How to Choose a Metal Detector 

Metal detecting is an enjoyable opportunity to experience nature, get some exercise, and discover fascinating treasures – but many people get stuck on the very first step: deciding which metal detector to purchase. Metal detecting is not just a popular activity, but it is also the only one we know of that accounts for itself in the form of money and valuables found!

But how do you know which metal detector is right for you?

There are several different types of metal detectors to choose from, depending on location, how much you are willing to spend, and what you’re looking for. To find the best metal detector for you, there are a few considerations that you should make before committing to the decision. 

What Should I Look for in a Metal Detector? 

You’ve decided to take up metal detecting as a hobby. Your metal detector would be the most significant investment you make for your hobby. Maybe you’re new to metal detecting or looking to upgrade your detector. Whatever the case may be, you may need assistance in determining which detector is best for you. This purchasing guide can assist you in selecting the most appropriate detector for your needs and budget. 

Why you are purchasing your metal detector? Do you intend on just using the device for fun, or are you planning on scouring the beaches and other places for some lost treasure? Either way, the type of device that you plan on purchasing should match the reason you intend on using it. Not all metal detectors are made for the same purpose, and it is important that you consider this before you complete the purchase of the device. Devices that are made for professional metal detectors are more powerful than those manufactured for simple pass time. You should make certain to outline your needs before you complete the purchase of your new metal detector. 

Some would argue that the best way to begin is with a budget, but you should first decide how much time you can devote to treasure hunting. Maybe you’re only getting your feet wet before diving headfirst into a new hobby, or you’re a seasoned detectorist. In any case, if you plan on spending a lot of time in the field, you should invest in a high-quality model. Metal detectors have a general rule of thumb: the more you pay, the more advanced features the gadget has. 

Do you have a specific spending limit in mind? Is this your total expenditure, which includes the detector and accessories, or just the device? Gloves, digging equipment, and a cover to protect your searching coil are all-important treasure hunting accessories. This is what you would need in a simple field kit for a day in the region looking for treasure. 

Don’t know where to begin? I suggest contrasting the cost of this purchase to the cost of other activities or sports. It’s frequently a matter of personal preference as well. Are you someone who just needs the essentials? Or are you looking for the most up-to-date model with all the bells and whistles? These are all important questions that you should ask yourself before you decide to acquire a metal detector. 

Are you a fast learner when it comes to new technology? The basic functions of any model are simple to understand, but if you want to do serious prospecting and find precise targets, you need to tweak the detector’s settings to get the best results. If you are an individual who tends to struggle with technology, you may want to stick with a beginner or moderate model if possible. Do you have no trouble adapting? You should start at the advanced level and gradually build up. If you have previously detected, advanced level and higher would be my recommendation. 

Since product descriptions can include a lot of industry jargon, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of metal detecting, the lingo, and features, as well as, if you really want to, but it’s not absolutely necessary, some technical context. This should give you a general idea of the various types of metal detectors available and their capabilities. After you’ve become familiar with the features, you can determine which ones are most important to you and compare versions. 

Is it true that all metal detectors are the same? The response is a resounding ‘no.’ There are several manufacturers that produce various detector models, each with its own set of technical and operational features as well as performance characteristics. Metal detectors may be used for a wide range of prospecting activities, and most detectors are designed to perform a particular set of tasks.  

Certain brands have distinct features and attributes that some treasure hunters adore while others despise; this, too, is a matter of personal choice. In general, treasure hunters grow attached to a specific brand, and if you know someone who is already into prospecting, they would definitely suggest the brand they use. Before making a purchase, make sure you’ve done your homework and considered your own desires and needs.

How to Select a Good Metal Detector for Gold, Relics, and Jewelry

 Specific metal detectors are better at finding various objects. Before you buy a metal detector, figure out what you want to do with it. For gold, you need a different model than for relics or jewelry, for example. If you intend on searching through a riverbed or a shallow stream, make sure you get a waterproof model or one that is built to be underwater. 

Many metal detectors are multi-purpose devices that can locate everything from coins, rings, and jewelry to relics and even gold, and they come in a variety of price ranges. Detectors like the Garrett Ace 300, Garrett AT Pro, and Minelab’s Equinox Series are ideal for finding just about everything. 

There are plenty of places to go coin shooting and jewelry hunting if your main aim is to have an adventure and get some activity. To remove garbage and junk targets, you need an all-purpose metal detector with excellent pinpointing abilities and discrimination functionality. Take a look at White’s Coinmaster and Minelab Go-Finds. These are popular with customers because of their low prices and automated features. They’re simple to tune and operate. 

You need a stronger scanning detector like the Garrett GTI 2500 with Eagle Eye or the Nokta Anfibio if you’re looking for fossils, objects, buried coins, or treasure caches. You may also use these detectors to filter out other objects. 

Minelab’s GPX 5000, Nokta Makro Deephunter, and the Nokta|Makro INVENIO Pro Pack are some of beginner relic hunters’ favorites for real secret and buried historic objects. These are more costly, but they have significantly more depth. 

If you’re looking for gold nuggets or flakes, you need a detector that works at a higher frequency, has smaller or special-shaped coils, and is more sensitive to smaller gold that is harder to detect with regular detectors. Examine the Nokta|Makro Kruzer Gold, Garrett’s AT Gold, and Gold Bug 2 items. Minelab and Nokta’s higher-priced, super-deep gold detectors are popular around the world. 

