A Heck Of A Patriotic Deal

[JohnnyRox]

Teknetics Patriot on eBay - Brand new models direct from First Texas

[Chase Goldman]

Remind me again, the Tek Patriot is the clone of which 15-year-old Fisher detector design?  F70, right?

[Steve Herschbach]

1 hour ago, Chase Goldman said:

Remind me again, the Tek Patriot is the clone of which 15-year-old Fisher detector design?  F70, right?

Yes, that’s right Chase. The last discounted price for the Patriot was $399, so $229 really is a good deal. $399 is a bit of a joke with machines like the Xterra Pro now available. Question is, with FT blowing them out on eBay at less than dealer cost, is it the end of the Patriot?

 

[JohnnyRox]

I'm thinking the Patriot is being put out to pasture.  Hopefully FT is making room for something new.

BTW...they accept offers.  😉

[☠ Cipher]

I see the Liberator is marked down to $149 and the Minuteman is down to $99. Very good deals as well. I had the Liberator before it was remade, when it was the Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro. Back then it was a great deal at around $250. Deep and lightening fast. It also has individual TID notching. 

[phrunt]

It's getting pretty cheap for people to get into the hobby and get a reasonable detector, they don't need to scrape the bottom of the barrel anymore with detectors with no target IDs.

[Bill (S. CA)]

I agree, Phrunt. But I don't know that these older VLF's are really going to have much impact.  What we are finding here on the West Coast, both inland and at the beaches, is that affordable newer tech has taken over.  The Equinox, as you know, was the game changer.  It opened up high tech at at a relatively low price to anyone who wanted to get into the hobby.  That has resulted in our beaches being very overhunted. Where ten years ago you'd just see us regulars on a busy day, now there are teams of guys 24/7. all swinging multi's.  On Saturday my buddy Frank and his brother hit a local beach and found seven other hunters there.  Every one was swinging a Deus II.  In three hours Frank and his brother didn't have a dollar in clad between them.  Even the zincs we used to pass over had been scooped up.

Same thing inland though high trash I think frustrates the newcomers so you can still do well if you take your time.  Again, though, I just don't see cheap VLF's anywhere.  I really don't have a clue who is buying them because I sure don't see anyone using them.

[tvr]

On 6/24/2023 at 8:46 PM, phrunt said:

It's getting pretty cheap for people to get into the hobby and get a reasonable detector, they don't need to scrape the bottom of the barrel anymore with detectors with no target IDs.

When I think of the education I got from working to understand what a detector without target ID was telling me, all I can say is that it is kind of a shame that most people will not get that education. Kind of like not learning to drive a manual transmission or write and read cursive.

[tvr]

On 6/26/2023 at 11:55 AM, Bill (S. CA) said:

I really don't have a clue who is buying them

My guess is they are bought when a kid says they want a detector. They get used a couple times then sit in a closet forever.

[phrunt]

18 hours ago, tvr said:

When I think of the education I got from working to understand what a detector without target ID was telling me, all I can say is that it is kind of a shame that most people will not get that education. Kind of like not learning to drive a manual transmission or write and read cursive.

Probably true, Target ID's are certainly a shortcut to some success.   For the average beginner learning the usage and nuances of a no-ID detector would be enough to put many off the hobby although a lot of the entry level type no ID detectors just have a beep or door bell with no way to discern targets.