Big Boys Hobbies

$300 budget for 1st MD

B

bipr88

New Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2013
Messages
7
Location
New Egypt, NJ
This purchase will be for my sons 11 yo bday.
Here is the background and what we will b using it for.

The boy is always hunting around the woods with a shovel in hand and bringing his treasures home to proudly display them in my garage. He has found some pretty cool stuff and enough bones and skulls to start a mini museum
He will want to dig ANYTHING that is in the ground.
I would assume the deeper the better.!
We have access to a 24 acres of woods and trails adjacent to a farmers field and a 10 acre plot near an abandoned 100 yo cranberry canning plant.
We live in central NJ.
Budget MAX OF $300!
*How important is one of those wand pointers? Should I put my budget into just the md or get a bundle pack with the wand?
**will a MD detect glass bottles?

Thanks in advance.
Bip
 
Don't rule out looking at a whites coinmaster metal detector. This model has a great pinpointer built into it so you might save the extra 100 dollar bill. This detector makes a great first time unit from a great name in detectors. Kellyco will make you a great deal if you call them and explain your situation with the new detectorist in the making.:yes: Good luck my friend, and happy hunting to your son.
 
Try contacting some of our Forum Sponsors. Explain your needs and mention your budget. We've got great folks here on the Forum willing to help. Sponsors may have used detectors. IMO and hand-held PP is important. I'd look into the Garrett Ace 250, Ace 350 or Fisher F-series. White's of course is a good option too as mentioned. GL and HH. Matt
 
You have 2 options pretty much. A new beginner machine that will get maybe 8" max depth on coins, but comes with warranty. Or a used slightly higher end machine that can get up to 12" depth or so, but no warranty.

I would look into a used Tesoro Vaquero which fits into the latter category. They go for $450 new, but can be found for $300 used.

Pinpointer saves some time on recovering targets, but with a shovel the pinpointer isn't that big of a deal. Most use a pinpointer because they are trying to be surgical, and want to dig the smallest hole possible. I don't think an 11 year old will care about digging a little bigger hole. Also you can get a cheap pinpointer from Harbor Freight for $16 that works relatively well.

If you do go with a new machine, give Bart (Big Boys Hobbies) a call, he is the man.
 
Last edited:
Myself, like many others, went with the Fisher F2. There’s a terribly big long thread about it here started by respected member DIGGER27, and it alone convinced me it was a great machine.

Terribly big long thread here

After I got mine and used it a while, I wrote my own glowing review for Yahoo. Although the Fisher F2 is considered a beginner detector, it can *definitely* find the good stuff. DIGGER27 has a whole slew of gold rings nabbed by his F2, and I found a 1944 Walking Liberty half dollar at a ball park.

My glowing review on Yahoo here

If you have more money than about $200 to spend on a metal detector, I’d check into the Fisher F5 or the AT Pro by Garrett--both are doing well out there. If a screen/numbers/bells and whistles aren’t important to you, check out the Tesoro line. The Vaquero is very popular, lightweight, and DEEP. Real deep. Too deep, some say. :D

A great review site for the Tesoro Vaquero here:

A great Tesoro Vaquero review site

Welcome to the forum! :)
 
PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Get a nice condition used GARRETT PRO POINTER for $100, and then get a Tesoro compadre. Don't waste your time with anything else. If you want a more computerized TID machine then the F2 can't be beat and comes with two coils!
 
I would go with that F2 from BIG BOYS HOBBIES above. Looks like exactly what you need. Great machine I here. I got the ace350, love it also great machine but if I could buy over again... I would for sure purchase machine with the ( Target numbers readout) VDI.
Good luck, Happy b-day from Oregon!
 
HullGuitars said:
PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Get a nice condition used GARRETT PRO POINTER for $100, and then get a Tesoro compadre. Don't waste your time with anything else. If you want a more computerized TID machine then the F2 can't be beat and comes with two coils!
Click to expand...

Excellent advice! The budget is met and you get a great pinpointer. The F2 is fine also, but I wouldn't steer away from getting the ProPointer for a hundred or so. The free Fisher PPr is pretty much junk IMO.
 
Here is what I did when I got my first detector and would recommend the same to you. Call Bart and get the F2 kit he has listed above. I ordered that same set and I also ordered a new Garrett Pro POinter. Once mine arrived I listed the Fisher pin pointer on Ebay and got almost $40.00 out of it. That took the sting out of the Garrett and would get you a nice set up within your price range.
I can't say enough good about Bart, he is the best.
 
Since everyone is mentioning the Propointer (which I also recommend) you should know New England Detectors who is a sponsor has a deal where if you buy a Propointer you get the Lesche for $10 more. That's a nice savings as Lesche's are pricey, but such good diggers.
 
I think a used tesoro cibola or a new silver u-max. He's hunting in the woods so the gold advantage on the compadre will be of no use and with both of the machines I listed don't have a ground balance that a kid has to mess with. Also you can change the coils on the cibola and silver u-max.
 
Myself, like many others, went with the Fisher F2. There’s a terribly big long thread about it here started by respected member DIGGER27, and it alone convinced me it was a great machine.

Terribly big long thread here

After I got mine and used it a while, I wrote my own glowing review for Yahoo. Although the Fisher F2 is considered a beginner detector, it can *definitely* find the good stuff. DIGGER27 has a whole slew of gold rings nabbed by his F2, and I found a 1944 Walking Liberty half dollar at a ball park.

My glowing review on Yahoo here

If you have more money than about $200 to spend on a metal detector, I’d check into the Fisher F5 or the AT Pro by Garrett--both are doing well out there. If a screen/numbers/bells and whistles aren’t important to you, check out the Tesoro line. The Vaquero is very popular, lightweight, and DEEP. Real deep. Too deep, some say. :D

A great review site for the Tesoro Vaquero here:

A great Tesoro Vaquero review site

Welcome to the forum! :)
 
Tesoro Compadre,Tesoro Silver UMax,Tesoro Cibola,Tesoro Vaquero AHH heck any Tesoro for that matter.I do love me some Tesoro's But really there's alot to choose from,just do some research and talk to some sponsors and you'll do fine finding something for your boy.HH and good luck
 
Its hard to go wrong with the one Bart posted. It comes in under budget and is a really good machine. The pin pointer could be better as some have pointed out, but for a starter setup you cant go wrong. Something most people havent mentioned is the F2 is VERY light weight and something he can use for longer periods of time. Not to mention the VDI will keep him interested and something some starter units dont have in the same price range.

If he likes the hobby go back and get him the Garrett Pro Pointer for $100 for a birthday or Christmas present.
 
hillbillydigger said:
Since everyone is mentioning the Propointer (which I also recommend) you should know New England Detectors who is a sponsor has a deal where if you buy a Propointer you get the Lesche for $10 more. That's a nice savings as Lesche's are pricey, but such good diggers.
Click to expand...

You should only use NED if you want to send them money and NEVER actually get any product. Or responses to e-mails and phone calls. Or customer service of any kind. As far as I know, they are no longer a sponsor here for exactly that reason.


Hunt Happy!
Plug Martian
 
11 years old, make it KISS.....

Tesoro Compadre one tone..easy to use...and grab a Garrett pointer...almost important as the metal detector.
 
HullGuitars said:
PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Get a nice condition used GARRETT PRO POINTER for $100, and then get a Tesoro compadre. Don't waste your time with anything else. If you want a more computerized TID machine then the F2 can't be beat and comes with two coils!
Click to expand...

Perfect advice ^^^^ ;)
 
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