Metal Detector advice $500 to $1500

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Hi Ted its hard to get a true detector that will do both , entry level for gold a second hand minelab 2200 for the money you have, may be a gp extreme or 3000 if you are lucky. Relic hunting there are many detectors on the market and its like holden and ford ever one has a different idea, they do different things and are varied in price
With the minelab you can place a small DD and use the discriminator ,they do work but are not the as good as a true coin and relic detector regards john :)
 
Just went through this exercise and settled on getting a Nokta Fors Relic plus a Makro Racer 2. This was the advice from Nenad from Phase Technical in Adelaide, very helpful advice and very knowledgeable guy.

I bought 2 detectors, one for me and one for my son so we can go out and do something together as a hobby. :)
 
Thanks for the reply Old hand and Mav,

I was told by a bloke in minersden in adelaide that a minelab x-terra with the two coils (one for gold and one for relics) would be a good spot to start for $749.00.

Any thoughts?
 
Hi Ted :lol: :lol: :lol: Welcome :cool:
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Apples and oranges :eek: If you were going to mainly chase gold I'd buy a dedicated gold machine first and a coin shooter later :rolleyes:
If you were expecting 1 detector to cover all aspects you'll struggle to find to begin with ;)
Best gold starter would be the sdc 2300, turn on and go :) not cheap though :rolleyes:
 
Ted have a look at what the x-terra have found in the way off gold ask people on the forum take your time
when I first started detecting 37 years ago I was in the same boat as you ,I made the wrong choice of detector, after 12 months changed detector and I started finding gold :)
 
Thanks for your replies everyone, I'm leaning towards the x-terra 705 to start with my budget and see how often I actually get out and use it. Then hopefully upgrade to a dedicated gold detector and use the x-terra for coin shooting :)
 
700 - 1000$ for gold prospecting, as well as the odd coin/ Jewellery hunt on trips to Adelaide and around the country.

mate theres a Minelab SD 2000 improved for sale in Willunga SA for 500 bucks that seems the cheapest start around at the moment (for gold )

Next i would look for a s/h makro gold racer , their generally about $750 -850 s/h or $975 NEW from Phase Technical (and they get Gold )+ they are good on coins/relics
Then comes the Minelab GP Extreme`s which usually are 900-1300 $
Next is the GP 3000 1300-1600$ range

like Old Hand say`s
spend plenty of time on youtube learning which detectors suit gold and which detectors suit coins/relics
you wont find any Exterra 705`s getting gold

hav fun Dave.
 
10fp said:
700 - 1000$ for gold prospecting, as well as the odd coin/ Jewellery hunt on trips to Adelaide and around the country.

mate theres a Minelab SD 2000 improved for sale in Willunga SA for 500 bucks that seems the cheapest start around at the moment (for gold )

Next i would look for a s/h makro gold racer , their generally about $750 -850 s/h or $975 NEW from Phase Technical (and they get Gold )+ they are good on coins/relics
Then comes the Minelab GP Extreme`s which usually are 900-1300 $
Next is the GP 3000 1300-1600$ range

like Old Hand say`s
spend plenty of time on youtube learning which detectors suit gold and which detectors suit coins/relics
you wont find any Exterra 705`s getting gold

hav fun Dave.

Thanks for that Dave.

I didn't know the x-terra 705 struggles to find gold. I'll have to look into the detectors that you have suggested, I might even hold off for a few months and save to get a bit better quality detector.

Thanks for your help mate
 
I have same question about one month ago. But I finally bought a AT PRO because it is might be a bit more popular and easy use.
I will recommend AT Gold for all purpose. I saw a video someone found gold nugget with AT PRO. :eek:
If you use the detector quite frequently, it will pay it off quickly. :)
 
Hi Ted,

If you had no interest in coins/jewellery then I'd say save your pennies and get a pulse induction machine. SDC2300, or GPX4000 (as a minimum).
But as you say, you want a bit of an all-rounder which you'll hang onto later for coins, in that price range I'd say:

Makro Gold Racer - 56kHz - $975 (best chance of pinging small gold)
Fors Gold+ 19kHz - $1175* (a little dearer but does come with 2 coils as standard) - the 5" coil is what you'd want to put on for nuggets.
X-Terra 705 Gold - 18.75 kHz - $749 will get gold, but better if you add the small 6" DD to it.

The 705 and Gold+ would be the better coin machines, as the lower frequency is better for coin sized targets.
The Gold Racer would have a clear advantage on small gold and jewellery due to the higher operating frequency, but I do occasionally use mine for hunting goldies in parks and ovals where it's strictly screwdriver popping targets only.

*I have one Fors Gold+ left in stock with the end of year promo items, which includes covers and a Nokta Pinpointer ($180 value)

Cheers,

Nenad
 
Thanks for the advice phase tech.

I think that I'll take your advice and save up for an SDC 2300.

I think I stumbled across your 3 part review of them on YouTube last night.

Appreciate the help mate
 
Ted there is also no reason why u couldnt just grab a 100- 200 dollar coin /treasure machine for now . There are Aldi machines for 99 bucks or so for example and they will find money and jewelry. This way gets you into the hobby and can even help add some dollars to buying the gold machine down the track.
Do a search here on Aldi machines and u will be amazed at the great finds..

Gaz
 
Minelab gofinds and some bounty hunter etc models are also good value for money . So do some research on cheap coin machines. You really cant go wrong as they should all find more than their value in loot , and if not its either you dont go out much or detecting isnt as much fun as you thought it would be ... but you can always resell your machine with minimal lose. :cool:
 

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