# what kind of metal detector to buy?



## toddrandolph (Mar 29, 2013)

I know there was a post about this a long time ago on here, but I don't know if anything has changed since then. A friend let me borrow a pioneer 101 bounty hunter detector which I know is a cheap model. So far I have found a 1956 silver quarter and about 1.50 in change in my yard. I would like to buy something a little better, from looking online it looks like a Garrett Ace 250 or 350 is a decent one and can be had for around $300 which is about what I'm looking to spend. What I've noticed so far is that the discriminator does not work well with large pieces of iron and steel, which are in abundance in my yard as this was originally a big farm. Aluminum sounds about the same to me as coins. So, I would be looking to get something that discriminates a little better, as I imagine most of the places I will be detecting will have a lot of trash items. Also the coins I have found are all in the top few inches of soil, and I suspect there is older stuff deeper that I'm not picking up. Any recommendations from those that are experienced would be appreciated.


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## ironmountain (Mar 29, 2013)

many people love the Tesoro Compadre..can be had for about 160bucks. (prices won't be different, or shouldn't be different anywhere. They have a MAP that people need to stick to or they get their hands slapped) supposedly awesome on gold/silver/coins because of the frequency. very good machine. great discrimination. made in USA, lifetime warranty.  doesn't look like much at all, but I know guys who have 1400 dollar machines who will use this MD when hunting parks and old homes for jewelry/coins etc..  Get that and a Garrett ProPointer and a really good digger (ames garden tool or a lesch) and you'll find some great stuff.  here's a link to the forum I'm on and what ppl say about it....

 Not trying to push a single brand. The Fisher F2 is very sensitive (too sens. for mineralized soil). Many ppl love the Garrett 250..I can't stand the color and the bell tones of that thing. it'd cause me to have a psychotic break. When I first got mine, my friend was the only other MD guy in town and he runs a 1400$ etrac. Speaking at length with him and cruising reviews and forums, the F2 was the best option at the time because I didn't want to get a non display machine. After having this one for a few years, I rarely look at the display.  I can tell by the tones what I'm "most likely" going to pull up.

 http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=87892

 I use a Fisher F2 for now. Good machine, just not up here where I have very mineralized soil.

 My next machine will either be a Tesoro Vaquero or Tesoro Tejon. both do what way more expensive machines do..for about 1/2 the price. I have a 2box detector that I'll be using this coming summer at the farm.  Copper Country is full of...copper.  I hit a copper signal at the farm and even after raising the coil of my f2 above my head it still rang up the exact same copper tone/signal. 3' down, still couldn't find it...so the 2box is coming out as soon as the ground is thawed. 

 To get back to the topic, I'd suggest the Tesoro Compadre.  160$ for the machine, 110 for the pro pointer (which you'll want..believe me) and 15-40 for a digger.  This way, you can spend little money for a great machine. If you decide to upgrade or dislike the hobby, the Compadre has a very solid resale value.

 Hope I helped.


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## toddrandolph (Mar 29, 2013)

Thanks ironmountain, that's exactly what I was looking for...an opinion from someone with lots of experience. I can see that digging up silver coins is just as much fun as finding bottles, so this is something I'll be doing occasionally. I would probably be hunting mostly my yard and abandoned house sites, so these areas will all have lots of trash and big iron pieces. I think the parks and schools and other public places would be a waste of time unless you have a top of the line detector because there are a LOT of metal detector people around here. I used to live next to an old school and there was someone detecting at least once a week if not more. Because it's my house, I'm interested in the non valuable stuff too, I've found lots of cast iron pieces probably from implements and kettles, sad iron, ash shovel and a lot of stuff I can't identify. Surprisingly, I have not found a single pulltab yet. This house was built in 1870 so I know there is more silver here.


