Buying A Metal Detector

[nuggetino]

Yes but these day I would never suggest a VLF detector to a newbie they will be disappointed with the results and end up with a PI detector as many have before them I do not sell detectors or have any dealings with any detector shops regards john :Y:

Well said.

 

[axtyr]

Jasonr.

The SD2000 will serve you well if you combine it with an eight inch coil or smaller. I used one for about 18 months from 2014 onwards and found many tiny pieces, even some less than 0.1 of a gram. Personally I wouldn't pay more than $600.00 for an unmodified SD2000 and no more than $1000.00 for a fully modified one.
You can even match the detector with the newer coils from Coiltek and Nugget Finder. I used a 14" Coiltek Elite Mono and it worked brilliantly, still finding those tiny pieces as well as the larger ones.

The Gold Monster is getting some good reviews and if you check the price at Anaconda you might be able to purchase it for $999.00.
The SDC2300 is an excellent machine with an eight inch coil but it is heavy. It has the bonus of being waterproof.
I don't know anything about the X-Terra but some people use them for gold prospecting with good results.

Regards Axtyr.

 

[Jasonr]

Cheers guys for all the input might save up and get the sac

Jason

 

[Jasonr]

Cheers guys for all the input might save up and get the sdc

Jason

 

[oldtimerROB]

MGC if you are going to make one line statements,please back them up with some field testing in multiple locations in the GT and post the results.

 

[oldtimerROB]

Everyone should know by now that the Gold Racer is only good in low/medium grade mineralisation due to its high frequency.Until anyone proves otherwise I would expect the Gold Kruzer to be the same.It may be slightly more stable than the Racer due to it being a later design but I doubt it.
Jason wants a detector now and is not willing to save up for a 2300 and wait years,so 90% of the comments here are irrelevant. Jason is not specific in what area he will be using it or in what level of mineralisation.
If you want a cheap unit all I can recommend is an all purpose VLF running at 20 Khz if you want it for general prospecting and can handle high mineralisation. Some Nokta machines can easily pick up small fragments of metal down to 0.1 grams in the all metal mode at depths of between 2 to 4 inches depending where you are.. They are much more stable and easier to use than the 705.

 

[madtuna]

MGC if you are going to make one line statements,please back them up with some field testing in multiple locations in the GT and post the results.

And if you are going to post paragraphs of fluff and waffle about how for finding gold in the GT your Nokta is the best thing since best things were invented, please back it up with gold finds.

But we know you can't because by your own admission you've never found a damn piece with it!

 

[Smoky bandit]

:lol: :lol:

 

[ProspectorPete]

MGC if you are going to make one line statements,please back them up with some field testing in multiple locations in the GT and post the results.

And if you are going to post paragraphs of fluff and waffle about how for finding gold in the GT your Nokta is the best thing since best things were invented, please back it up with gold finds.

But we know you can't because by your own admission you've never found a damn piece with it!

He finds lots of old chocolate foil though, and old cans at depth so that's proof enough........isn't it

 

[Ridge Runner]

Everyone should know by now that the Gold Racer is only good in low/medium grade mineralisation due to its high frequency. That is more down to the skill of the User Not the Detector

If you want a cheap unit all I can recommend is an all purpose VLF running at 20 Khz if you want it for general prospecting and can handle high mineralisation. And I wonder what that all purpose VLF running at 20 Khz might be

Some Nokta machines can easily pick up small fragments of metal down to 0.1 grams in the all metal mode at depths of between 2 to 4 inches depending where you are.. A Lump that big it should be able to pick it up at depths of 4 to 6 inches

They are much more stable and easier to use than the 705. That's not true, your machine has way more stuff to adjust just to get it to run normally, I am not to keen on the 705 but that is a personal thing but the fact remains that the 705 is a Solid performer, Don't go giving out misinformation just to get someone to buy the same machine as yours, Oh and by the way some folks here have found GOLD with their 705's

