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Hi, I've just joined the forum and looking for some advice from the experts! I want to take up an old hobby again but I'm not sure where to start.. what detector to buy.. do I need a pin pointer etc. All advice would be very welcome! I live in South West France , so rules here are quite strict on where you can detect. I have researched the local coastal beaches and lakes, which are legal so I would like to buy a waterproof detector that's good in salt water and fresh, but I am also surrounded by vineyards, so looking for a good all rounder. I did have a budget of around €300- €400 but after reading a lot of posts I realise I need to spend a little more to get something decent on a hobby/intermediate scale...so looking around €500 max With my search so far I've come up with 2 possibilities, Garrett AT Pro and a Minelab Vanquish 540 but there are so many options out there I've got a bit lost..! I would love to hear from anyone with any advice or recommendations for what would suit my needs best.. Thanking in advance

I live in AZ, we have a lot of Hot Rocks and tiny gold. I've been thinking of getting a Gold Detector. I have narrowed it down to 3. Gold Bug 2, Gold Monster 1000, and the XP Deus 2. I'm a beginner, but would like to advance with the detector I choose. $1500 is the most I can go, even though a PI detector would be excellent. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

Just had my first so he's an infant but I want to get him a detector when he can walk. I know the go find and mini hord. But I'm looking for a specific gold vlf for a kid. there may not be one on the market mabye I will just pick him up a monster but that's pretty heavy for a kid. Any thoughts I only nugget shoot.

I have to give Garrett 10 stars on a scale of 1 thru 5 because 5 stars is simply not enough. I sent my Axiom in to have them give it a look because I have had some issues with the audio cutting out mostly. The last time I had it out was in a location plagued with really bad EMI not to far from a military base, it wasn’t a problem in the morning but by afternoon it got a little noisy and hard to use. I’d sent Garrett a detailed explanation of what I was experiencing and they went to work. Testing it over and over my Axiom seemed to function as it should have but they didn’t simply stop there, to be sure they replaced the circuit board and most of the internal electronics and added the latest firmware update and continued testing until they were certain it was as good as it could be, this is to me the best solution as I much prefer one carefully examined over a new replacement, I have complete confidence it’s perfect after all the tests and work they did, a new detector is probably just as good but we all know no matter who the manufacturer an occasional subpar unit shows up from time to time, even then we’ve all at some point wondered if our unit was working at peak performance… how can you know. Well great customer service is the best answer to that question and without doubt Garrett is the answer they have the customer in mind and stand behind their product. If anyone is local enough to me and was considering the Axiom let me know and we can meet up and you can try mine out, I have in addition to the 11” mono and 13” DD coil an 11” DD coil too so you can get a pretty good idea of what will work best for your detecting style… you can also try my 6000 and the 5x10 gold hawk if you like, I don’t have the new nugget finder coil yet but I’ll have one when inventory catches up with demand.

My first impression was that this is a completely different detector from the previous 705 model and much more similar to the Equinox 700 pod configuration but without Multi-IQ. I have used the older X-Terra 705 with the 18.75Khz. Gold Pack coil and was curious to see how the new X-Terra Pro would perform on some smaller nuggets. I also liked that this detector had a manual ground balance and the Equinox 700/900 VDI numbers. So, the Equinox 6" coil was used for this testing using the 15Khz. Park 2 mode on both the X-Terra Pro and the Equinox using nugget sizes of .03 and .05 Gram. The X-Terra Pro and the Equinox could easily hit on both nuggets. As suspected the X-Terra Pro did have a decrease in target sensitivity when compared to the Equinox when I tried it in the Park 2 multi-frequency mode. Ground handling capabilities on both detectors were as usual for a VLF, no new breakthrough in this regard. I'll will have to admit I was surprised that this detector at it's price range could be used also for prospecting. I would like to hear any feedback if anyone else has used the X-Terra Pro for nugget hunting with any success. If this detector had a small coil and a selectable 18, 45, and 71Khz. frequency option I would call it a Goldmonster 2000. Yes, it would also be a waterproof fully submersible GM2000.

Kindly identify this mineral,

Thought this was a great demonstration video of these four detectors.

Ok, I admit, this has been the worst week in years, thanks also to the fact that I am now limited by law to hunt in very few spots on my coast among the thousands available before. But preparing the Deus 2 in a scuba configuration for tomorrow morning, I'm really feeling like I've got it all wrong. Wrong coil due to the only 11 "available, no need of the ws6 headphones and last but not least, this horror shaft lenght! So the almost funny question is: how did You manage to dive with it? Shorter lower stem's lenght doesn't allow to hunt without upper shaft falsing noise. If I extend in the correct position the upper shaft part, there's no way to reach the coil area with the arm and to dig properly, not to mention the bonephones connector's cable contact with the shaft. The last forced option is to collapse it and have to literally face the remote among the forearm and the elbow. Can I be more pissed than usual?....Of Course...Apparently.