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## antlerman23 (Mar 31, 2013)

I have an ace 250 and I HATE it!!! it is really bad! which sucks because I am stuck with it. [&:]
 with what ironmountain said, I might be getting a compadre or silver umax.
 the problem with the ace 250 is that the signal is either all or nothing. its not a quiet beep for a deep/small target, just a sporadic beep.
 and when you swing over junk, the "belltones" are all over. iron foil dollar iron dime penny dime penny foil iron no beep iron... then you dig up a bottle cap. []
 so I cant tell you anything beyond DONT YET AN ACE!!! in my opinion, they suck azz.


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## appliedlips (Mar 31, 2013)

I would suggest buying a used machine if on a tight budget. I have used the Compadre and F2, not the Aces and dont think they will provide you with much more than you have. The Tesoro brand is a good one,great if you are digging relics and willing to dig alot of trash. If you are looking to just detect one site primarily a rental or better machine on loan may be a better option.


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## appliedlips (Mar 31, 2013)

In the $300 range,if willing to take the risk of used you could get a machine capable of finding stuff in the heavily hunted places you speak. The older Minelab Explorers, Whites, midrange Fishers and Tesoros could all be had. The old Explorer II, though dated are not far behind the $1000+ etracs with performance. Less bells and whistles but will outperform almost any machine $800 or less sold today by any brand.


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## Bottleworm (Mar 31, 2013)

Antlerman I  totally agree with you about the ACE 250. My dad and I had it for 2 years and went over about 10 to 15 yards. The last 5 years my dad and I have had Tesoros and they are awesome. We went back over those yards and you wouldn't believe the silver and the old coins we missed. Not to rip on the ACE 250 because it does find the coins but it is not very reliable. Hint- Tesoros are not that expensive but they are extremely nice machines. My dad and I have dug up alot of stuff with them over the years.


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## ironmountain (Apr 1, 2013)

thanks for saying you don't like the 250.. 
 If you want to spend the 300 fully on a MD. I agree with applied..i'd go used. you can probably get a Tesoro Vaquero for 300.. that's about the best machine for the money out there right now.  runs about 450-460 new... great for relics, great for coins and jewelry and very good in mineralized areas.  It'll do what machines 2x the cost will do...  I hate to sound like I'm just pushing Tesoro. 
 White's/Minelab/Tech/Fisher are all good machines also...
 the one thing you will definitely want to have is a good pinpointer..the Garrett ProPointer is considered the best out there and that'll set you back 100bucks.
 The Tesoro Silver uMax is great too..runs 250ish.
  for the 300 price limit your best bet for a new md:
 Teknetics Delta 4000...pretty much a Fisher F2.
 Tesoro Compadre
 Tesoro Silver uMax
 Fisher F2
 Garrett Ace250.

 If you let me know when you decide, ppl on the forum I'm on can contact sellers directly and they will usually provide nice discounts or throw "gowiths" into the mix..

 I'd just do some google searches too.... you'll find a bunch of info if you google "best metal detector under 300' etc..


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## Bottleworm (Apr 1, 2013)

Yes Tesoros are good. The Metal Detecting club we are in don't like my dad and I. They have all White's and Minelabs. And we have stupid Tesoros. To bad those Tesoros have kept up with them almost everytime we have our detecting meeting and club hunts. My dad uses a Tejon and I use a DeLeon and they are pretty decent machines and can keep up with the fancy $1000 machines.


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## RICKJJ59W (Apr 1, 2013)

T2


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## NyDigger1 (Apr 2, 2013)

Get a whites dfx 300. Heres the proof that it works: I have found a gold coin (no pic) a silver cache, and a bunch of other things with it

 heres the cache:


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## RICKJJ59W (Apr 2, 2013)

> ORIGINAL:  NyDigger1
> 
> Get a whites dfx 300. Heres the proof that it works: I have found a gold coin (no pic) a silver cache, and a bunch of other things with it
> 
> heres the cache:


 
 you found the bank first,the detector didn't find the coins []


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## ironmountain (Apr 2, 2013)

lol. yah, that is a bank lot.

