Choosing which metal detector to buy is challenging. Ask on a forum how much money you should spend on a metal detector and you will likely hear that you should buy “the best metal detector you can afford”, but the fact is that this approach is successful only 27% of the time. Accepting this belief is actually the reason it is many new detectorists longer to succeed than it should. It’s not their fault that they are part of the 73% of struggling metal detectorists as the idea is logical, but only applies to the 27%.
It is true that each metal detector is better suited to certain types of metal detecting activities. A gold prospecting metal detector, for example, will do a better job at finding small gold nuggets than a general purpose coin and jewelry metal detector. However, if you are a part of the 73% of detectorists who do not live close to “gold country” or who cannot dedicate a large amount of time to this hobby on a regular basis, then buying an expensive metal detector for gold prospecting can actually hinder your overall success. Even after 20 years of metal detecting, I still consider myself a part of the 73% because of work, family obligations, and geographical location.
Before buying multiple metal detectors or even your first metal detector, it is important to be realistic about the type of metal detecting you will actually be able to do regularly. You should take into consideration you budget, proximity to metal detecting locations, and the amount of time you can spend. Unless you are loaded with cash, it doesn’t make good financial sense to spend a thousand dollars for a metal detector you will only use once or twice a year.
Personally, I would really like to own an underwater metal detector. But, I no longer live near a beach and the nearest lake that is open to metal detecting is a couple hours away. It doesn’t make sense for me to spend a thousand dollars for a metal detector I won’t be able to use much. I also don’t like asking strangers if I can metal detector on their lawns, so a deep seeking old silver coin magnet metal detector doesn’t make sense for my situation.
In fact, I found that all too often my expensive and exceptionally powerful Minelab Explorer was at times a hindrance to my style of metal detecting. Because I often hunt newer locations, it really became annoying to dig 11-12 inches for a corroded zinc penny at a re-landscaped park. Instead, I prefer using a metal detector that finds coins in the 6-8 inch depth range and am fine with missing the deeper targets as I easily make up for the loss by being able to dig more shallow targets in the same amount of time it takes to dig a huge hole.