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Have You Paid For Your Detector?


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Most of us have had several detectors in our hunting careers.  Some have been good to us and we've paid for the detector many times over.  Other detectors have been so so.  I'm going to make a list of detectors that I own or owned and say which ones paid for themselves.  Some of this depends on just getting better or lucky at detecting and some depends on the detector itself.  I'm trying to give maximum credit to the detector.

GOLD DETECTORS

Minelab 5000                Yes

Minelab 2300                No

Minelab 7000                No

Gold Bug Pro                 No

 

BEACH AND RELIC DETECTORS

White's 6000 Di Pro      No

Minelab SE Pro             Yes

CTX 3030                      Yes

Minelab Equinox          Yes

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I have a lobo super traq and an equinox 800, neither paid for. It's not their fault.  I dont get out often enough, and when I do I often go to random remote places just because I like going there. If maximizing return was my priority I would do it differently,  or not at all. Since it's just to have fun I go wherever I wanna go and find whatever. Even the good stuff I've found like Henry's rifle casings, etc dont really have value except to me.

I've been trying to convince myself to go hunt the river now that the water is low and life has slowed down but it's pretty damn cold. My problem has always been I like the researching and planning more than the actual hunting.

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For me the value of detecting is more about the activity than the finds.  The hobby pays for itself in fun, solitude (de-stress), amazing scenery and sights, the exercise, and enjoying outings and discussing all things detecting with friends.  Most of my most prized finds have little to no intrinsic or collectable value.  Paying for the detector with finds is not something that is even remotely part of my detecting equation because that is more like work, which is the exact opposite of why I detect.

I don't begrudge folks who measure their success with with how many buckets they fill with gold, jewelry, coins, and relics.  But even if I were successful enough (and had the opportunity to spend all my spare time detecting) to consistently recover valuable finds, I still wouldn't be paying for my detectors because I have never sold a single find other than recycling some clad through coinstar, much to the consternation of my wife.

So, I guess with respect to the "have you paid for your detector?" metric, I'm a failure as a detectorist.  :mellow:

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I do own a fair few detectors and coils in my detecting arsenal,almost all of them are used for providing me with untold valuable enjoyment that i can put a price on,this is things like being out in the open fresh air,exercise and other untold priceless advantages.

But 2 machines that have stood out and certainly covered not only the costs of those single machines but also i guess a fair amount of my whole collection and those machines are my original green T2 from 2006/7 and also my 17 year old DFX,both these have found me more gold coinage including both hammered and milled gold coins than all the other put together.The T2 being the main one and the DFX close behind.

So yes some of my machines have and others have not,but my overall detecting enjoyment that all my machines have provided over the many years that i have been detecting is beyond what any form of monetary value can be placed upon them.Enjoyment has no monetary value and you cannot put a price on that.

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I've had a standard Fisher gold bug for close to 10 years I've used this for a bit of coin hunting but mostly gold detecting. Has paid for itself many times over. Have also had a minelab sovereign and excalibur 2 that have well and truly paid for themselves. I Bought a second hand minelab SD2200D couple of years ago, that's still in the process of being paid for. I think it comes down more to how much treasure there is to find in your area than what detector you use... Up to a point. 

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Yes.....

Tesoro Golden sabre II..... used for 22yrs as 1st detector (dug 7300+ coins within first 7 months then quit counting)

Minelab eTrac....  used for 4 seasons has paid for itself if I throw in the 4 gold rings also dug

Minelab Gold Monster also paid for itself 1 season (barely)….

Still working on paying for gas, extra do-dads, coils, camper trailer, etc. etc.....lol

  Enjoyment...PRICELESS!!!!!!

 

Forgot to mention the 2 that I didn't get paid for:

Tesoro Tejon.... I was upgrading from my 22yr old Golden Sabre II and the Tejon did give me the depth I wanted but in the course of digging only 65 coins with it I got tired of digging 8-10" for some junk due to lack of information?  After following many forums I noticed all the eTrac forums had all the good old coins posted much higher than all the other forums so I made the switch over to Minelab eTrac and then trash to treasure flip-flopped 180 degrees and the old coins really showed up!  Adios to the Tejon and Tesoro...

Minelab GPX5000....  Kinda knew I wouldn't care for it just because of the weight but tried one anyway.  Used it on a couple hunts for a total of approx. 12 hrs.  Hated the weight, hated wearing headphones, hated all the damned cords getting hung up in the brush, hated that harness, hated adjusting bungee going uphill or down, not much for discrimination.  Then digging 2 junk targets about 18-20" deep once I said to self..."I'll bet that took over an hour to dig 2 targets?" so I went back to PU to check time and right at 1 hr.  Sold the GPX imeadiately at $400 loss.  If I hunted ground that wasn't so steep, brushy, and loaded with blowdown(s) I'd have kept it.  I will say it sure did quiet down the hot rocks...I miss that!  jmo

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Ok, where is the 'value equation' or 'sweet spot' of detector/coil price and finds?  How much is a 'fair price' to pay for a detector and still enjoy it?

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2300- Yes

4500 and all associated coils- Yes

All other Coin and Relic machines - No.

I live in AZ where the nuggets are abundant but the valuable old coins and relics aren't (not like back East or California).

In terms of enjoyment all have "paid" for themselves many times over.

Happy New Year!

Dean

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