Well as we're getting flooded by video's of Deus Deux VS "All contenders" and to chase away the overindulgence of Christmas. I sold the Equinox and the CTX. What have I done??? Anyways, a few batteries less to keep charged and the much needed space in my brain feels liberating. When Two-sy arrives I get to put all my efforts in understanding this new kid. And it keeps me from thinking "The XXXX could have found this also,... The XXXX would have sounded different,... etc etc. Tommorow I get to break out the old X-terra 705 with the elliptical for a relic hunt. Single frequency rules guys !!!!

Hello, I would like to jump back into metal detecting hobby, however as technology made a huge jump I have many doubts regarding new equipment available. The more I read the more I cannot choose and decide what's best bang for buck and best for my purpose and terrain. Could you please help? I will try to describe all necessary information below. Around 12-13 years ago I bought my first detector which was Minelab Musketeer Advantage Pro. It was recommended to me by a person who had Minelab Sovereign and I have to tell I was pretty happy with it as it was kept simple - adjustable power and discrimination were basically the only settings used daily. There were no number indicators like my friend had in Sovereign, just the sound of what's under the coil (or might be). I also loved the way that I had battery back that lasted me 2 full days of detecting (2x8/10h) and even if they would run out of power I still had backup case for 8xAA batteries that I could switch in less than 30 seconds. Musketeer also was pretty heavy and reliable, I cannot count how many times I dropper it or it hit a tree trunk heavily and nothing ever happened or broke. I do not know how deep in searching it was, but I have never been really checking that and comparing to others. These are my memories with it. As I would like to jump back into this, I have read many thread on multiple forums, watched countless videos with comparisons etc. and I am really stuck with what to choose now. What did I check so far (among others): 1) Minelab Equinox 800 - seemed complicated, but after some reading and videos I understand how most of things work. Packed with tons of options which I worry I will not know how to use in reality. Sound seems strange and not like in Musketeer or Sovereign. People write good reviews, however some field tests I have seen show that it does not detect that good and deep as others, especially on ancient/medieval coins or artifacts and some military stuff (eg. belt buckle). What I really dislike is battery that lasts around 10h and in field or 2-3 day trip there is no way of changing it as in my old Musketeer (why?!). I have read that it is also very vulnerable to hits and needs reinforcement. It is supposed to be able to work in water, I thought about some shallow rivers here, but again I read that is has many leaks and issues with that. Equinox 800 seemed at first as obvious choice after using a Minelab previously, but field tests for European stuff disappoint a little? I am really unsure, maybe I just got into this race for best machine and people fighting over 0,5cm of depth? Point that for me if you think that's an issue. 2) Rutus Alter 71 - local, Polish manufacturer. Works in a strange way that I cannot compare or simply describe here, maybe some of you are familiar with this stuff? Many people in Poland have them and say that it is at least as good as Equinox 800, furthermore, tests I watched shows that it can be better in some ways and just little worse in different. Unfortunately this detector is discontinued since this October. It does not have multifrequency, but can be adjusted manually from 4 to 18 kHz by 0,2kHz (madness?). 90 levels of sensitivity, 120 discrimation levels, feels too much and a lot of clicking... I just want to search and dig, not play with it whole day. 😞 The good stuff? It has AA batteries, easily replaceable in field and lasting little longer than Equinox 800. I just don't know about it, of course it's cheaper than Equinox 800, but not sure if I can handle it... 3) ORX and DEUS - I never had any experience with such models and brands, but I read that they are considered as top detectors. I am unsure about their reliability and how easy it is to use them? DEUS is supposed to be for experiences operators only, but after knowing how to set it up and outperforms other detectors (many people claim it this way). I also read that DEUS 2 is supposed to be released, but in such scenario I can always be waiting for next stuff that will be released to stay on top of equipment. Now, I am mostly interesting in coins/buttons/buckles from belts and other artifacts. In general I guess like universal detector, not like smallest stuff only as you can always encounter here something that is bigger and not necessary shallow in the ground (eg. sabre or bayonet). Terrain that we have in Poland is really different, the region I live close by has a lot of limestone rocks (I guess that's English name for it - check pictures), rocky soils mixed with sand mostly. We also have heavily mineralized and iron black soils. Forest is well, forest. 🙂 I think I can say I will be using this detector more or less like this: - 30% fields unused for 10-20-50-100 years (very bushy) - 30% used fields - 30% forests - 10% for little wet ground, kinda swampish in forests, maybe riverside or very rocky/difficult terrain To sum up, I would love something that will last me good couple of years, be as simple in use as possible with all that modern stuff and settings, reliable/strongly made (bushy areas or rocks) and will allow me to work for as long as possible. I also want, like everybody 🙂, best performance in finding stuff (good depth coverage and identification of nice stuff). Sounds like a dream detector, but why a man cannot dream? I am having a difficult time deciding, I hope that your insight or opinion will help me as I think I suffer from overthinking and I am kind off overwhelmed by modern technology in detecting and all that can go wrong with me not setting equipment right and losing interesting stuff in the ground. Polish terrain conditions are also not easiest with all trash in the ground (iron/aluminum) and the soil itself. If I could give you any more details that would be necessary for you to advise me on detectors, just let me know. Thank you all for your time in helping me out!

