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"