Choosing Metal Detectors for Use at the Beach, at a Park, or at a Historic Site

Consider where you are going to spend most of your time hunting. Do you have convenient access to metal detecting at the beach, in parks, on fairgrounds, in the woods, or on the water? 

Beaches and lakeshores have more gold rings and jewels than anywhere else. You need an underwater/beach/land metal detector with a waterproof housing if you live by the ocean, a river, or a lake and want to go into the water where the whole metal detector can be immersed or lowered into the water. You also want one that can locate stuff in salt water or on a wet sandy beach without the signal being interrupted by conductivity. 

The Minelab Equinox Series, as well as the Minelab Excalibur II, Minelab CTX-3030, and Garrett Sea Hunter, are all good options. Both of these are excellent choices for locating objects on land and water. 

Choosing a Metal Detector Based on Your Experience

 Even if you have never used a metal detector before, most devices have fast start settings that make metal detecting as simple as putting batteries into and turning on the device. Pre-set discrimination settings allow you to close in on finds like ancient coins, diamond rings, and golden nuggets while filtering out metallic junk with the touch of a button. 

Automatic tuning allows you to fine-tune your detector for various ground conditions while also canceling out power line interference. You don’t have to learn anything about your detector right away; the more advanced features should be available when you’re ready. 

There is no lack of effective detectors that are also easy enough to provide an incredible experience for operators of all levels of experience. Any beginner can have a lot of fun relic hunting with the Garrett ACE 200, Garrett AT Pro, and Minelab Go-Find Series. Other detectors, such as the Teknetics T2 and White’s MX7, are built with user-friendly features that keep the learning curve for beginners and experienced detectorists alike short.

The Price Range that Works for You

 Metal detecting is a sport that can be financially rewarding. Consider it an investment in fun, excitement, and adventure. The stronger your detector is, the more sensitive it is and the deeper it can go. Most higher-end versions come with more enhancements and functionality, making tuning simpler. 

The money you find with your detector should easily add up. A single fantastic find, such as a diamond ring, gold bracelet, or an old coin with a unique mint mark, might easily pay for your detector plus some extra. I hear about one find that paid for their detector almost every week — it’s much more popular than you would expect. 

If you’re searching for large caches hidden deep underground, you may need a powerful detector. Detecting devices from 0KM should go from a few feet deep to almost 80 feet deep.  Using real-time 3D imaging, the Nokta|Makro INVENIO can detect gold targets at distances of up to 8 meters.  Kellyco has the world-famous Aquascan/Aquapulse detectors in stock for advanced water searches. 

FAQ: What Can I Plan on Finding?

 The majority of metal detectors on the market today are multi-functional detectors that can locate everything from coins, rings, and jewelry to relics and even gold – and they come in a variety of price ranges. Garrett Ace 250, Garrett AT Pro, and Minelab’s X-Terra Series detectors are ideal for finding just about everything. All are easy to use and inexpensive for newcomers, veterans, and seniors. 

There are plenty of places to go coin hunting and jewelry searching if your main objective is to have fun and adventure while also working on your fitness. To remove garbage and junk targets, you need an all-purpose metal detector with exceptional (X marks the spot) pinpointing abilities and discrimination functionality. Take a look at the Minelab Go-Finds and White’s Coinmaster, both of which are popular with customers due to their low prices and automated features, they are simple to tune and utilize. 

Are you on the lookout for relics, objects, buried coins, or treasure caches? A deeper searching detector is needed, such as the Garrett GTI 2500 with Eagle Eye or the Nokta FORS CoRe Pro. Minelab’s GPX 5000, Makro Deephunter 3D Pro Package, and Nokta Makro INVENIO Pro Pack are some preferences of dedicated treasure hunters for real secret and buried treasure, at a greater cost for a lot more depth. 

If you’re looking for real gold (gold nuggets or flakes), you need a detector that works at a higher frequency, has smaller coils or special-shaped coils and is more sensitive to finer gold that is harder to detect with standard detectors. Look at the medium-priced Nokta Makro Gold Kruzer, Garrett’s AT Gold, and Fisher’s Gold Pro. Minelab and Nokta’s higher-priced and Super Deep gold detectors are world-famous. They’re all worth a look. Finding gold coins and jewelry does not necessitate the use of a gold detector. They can also be discovered using general-purpose metal detectors. 

My Recommendations for Metal Detectors

Choosing the right metal detector for your needs can make the experience a lot more enjoyable and efficient.

Some of the benefits that you can expect when choosing the right device for you are: 

• An improved experience.
• More profits.
• Increased finding frequency.
• More enjoyment. 

Some of our recommendations for the best metal detector brands list are: 

Garret ATX Waterproof Deepseeker Device

 The Garrett ATX Extreme Pulse Induction metal detector is a high-tech device designed for gold prospectors and professionals. It can accommodate a variety of terrains, including black sand and salt. It’s waterproof and submersible, as well as collapsible for transport, storage, and diving. It also has ground balance, which allows you to fine-tune your detecting needs even more. Even if it’s still out of your price range, the ATX comes with a number of accessories that add value to its high price tag. However, if you have the funds to purchase this metal detector, you would not be disappointed, particularly if you strike gold. 

This device is great due to it having: 

• Pulse induction technology
• Depth Detection
• Ground Balance
• