Metal detector for beginners

[DrGeePee]

Hi All,

I am thinking of taking the kids to Gympie to do some camping and prospecting. Thought it would be fun to buy a metal detector that actually works. It's just a passing interest right now but I hate buying cheap and having the goods not work.

I reckon the leader of the opposition might let me spend $200. Saw plenty on gumtree ranging from $50 - $1000

Is there a particular brand that anyone would recommend?

Cheers

Gary

 

[RM Outback]

G'day DGP welcome to PA. The holiday sounds fun but if your after a quality Gold detector for around the 1k mark Minelab Gold Monster. Not sure how well you'll do in those parts hopefully someone who knows the area will offer advice. If your after coins and treasure again hopefully others will advise. Personally my choice of gold detector for a beginner is the Minelab SDC2300 easy to use and a consistently proven machine. A 2nd hand one will cost in the price range of $2700.00 to $3500.00 depending on age, new with all the gear around the 4k mark.

Maldon Gold Centre have one for $2600.00 from memory (pick up in store only) their based in Maldon Victoria. It's the best buy for a SDC2300 I've seen, if you know anyone in Vic who could pick it up it'd be a great buy. Maybe not what you were thinking as far as price goes but worth considering if you get seriously struck by the fever :Y:.

 

[Jaros]

Welcome DrGeePee. There are a lot of cheapies around and the Aldi Detector seems to make a lot of beginners happy for under $100-00. Keep an eye out on Ebay as well as the forum cos occasionally they go on sale here.

 

[Maldon Gold Centre]

My advice is beware of eBay. There are a lot of cheap detectors on eBay and most are either junk or counterfeit.

If you want to get into Gold detecting then $1000 - $1200 is the entry level price point.

If you want to get out hunting for relics, coins and have a budget to consider then you can get a good brand name detector from around $350.

Some machines to consider:

Garrett ACE 200i - $349
Fisher F11 - $399
White's TreasureMaster - $599
Makro Racer 2 - $799

for Gold Prospecting under $1500

Makro Gold KRUZER - $1125
Fisher Gold Bug Pro - $1189
Nokta FORS Gold+ - $1199
Garrett AT Gold - $1249

 

[227dick]

do some reading talk to miners den they sell minelab detectors which are Australian made and tell them what you want out of a detector be aware of ebay lot of rubbish on there unless you know what your looking for and when looking for gold there are a lot of detectors that say they will find gold that don't

 

[old hand]

Dr save your money and spend it on the kids having a good holiday regards john

 

[Lesgold]

Hi DrGeePee,
I agree with old hand. Its hard to find a few bits of gold even using good gear. Id hate to see you and your kids disappointed and loose interest because your detector was not up to the task. If you are happy enough digging up some large rusty bits of steel or tin cans, go right ahead. But if you want to find some gold you will need to spend quite a bit more than your budget. I would suggest buying a couple of gold pans and sloshing around in the creeks for a bit of a play. Panning is a lot of fun and can be rewarding without the large financial outlay. Good luck with your camping.

Cheers

Les