Metal Detector advice $500 to $1500

[Dron]

If you are dealing with highly mineralised variable ground you will need a Pulse Induction (PI) detector.

https://www.minelab.com/fr/treasure...tal-detectors-work-so-well-for-gold-detecting

A member of this forum made an excellent video of a talk he gave on how VLF and PI detectors work, only I have lost the link.

Even with a good PI detector and a Mono coil you still occasionally dig hot rocks and false signals in very mineralised ground. Using a DD coil helps.

 

[bush wack]

I have looked at some GP series on ebay and they look ok, what is the average weight of a GP? The gold monster is super light so its easy to go for ages but ive noticed that other detectors come with back straps and belts..
I do like hitting the bedrock and using the pans but it cost me a small fortune to by little $20 nuggets to hide in the kids pans haha they use the garrett gold trap and they take forever to empty the pan but they always find the hidden nuggets.. look on there faces is worth every cent.

 

[mbasko]

Check out the QED which is a Victorian made PI detector.
Maldon Gold Centre have new QED for $1899 & they also had a couple of used ones around $1300 I think (in Sponsor Trades section of the forum).
They are lightweight - lightest PI detector available & I reckon if the kids can swing the GM1000 then the QED should be ok (may need to use small to medium sized coil).
Detech also sell them:
http://www.detech-metaldetectorsaustralia.com.au/qed-detech-complete-package
Between Maldon Gold Centre or Detech you should be able to get some info or even a demo.
The manufacturer is also prepared to show buyers/potential buyers how to use one.
IMO for your price bracket the QED would be a great option.

 

[kingswood]

I have looked at some GP series on ebay and they look ok, what is the average weight of a GP? The gold monster is super light so its easy to go for ages but ive noticed that other detectors come with back straps and belts..
I do like hitting the bedrock and using the pans but it cost me a small fortune to by little $20 nuggets to hide in the kids pans haha they use the garrett gold trap and they take forever to empty the pan but they always find the hidden nuggets.. look on there faces is worth every cent.

Pretty light depending on the coil. I used to be able to swing mine with a 14" mono on it and no harness/bungee for ages.

 

[Dron]

A GP3500 with an 11" coil weighs 2.4kg without the battery, according to the manual.

The GP and SD Series have an external Lead Acid battery which mounts on your hip or back as standard, which is quite heavy.

You can upgrade to a Lithium Ion battery similar to the GPX series which is much lighter.

But the main weight will come from your coil choice - which is why people use bungees and harnesses when they are swinging large coils.

 

[Dron]

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/yeDqGlpKcu0[/video]

 

[CappyTheRockWasher]

Hi Guys,
Just looking for some advise on buying my first metal detector. My budget is around 1500 dollars.
What do I need to look for. Doing gold detection and also treasure hunting on the beach.
Cheers
Marcus

 

[Guessologist]

Hi Guys,
Just looking for some advise on buying my first metal detector. My budget is around 1500 dollars.
What do I need to look for. Doing gold detection and also treasure hunting on the beach.
Cheers
Marcus

I think the general consensus around here is if you want a detector that can do gold prospecting (where you need the ability to snag small gold and handle bad ground) and also treasure hunting (where you need discrimination so you aren't digging nails all day), the Minelab Equinox 800 is probably your best bet. RRP is like $1300 but easy to find cheaper.

 

[Goldpick]

Yup, what he said ^. Probably the most flexible detector on the market at the moment if you want to dabble in all fields of detecting. Maybe look at a pulse induction gold detector later on if interest in prospecting gets a bit more serious and you can justify the outlay.

 

[Ark]

Hello everyone, I've recently become interested in prospecting and was wondering what brand of metal detector I should buy? (Preferably under $1000)

 

[Northeast]

Hi Ark,

Welcome to the forum.

Some threads below asking similar questions. The search function with different versions of "which first detector" will bring up lots more answers.

Big thing is "what are you looking" for? Coins Vs gold nuggets will mean a different answer.

Other questions are what type of mineralisation will you be dealing with, have you ever tried detecting before (most people find it dead boring), maybe hire a detector first, how often are you going to detect, etc, etc.

Minelab are great and cover the whole range. Garrett, Deus, White's, Nokta, Fisher, QED - they all have their own models and their own pros and cons.

Happy hunting.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=27379

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=25975

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=13059

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5330

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4233

 

[roy cobb]

Hi Ark, like NE said we need more information as there is a wide range of good detectors out there and the more detail the better we can help.
Roy

 

[Ark]

Thank you everyone for the replies. to answer your questions @northeast I'll be looking for coins since my area doesn't really have any precious minerals / gemstones that I'm aware of. I'm located in Mildura so the area ill be detecting will be in the bush / next to the river. i haven't tried detecting before so I'll definitely hire a detector if its possible in my rural area to see if I enjoy it or not. lastly I got interested in this because I'm looking for a hobby to get me outside of the house more often so I'd like to go one - two times every time two weeks. thank you for all of your help

 

[mbasko]

If you're just looking for coins then the MXT All Pro would be a great buy. Do a deal for a few of the coils & you'll be set. The MXT All Pro retails for over $1400aud at the moment on its own so a lightly used one with some coils can be terrific value.

If you want to buy new an Equinox 600 for around $800 is hard to go past.

Both the above would give you good all round versatility for the price & capable of covering coins/relics plus gold detecting in the right areas.

 

[Northeast]

Mbaskos advice is spot on :Y:

 

[SKiD]

Hey Guys,

Looking at getting into detecting, had a cheap one a while back but wasn't any good, looking at spending under $1000, i've been suggested a gold monster 1000 and equinox 800 were these any good, if not any suggestions on what i should get? i'm looking to detect for essentially everything.

Thanks!

 

[HarryHoudini]

Hi SKiD, welcome. The answer would be the targets you are looking for, the Gold monster is very good on very small gold but very noisy on some hot ground. There are a few guys on YouTube who have perfected the process and had loads of success.
The Equinox is far better on relics and coins with the added bonus of gold setting.
There are other options my suggestion would be contact Phase Technical and have a discussion. There are other brands and Nenad has a number of videos comparing some brands. Then it is up to your choice.
I would also suggest visiting a prospecting club and they can also assist.

Cheers
HH

 

[Sunny Coast Gold]

Hi All

I'm just starting out and would like to hear everyones opinion on what type of detector to get. I live on the Sunshine Coast so would like to do some gold detecting and also some coin/relic detecting. I also work at Clermont in central qld so would like to try there as well. What would be my best option for under $1,000?
Thanks

 

[milob40]

Spend a little more and buy an equinox 800. Around $1300 . very easy to use out of the box. My wife and i have one each. I,picked the second one up second hand for $700. It has gold mode as well as treasure detecting and is waterproof. I have bought the 6 inch coil for gold detecting out at clermont, will be out there in august. Plenty of youtube vids on them ?

 

[shakergt]

I would have a look at an xp orx slightly over $1000