Popular Post sisyfos Posted December 31, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted December 31, 2022 Hello everybody, my obligatory first post, Steve´s rule effectively activates long time lurkers like myself. In the midst of this influx of wonderful new detectors, a friendly reminder of the variables that affect success in metal detecting, in descending order (in my opinion): 1. Location (50%) 2. Invested time (20%) 3. Digging endurance (15%) 4. Detector (10%) 5. Luck (5%) Of course, this is nothing new to any of us. Why then all this fuss about new machines? Yes, this year I got Deus 2, but not because I believed in the ”superior” performance of the machine. The detector simply fits conveniently in a backpack and opens up new search locations in the city center areas when moving by bicycle. So, for me it’s most, if not all about location. Don´t get me wrong, I love testing and learning new detectors and collecting oldies. But after 28 vlf´s and 3 PI´s I don´t believe in ”miracle machines” any more. For me, fun factor is the most important feature in a new (or new to me) detector. After all, metal detecting is supposed to be fun, isn´t it? Happy hunting to all in 2023! 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 3 hours ago, sisyfos said: For me, fun factor is the most important feature in a new (or new to me) detector. After all, metal detecting is supposed to be fun, isn´t it? Hard to argue with that. Good luck in the New Year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeper Bob Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 I think most newer detectors are at their peak or close to peak depth. Most everything they add each year to a new model, to me are just bells and whistles. Having confidence in your detector and your skills are most important. I am sticking with my good old 5000 and the Evo coils until my shoulder goes bad. The lighter 6000 is great but my 5000 runs smooth and quiet. I like the multitude of adjustments I can do for depth and sensitivity for any ground conditions. So for now i am sticking with it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compass Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 I thought of a couple more but maybe they fall under other items on your list: Experience - coil control, target retrieval, reading a beach and so much more can really make a difference. Weather/Environmental conditions: As a beach hunter, primarily, this actually might be the most important variable to me. When the big surf is moving sand around, I start getting excited! Strategy - Choices become very important - which beach do I go to? When do I go?(high tide, low tide, night, day) What part of the beach do I hunt?(under the cut, low on the slope, in the water) Which detector do I use? (pulse, discriminating detector) Do I dig it all or do I go after specific targets? (high conductors, low conductors) If I'm finding some targets do I stay or go to another location in the hopes of doing better? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strick Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 2 hours ago, Compass said: I thought of a couple more but maybe they fall under other items on your list: When the big surf is moving sand around, I start getting excited! Strategy - Choices become very important - which beach do I go to? When do I go?(high tide, low tide, night, day) What part of the beach do I hunt?(under the cut, low on the slope, in the water) Which detector do I use? (pulse, discriminating detector) Do I dig it all or do I go after specific targets? (high conductors, low conductors) If I'm finding some targets do I stay or go to another location in the hopes of doing better? Compass this is great.... love it finally someone that thinks like me...lets go on a hunt together...I'll bring the Valium 😀 strick 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F350Platinum Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 Welcome to the forum! 👍 One more, although it might be related to "digging endurance"... Persistence. Some of the farms I hunt are huge, one in particular is about 200 acres. It pretty much looks all the same except... If you spend a lot of time cris-crossing and walking around, you will eventually (or not 😀) find a "hotspot" where a lot of activity occurred. Total bonanza that no amount of research would find. That and pure random searching, which has netted me some great stuff. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryC/Oregon Coast Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 I might bump up location to at least 75%. Seems for me, that is what produces the most. GaryC/Oregon Coast 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compass Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 3 hours ago, strick said: Compass this is great.... love it finally someone that thinks like me...lets go on a hunt together...I'll bring the Valium 😀 strick Thanks Strick, From what I'm hearing we might need it this week. One surf forecast I saw yesterday said possible 20 foot + surf in So. Cal Jan.6th! 😮 Even half that height with the good tide cycle those days should really shake things up. Fingers crossed! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlehead Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 2 hours ago, F350Platinum said: Persistence. +1. That or “invested time” definitely accounts for a large portion of my finds. Location is definitely a big factor and a little luck never hurts. Detector performance percentage may not be huge if comparing a modern detector to another modern detector, but if we compare something like a Deus 2 or Equinox to the detectors I was using back in the day (Whites 5900, XLT, etc), I’d probably bump that percentage up a bit as performance has come a long way since then! Heck, I remember several of us would call BS when folks claimed they dug a coin at 7” deep back then. Nowadays we dig them at 9”-10” regularly. Another one that I’d include is “understanding your machine”. That’s a big one IMHO. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyriteboy Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 I may use different words than some of you, but the ideas are the same: 1. Operator.................45% 2. Location.................30% 3. Detector.................15% 4. Luck........................5% 5. Valium.....................5% -Jerry 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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