Best Metal Detector to start with?

[Nugget]

For someone hunting low denomination coins (Australian 5c, 10c etc) it might come in handy. Remember there's always notch discrimination (and more of it) if you don't want to hear these targets. I guess when it comes down to it, they would both do the same job. That is providing Garrett haven't made any internal modifications for the International market (which I doubt they have).

Nugget.

 

[goldDigger]

i have a couple of questions
i am based at stanthorpe which is an old mining area . i have read a fair few posts from the forum and i have narrowed it down to a garret at pro or at gold there seems to be only a difference of a hundred dollars between the 2 of them. their both waterproof/resistant to 3 meters in the brochure only the at pro is good for salt water however saltwater is about three hours away so no big deal unless i find myself down the coast much. not that i intend to take it swimming. the other issue is portability as i have had a motorbike for the last 4 years as my only means of transport. i notice they come in a box disassembled and require some assembly so would either break down into bits that would fit inside a backpack ? and assemble in 15 mins or so ? i have looked a little at the mine labs but they seem to be a bit pricier.about a grand iis my limit and most people on the forum seem happy enough with their garrets so any thought ? oh i guess should mention i would be looking for gold i think mostly but that depends a bit on work so perhaps coins and things might win out depending on time constraints

 

[KeeponDiggin]

Only my 2 bob's worth mate
I had your Dilema a year ago and i was keen
as beens on a whites machine.
A P.I machine is better suited to gold, dont get me
wrong though, a VLF will find gold so i guess in saying that
its up to you in giving yaself the better opportunity.
I use an Minelab SD2100 with great success.
You will pay 1k for them and ive out detected guys with 5000's.
minelab build machines to suite our soil so it makes good sense to me.
Mate, what ever you decide, i wish you well
Do you have a pannier or two on ya bike?
Youd break down and set up quickly i rekon.
KoD

 

[Jasonc2861]

I just bought the at pro,ill do a lot of bush and beach so that was an easy choice for me.i recon go the pro mate as you may regret it if your at the coast,holidays etc.goodluck mate.

 

[Arwon]

I have the Gold, as soon as you get close to dampish sand it starts to hum regardless of how much ground balancing. I think for the sub 1k price tag they are both great machines. I can still detect on beaches, just need to be above the high tide part of the beach.

 

[Ramjet]

I have a Pro. It's more a coin/relic machine.
The At Gold is just what it says... a gold oriented machine. Different frequencies etc.
Having said that, it will definitely find coins and relics.
If you are hunting mainly gold and not in salt water then I would choose the At Gold.
I'm only a newb and that's my 2 bob worth.
I recommend looking at some of Nugget's posts.
He has an At Gold.

Best of luck

Rod

 

[Sw1fty]

Have a look at NQ Explorers on Youtube, they use Garrett MD'S and may help choose.

 

[goldDigger]

i'm kinda leaning towards the at gold i do have panniers on the bike still abit unsure about how easy it would be to dissemble it for transport. also i notice that a couple of shop retailers in the gold and gem and treasure mag seem to be a little cheaper than the garret website. i dunno if it could be considered rude or not but i would like to know if most people bought from a retail shop or the garretaustralia

 

[Tassie Daz]

Hey GD, I too am looking to buy a better MD. Some time ago I had contact with a Garrett rep who said they were bringing out a new Detector that would RIVAL ML, so I have decided wait to see the specs. It wont be long now so maybe that's the way to go. Just a thought!

 

[Ramjet]

Hey digger.the AT GOLD is similar in dimensions to my Pro.
Fairly easy to dismantle and reassemble.
Would fit into a reasonably small bag or back pack.
This is my pro less then 30 seconds after fully assembled.
Another minute or 2 would make it much more compact.
Hope this info is helpful.

Rod

 

[goldDigger]

its looking good for the backpack then dunno that i would use the panniers had things shaken to bits in them good for clothes and somethings protected by clothes but risking a detector i dunno
thanks for the photo ramjet

 

[froghoppers]

Informative answers - thanks. We are also thinking of a 2nd detector and tossing up between the AT pro or Gold.

