How To Get Started?

[Kutabon]

My wife and I have never used a metal detector but have both wanted to search for little treasures since we were kids.  Even if it doesn't turn into a passion, I would like to start with quality entry level equipment to ensure we have the best experience possible.  Any advice on equipment, how to get educated, where to do it and any other important considerations would be greatly appreciated.

[Jeff McClendon]

Hi,

welcome to the forum.

phrunt gave you some good advice.

Are you folks young or older and is the weight of the detector possibly and issue. Some detectors work great but are not exactly fun to swing for long periods of time because they are heavy or not balanced well. 3 lbs or less and adjustability are important to some people.

Since I live in an area of the country that has really difficult soil for detecting I'm also asking: where do you live (state or province) and what is your soil like (if you know)?

If you want to detect for coins and jewelry in parks and public land from the surface down to about 5" just about any properly working detector will do just fine.  If you want to go deeper for older coins and relics, detect on dry and wet salt beaches, detect in or under water, detect for gold nuggets, or you live in an area with really tough soil mineralization conditions, you will have a more exclusive and often more expensive group of detectors that can do those tasks.

So, think about those questions and get back to us when you can.

Jeff

[Johnnysalami1957]

What I did was to get the most expensive machine that I could, got disappointed, and continued to dig. I have found lots of treasures, some had value many didn't. I guess you can say that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Now that I'm a lot older it's just the act of hunting that satisfies the need. Buy one machine first and both try it while the other retrieves. See if you really like it and go from there. Equinox 600 is a good place to start. It has a good price point for what you get and  is easy to use, light weight and waterproof. Have fun and stick with it. If you get disappointed put it down for awhile and try again later. I've been doing it for 45 years on and off and I still love to go out with my wife and dig and discuss life. And how much she spends on Amazon.  She has her own machine now so we can be together and go on our our adventures at the same time. It's fun!

[Kutabon]

Thank you Phrunt, Jeff and Johnnysalami for your replies and excellent counsel.  My wife and I are in our 50's and in good shape but 3 lbs sounds like a very workable weight for an extended period.  I like the idea of switching between searching and retrieving because the bigger purpose is to find something we both enjoy doing together versus more separate, on our own, individual activities.  We will check out the Equinox 600 and appreciate learning about any other models worth a look.  I especially like the idea of buying a gently used detector - any suggestions on the type of stores to check out in addition to pawn shops?  We are located in San Antonio, Texas and likely not going to be on the beach a significant amount.  My wife brought up the idea of a metal detector after a rain and wondering what artifacts wash down the creek by our house.  Have you all found creek beds to be good places to search?  Any other ideas on where to look if only anticipating digging 5-8 inches down"

[oldmancoyote1]

As far as splitting up finding and recovery goes, consider construction flags to mark the location of your finds (stiff wire with a small plastic flag) so you can continue on searching.  They are about $10/100.  I get mine at the local big box home center.

[Steve Herschbach]

I used to be a metal detector salesperson. If I still was, here is the discussion we would have.

1. What precisely do you want to find with the detector? Coin detecting in a park calls for a different detector than looking for small gold nuggets in a desert. For most uses a beginner should start with a general purpose detector good for most uses, but if you have a specific need, like ability to work in the surf at a beach, that is important and can narrow the decision considerably.

2. What's your budget? Some people have one, some don't. Spending more does not necessarily end with a better result. Detectors now are sort of like computers in that the capability available often exceeds what people really need.

For the longest time the sweet spot for general purpose power was about $700 but recent advances in technology and lowering prices means you can now get some superb detectors for closer to $500. An excellent place to review prices is at my new Metal Detector Database, which offers basic specs that can be sorted on along with reviews of detectors.

Lacking any more specific information I am just going to toss out a few random models I think offer some real value at today's prices. I look for detectors that offer the ability to ground balance or adjust to soil conditions as a starting point...

$256 Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro - Solid beginners coin, jewelry, and relic detector, dry land and wading.

$259 Minelab X-Terra 305 - Solid beginners coin, jewelry, and relic detector, dry land and wading.

$309 Fisher F44 - Adds robust weatherproofing to the above.

$399 Teknetics Patriot - Same machine as $499 Fisher F70 - killer deal.

$499 Minelab X-Terra 705 - There are no other detectors packing this many features at $499, including one of the better VLF gold prospecting circuits. This machine has so many features in fact that going higher in price will add few if any and in some cases you will go backwards! Not all manufacturers have adjusted to the new lower price levels.

Frankly, above $500 you are getting into specialty and high performance detectors these days. This is the realm where you do really need to know what you want to do exactly because as you go above $500 increases in depth are pretty hair splitting and the sources of endless internet arguments. As you already know going to $649 and the Equinox 600 gets you fully submersible with built in wireless headphone capability and more.

Just starting out I personally have a hard time recommending spending the big bucks. Some people say just dive in all the way. The idea is starting with anything less than the best might not get good results, and be self defeating.

I say I was successfully metal detecting with detectors far less powerful than even the Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro above, and not all that long ago really. The technology really is mature, with excellent performance under $1000. And I know one dirty little secret. Metal detecting actually bores most people to death, and most will drop the hobby after just a few outings. I therefore prefer people get a decent detector first but not go overboard. Stick with popular models that might be easy to sell again used if this does not all work out. Stick your toe in the water and see if detecting is appealing to you before going crazy. The real success lies in good locations and hours anyway so just go have fun! 

As far as where to detect? Anywhere people have ever been, and the more active, the better. There are almost no limits to detecting opportunities if you have an open mind and are persistent.

Check out my Steve's Guides area where I have a few articles on metal detecting basics like buying headphones plus the website Reference Library for some free metal detecting books.

