thinking about new detector, possibly probe too

konsole

For Christmas last year my parents bought me the Bounty Hunter Quick Silver and its done pretty good for me. I can manage to find pennies 10" deep. I know its not a child's toy but I also know its a pretty basic beginners detector with 3 tone and 4 discriminations. Rechargeable batteries don't seem to last me more then 3 or 4 hours. It may just be an issue with all detectors but this one sometimes indicates a strong coin/silver signal and then the object ends up being a nail. So uh, I can see that this detector is brand new less then $150 and I was thinking about upgrading to something around the $400-$500 range but I also do have money to go higher if necessary.

So my questions for you guys are...

1. What kind of features do mid-high grade detectors usually have that lower end detectors dont usually have?
2. Do you guys still find it helpful to have pinpointers when you have a mid-high grade detector?
3. Is it ok to assume that the more expensive the detector the more accurate it is in identifying what it has found?
4. Do you guys have much luck searching large public beaches and swimming areas with your water proof detectors or are these areas just mass detected and hardly anything is left? (because a waterproof detector sounds tempting).
5. Are there any detectors that can be charged right from an AC outlet and possibly also take batteries?

HKnJ

I'll throw in my two cents. I'm sure other members here have other thoughts as well.



<< <i>1. What kind of features do mid-high grade detectors usually have that lower end detectors dont usually have? >>



Higher depth penetration; pinpointing function; learning functions...



<< <i>2. Do you guys still find it helpful to have pinpointers when you have a mid-high grade detector? >>



Absolutely.



<< <i>3. Is it ok to assume that the more expensive the detector the more accurate it is in identifying what it has found? >>



I'm not sure about that. Mine does not tell me what the piece is but rather its metal contents.



<< <i>4. Do you guys have much luck searching large public beaches and swimming areas with your water proof detectors or are these areas just mass detected and hardly anything is left? (because a waterproof detector sounds tempting). >>



I don't have an answer for this.



<< <i>5. Are there any detectors that can be charged right from an AC outlet and possibly also take batteries? >>



I'm not aware of any detector that has that capability. Maybe there are but I've yet to see or hear.

I hope this helps.

konsole

cool cool
anybody else?

lordmarcovan

I have a used Garrett GTAx-550 with two coils (standard 8.5" and small 4.5" 'sniper' coil), that I would sell for $300-ish, if you're interested. I believe the machine is a little over two years old. I am the second owner, but the first owner used it for only 10 or 12 hours, so it was like new when I got it. It was my primary detector for 2 years until my recent upgrade to the GTI-2500. It is in good working order. I was gonna keep it as a backup but I've ended up with a total of four detectors now and very little time to use them.

Here's Kellyco's page on a new GTAx-550, for comparison purposes. Note that their deal comes with a different (elliptical) coil than mine does.

PS- if you're finding pennies at 10" with that Bounty Hunter, that's pretty respectable. The "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It" slogan comes to mind. Of course I understand your wanting to upgrade and get more features. There's nothin' wrong with that. But there's nothing wrong with using a cheaper Bounty Hunter if you are getting results. I have a friend with a midpriced Bounty Hunter and there were some places where his machine seemed to outperform even my Garrett. Some of that might have been user skill, but I have been impressed with Bounty Hunter's "bang for the buck" in the past. They seem to be a bit more flimsily built than other brands, but I liked their light weight and never broke mine (did break an old Garrett GTA-500 once, when I slipped down a muddy embankment).

lordmarcovan

<< <i>It may just be an issue with all detectors but this one sometimes indicates a strong coin/silver signal and then the object ends up being a nail. >>

Indeed, this is often an issue with many other detectors. The "halo" of rusty iron can override one's discrimination, regardless of how fancy the detector is. My Garretts have been pretty good about iron rejection, but not perfect. The Fishers I've used have had cleaner/more accurate discrimination than my Garretts but seem to have a worse problem with nails. The Achilles heel of the Garretts I've used seems to be foil.



<< <i>Is it ok to assume that the more expensive the detector the more accurate it is in identifying what it has found? >>

Not necessarily.



<< <i>Are there any detectors that can be charged right from an AC outlet and possibly also take batteries? >>

Not that I've heard of, but that would be neat.

konsole

Thanks for the offer but if I'm going to buy another detector I would rather get a new detector. Plus I wanna go to a store and see the detector in person.

Musky1011

I love my Garrett 500 GTA
Nice old machine

Jim

lordmarcovan

<< <i>I love my Garrett 500 GTA
Nice old machine >>

Used mine for twelve years.

The GTAx-550 I have now is basically the updated version of the old GTA-500. Same machine with the addition of a belltone feature.

Zot

>>1. What kind of features do mid-high grade detectors usually have that lower end detectors dont usually have?

Some things were mentioned, but I'd also add that they tend to be more robust mechanically, can handle more banging about / tear and wear (important for me as I travel a lot with mine), usually without packing it properly

2. Do you guys still find it helpful to have pinpointers when you have a mid-high grade detector?

Yes!

3. Is it ok to assume that the more expensive the detector the more accurate it is in identifying what it has found?

Maybe to some extent, but I'd guess experience is more important here. If you know your machine, you can be successful with almost anything, save perhaps the cheapest "toys".

4. Do you guys have much luck searching large public beaches and swimming areas with your water proof detectors or are these areas just mass detected and hardly anything is left? (because a waterproof detector sounds tempting).

I think this depends... Unless it's an extremely popular beach, the supply of gold rings etc isn't endless. If there are a few active water hunters around, they may not be all that productive. But as far as I know, most water hunters find a decent number of jewelry per season.
Also, if you go even deeper water (with scuba gear), you might make it into more virgin territory...

5. Are there any detectors that can be charged right from an AC outlet and possibly also take batteries?

At least there are rechargeable battery packs for higher end detectors, and I assume you can still also use batteries with them as well

Distelrath

Hey LM I am interested in your used metal detector ( as you know I had to get rid of the tejon ).. to the best of my understanding it has automatic ground balance.. You know I live in northern tennessee and the red clay is atrocious for mineralization. I only have cash, so I suppose I would either have to mail you the wad, or western union it to you. Do you have any photos of it? My email is

ryandistelrath@gmail.com


Thanks!
Ryan

~300, right?