 

[76drew76]

Hi Guys,

Sorry to ask yet another 'which detector question' but looking at all the different models out there you can see why the question is asked so frequently.

I am looking to purchase my first detector and was hoping to get something for around the $600 mark for finding coins, relics and even gold.
The areas that I have looked at as possible candidates range from the beach (just over an hr away), Old homesteads, Army camps, Parks, Old hospitals and school sites and also areas that have been known to produce gold.
The areas of interest for me are surrounded in Iron Ore and Magnetite so I would be needing a detector that would make it a bit easier to locate finds in this ground as I have read that it can be difficult with some detectors on the market.

I have been looking at a few different brands but would like to hear what the more experienced people out there think would be the best candidate.
Do I also need more than one coil?
What other accessories am I going to need to make things easier and more enjoyable?

Any help you guys could give me would be a great help.

Cheers......

Andrew

 

[loamer]

Hi Andrew

The Minelab Xterra series (VLF) - 70 and 705 are a good all-rounder and the 70 is now about three generations ago but still a handy detector. The second hand price should be close to your budget and some of the dealers have ebay stores (bendigo gold for example) where they have their second hand sales. The iron ore and magnetite will be a problem for the VLF as these = ground mineralisation which can make it hard for the VLFs. You can get them to be quiet but the settings have to be wound down to do so in some cases. this means a serious drop in depth. You would need DD coils for this type of ground. They are good on beaches and parks and the like and on the goldfields where there are quartz mine dumps. Thats the minelab VLFs - others may be able to give you a steer on the other products available. I still use a VLF in conjunction with a 4500, mainly for clean-ups on small stuff when digging into reefs and the like. I dont use it for day to day detecting but it has some advantages - AA batteries so no need to charge, excellent pinpointing capability, excellent discriminator (whats ferrous/not ferrous), light weight, robust. As I said, very good on small gold on quiet ground/quartz.

 

[76drew76]

Hey loamer,

Thanks for the feedback. I was looking into the Xterra series and I liked what I was reading about them.

 

[Nugget]

Based (approximately) on your budget, here's a few options you may want to look at.

• Garrett EURO Ace, Ace 350[/*]
• Minelab X-Terra 305, 505[/*]
• Whites Coinmaster Series or GMZ/GMT for Prospecting[/*]
• Fisher F4, F5 or Goldbug for Prospecting[/*]
• Teknetics Gamma 6000, Omega 8000[/*]
• Bounty Hunter Discovery 3300, Quick Draw II[/*]

I haven't used all of these machines personally but hopefully it'll give you a starting point.

Just keep in mind that you most likely wont find a decent gold "specific" detector on a $600 budget, so don't focus to much on that aspect. All metal detectors can pickup on gold but it really comes down to whether or not the detector can handle certain environmental factors where gold is commonly found, i.e. mid to highly mineralised ground. Generally, the more you spend on a gold machine the better they will handle these types of conditions.

In terms of needing additional coils, this again depends on various environmental factors such as the ground you'll be detecting and how trashy it might be. Personally I prefer DD coils overall, I've tried a few different types but keep coming back to my trusty DD for it's versatility and stability in noisy areas.

Best of luck finding a detector, it can be a little daunting but I'm sure you'll make the right decision in the end. Let us know if you have any more questions.

Nugget.

 

[Nugget]

BTW, if I was to pick two of those machines right now based on my own personal experience and research, I'd go with the EURO Ace or X-Terra 505.

 

[76drew76]

Thanks for the reply Nugget. Now a bit more direction in choosing the right detector. I'll keep you all informed of my choice and how I find the item to use in the field.

Thanks

 

[76drew76]

Decision made. I have ordered my first detector. I managed to stretch the budget a little and purchased an Xterra 705 (gold pack).
I have also scouted a few more places and got my miners right, so when I get back from work in a few weeks time i'll be on my way to start detecting and learning lots as I go.
Thanks again for all the help and hopefully I will be showing you my finds in the near future.

Andrew

 

[Nugget]

Excellent choice mate, you've picked yourself up a versatile machine there. See I knew you would make the right decision in the end :lol:.

Best of luck with it and I'm sure you'll be glad you spent the extra $$ in the long run.