inconsistent for me to want to dig. It doesn't help either that most areas in many parks are athletic fields, made with hard-packed clay! It probably takes 30 years for a penny to get down 3"!

After rain, it mostly sits on top of BB diamonds until the sun evaporates the water. Around the edges of parks, besides regular trash, there is iron rust chunks in some of these places. Some places have many rocks in the ground including large boulders that stick out of the ground.

White's just don't usually ID well around here, with the IDs on newer models in $179-$500 range really bad. Had a XLT that didn't ID good beyond 4" or so & I used it in several older parks. Sent it in, came back same way. I tried it at an 1873 park with about 400 acres one day. Got over 100 coins, all new ones within 2" of surface. Best wishes, George (MN)
Click to expand...


Wow, I have found just the opposite around here. I have owned the Etrac, XP Deus, CZ's and other top end detectors and I would put my MXT up against any of the as far as deep ID goes. I guess it's just personal preference and location.

Buying used is definitely the way to go in my opinion !! More detector for the money. You just have to be smart about it. Unless I have dealt with someone in the past or know someone that has, I won't buy anything from anyone that won't talk to me on the phone and provide photos of the item they are selling.
 
I've always had good experiences with Whites. Around here they go very deep. I used an XLT extensively for cellar hole hunting and found more good items than with my CZ and SOV, and now own a V3i which I would say compares to the E-trac in depth, and beats my standard F75.
 
Used omega or delta etp along those lines.. Omega gits quarters at 9" ive heard similar results with etp and delta as well
 
I guess all of my detectors will have to be cremated with me, since I don't know how to take a photo that shows microscopic imperfections & lets you count the number of dust particles. I had people say didn't expect my saying light surface imperfections meant like new as received.

Herd mentality forced me off eBay. And now other sites want to force me to be a professional photographer, or hire one for $75 an hour. I wouldn't have put anything on forums if photography requirements were the same, as it could take me all day to post halfway decent pics. I'm mostly blind, so I guess I'm a crook. I can't stop shaking, so that's another crime. People want shortcuts to figuring everything out. Best wishes, George (MN)



 
Of course I would be glad to talk to anyone possibly wanting to buy a detector from me. Talking is a lesser skill than taking perfect digital pictures. If all demand pics, you can buy them elsewhere for 15%-20% more.

I may be dying soon, have about 25 health problems & about 20,000 things to sell & if I need to provide pics for everything for people to get over their paranoia, 1 lifetime won't be enough. BEST WISHES!!!
 
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