Triggermortis
Well-Known Member
Guys, looking to buy a metal detector, needs to be easy to use, light and under £200, any recommendations?
Metal detectors, what to buy ?
- Thread starter Triggermortis
- Start date
carlisleredneck
Well-Known Member
If your looking for a new machine, Garret ace 250 or minelab vanquish 340, you won’t go far wrong with either of them. I would recommend getting a pin pointer as well.
Uncle Norm
Well-Known Member
Good advice above, re the entry level Garrett and Minelab. Whatever you do, dont buy a cheap, unknown brand, Chinese knock off, as you may just as well throw your money down the drain. Similarly avoid second hand unless you have a knowledgeable friend to vet it for you.
Metal detectors are complex pieces of kit that can have hidden serious faults, much like motor vehicles.
Lots of good information here. Guide to buying a Metal Detector - MDF Metal Detecting
Metal detectors are complex pieces of kit that can have hidden serious faults, much like motor vehicles.
Lots of good information here. Guide to buying a Metal Detector - MDF Metal Detecting
FrenchieBoy
Well-Known Member
When the wife and I were detecting we both used Garret Ace 250 machines and we could not fault them, they were excellent machines for the price. I bought a larger coil for mine as well as a set of cordless head phones which made mine an even better machine to use. If we were ever thinking of getting back into detecting again (Which isn't likely to happen) we would go straight for the Garret machines again!
Also a pin pointer probe is a very good investment!
As has been said avoid the cheap chinese copies, more often than not they are barely suitable for children and do not give any search depth at all so are (In most cases) a complete waste of money and will leave you feeling very frustrated.
Also a pin pointer probe is a very good investment!
As has been said avoid the cheap chinese copies, more often than not they are barely suitable for children and do not give any search depth at all so are (In most cases) a complete waste of money and will leave you feeling very frustrated.
Triggermortis
Well-Known Member
Guys, just what the doctor ordered!!!
I knew you wouldn’t let me down.
The Garrett sounds good.
I had been offered a fisher F2 but not knowing what I was looking at thought I’d ask on here, lucky I did ?
I knew you wouldn’t let me down.
The Garrett sounds good.
I had been offered a fisher F2 but not knowing what I was looking at thought I’d ask on here, lucky I did ?
From someone who has done a lot of metal detecting over years, I can tell you that the Garretts are decent enough but not what I would buy and I have owned one. If you just want a "yes/no" signal then they are fine but they are limited in terms of what they can tell you. They cannot discriminate against coke but are quite good on mineralised ground. Deep enough but basic and awful yellow colour.
If you are looking on areas that saw lots of historical movement of people, there is bound to be coke and it is a PITA digging it up.
First and foremost you want a machine to tell you if you are stood over something that is ferrous or non ferrous. The Garrett will do that with the most annoying bell tone ever that will end up ticking you off.
In terms of entry level, I would take a Fisher F2 over a Garrett. It has a quicker recovery speed. This is the rate at which you can swing the coil over a target and it be able to pick it up. The faster you can swing, the more ground you can cover. This is not definitive though. There are trade offs but generally speaking, the quicker recovery speed a machine has, the better it will also be at picking between targets. So if you have a desirable non ferrous item in very close proximity to a rusty nail for example. A machine with a slower recovery speed is more likely to give a garbled signal that probably will suggest iron as it struggles to differentiate between the two different metals. Obviously you are looking to ignore iron or you will spend your entire time digging up plough shear and nails and all sorts of crap. All agricultural land is rammed full of iron.
You get what you pay for. I use an XP Deus with 11" coil which in my experience is the best trade off between speed, ground coverage and sensitivity but you pay for it and is not an entry level machine.
Consider what it runs on and how costly it will be to keep it in batteries. Weight is vitally important as well. Fatigue will set in fast and more so with a heavy machine. It is a very very repetitive hobby and patience is a virtue.
Go have a look at Regtons website and phone Nigel for advice. They have a couple of Ex display Whites machines on there from £170-250. I would be getting in to one of those before the Garrett. Also worth looking at a Nokta Simplex. Don't be worried about buying second hand. Metal Detector technology is not exactly advanced. As long as it is in good condition, it should be good to go.
You need a small lightweight spade (roughnecks are good and cheap enough to be disposable, I have gone through over 30), and treads on the spade is a must or you will be buying new boots every few weeks. Small shoulder bag and a pinpointer probe will help speed things up but not necessary depending on the type of ground you are hunting.
But it is a fascinating pasttime that has taught me stacks about a subject I was never interested in in school. I have found some awesome stuff including an item the British Museum ended up buying via the Treasure Process.
