On the lookout for a better detector....

[OzzyHeadSteve]

Dusty don't be put off mate. The be all and end all of it is no matter what machine you use.There will be compromises. You need to do what i did and narrow the Field down a bit.When i fist started i assumed the more expensive the machine the better my finds rate will be. WRONG!!!!!!
Dusty before you splash out any money.Try a few Give them a road test so to speak.
Ask yourself these questions?

1  Where do you intend to use detector land or beach or both.

2  Your price range

3 New or secondhand

I myself use a minelab explorer se pro.worth  £ 1200 bought for £ 580 secondhand as new. i purchased several machines and sold them all because i was not making any nice finds. people with basic detectors seemed to make some great finds. whats the secret ?
it is simply DISCRIMINATION or More precisely the lack of it.
the more discrimination the more good stuff  WILL BE LOST!!!!!
Knock out ring pulls you may lose coins maybe jewelery.
Try as many machines as you can.
And Join a club  
OZZYHEADSTEVE                                                                    

[Dusty]

Cheers for that Ozzy!!!

I came to realise that I am really still in my detector infancy and a no BS tone detector that does 10"+ is just not suitable for me at the mo - I'm still far to wet behind the ears to run that sort of machine. So the GM3 went back and for a split second had a moment of utter madness and got a Minelab SE second hand for £480 - shocking I know, it was either that or buy a E-Trac on credit and have 24 weeks in a mental institution. I know from some months back when I was researching detectors the SE was pretty good and only second to the E-Trac (I think) and for me the whole vibe of the SE is better for me - but alas, only time will tell.

I really don't want to give up on detecting, my old 250 found me a few finds and although nothing special its a BUZZ finding things... 

[Meatslicer]

Hi all, Thought I'd put my (amateur) 4 pennorth in.

I have a CScope 1220XD which is great for fast scanning and picks up loads of small bits of copper and bronze but goes absolutely bonkers when scanning in an iron contaminated soil. It gives the same signal for a big piece of rusty iron as it does for a small gold ring. I checked.

I have an extensive collection of big rusty horseshoes, chisels, steel bolts and plow bits to prove it.

Mine was (and is) on an ebay dealers site at £266 brand new from the manufacturer, but is on sale now for £366 in most magazines.

There you go, an unbiased opinion

Eric

[Junkman]

Don't get caught in the trap of thinking that changing machine will mean you will find more - it is often not the case.

I have 3 machines and all very different. Does any single one find more than the other?, NO. Each one has it strengths as well as its weaknesses.

Interestingly, Someone I know seems to pull more decent stuff from the ground than me and he uses an ACE250. Why does he find more than me?, I really think that it is a case of his machine being so simple to use he just digs a lot more whereas with a more complicated machine with bells and whstles, you end up wondering whether or not that bell and whistle is telling you to dig it or move on. Metal detecting when distilled to its basic essence, is a machine that tells you somthing other than iron is in the ground and that you need to dig it up to find out what it is. All the claptrap about depth meters, display screens and other associated bumf is just that, bumf.

Years ago, i got caught in the 'upgrade trap' and spent £2k on machines trying to find the one that found the most- I never did find that holy grail of detecting as it doesn't exist, other than in manufacturers marketing...................

I sold a few machines and eventually settled on my 3 listed below and i'm happy with that mix as they each do something very well.

Don't forget that in a Gold Rush, the only guys making any money are those selling the picks and shovels, and in this case, the picks and shovels are sold by metal detector manufacturers.

[Jonola (Jon)]

Anyone ever found a BAD review of a new detector in a  ;)magazine...

[Laura@Detecnicks]

I need to get my post number up to allow PM's to be sent without authentification, so here we go with my twopennies worth!
I agree whole heartedly, all the machines mentioned and recommended have their good and bad points and whatever the machine if you go over it and hear a signal which is within the range of the detector and in an accepted discrimination range,you've got to dig it.

There is no perfect machine, we all think our detector is the best - you just need to find one, which suits you, is within your budget and then learn how to use it and stick with it.

Good luck with your search

[mark barrett]

used T2, or  goldmaxx power or a really deep golden mask 3,  All exellent detectors

[PHIL YNYSBOETH]

Your right Jon ive never read a negative report in the Searcher or TH
When i review a machine im thinking of buying I goggle it.

As for buying a machine if your not sure a detectors for you, buy a used one so if you dont get on with it you can sell it for the same price you paid for it and if you buy wisely you could even make a few quid ;0)

[rjm]

I settled for a GM3, as soon as I fire it up @ home ill let you guys know how it performs.

Generally speaking I was impressed by its no BS - bells and whistles carp. What did impress me is a nice crisp signal at 8.5" on a £1 coin, not air test in the ground test! Iron rejection seems pretty good, a silver coin and a nail together and only a faint signal from the nail compared to a nice loud chirp from the coin.

Having said all that its still the honeymoon period!

Lets get detecting 

How you getting on with the GM3 ?

I had the Gm3 and GM3+ and it was a lovely turn on and go machine with no bells and whistles.

One of the better non metered machines I've used alongside the XP range.