Best of the Best

[Clev]

Hello guys... I need your help. I am new to this hobby but I want the best detector. Money doesn't matter. I want to here what you think of these. Pros and cons... I want to relic and coin hunt... Mainly in woods and Fields in NC...

Minelab Safari
Mibelab Explorer SE Pro
Minelab E-trac
Garrett GTI 2500 Pro
Garrett Infinium LS
Whites DFX 300
Whites Spectra V

Please help.

Thanks

 

[John-Edmonton]

They are all good machines. The Garrett Infinium is probably the deepest, but isn't an all around detector. The GTI 2500 is the only detector out of the bunch which has Imaging....the ability to size an object quickly!

http://www.garrett.com/hobby/hbby_gti2500_key.htm

 

[Uncle Willy]

To begin with there is no such thing as the "best detector" - only the one that is best for you and only you can decide that, based on your personal preference, your expertise ( or lack of ), what you will be hunting for, where you will hunt, the ground conditions in your area. If you've never used a detector before you would be well advised to skip all you have listed as they all have quite a learning curve and are not well suited for beginners.

Start out with something simpler like the Ace 250 then work your way up. Serious metal detecting is not a piece of cake and you can't just pop a detector out of the box and start finding treasure regardless of all the advertising hype.. It takes several hundred hours of practice to figure it all out and to become familiar with your machine, how to understand it, and how to use it properly.. A detector that is best for someone else can prove to be frustatingly lousy for you. and turn you sour on the hobby real fast. That's my take on it with 44 years behind a detector. Good luck in your quest.

Bill

 

[lazyaussie]

spot on Bill

 

[Terry in PA]

Here's what I know. If you post this question on the other forums what you'll get is this. On the whites forum it will be nothing out there beats a whites detector. Or on the minelab forum .... Nothing will beats a minelab they are the best out there ! And on and on and on. I can say there are a few that look past the hype and will give you a straight up answer. Search around and take a look at what some other hunters in NC are using. Those who have been in the hobby for a good while will be able to tell you what works best in your area or state. As Bill said you may not need the biggest detector out there to get the job done. If you do however go that way take your time and learn your detector and you'll be glad you did.

 

[treasurefiend]

I say start off with the Ace 250 with the 9x12 coil. You can take it right from the box and out to hunt and find stuff without a lengthy learning process that you would have with the above detectors that you listed above. Don't let the lower price fool you, its a great machine!!!!

 

[Oakman404]

Ditto on Uncle Willy. Start out with the ACE or maybe even the GTP 1350.

 

[Cupajo]

Find a local metal detecting club and pick the brains of their most active members.

Vertually every state has them and beginners are always welcomed.

You'll save a fortune by avoiding the more common mistakes in this way!

GL,

CJ

 

[Adrian SS]

HI Clev,
First I can say that I do not have any particular loyalty to any one brand of detector, I call them as I see them.
To Relic hunt you need a detector that has a deep penetrating All Metal Mode with top notch ground balance/tracking ability.
For coin hunting you need the features just mentioned plus good discrimination.
So if you absolutely had to choose a detector from from the list that you have given then I suggest that you stay away from the E Track ( to much detector for a beginner and even some oldies) The Infinium is a great relic machine but lacks the accurate discrimination that coin hunters often need and it is difficult to use where there is a lot of electrical interference..
I would be inclined to go with the Explorer SE Pro or the Safari because they both have a very good All Metal Mode and ground balance ability and also have a deep penetrating and accurate Discrimination mode plus they will both function very well in salt conditions
However as others have mentioned, as a first machine, the Ace 250 is good suggestion; It is simple and easy to learn and when fitted with a coil around the 10 or 12 inch mark it will detect deep and still locate those small items that Relic Hunters often search for such as buttons, bullets, buckles and old coins etc
Adrian SS.

 

[metalhead]

Serious metal detecting is not a piece of cake and you can't just pop a detector out of the box and start finding treasure regardless of all the advertising hype..

Bill

You mean to tell me that I won't REALLY be able to "Find an Once of Gold a Day" ?

 

[R-n-R Magnolia SpringsAla]

From the stuff I've seen yall find this would be a good choice for woods and fields! I've got a classic Tesoro B2 I'd swap in a heartbeat for one!