Good luck, you will need it
If you are looking on areas that saw lots of historical movement of people, there is bound to be coke and it is a PITA digging it up.
First and foremost you want a machine to tell you if you are stood over something that is ferrous or non ferrous. The Garrett will do that with the most annoying bell tone ever that will end up ticking you off.
In terms of entry level, I would take a Fisher F2 over a Garrett. It has a quicker recovery speed. This is the rate at which you can swing the coil over a target and it be able to pick it up. The faster you can swing, the more ground you can cover. This is not definitive though. There are trade offs but generally speaking, the quicker recovery speed a machine has, the better it will also be at picking between targets. So if you have a desirable non ferrous item in very close proximity to a rusty nail for example. A machine with a slower recovery speed is more likely to give a garbled signal that probably will suggest iron as it struggles to differentiate between the two different metals. Obviously you are looking to ignore iron or you will spend your entire time digging up plough shear and nails and all sorts of crap. All agricultural land is rammed full of iron.
You get what you pay for. I use an XP Deus with 11" coil which in my experience is the best trade off between speed, ground coverage and sensitivity but you pay for it and is not an entry level machine.
Consider what it runs on and how costly it will be to keep it in batteries. Weight is vitally important as well. Fatigue will set in fast and more so with a heavy machine. It is a very very repetitive hobby and patience is a virtue.
Go have a look at Regtons website and phone Nigel for advice. They have a couple of Ex display Whites machines on there from £170-250. I would be getting in to one of those before the Garrett. Also worth looking at a Nokta Simplex. Don't be worried about buying second hand. Metal Detector technology is not exactly advanced. As long as it is in good condition, it should be good to go.
You need a small lightweight spade (roughnecks are good and cheap enough to be disposable, I have gone through over 30), and treads on the spade is a must or you will be buying new boots every few weeks. Small shoulder bag and a pinpointer probe will help speed things up but not necessary depending on the type of ground you are hunting.
But it is a fascinating pasttime that has taught me stacks about a subject I was never interested in in school. I have found some awesome stuff including an item the British Museum ended up buying via the Treasure Process.
Good luck, you will need it
Triggermortis
Well-Known Member
From someone who has done a lot of metal detecting over years, I can tell you that the Garretts are decent enough but not what I would buy and I have owned one. If you just want a "yes/no" signal then they are fine but they are limited in terms of what they can tell you. They cannot discriminate against coke but are quite good on mineralised ground. Deep enough but basic and awful yellow colour.
If you are looking on areas that saw lots of historical movement of people, there is bound to be coke and it is a PITA digging it up.
First and foremost you want a machine to tell you if you are stood over something that is ferrous or non ferrous. The Garrett will do that with the most annoying bell tone ever that will end up ticking you off.
In terms of entry level, I would take a Fisher F2 over a Garrett. It has a quicker recovery speed. This is the rate at which you can swing the coil over a target and it be able to pick it up. The faster you can swing, the more ground you can cover. This is not definitive though. There are trade offs but generally speaking, the quicker recovery speed a machine has, the better it will also be at picking between targets. So if you have a desirable non ferrous item in very close proximity to a rusty nail for example. A machine with a slower recovery speed is more likely to give a garbled signal that probably will suggest iron as it struggles to differentiate between the two different metals. Obviously you are looking to ignore iron or you will spend your entire time digging up plough shear and nails and all sorts of crap. All agricultural land is rammed full of iron.
You get what you pay for. I use an XP Deus with 11" coil which in my experience is the best trade off between speed, ground coverage and sensitivity but you pay for it and is not an entry level machine.
Consider what it runs on and how costly it will be to keep it in batteries. Weight is vitally important as well. Fatigue will set in fast and more so with a heavy machine. It is a very very repetitive hobby and patience is a virtue.
Go have a look at Regtons website and phone Nigel for advice. They have a couple of Ex display Whites machines on there from £170-250. I would be getting in to one of those before the Garrett. Also worth looking at a Nokta Simplex. Don't be worried about buying second hand. Metal Detector technology is not exactly advanced. As long as it is in good condition, it should be good to go.
You need a small lightweight spade (roughnecks are good and cheap enough to be disposable, I have gone through over 30), and treads on the spade is a must or you will be buying new boots every few weeks. Small shoulder bag and a pinpointer probe will help speed things up but not necessary depending on the type of ground you are hunting.
But it is a fascinating pasttime that has taught me stacks about a subject I was never interested in in school. I have found some awesome stuff including an item the British Museum ended up buying via the Treasure Process.
Good luck, you will need it
Thanks for the advice cottis, I’ve just picked up the Fischer F2 for a decent price so will give that a go, can I be cheeky and ask if it’s ok to pm you for more detailed advice ?
Sure, fire away.