So just to refresh your memory so you don't get it wrong next Time, A High KHz ( being a 30khz to 71khz + ) Machine will work there but a person will have to reduce the Gain a little, but that is not a problem for a High KHz Machine because the high sensitivity of the high frequency compensates for the reduction in Gain and even though running at a reduced Gain they still find the Gold that a mid frequency machine won't see, Most High Frequency Machines will see Gold so small even when set to the factory pre sets that is that small you will need scales with a 0.0000 readout in order to weigh them, The smallest bit I have weighed that registered on the Scales is 0.0001 of an ounce set to the factory pre sets and It did find bits that would not register that it could see at 2 to 3" in a test. Turn your 20Khz machine down to deal with the mineralization and it will take quite a nugget to get a repeatable signal,

A mid frequency machine should be able to see bits a lot smaller than 0.1g

 

[oldtimerROB]

You know FA about the Impact.Sure it has a lot of settings but all the modes are preset and you dont have to change them. Just pick you mode and frequency and away you go.You can mask anything you want by setting the tone break but I rarely do except in DEEP.You dont have to adjust the gain to cope with the mineralisation like the Deus to get it to GB.Some comments here are just plain silly and I wont bother to reply to them.I was thinking of buying the 705 in 2016 cos I did not have a lot of money but it has a horrendous menu and I read bad reports about its ability to GB in the GT. Saw a Video about the Racer 2 and was sold about the design and great menu system. I had thought about the Fors Gold previously but it is a bad design.Impact is a great machine.

 

[Ridge Runner]

You know FA about the Impact.It's a VLF once a person has used 20 or 30+ VLF's and more then they would have learned that there is very little between them Unlike the PI Technology VLF has not moved on since 1998/9 apart from MINELAB inventing BBS and FBSSure it has a lot of settings but all the modes are preset and you dont have to change them Most beginners don't want to run the pre set setting because they want to find it all and run it at maximum in fact the hardest thing to get a Newbie to do is not run it flat out . Just pick you mode and frequency and away you go.You can mask anything you want by setting the tone break but I rarely do except in DEEP.You dont have to adjust the gain to cope with the mineralisation like the Deus to get it to GB.Some comments here are just plain silly and I wont bother to reply to them.Is that a Promise ? Wait here While I go and Get a Stack of Bible'sI was thinking of buying the 705 in 2016 cos I did not have a lot of money but it has a horrendous menu and I read bad reports about its ability to GB in the GTSo you made the Judgement base in a thread where someone was knocking the 705, Not to worry because you can Sleep easy knowing that It Shares the same GB system That Yours is Copied from. Saw a Video about the Racer 2 and was sold about the design and great menu system. I had thought about the Fors Gold previously but it is a bad design.Impact is a great machine.

You make a lot of noise making it out to be better Than the SDC and the GPX and the CTX, GM-1000 and the Equinox and the Deus and the Garrett AT/AT Max and the list goes on and No Brand is safe from your hate speech and constant knocking, But everyone of those Machines have found GOLD, Yours Hasn't.

Stop posting misinformation and hate TXT from other peoples Rantings and go and learn something about what your talking about, You have owned an old VLF years ago and the Impact, You Know Nothing about them, Leased of all about using high frequency VLF's and yet you post other peoples Rantings and claiming yourself to be the knowledgeable One, Every machine mentioned in this thread can and will and HAS found Gold so your lack of Success can only put down to your Lack of Skill, And please don't insult everyone by saying that all the sites are hunted out because a Skilled Detectorist would change what he is doing and adapt bringing his "A" Game, Nuggets don't lift their Skirts for the first shinny Coil that comes along,

If a certain machine was not coming up with the Goods then a wise Detectorist would take stock of the events and buy a PI Like and SDC or GPX, Not sit there bagging them because their own machine is not producing results. VLF's are wonderful Machines but sometimes they are the "Wrong" Machines, Just because you can get your Impact to Ground Balance there does not mean it is Suitable, Ground Balancing Is just a small part of setting up the machine.

 

[Ramjet]

Just had a bitof a read through this topic. Interesting thoughts. I would be vary wary of anyone making outrageous claims on how good a detector is. To me it seems difficult to believe that a relatively new company can put out a detector with double the performance at 1/4 of the price of more expensive and LONG established brands.

What I am getting at is.... do lots of research. Get many opinions from experienced people.

 

[shakergt]

What ever you can afford but if you can sdc3500 or an sd2000 should do the trick.

