Need metal detector recommendation

DeniseM · May 25, 2016

My husband is really hard to buy for, and his birthday is coming up, and I'm thinking that a metal detector might be fun.

I have done a little looking online and it appears that the cheap ones hardly even work. Does anyone have a suggestion for a decent entry level metal detector - maybe $300 or less, if that's possible?

Or if not possible to get a decent one for $300 or less, what do you recommend?

am1 · May 25, 2016

Is this for the beach? Are you sure he is going to like it?

DeniseM · May 25, 2016

am1 said:
Is this for the beach? Are you sure he is going to like it?

Probably the mountains - not the beach. We only go to the beach in Hawaii, and wouldn't dream of trying to take a metal detector.

I have no idea if he will like it - he is hard to buy for. But I have read a lot of reviews about the cheap ones not working, and no one would like one that doesn't work.

am1 · May 25, 2016

I think that is a gift he is better off to buy himself (if he has the funds available) . If he does not like it not only will it be a waste of money but also he may feel obligated to use it to not offend you. That means he is wasting his time as well.

Maybe a Gopro or a drone would be better.

LisaH · May 25, 2016

am1 said:
I think that is a gift he is better off to buy himself (if he has the funds available) . If he does not like it not only will it be a waste of money but also he may feel obligated to use it to not offend you. That means he is wasting his time as well.

Maybe a Gopro or a drone would be better.

I second the GoPro suggestion. A Drone will be fun to have but I think a decent one costs a lot more than $300.

DeniseM · May 25, 2016

Thank you, but I am looking for suggestions for a metal detector.

He definitely would not be interested in a GoPro or Drone.

I'm not worried about wasting money, and we are very practical about gifts. If he isn't interested he can (and will) return it with no hard feelings.

Patri · May 26, 2016

I thought you were going to ask about metal detectors for your home...as in scanning your guests!

ThreeLittleBirds · May 26, 2016

I have no suggestion but this is a great idea for a gift!

ace2000 · May 26, 2016

From the looks of this thread, I don't think the metal dectector concept is gaining much traction around here. I'm sure we all can help her out with some better ideas...

http://www.amazon.com/48-Inch---71-Inch-Sleeves-Northwest-Company/dp/B007RHGRVU/?tag=dodogag-20

easyrider · May 27, 2016

I have an older Garet that I bought at Cabelas. Mine cost about $300 10 years ago. The features I like are the dectector is submersible so dropping it into the lake doesn't hurt it, it has a fairly good reach of about 8 inches on small items like silver coins and jewelery, a very good reach of maybe 4 - 6 ft on large objects and can get very close to the small stuff.

I haven't found a pot of gold but I have found a bunch of anchors, keys, knifes, silver coins, a little jewery, fishing gear, down rigger balls, boat props and a bunch of bottle caps. When you are learning, you end up digging up alot of garbage. Once you get the hang of it you will find some pretty good stuff.

The best thing I ever found were my keys in the snow.

Like anything, it does get boring after some time. I haven't used mine for a few years now and the last time was just to find property pins.

Bill

RX8 · May 28, 2016

You certainly want to stay away from the cheap models (less than $150) as that would keep anyone from wanting to pursue the hobby.

My recommendation would be look at something like the Fisher F44. It is weatherproof and has a lot of features for one at that price point. The Friendly Metal Detecting Forum is a good resource. Here is a sample of the info you can find on that forum.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=221864

I have purchased from Big Boys Hobbies online and got a great price and service. Plus they throw in some decent items with the purchase.

VegasBella · May 31, 2016

Let us know if he likes it.

My husband mentioned that he might enjoy one sometime too. He told me about an article he read where some guy regularly took his metal detector out into the desert here in Nevada and found lots of gold

Here's an article about the hobby that makes it seem pretty interesting
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-people-who-travel-the-world-with-metal-detectors

MuranoJo · May 31, 2016

I think it's a great idea! In fact, I've often thought I'd like one for taking into the deserted mining towns around here--in the mountains or desert.

But sorry I don't have recommendations for you. Here's a review list which seems to link to a lot of Amazon reviews.

wallace37 · Jun 1, 2016

This site may help you

If I recall correctly, you're in the SF Bay Area and this person is located in Foster City. If you're not close by, there is information on the different Mfg/models on the site and in the yelp reviews.

www.goldenstatemetaldetectors.com
www.yelp.com/biz/trans-bay-metal-detectors-foster-city-3

bbodb1 · Feb 29, 2020

And awaaaaaaaay we go!

RX8 · Feb 29, 2020

bakerl1 said:
I am looking for a metal detector too. Could you give me a piece of advice, please ?

You have brought to life a 4 year old thread. I see you joined today and this is your first post, welcome to TUG. I have to ask this question - you joined a timeshare forum just to ask a metal detector question?

It has been about 7 years since I purchased a metal detector so I am not too familiar of the latest detectors. My suggestion is stick with brands such as Garrett or Fisher and you should be good. If you are interested in the hobby you should join a detecting forum, like the “Friendly Metal Detecting Forum”, where you can learn more about the different detectors. .

mcsteve · Mar 1, 2020

RX8 said:
My suggestion is stick with brands such as Garrett or Fisher and you should be good. If you are interested in the hobby you should join a detecting forum, like the “Friendly Metal Detecting Forum”, where you can learn more about the different detectors. .

Ditto. You should also check out treasurenet dot com. A great open forum on detecting across the nation and plenty of good info on the tools.

Makai Guy · Mar 2, 2020

RX8 said:
You have brought to life a 4 year old thread. I see you joined today and this is your first post, welcome to TUG. I have to ask this question - you joined a timeshare forum just to ask a metal detector question?

As suspected, after bringing this dead thread back to life the poster returned to post a spam link. His posts have been removed.

RX8 · Mar 2, 2020

Yeah, I suspected that was going to be the case. Just in case I was wrong I tried to be “nice” with my question but I was thinking spammer typing it.

bbodb1 · Mar 2, 2020

Karen G · Mar 2, 2020

@DeniseM since this thread was brought back to life, did you get your husband a metal detector?

easyrider · Mar 3, 2020

Since this was brought up again I decided to look into my treasure chest of finds. I opened this on Christmas a couple of years ago and gave away a bunch of stuff. Mostly watches and jewelry. Most of the coins are stashed somewhere else. Horse shoes and rusted stuff are elsewhere. Most of the finds were garbage. Some are anchors and outdoor gear. This is the good stuff. Oddly about half was found without the metal detector.

Need metal detector recommendation

DeniseM

am1

DeniseM

am1

LisaH

DeniseM

Patri

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ThreeLittleBirds

ace2000

easyrider

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RX8

VegasBella

MuranoJo

wallace37

bbodb1

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RX8

mcsteve

Makai Guy

RX8

bbodb1

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Karen G

easyrider

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