What does more money get me?

TL;DR: A more accurate form of discrimination.

You're a professional OP, so you know one of the biggest differences between you and an amateur is not just skill, but speed. You can get the perfect shot on the first try while a rookie would need a few extra minutes fiddling with settings. Sometimes, the extra time doesn't matter, but for perfect shots, like at a wedding? You get one moment, then it's gone.

With metal detecting, it's about being able to get a better idea of what's in the ground without digging. Discrimination is needed because w/o it, you'll spend more time digging trash than doing anything else.

Most people don't have an unlimited amount of time to hunt. So the less time they dig (without giving up on a good target) the more opportunities they will have to find a good target.

Think about it, imagine you have 1 hour to hunt a large field. With a cheaper detector, you'll have more trouble figuring out if something is worth digging or not. But if you have a machine that discriminates better and allows you to avoid one 3 minute dig every 10 minutes, you just gave yourself an extra 18 minutes to hunt.

Of course, there are other benefits to paying more, like warranty, water/weatherproofness, build quality, backlight, adjustable settings, etc. And don't forget the importance of the skill of the operator.

I'm sure you are fully aware that I could give you a Nikon D40 with a kit lens while you hand me your D850 and a "nifty fifty" and you'd probably take better pictures than me, all else being equal. (I understand you might be Sony or Canon shooter, but you get the idea...)

Ancient detectors any good for nuggets?

longbow62 said:

I am more and more coming to believe based on the Equinox line that detectors approaching a $3000 price tag are a thing of the past.

Click to expand...

I guess that didn't age well. (SDC2300, GPX5000, GPZ7000, et al)

The bleeding-edge technology and the fact gold prices have risen means they must be able to sell these machines to someone.

I was hoping I could use the machines I have to find some pacer nuggets here in Nevada. Compass Yukon Coin Hustler 1, Garrett VLF/TR Deep Seeker (the newest one have I think) and a White's Coinmaster - Which was my Grandfathers, he was a White's dealer and had a large collection of things we had found before he passed in '72. Would any of these machines find any of the tiny "nuggets" (5 to 10 grain I guess) that are left around here or should I save for a GB Pro, GB II or ML GM 1000? Sorry if this is in the wrong area - New member 1st post.

Sorry don't know a thing about gold machines. My comment you quoted had to do coin/relic detectors. My comment was based on the recovery speed and general ergonomics of the Etrac and CTX.

twk: said:

I was hoping I could use the machines I have to find some pacer nuggets here in Nevada. Compass Yukon Coin Hustler 1, Garrett VLF/TR Deep Seeker (the newest one have I think) and a White's Coinmaster - Which was my Grandfathers, he was a White's dealer and had a large collection of things we had found before he passed in '72.

Click to expand...

First, welcome to the forum, and Second, are you just getting into this great sport?

If so, do you have any other interests than Electronic Prospecting? That was the popular term back when the Garrett VLF/TR-Disc. Deepseeker was offered and today we simply call it Gold Nugget Hunting. If you have used any of those older era models for other applications, I am sure we'd be interested to know what you want to do in order to better help you is detector selection.

Back in '72, when your grandfather passed away, he might have owned and used an early White's Coinmaster which might likely have been a conventional TR model. I can't remember when the Yukon Coin Hustler was introduced. It might have been by late '71 or in '72, but could have been a year or two later. They are also a simple TR design.

The Garrett VLF/TR-Disc. Deepseeker would not have been made until about five years after your grandfather passed away in '72. So, since you have a couple of models that dated after his passing, I would guess that you might have acquired them at some point but just never really got into this great sport with a lot of enthusiasm.

I've been having a lot of fun since I got my first start in early '65, and while I have done some Nugget Hunting and currently have a few models in my Detector Outfit I could grab for such a task, the bulk of my detecting time was spend Coin & Jewelry Hunting urban locations, then from mid-'83 through the last couple of years I concentrated on Relic Hunting old and out-of-the-way locations. Due to age and health limitations I've had to cut back on that adventure and shift back into typical Coin & Jewelry Hunting.

It would be good to know what you have done or want to do for readers to help.

twk: said:

Would any of these machines find any of the tiny "nuggets" (5 to 10 grain I guess) that are left around here or should I save for a GB Pro, GB II or ML GM 1000? Sorry if this is in the wrong area - New member 1st post.

Click to expand...

The simple answer is 'No,' you current detector group are not some of the better choices for finding smaller-size placer gold nuggets..

If you are only going to be nugget hunting then you might consider a Fisher Gold Bug Pro, or personally I'd pick their F19. Same frequency and uses the same search coils, but they did enhance the performance over their Gold Bug that is is basically a replacement or. The same circuitry and coil choices are in the Teknetics G2+ or Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro. All three of these models can be had these days at vey affordable prices, too. Thy operate at 19 kHz.

Personally I would pass on the Gold Bug II and Gold Monster 1K, especially if you also want to use a detector for other applications, such as Coin & Jewelry Hunting, Relic Hunting r Beach Hunting. The F19 does have Discrimination, as well as the All Metal mode for serious prospecting tasks.

In my current detector group I have several detectors that operate at or offer a better frequency choice for low-conductive gold nuggets, such as my Nokta FORS Relic at 19 kHz and based on their FORS Gold Plus, or even my Garrett Apex with selectable frequencies. With better coil choices and proven afield in gold mining sites, my Relic would be my #1 pick today. I do have some other models that are workable at a good frequency, such as my 15 kHz FORS CoRe, 13 kHz Teknetics T2+, and in some comparisons I've also been impressed with my 12 kHz Nokta / Makro Simplex +. My other models operate at 6.59 kHz, 7.8 kHz or 10 kHz. Good for many tasks but not the best for gold nuggets.

Other than something like the F19 'group', if I was specifically gold nugget hunting I would consider some other models I have had that worked great, such as the Makro Gold Racer at 56 kHz, or if you wanted some frequency options there are affordable models like the Nokta / Makro Impact, Multi-Kruzer and Anfibio Multi (I prefer the Impact and Anfibio) or even the XP ORX. Just remember, too, that it isn't only the detector selection but also using the better search coils for the application, then learning and mastering the detector, the most efficient search techniques, and we can't forget about finding the right location.

Monte

longbow62: said:

Sorry don't know a thing about gold machines. My comment you quoted had to do coin/relic detectors. My comment was based on the recovery speed and general ergonomics of the Etrac and CTX.

Click to expand...

Recovery Sped and Ergonomics are two very important, and often over-looked considerations.

Onre thing I have made it a point to do through the years, especially in more recent aging and falling-apart stages, is be more attentive of the weight-and-balance and configuration of all my detectors. That includes search coil selection, their weight and making sure I don't have a nose-heavy detector.

Monte