richard t Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 Hello. I am very new to MD. I am looking at buying my first one and looking for any advice on what to get. I will be detecting on lakes, beaches and in the piney woods of texas. Ground is going to be a mixture of hard soil some soft and beach sand at times. It will be in creek beds,lake water and every once in a while the beach. I am not looking for the cheapest but not the most expensive either. My budget will be some where around $200.00 and $800.00. I have looked at the Garret AT pro. And the T2 SE. But if their is something different or better please share and let me know So what do you guys think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 Welcome to the forum! 47 minutes ago, richard t said: It will be in creek beds,lake water and every once in a while the beach If you spend much time in and around water, then waterproof is a plus. And that makes the AT Pro a good place to start. Great all around detector. Do be aware of the new AT Max due out in August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard t Posted June 25, 2017 Author Share Posted June 25, 2017 Is their any other machine that you would recommend. I have seen some bad comments on the AT PRO since I made this post. What about the sea hunter or even a different brand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 You can find good and bad commentary on any detector. Don't pay too much attention to it. Since you are new stick with a very well known name brand with good accessory availability. The popular brands all make very good detectors and with few exceptions there are no real turkeys. The bang for the buck is now $500 - $600 and if you go with a popular brand name unit in that price range you will get a good detector with good warranty support. Go with a feature list that fits your intended use. Again, I was keying in on waterproof, so AT Pro makes sense. It is only one of the most popular detectors ever made. A lot of people own them. That being the case, more people also complain. Even though the percentage is small, the sheer number of AT owners means stuff will happen. Whatever, Garrett makes good machines and if you have a problem, good warranty support. Similar but more expensive model the White's MX Sport is worth a peek. If you decide you actually don't need waterproof then there are many good choices. Too many really. Here is a way to weed out a lot of odd brands and models - stick with models that have lots of online forum activity. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 I would ask the question about what part of Texas are you in? It may sound like you are in East Texas which from my understanding would have more potential relics to find. Some of the relics up that way could be Civil War, right? I guess you could have some battle field relics in the south also and not just modern coins. These 'uses' would be different than just coin and jewelry hunting on some of the gulf beaches. Mitchel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard t Posted June 26, 2017 Author Share Posted June 26, 2017 I am in southeast Texas. Between Houston and lake Charles. Mostly hunting up around hemphill, texas. Land that has never been cut or disturbed. National Forest land and Type 2 land. But will also be on the beaches of Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn. But may also go to the Sabine river, neches river and the gulf of Mexico. So I am looking for the most versitile MD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1515Art Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 Richard, if you really want to keep your cost down some very good deals can be found in the classifieds on this form, as well as most of the other major detector online forms. If you use just a little due diligence and purchase from members with good positive history, I think you are very safe (Steve keeps a tight ship). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard t Posted June 26, 2017 Author Share Posted June 26, 2017 Thank you for the advice. You have read my posts and the area's I will be looking. What do you recommend. I am leaning towards the Garret AT pro but also like the seahunter 2. I have know idea as I am new to this. I am looking at getting the bundle pack that comes with everything or am I better off buying separate. I do I want a machine that can swap coils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 Richard, Do you know anyone who is searching these areas already? Do you have a local metal detecting shop where you can ask them what people find in your area? What are they finding? What is of value? What is the predominant junk you want to avoid? I search in two primary areas of Southern California. I search on the beach and I need discrimination. It also needs to be usable in salt water. The other area I search is the desert for gold nuggets. (This requires a different type of machine.) Mitchel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard t Posted June 26, 2017 Author Share Posted June 26, 2017 No. I have not talked to any one. That is why I joined this forum is to speak to people with knowledge and experienced. I figured you guys would know better considering a sells man is just looking to sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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