 

[Waterdog]

All Metal detectors listed are great choices, but a metal detector is only as good as it's operator. Just because a metal detector has a big price tag on it dose not make it better. It is up to the person behind the machine to make it. Take some time, check into some clubs in or around your area can save you a LOT of time and effort. DO not be afraid to Ask Questions of the club members in your area. Maybe one of the members might even Loan you one of their machines to try out and then sell it to you at a good price. Times are getting hard
Nothing like spending $1000 on a New machine and find out later This hobby is not for you. Start Simple. After you find what you are looking for you'll be addicted like the rest of us.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Only if you are extremely lucky and I've seen it happen.

Bill

 

[Furious T]

I'm not going to suggest which detector or even which brand of detector will be the best for you to buy. Garrett, Whites, Tesoro and Minelab, to name a few Companies, all make good low to mid price range detectors. As Uncle Willy said, what suits someone else may not suit you. You can spend a fortune on a new "you beaut" detector, then 3 months later decide that detecting is not for you. Some things you can consider while you are doing your research in the area mentioned by all your other advisors (and there is some great advice there) are: a) Where are you going to detect, and for what e.g. coins, in parks; relics in paddocks (fields), coins and jewellery at the beach; b)How heavy do you want your detector to be. No point in buying a detector which weighs 4lb + if your arm starts to fall off after using it for a half hour. c) How good is your hearing. A detector which has an ID tone which is difficult for you to hear will quickly become frustrating. A big part of identifying good targets is being able to interpret your detector's signals. d) Where will you be buying your detector, and what is the after-sales service like? We would all like to think that nothing will go wrong with our new machine, but sometimes it does. Do you want to have the convenience of having your dealer close by, and if so, how reliable is he? e) What sort of waranty comes with the detector? These are some of the enquiries you can make, and I'm sure you'll be able to think of a few more of your own. Good luck in your search. Read as many articles and field tests as you can, and read posts on these forums...dont rush into it, and when you buy it...Enjoy!!!! HH Sapper

 

[jdigger1238]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and relatively new to metal detecting. here is my 2 cents.
My first detector was the Garrett GTAx550 after getting coils accessories and
10x14 DD I was into this for $800 and only felt it was an okay detector and thus
did not use so much. I always wised I got the other one It did not help much
having young kids and not much time to use it. I bought a Minelab explorer SE
last year and now working on learning it. The one I wished I bought in the first place.

As the experienced users say the detector that is right for you is one that you will
use. By the best you can as you can grow into it, once you spend the money on
a detector resale value is very little from what you pay. So spend the money once
and spend it good. Then take the time to learn it. Metal Detecting is much to learn
as well as learning the machine. It's as much an art as well as technology
of sounds and digging. I can't speak to any great finds as I said I am newer but
I am still trying.

In the end they all say you will own 2-3 detectors but might as well make them
all good ones that can be used in different ways if needed.

Thanks,

 

[treasurehound]

Well CLEV , like bill said start with the ace 250, its a great little machine , if used right it will produce goods all the time , and is a user friendly machine.. it goes plenty deep for me , and i don't need to spend $1000 on a machine if unsure if you are going even to like the hobby get your self together and buy and ace 250 then upgrade . simple as that .. sure ill upgrade down the road but ill be sticking with the ace for awhile ...

Tom

 

[michaelnc]

I live in North Carolina (foothills). I had an Explorer 2 and it drove me nuts (too many sounds). That detector plays music all day long but its a deep unit in mineralized ground one of the best. It has a long learning curve and you get close to the same performance out of detectors that you can hunt with straight out of the box. I have 3 Fisher machines Coinstrike,CZ-70 Pro,and an F-70. All three of these machines work great in NC soil and the CZ loves silver. My hunting buddy uses a Garrett 1500 as his main machine and it is a coin finding machine for sure (he also has a CZ-70 pro). We generally find close to the same amount of coins (he digs less trash but the Fishers are a bit deeper). User preference is the most important aspect of metal detecting. If you want to get out there and dig targets straight out of the box get the Garrett 1500 or one of the Fisher CZ units. Most likely you'll never outgrow either one. So the Garrett discs better and Fisher shoots a bit deeper. Which is best is for you to decide. All the top names make good detectors. Fisher, Garrett, Minelab, Whites, and last but not least Tesoro.