Advice on what to start with

[hotrodryder]

My husband and I have been kicking around the idea of buying a detector for a while now and have decided to take the plunge this summer since I will be off for a while and might actually get to use it. We have our first site right here at home, a farm of about 60 acres that has been here since the late 1700's and has never been detected. It has a couple of creeks on it and several old homesites/barnsites. We are looking to spend around $300 for our first detector and with all the options/makes/reviews, really have no better of an idea which to go with after reading all the info than we had before we started. I know asking which one to go with is a very broad spectrum and is like asking which pro sports team to back. Everyone has their personal faves and there probably is no best but maybe the experienced people here can at least narrow it down to three or four for us to look at. The big thing for me is that is be made in the USA. I would like the best depth we can get for the price range, speed of area coverage and selection of metal isn't as important because we know there is a ton of iron and lesser metals here and we want to find those, along with other finer metals if they exist. The creeks mainly run a few inches to a foot or so deep and I would like to be able to hunt those to the best of our ability but it is more important to me that I be able to go deeper on land than it is to be able to go into water. I would like to ask this specifically, if I go for a land only unit in the beginning, can a water resistant coil be added later or would I have to buy a second unit that is fully waterproof? I have read thru a lot of the older posts on this site and can't wait to get started digging our own farm for some family history and relics that I know are there, just have to find. Thanks ahead for any input.

[del]

first let me start by saying hello and welcoming you to the forum hotrodryder , a 1700's era farm sound like a dream site to hunt . what part of the east are you in ?? an older place thats still in use will be a challenge as the years of activity and lots of dropped items from add-ons or improvements to the house . landscaping or fill brought in around the home as most are will hinder finding the older items and if the yard has alot of large trees with exposed roots on top of the ground you will have alot of interesting finds and they'll be relatively shallow , if not then just outside the yard and nearby fields or around the out buildings will be more productive with older finds. all the machines now have coils that are water proof and are safe to submerge under water , the big named U.S.A. made brands are Whites , Garret , Tesoro , Fisher and all have machines priced around there . i do not like to steer anyone to a particular model but do recommend you do your homework on them and ask plenty of questions about what you don't ubderstand , theres plenty of experience here on all types of machines and types of detecting. again welcome to the forum and glad you joined us here .

Dan

[Epi-hunter]

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

You have a dream site to detect. That place should keep you busy for years!

You are doing the right thing by reading everything you can. At $300 you are at the lower price range of most reputable brands (the ones Dan mentioned above, plus Minelab - which is not completely a US-based company currently although they previously have been).

I think that after you start hitting that farm you will change your mind about wanting to dig everything. I have hit many farms a hundred years newer and most are completely iron-infested. The catch-22 is that especially around the barns and work areas you may have to dig the bigger pieces in order to hear the older, smaller metal that may be underneath. The smaller pieces of iron will be more challenging, and they can be widespread.

Remember that you will likely need a pinpointer of some sort which can cost around $100 so that needs to be factored into the total as well.

The ACE250 or 350 and Fisher F-series are popular models in that price range. I would also seriously look at Tesoro. Many people swear by them, but they are not fancy machines in terms of bells and whistles (visual readout, etc).

What you will be giving up with a lower-end model (to some extent) are depth and target ID. Also, if you have highly mineralized soil you won't be able to adjust the machine to account for it (because they have a factory-set ground balance). That is not to say that you won't make great finds with a lower end machine. I started with an ACE250 but quickly realized that I was losing depth in my mineralized soil by having to reduce the sensitivity to almost nothing, so I upgraded. That said, if you are truly going to dig everything, then that machine may be the way to go.

Hope this helps instead of just causing more confusion :)

[hotrodryder]

One of the reasons I say we will dig it all is that the fields need to have as much metal as possible out so the livestock is a little safer. Unfortunately, while an old farm is a diggers dream, it is not so much fun for horses and cattle with all the old barbed wire, nails, disc blades, and other various junk around. But I use lots of older metal items for yard decor, building, and sell some so in the long run, I will be digging if it tones. After a while I would think you would get an idea for size of item and what it might be from the sounds. At least I hope you do.
I think we have narrowed it down to one of the following; Garrett 350, Tesoro Silver uMax or Fisher F2. I do have a couple of questions; does the frequency matter? Is there a risk of interference with certain ones? Does the battery type matter much in longevity of the use or cost to keep them in the machine? On the Tesoro, is the lack of a screen really a down factor or do you quickly compensate with the tones? What will I be missing if I don't have the screen assist?

