Best metal detector for kids?

[Goldpick]

Just to be clear, is she going to be gold detecting or looking for coins or both, and what budget are we looking at? The lightest gold PI I know of is the little Whites SPP at around 1.6kg with stock 12" coil, or if using a VLF with gold and coin abilities, the Minelab x-terra 705 is only 1.3kg , or alternatively the Teknetics G2 only weight 1.89kg, and is a extremely simple detector to setup and use.

 

[LuckyPhil]

Will be looking for gold. Would prefer PI, as it is the latest technology.

 

[nesral]

I've seen an ATX being used chest mounted.

 

[Nugget]

Will be looking for gold. Would prefer PI, as it is the latest technology.

Then a Whites SPP or TDI might be the go, couple it with an 8" coil and she should be good.

 

[clegy]

Hi mate, Just throw my 2 cents in as I Had a conversation on the phone with someone in a similar boat to you over the weekend and he was looking at Deus because of weight mostly.

But after a good chat and throwing a few ideas around, we both decided that maybe the gold Bug is a good way to go for Kids that want to find gold pretty much exclusively.

It seems to do the job on the fine stuff and for kids that what's good, as they don't want to be digging targets at 2 feet very often.
They could follow you and clean up the tiny bits the big gun misses looking for deep targets.

At around $1200-$1400 depending on model and kit, pretty good value. The odd one pops up second hand as well.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[LuckyPhil]

Thanks guys,

Gives me some ideas. I think gold bug or SSP might be the go.

 

[PhaseTech]

If you want to stick to PI a gpx with small 6" coil is very light and balanced

 

[Goldpick]

What do you reckon, might be good for the little tackers, just don't expect predecimals.

 

[rocketaroo]

I like the emoticons, next Deus update maybe!

 

[Goldpick]

Think I'd set the discrimination to happy face, would hate to be seeing unhappy faces all day. Could imagine some kid bawling his eyes out due to digging canslaw all day on the happy face, best suited to the tot lots. :lol:

 

[PhaseTech]

Hmmm, I can see a happy face lighting up only for the poor kid to dig up a squashed can 8.(

Where's the armrest!

 

[Tim_2260]

My young fella keeps saying he wants a detector, he know says he will get one from Santa. I have been looking at the GoFind and Ace series. He is only 6 and is rather short. Should I get a toy detector for him which are much smaller and made for kids or try to get him into a better one? I don't want him to lose interest if it is too big and hard for him to use.
I am sure there would be similar aged kids getting out there with detectors.
I don't have one myself as I keep changing my mind on what to get for myself.

Anyone with kids who detector that could provide some advice.

Thanks Tim

 

[goldwright]

Hey Tim,

The GO Find would be your obvious choice. My kids use my Deus as it is light and the shaft setup allows it to be used at any length but with a $2000 price tag this might not in Santas budget. The GO Finds are okay but you get what you pay for at $300. The ace 300i is a good price point but not sure how a 6 year old would go with it.

 

[Jaros]

Why don't you try the Aldi detector or the Kogan detector-you might find the child will lose interest very quickly.
Jaros

 

[silver]

Even if you get a second hand Ace250, you could say it looks like it's the one Sandta used to use himself lol. You could tag it as for your son a n d you as a present, so that way you both get to share it ,... and you get your first detector that way too !
Now as for the young fella, well you could hip mount the control box for him and reduce the length of the telescoping shaft ,... this will do two things for him, reduce the weight of the unit, and make it a useable length for him. It's a bells and whistles unit anyway, so he can operate it without looking at the screen too much, and you could belt mount it in a way that enables him to look down and see the screen if necessary, and also so he can use his non dominant hand to press the pinpoint button when in use in an easy way to see and do.
Eventually your son will be big enough to use the unit in the fully assembled fasion as per normal.
There are a few of us on here that have posted good information on how to use the Ace250 in a very effective manner and you can find that information on this site with a simple search.
Hope this infirmation helps.
And maybe some on here could even have a detector for sale.

 

[GaryO]

Try shop around for Tesoro Brand detectors , such as the Tesoro Compadre . Very light weight and easy to use , but are still a very good machine that will find plenty.
Otherwise the Gofind series are a safe bet :Y:

 

[Cando]

Ace 250... is a great starter detector and if he loses interested you could easily resell it as they are sought after.

 

[nightscale]

My young fella thats 10 wanted a detector so we got him a ace 400i about 1.5yrs ago, he lasts about 20 min detecting before he gets bored. On the beach and parks he goes for an hour or too.

Cheers Nick

 

[aussiefarmer]

For lightness a gold monster and that way you can borrow it , i am unfarmilar with treasure machines :8
Any basic detector that your child can clear the trashy surface targets off a patch first ,so you can sweep it clean afterwards is a good investment , as it gives your child what he they want and also makes your life easier as they have saved you digging 50 targets , so i think spending a little more will pay off in the long run so long as they respect their tools and you keep to a machine that is simple to setup and use .

 

[Tim_2260]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I know most kids lose interest in things pretty quick, especially these days. I didn't think of moving the control box to make it lighter on his arm. I think I might keep an eye out for the GoFind series, I know they may not be the best detector, but they look more kid suited/proof. He is pretty keen at the moment, hope he stays keen as it will help justify any future purchases, lol.