Hello, and apologies in advance for being a complete noob. My goal is to find interesting antiques on some land that I've inherited in New Zealand. I'm sure you all have insightful opinions on which detector to purchase, however I need to purchase with cryptocurrency and newegg.com is the only site I've found where I can pay with crypto, and also have it delivered to NZ. Please compare and contrast: Garrett AT max Minelab Equinox 800 Teknetics T2 / or omega 8500 Fisher F19 TX-850 Gratefully accepting opinions on which to buy, or alternatively another place to buy a metal detector with crypto in NZ

Hello everyone!! I am new to this forum. I have been doing soem serious research. I live in Fl. I will be searching mostly beach, homesites, and parks. Jewelry and coins. I really am NOT concerned with prospecting or relics.I have narrowed down to three detectors (see below). I am not wanting to pay $$$ for features I will not use. Is the multi IQ (minelab) really worth it/necessary for what I want, or would I be okay with a single frequency? TIA for any input Fisher F75 Vanquish 540 equinox 600

Hello detector prospectors, last May, a group of gold prospecting friends and me tested and compared our gold detectors at a creek in Switzerland. We are experienced gold prospectors, but no detector experts. We use our detectors to check our spots, where we hand-sluiced etc. i.e. we check the freshly opened bedrock or clay layers. So we don't need to optimize our detector settings for absolute maximum depth etc. We rather switch them on briefly to check after a long hand-sluicing day or so, when we are tired and have no "fresh brain" to really optimize settings etc. But it works very well to find hidden pickers in bedrock crevices or clay. So as we are no detector experts, you may cut us some slack for our rookie mistakes. But we tested honestly and simply show, what we did. The creek gravels in Switzerland have low mineralization, so the results may be different to USA or Australia gravels. I was personally surprised and impressed by the old Tesoro Lobo Super Traq and the Whites Goldmaster GMT. Funny: when I planned to do this post, I had in my mind to maybe buy a "new old" Whites Goldmaster GMT, because my old broke. I guess I would prefer it to the Goldmonster, after this tests... But unfortunately, White's Electronics closed. Than I read the post about the new Garret Goldmaster 24k, which is great news for me... But anyway, here is the video. I hope you don't kick me out because of our rookie mistakes 😄. Enjoy:

Hi Everyone, I get on a plane in a few hours, and as a parting gift I've updated my Nugget Detector Review with my thoughts on the new GPX 6000, plus the upcoming Garrett Goldmaster 24K. Thank you all for the well wishes, and when I get back, I look forward to seeing how the GPX 6000 saga played out in my absence. Good luck to everyone trying to put a few nuggets in the poke! And one more thanks to Chase Goldman (Hugh) for keeping an eye on the spammers while I am gone. Steve Herschbach

This was our first test with her out in the Mojave Desert, and all I can say it is very easy to walk about detecting with this one. Firstly, there was no stooping over with a scoop to pick up bad targets with this detector, they were all the real thing! And GeoSense works amazingly well, love being able to go with her automatically and easily keeping up with wherever I detected, it was a breeze. I've detected with others that were unwieldly and hard to control in the desert, but I can say this one is really something special. We walked for a couple miles on the edge of a dry lake looking for meteorites and she really showed her stuff. She almost seemed to know her way over the salty ground, and picked up anything I threw at her. She easily found nuggets of every size left behind by many others, and was very quiet and hardly made any noise anywhere I went, even in the most briny parts of the ground covered with white salt, underneath the buzzing high tension power lines that cross parts of the dry lake, and even going over hot rocks did not seem to bother her much. She's quite a detector and we are finally really lucky to have one like this! All I can say is wow, everyone should have one like this for detecting! June is a great detector dog, we rescued her from the pound, and one day I hope to find a GPX 6000 too. Happy April 1st!