 I'd link the Friendly Metal Detecting Forums or Liberty, but you have to have an account and a certain # of posts I believe before you can view/interact. spam deterrent. 

 If you have an MD shop/dealer near you, go swing a few models and see what feels comfortable to you.

 One of the main reasons I suggest the Compadre is the need for a pinpointer.  The Garrett ProPointer will be the best 100bucks you spend in this hobby.  you can find pinpointers from Harbor Freight for 16bucks and they work. They just don't last very long.  You'll find plenty of coins/jewelry/relics with that setup. 

 http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tesoro+compadre&oq=tesoro+compadre&gs_l=youtube.3..0l5.1124.3449.0.3713.15.10.0.5.5.0.148.1034.2j8.10.0...0.0...1ac.1.5ldKQ-EaGM0

 After you do some web research, I'd suggest doing a youtube search on those models. You'll find people from different countries and soil conditions reviewing machines and going on hunts with them so you can see and hear how the md works....

 http://metaldetectorreviews.net/

 is another great site. you can choose the model you want and see specs and many reviews on them.

 whichever way you go, it's a fun hobby and a great way to dig a bit of history. Goes well with bottle digging. 
 I've found axeheads 3' down, a tin bucket and miners shovel 3-5' down, barber dimes 1" down in neighbor's yard against a tree, sterling silver rings/necklaces at the base of trees and a ton of farming implements...
 here's a link to a post I put up of a few misc. things I have found:

 https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/For-surfaceone/m-596976/tm.htm


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## RCO (Apr 3, 2013)

i have a garrett ace 150 metal detector , i haven't found alot of stuff with it yet but it does locate small items like coins and metals . the 2 railway items that i found last week i actually found visually and didn't need the detector , was just out for a walk exploring that area and saw them . but i imagine if i go in there with detector i'll find even more stuff .


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## ironmountain (Apr 3, 2013)

Always nice to have surface/eye finds..
 the one thing that eludes me still...Finding good bottles in the middle of the woods or at a stream/river/creek in the middle of the woods.

 There are ppl on the main MD forum I'm on who take pics of the "hill of bottles" they found against a tree while wandering deep in the woods.  Or the 20-30bottles they've found jammed up against a bank in a small river that winds it's way through the woods... 

 One guy lives on a huge ranch in Illinois (i have permission to dig there whenever i want..just need to get time to get down there).  He was MD'ing along a gulley next to a 2track dirt road he'd never seen and he ended up stumbling across so many Coke straight sides, he said he could walk on bottles and never touch the ground.  He and his wife were going to keep a cpl and toss the rest.... not to mention the schoolhouse/church/2-3houses that were on that site 150yrs ago...


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## morbious_fod (Apr 5, 2013)

You guys have got me wanting to get a metal detector. Maybe it will help me find some of these farm dumps in these mountains.


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## ironmountain (Apr 8, 2013)

get one morb!! you find so many weird things.  everything from "new" coins ('65+) to 100's of gold coins or silver coins and if you hunt the ocean/beaches..it gets better... I've seen guys post finds they've had. One guy found a gold presidential rolex and a platinum wedding ring. the ring alone was 30k+ dollars.

 I like the 2 stories on treasurenet (not a big fan of that forum.but nice finds)... first one i'll post a link to is almost 6lbs of silver coins. 

 http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/best-treasurenet/125490-now-i-am-believer-there-silver-caches-out-there-5-3-4-lbs-worth.html

 http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/best-treasurenet/11774-found-record-silver-dime-cache.html

 here's a post about a gold coin cache found....big cache...super big...

 http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/best-treasurenet/45913-my-true-treasure-tale-long-but-whole-story.html

 and a really cool one about the house of the grandmother of this kid's girlfriend/fiance...i wish my grandma was a hoarder like this lady!!

 http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/best-treasurenet/16425-giant-house-filled-tons-cash-antiques.html


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