Menu
What's new
Find's Treasure Forums

Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!

You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.

Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.

Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.

Click here to register!

Need Support Help?

Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you

why do :bounty:always get a bad wrap?:surrender:

S

SEMPERFI61

New member
dealer went out of business bought some mint :bounty:,one was a pioneer 202 that was deeper than my mxt and did excellent against the mxt.also have a brand new in the box tracker iv,plus a fast tracker ,they all work great!may be that in the old days they were bad.they have a good service dept.now.they are made for the guy that cannot afford an expensive one.thanks.
 
My bounty hunter is alot quieter than my minelab and i have found some good things with it. But it tires me quickert the way the shaft is made , ity is just alot cheaper built than alot of other detectors . don't get me wrong they are good detectors , but they need to be made a little more sturdy.
 
the man behind the machine is as important as the machine.

Plus, a lot of people think that with any item, the more you pay the better it must be, Not always the case, Steve in so az
 
Tell me I drive hyundias and have for the last 22 years had one of everything and non have been in the shop for any reason.not that that has anything to with metal detecting,onlymoney
 
It does really good in playground settings, but out of the park settings...not so good. Not very deep. Plus all the ones that I could afford had factory set ground balance. Doesnt work so good for my soil.

I figure that many people who look down on them are the same ones who look down on my Chevy. Not cool enough.

J.
 
It seems to me Bounty Hunter's reputation took a nose dive way back when they decided to start making their detectors almost entirely out of plastic. There seemed to be a philosophy change within the company after they moved from Arizona, and they seemed to have decided to quit competing with the big boys (White's, Tesoro, Fisher, etc. ) and focus entirely on the low end to mid range detector market.

When they were still in Arizona (late 70s - early 80s) Bounty Hunter detectors were almost all metal, high quality, and good dependable machines. I began detecting way back in the late 70s with Bounty Hunter detectors, my last and favorite being the Bounty Hunter "Red Baron". Great machine, and one of my all time favorites. Bounty Hunter seemed to be a cutting edge company ready to do battle with White's, Fisher, and Tesoro. Good machines with good reputations. Years later after their move we started seeing all these cheap plastic Bounty Hunter detectors and those really into metal detecting didn't like them at all. Again, I think the company did a complete change in it's target market, moving from the serious detectors to the more "hobby" detector market, and Bounty Hunter seemed to slip from the stage as a serious manufacturer of Professional type machines.

I worked in manufacturing for over 27 years and I know product reputations can be very quickly destroyed, ...... and take years and years to rebuild. I think this is what happened to Bounty Hunter. They had developed and built a good reputation, changed direction as a company and lost that reputation.

Still today, I think most guys really into detecting consider Bounty Hunter machines as just "Hobby" detectors for the occasional park detector hobbyist. Personally, I think they are fine for what they are.

Over the years, I have owned most of the high dollar machines made by Minelab, Fisher, Tesoro, Whites, and Garrett but have often hunted with brothers and friends using mid range Bounty Hunter detectors. Did they ever get frustrated due to "not finding as much as my high dollar machines", ......................... yes quite often in fact. Did they still have fun and find good stuff, ........... absolutely! There definitely was a difference in our abilities to find deep targets, id them, and not dig so much trash, ...... but that should be of no surprise due to the extra features their machines lacked. I really doubt Bounty Hunter expects it's $400 detector to compete with White's DFX, ......... no way. Those machines have different target markets, and to expect the Bounty Hunter to perform along side the DFX is nonsense. They are good machines for what they are and their intended market.
 
Many a new detectorist to be went to Wal-mart...or was given a present of a detector from Wal-mart.

Wal-mart carried only BH and they provided nothing more than a machine...no guidance or pointing to a local club.

Why would they..they just want the money. Good machines are useless if one doesn't understand it.

I was a BH user back in the early 70's when BFO units were soon to be replaced with more modern technology. BFO was simple to use.
The higher technology, especially with multiple sounds, confused many. I had the privelege of using a BH VLF with lots of sounds which meant???
I had no clue. I had no manual, no instructions and the one loaning it to me gave no instructions. I was an experienced detectorist yet this machine only confused me the point of shutting it off and just watching my friend metal detect.

Now if an experienced detectorist had that kind of problem what of those new to detecting and being turned off to detecting by what they felt was a piece of junk detector?

I know wives who bought a BH from Wal-mart for their husband only to see it tossed in a closet because it was not understandable...i.e., junk as they saw it. They told others about the 'trash' detector...hence the bad name. So as others mentioned the detector is only as good as the one using it. Wal-mart should have provided 'customer service' and referred people to a local club.

I now use a Minelab nand all the tones it makes can be confusing...even overwelming. If Wal-mart sold Minelabs like they did BHs...The bad rep would be Minelabs. I blame Wal-mart...not a detector brand....unless they are made in China and sold on eBay as 'professional' detectors.
 
My first machine was a BH and my second a Minelab. I find the Bounty Hunter to have a lower fit and finish overall. The fit and finish of many name brands is superior. I prefer the way the Minelab Xterra handles and it's adjustability. Now don't get me wrong, I freely admit that if I had spent as much time with my Landstar I could possibly be as good with it.

My BH was manufactured in China and assembled in USA. As I go forward in this hobby I will discourage others from buying a BH based on that along with the fit and finish and feature set.

After all you can buy a lifetime warranty Tesoro made in the USA for a fairly low price.

I don't believe the BH handles my soil as well either. But... that could be me. I do intend on learning the unit better though, some day.

I bought a BH in the first place because it came with a very steep discount, $122 brand new, with tax. Just to find out if I would enjoy the hobby, knowing that if I did I would upgrade, and I did and I did.

On the other hand,
If that is what a person can afford then cool, go out and hunt. No different than a Honda vs a Hyundai, both cars drive and are reasonably reliable...

HH
Jeff
 
..I had a M/D a few years ago,think it was a Relco,or something...couldnt find a horseshoe at surface level...A co-worker of mine had a Radio Shack model,same thing.Another co-worker had a Harbor Freight model his wife bought him;according to him,useless....NOW I have my Garrett GTP1350,and for the wet;Fisher 1280X-BOTH will find one piece of #6 lead shot at 8-10 inches;amazing.........
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top