Finally, always leave no sign you were there. Use proper recovery techniques and take the trash to a trash can.

[Jeff McClendon]

Hi Kutabon,

that was a excellent reply. You live in an area where there are lots of good places to detect and you don't need a top of the line detector to be successful there either. I think San Antonio lets you detect in public parks and school grounds but I believe you need a permit which is no big deal considering how nice San Antonio is and all of its historic relic possibilities. You also have a metal detecting club there too. Metal Detecting Stuff is a good place to check out detectors, just outside of Houston in Woodlands I think. They carry all of the current Fisher detectors (factory is in El Paso, FTP, First Texas Products, another great place to visit if you are going there) and the Garrett detectors (another Texas product) along with the Minelab Equinox line and Whites too. They also sell used detectors at great prices. Check out their website.

Steve mentioned the Fisher F44 and the Minelab X-Terras.

I bad mouthed the F44 a bit in an earlier topic and after trying one out again and eventually buying it, I need to eat some of my words. It is a very good detector for the price and is able to punch pretty deep here in bad dirt central Colorado. I still don't like the buttons but it is light-weight, well made and accurate to 5" so far. My grown daughter and my Navy son used it when they visited recently and really liked it and had no trouble being successful with it after about 10 minutes of getting acquainted. The F44 and F22 really do have weatherproof control boxes and have water proof coils so you can submerge the coil and you can use the whole detector in a light rain if you get caught in one. I just carry a zip-loc bag or two to cover the control box. The one I tried out earlier last year either was not working correctly or I was just not interested in it really. FTP 5 year warranty if you buy new.

The Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro and its clone the Teknetics Liberator are excellent detectors if you don't have too much EMI in your area and the pinpoint button issue has been solved. The Teknetics Patriot/Fisher F70 are proven mid level detectors that would work well in your area. If you get one of these again buy it new, FTP 5 year warranty.

The X-Terra 305,505 and 705 are another excellent series of detectors. The 705 can keep most beginner and intermediate detector users busy for many years because it has so many nice features. There are some great deals on used ones out there because of the popularity of the Equinox!

good luck,

Jeff

[Mike Hillis]

Remember the ALAMO!!!    Sorry, had to say it before it gets labeled hate speech.

My big dividing line was "tone id" or "single tone". 

• tone id = different tones used to signal different target conductivity levels.   Typical tone id is low tone for iron, med tone for low & middle conductors and high tone for high conductive coins.  This would equal: iron is a low tone, foil/nickels/tabs/zinc is a middle tone, copper cents, dimes quarters, half and dollar coins are high tone.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    .
• single tone is one tone for everything.    Everything doesn't necessarily sound the same but there is no distinct tone changes based upon conductivity.

Some people prefer the single tone units, others prefer the multi tone units.   I personally discovered that I dislike the single tone units and did much better with tone id and that, of course, changed what detectors I looked at.   You and your wife are going to have to do the same discovery.

Do an ebay search for metal detectors, sort by price, see what catches your eye, then read the operating manuals and field tests and then come back here and get our opinions on what caught your eye.

My nickel.

HH
Mike

[GB_Amateur]

Lot of good advice so far.  I'm going to emphasize 'lightweight'.  Given the many detectors available under 3 lb, you need a very good reason to go heavier.  You talked about searching your creek.  You can really feel a difference in weight when you are searching the walls of a creek or on a terrace in a park or school, for example.  When detecting you need to concentrate on what you are hearing and seeing.  If your back is nagging you because you've been swinging a heavy detector for the past couple+ hours your concentration will wane, you will start getting too picky on what you want to dig, etc.

Don't forget to budget for some tools and accessories -- 1) a handheld pinpointer ($120-$150), 2) a hand digger (Lesche is the gold standard:  $35-$50), 3) a pouch for both treasure and trash (nail apron works well enough -- that's what I use), and 4) a decent set of headphones.

The headphones are possibly the most difficult choice because if they don't fit well it doesn't matter how great they block out the ambient noise.  There are OK headphones out there $30 all the way up to $150.  Over-ear are more comfortable than on-ear, in my experience.  It's best to go to a brick and mortar dealer so you can try them on and make sure they are comfortable.  Get ones made for metal detecting, not for music listening.  Earbuds are more comfortable in hot weather but make sure the cable/wire is long enough.

I like buying used equipment, but I warn against buying used headphones and used pinpointers.  Both of these can wear out or develop problems and usually you won't notice that until you've already bought them.  Here is where a warranty (that comes with a new device) makes buying new worth it over 'saving' by going with used items. 

IMO, a used Lesche is even better than a new one because they arene't quite as sharp (I've cut myself on a new one) and they are less likely to damage the item you are digging.  They still work fine trying to loosen hardpack.  If you do get a new one, it will dull with time (actually after ~20 hours you'll notice a significant difference).

Make sure when you hunt public property (schools and parks, for example) that digging is allowed.  (Two things there - look around for and read the posted signs and check the website of the place you plan to hunt.  Beware of calling and asking someone if a public place.  Too many people don't know the answer but will say 'no' just to cover their tracks.)  If you can't find anything that says 'no metal detecting' or 'no digging' then assume it's ok.  That's for public municipal properties.  Never hunt a private property without getting permission.  Typically state and (for sure) national parks do not allow any detecting or digging.  Sometimes state forrests do and sometimes not.  Check the websites or ask your local detectorists about these.  National Forests and BLM lands are ok to hunt, but don't remove old relics.  If you find some, leave them where you found them.  Old coins -- you should be fine.

[Desert Dawg]

Maybe a pair of M6 Whites machines would be what you need in that area. Worth investigating anyway. I have a friend here does well with a M6 Whites machine. Unless you got saltwater beaches to detect then you would probably want the Minelab equinox 600's.