 

[HarryHoudini]

Another good option would be find a club close to you and see what they are using. Sometimes the clubs have detectors you can borrow to try out and see if detecting is for you.

 

[Trash]

Good point about clubs HH

Im a member of a club that has monthly outings ( although it is hard to find time to get to them )

They have an SDC available for hire , Although you may have to be with or be a member , believe its half day sessions .

 

[Jasonr]

Cheers guys. Been reading through some of the comments. Didn't expect it to get so heated, I had a feeling it would tho. Everyone has there own opinion on whats best
I guess it comes down to what your use to using. have to say one thing Still don't really know what to get. Something that fits the budget 600-800 mark. I will keep on looking around and doing reasearch
until I find one that I like.

 

[Maldon Gold Centre]

Cheers guys. Been reading through some of the comments. Didn't expect it to get so heated, I had a feeling it would tho. Everyone has there own opinion on whats best
I guess it comes down to what your use to using. have to say one thing Still don't really know what to get. Something that fits the budget 600-800 mark. I will keep on looking around and doing reasearch
until I find one that I like.

At your budget Id get a Makro Gold Racer, it does find gold in the golden triangle of Victoria and if you come into our store well show you why we think its better value than the Gold Monster - we have a Minelab Gold Monster here for you to make a comparison.

If you want a pulse induction machine the Whites TDI SL is just over half the price of an SDC 2300 and has a wide selection of coils, it will definitely give you a great chance of finding gold in our goldfields.

 

[227dick]

hi I have a x terra 705 fitted with a 15inch dd coil the biggest thing I found is hearing the machine pick up the targets that are faint a good head set is a must and move the coil slow I have found every thing that all of us find eg lead shot wire pieces of tin and foil and have been out with all brands of detectors if you take the time and learn you machine no mater what brand and a bit of luck you will get something good luck

 

[oldtimerROB]

RR. This being a Minelab forum you will always get crackpots more than willing to discredit the Nokta Impact cos its such a good detector and they feel threatened- not meaning you but others on this forum.Nokta have programmed the settings for use in every situation, starting with the gain at 70 ideal on goldfields.For coin hunting in parks with little mineralisation you can increase it up to 95.All you have to do is change the standard 14 Khz to 20 Khz on goldfields and away you go, very simple. I was looking at the 705 2 years ago cos I had very little money but decided against it from what I saw on the internet. The Nokta Gold + seemed a good choice but the Racer 2 operating at 19 Khz was a better design and one stop menu system..I decided to wait 6 months for the new Impact and have not been disappointed.I was out recently and found a deep target in Deep mode and dug down through the fissured sandstone 12 inches and still getting a loud signal. The target is over 12 inches deep and possibly up to 24 inches but the depth is beyond my ability due to a heart attack 6 years ago.We tried a SDC 2300 but it could not register anything. They are good for 0.001 to 0.01 grams at shallow depths,and it would need to be a big object for them to go deeper.For shallow and very small targets down to below 0,1 gram and in low/medium mineralised soil the Gold Racer is ok but no good in very hot ground and that includes all 56/60 Khz detectors.I am sure that it can find gold in the GT as there are many areas where the soil is low/medium mineralisation,but only not where I go.For very deep targets and larger targets in very highly mineralised ground the Gpx 4500 is the the best cheapest option and the Impact is its poor cousin as it is about $ 3000 cheaper. In the all metal mode the Impact will find 0.1 gram bits at 3 to 4 inches deep in medium soil but not found any in hot soil. All in all the SDC will find gold almost anywhere and much quicker than the Impact as the small stuff is almost everywhere and also in your back yard but you need to pan it in water to actually see it as it it is so small.The Whites Vlf is optimized for silver and does not have 20 Khz and so will not go as deep as the Impact on gold.The Equinox 800 is multi frequency but in goldfields I only use 20 Khz so it would not be of any advantage for gold nuggets unless they are 50% silver. There are a lot of large nuggets still unfound in Victoria but they are very deep and 2-3 meters deep.All the surface stuff around 6 to 12 inches has been found.There are still some left at 18/24 inches deep if you are willing to work for them and are fairly young.