Which Detector?

[Russ_NY]

Hi Folks
I have been asked by a good friend who lives in Idaho to recommend a metal detector for their family use. This will be a first time detector user. They plan on using it for general detecting, (coinshooting, some relic hunting and possibly some gold prospecting while on family camping trips). They are looking for something in the middle of the price range, Under $500 or there abouts. Not overly complicated to set up and use, and with good sensitivity. Without starting a "my brand is better war" on here I would greatly appreciate some recommendations. And Yes I have stressed the need for them to visit dealers and try them out but there are only 2 dealers ( a Whites and a Bounty Hunter)near them and they are close to 150 miles away. Any recommendations based on first hand experience would be great.
Thanks
Russ

[BG]

Re: Which Detector?

Russ:
I've had 2 bounty hunters (tracker IV and LandStar), a Tesoro Golden, and a Garrett TA300.

Tracker IV- excellent beginner's detector- low cost, avg depth, difficult to learn pinpointing without the highly recommended 4" coil.

LandStar- Good all-around detector, depth in nearly the same as the tracker. 3 tone ID is fairly helpful, and the target ID is reasonably accurate, though the depth meter is way, way off. 4 and 7" coils help pinpointing, only used the 8" on the beach.

Garrett TA300- liked this one the least. I never could figure out what the "treasure eye" feature was supposed to do. Slightly better depth than the Bounty Hunters. Target ID was fairly accurate.

Tesoro Golden- my primary detector, though it's up for sale, as I've just bought a BandidoII uMax. A quality detector, but I found that I wasn't using the features that I paid for. The notch filter didn't seem to help recover less pulltabs, and using it caused me to wonder about the signals getting through. Good trash rejection circuitry, but the multiple tones require a long learning curve, and the quick autotuning in all metal means that I never use the all metal mode for pinpointing. Might be useful on the beach for added depth. I have the Cleansweep, 4", and 8x9" coils. DON'T like the stock 8x9, wish they came with a 7". Love the cleansweep, though heavy and expensive.

Overall, I think that Bounty Hunters are unfairly poo-poo'd by other detectorists. They're a little cheap... don't know how well the membrane switches would hold up over the long run. But they're excellent for beginners and folks on a budget.

Didn't care for the Garrett, but it did work OK. More expensive units might be better. Didn't perform significcantly better than the BH, but seemed a little better built.

Tesoros I like, but you pay for their quality. Excellent factory support, lifetime warranty on new units, very good resale market (true on nearly all detectors, though) means that you can usually get all of your investment back if you decide to sell. I'd recommend an Eldorado over a Golden.

Hope this helps
BG

[Russ_NY]

Thanks BG

Thanks BG,
Your post was very helpful and I have forwarded your remarks to the folks looking for the detector. I am a detector builder myself, not a buyer, though I do have had an old Whites 66TR that I bought years ago. Still works quite well. Thanks again for taking the time to write such a complete and descriptive response to my post.
Happy Hunting

Russ