[del]

electrical magnetic interference or EMI can happen with almost any machine , some worse than others (it all depends on what the item is giving off the interfrence or how close you are detecting to it ) . electrical dog or horse fences can bother a machine quite a bit as do power lines or house appliances but you can usually turn those off the fence or appliance or tune your machine down to compensate. batteries can last anywhere from 8 hours to almost 20 depending on any particular machine , rechargeable ones can work too on most. lack of a visual screen will just make you focus more on the sounds or tones your machine will make (you get better at it with time ) but if your wanting to dig all types of metal switching to all metal mode on the detector will help in this (they all have an all metal mode). i warn you though there are tons of metal scraps of all kinds on and old farm , you'll have your work cut out for you ;).

Dan

[hotrodryder]

One last question; I was looking around on craigslist and there is a Cobra beach magnet used (barely) for $300. Would I be better off buying a used like this or buying one of the previously mentioned ones new? I would never need it for underwater work but would it be better on land than the ones I have considered?

[del]

you could possibly get more machine for your buck buying used but the only problem with buying a used one is you don't really know how the machine was treated or how many hours on it . i'm not familiar with that brand either and do not know if its a beach machine like a pulse induction of just regular VLF (very low frequency) i do know the tesoro's have a lifetime warranty on them and are pretty simple to use .

Dan

[Epi-hunter]

You can buy that machine new for $349. I do not think that is the machine that you need for what you are looking to do with it.

I think that in general you can get more for your money when buying a used machine, but you need to be careful. I would stay away from craigslist and only purchase one from a reputable dealer or from a forum member who has an established presence and reputation. Still you are taking a chance with a used machine.

As for the Tesoro, yes, you would learn to hear the difference between targets. Many people don't find that they need the visual meters at all. It is just personal preference, and before you try one it will be hard to know which you might prefer.

[CODY]

Hi. I can only put my 2 cents in on the Fishers, as they are the only ones I have had the oppertunity to use. Before I would get the F2, spend the extra hundred or so and get the F4. This is the machine I started with. I loved it. Has disc. 4 tones, visual, target ID. Deep, ajustable GB. I now use an F75 LTD SE most of the time. But let me say this. As I say in my signature. become one with your machine, and the force will be with you I truly belive this. Whatever machine you choose. Read, read, read. Practice, practice practice. ALL the machines talk to you! It is our job to learn what they are saying. But hey!..... Don't think they don't have a since of humor! All of them will lie now and then. Welcome! I am looking forward to your finds out of the farm!!!

[Fire Fighter 43]

For the what your budget is I would recommend a Garrett Ace 250 and Garrett Pro Pointer. In my opinion the Ace 250 has the best rep as a very good entry level machine as well as a good machine for a seasoned hunter. The prompointer is just an option but it makes recovery so much easier. I would think you could purchase both new for $350-$400. Check out one of our dealer sponsors for the best price.

[Bubbalew]

Welcome!
I just recently started detecting myself within the last month. After A LOT of research and reviews and of course advice from people on here, I went with a Garret ACE 350. It took about a week for me to get tuned in to the machine, but I think for a beginner it was fairly easy to learn and user friendly. It has discrimination of metal and modes to help out with what your looking for. Also it has automatic ground balance which I myself liked a lot. I will swear by this detector now and love the thing. I cant really say anything negative about it other than it took me a bout a week to learn what the tones meant and how to determine what to dig and what not to dig. But that being said I re-read the manual and got some advice on this forum ( the people here are great by the way and very knowledgeable and helpful) and within a day I blew myself away with finding things. It cost me brand new $294.00 and I bought a Garret pro pointer for $102. I myself would HIGHLY recommend a pro pointer because it cuts the time finding your target in half. Good luck and have a blast, I am! ;)