There are hundreds of different new and used metal detectors available for purchase. Picking one can be confusing. I am not going to tell you which one to buy, but here are some of my personal recommendations and observations on some of the more common metal detectors being sold on the market that are worth considering.
Brands of Metal Detectors
There are several different metal detector brands to choose from, but not all brands are worth buying. Some manufacture quality metal detectors, while others pump out near useless “treasure hunting metal detectors” to unsuspecting buyers.
Brands that I recommend: Fisher Labs, Minelab, Teknetics, Garrett, White’s and Tesoro.
Brand that I do not recommend: RadioShack
Brands that I have not tried: Troy, DetectorPro (I have used their headphones), Bounty Hunter, Bounty Hunter Pioneer, Multi-power, Cobra, Nokta, OKM
Metal Detector Recommendations:
Best All Around Metal Detector: Teknetics G2 or Fisher Gold Bug Pro (Slight cosmetic differences, but they both use the same circuit board. The Teknetics G2 is my personal favorite for its high sensitivity, ease of use, and light weight. The G2 simply makes metal detecting more enjoyable).
Beginners Coin and Jewelry: Tesoro Compadre, Garrett Ace 250
Mid-range Coin and Jewelry: Fisher F5, White’s M6, Minelab E-terra 305 or 505
Upper Mid-range Coin and Jewelry: Teknetics G2, White’s MXT, Minelab X-terra 705, Minelab Safari
Water Metal Detectors: Minelab Excalibur, White’s Surf PI Dual Field (saltwater) or Minelab Excalibur, Tesoro Tiger Shark, White’s Beach Hunter ID (freshwater)
Beach Metal Detectors: Minelab Sovereign, Minelab Explorer, Fisher CZ series.
Deep Silver or Heavy Mineralization: Minelab Explorer
Gold Prospecting Metal Detectors: Fisher Gold Bug 2, White’s GMT, Tesoro Lobo ST (small gold), Minelab PI (large gold)
Small Gold Jewelry in Tot Lots and Volleyball Courts: Fisher Gold Bug 2, Tesoro Compadre
Relic Metal Detectors: Fisher F75, Teknetics G2
Meteorite Metal Detector: Fisher Gold Bug 2
Some Additional Thoughts on Metal Detectors:
Beginner Metal Detectors:
If I were to choose a beginner level coin and jewelry metal detector or recommend a metal detector to someone interested in learning about metal detecting, I would suggest the Garret Ace 250 due to its ease of use, limited drain on batteries (AA instead of 9volts), quality build, as well as their overall performance for an entry level machine. I would opt for the 250 over the 150 because for a small difference in price, you get a significant increase in features and performance. For a more simplistic detector with higher sensitivity to small gold items, the Tesoro Compadre would be a great choice.
Intermediate Metal Detectors:
Honestly, if someone decided that they really liked metal detecting and wanted to get a better metal detector, I would recommend that they skip the mid-level metal detectors and choose a high-end metal detector that they can grow into. If money is an issue, then still look for a high end metal detector and buy one used. My personal favorites are the Teknetics G2 and the Minelab Explorer Series for all around coin and jewelry hunting. I know that there are die hard metal detectorists using other manufacturers’ models but I have found that the explorers to work exceptionally well in mineralization and the G2 is lightweight and very sensitive to small jewelry.
In heavy mineralization, the Explorer series is king. For example, on a field test on the shores of the Great Salt Lake (a lake that has more salt content than the ocean), my explorer was not that noisy and actually got more depth than I would have expected. I was easily finding targets 8 to 10 inches deep and did not have to turn down the sensitivity too much. In contrast, some other leading brands’ top detectors could not handle the mineralization and were very limited in depth. I will admit that the explorer takes some getting used to, but it is a great machine. For those that don’t like two sets of number readings, you might choose the Minelab Safari. It seems to have depth and sensitivity comparable the Explorers, just not as many options to customize.
Advanced Metal Detectors:
The Explorer or Safari. I have not tried the Etrac, but I am not yet convinced that the few extra features justify the extra price though its performance should be comparable or slightly better than the Explorer line.
Water Hunting Metal Detectors:
The Minelab Excalibur and Whites PI are both great machines and are frequently seen out on the beach. White’s Beach Hunter Id works well for freshwater lakes but can suffer on some of California’s salty and heavily mineralized beaches. In trashy areas, some detectorists choose a multi-frequency detector such as the Minelab Excalibur or White’s Beach Hunter ID because of their ability to discriminate out the trash. Whereas, White’s PI would be a good choice and for general surf detecting where there isn’t a ton of trash.
Beach Hunting Metal Detectors:
If you won’t venture into the water, I recommend the Minelab Sovereign or Explorer. I personally am not a fan of the tones on the Sovereign. The reason for this is not that the Sovereign is bad, its just that I am used to the Explorer, which is different. The sovereign has more of a honking sound compared to the fluty sounds of the Explorer. An advantage of the Sovereign is the ability to chest mount the controls as well as the ability to have a longer cable. This means that you can venture a little deeper into shallow water. Just remember that neither the Sovereign nor the Explorer are fully submersible. Don’t get the housing wet. Both will do an excellent job with the salty beaches.
Nugget Hunting Metal Detectors:
The White’s Goldmaster 4b or GMT are excellent vlf machines. They are easy to use and can really pick up the small gold. The Eureka is a good machine but you can usually find a used Goldmaster for much less than the Eureka. For example, I picked up a used but in like new condition Goldmaster 4b a few years ago for $250 off the internet. At that price it is a great entry machine for a beginner and a trusty machine for an advanced user. The Teknetics G2/Fisher Gold Bug Pro are light weight, easy to use and very sensitive and a personal favorite, though it is hard to match the extreme sensitivity to ultra-small gold of the Fisher Gold Bug 2. However the Gold Bug 2 seems to be more susceptible to interference that the G2. In a few instances, I found the Gold Bug 2 to be inoperable in close proximity to a certain power line while the G2 remained stable.
For more serious detecting in the gold fields, I recommend a used Minelab sd 2100 or 2200 metal detector. They are powerful machines and you can sometimes find them used for under $1000 online. Unless I was retired and could go prospecting every day, I wouldn’t pay the extra thousands of dollars for the latest Minelab GPX series gold detectors. Especially, when the sd 2100 or 2200 can find much of the gold that the more expensive models find. Yeah, you will miss some gold, but you won’t have to front as much money either. If money is not an issue, then the Minelab GPX line trumps the rest except for the ultra-fine gold pickers for which the Gold Bug 2 is still the winner.
Ideally, I would want a G2, Gold Bug 2 and a Minelab pi gold detector because they each have their place in prospecting. Hopefully, these thoughts will help you in choosing a metal detector that will work for your situation. Every one has different goals, places to detect, and finances so do not just go with what someone else says and do not think you have to have the most expensive or the best in order to have fun. Everybody’s financial circumstances and detecting goals are different so there may be reasons to not follow my suggestions. One last tip, sometimes less is more. By that I mean that having all the accessories available may not be as helpful as spending more time learning one machine with one or two coils.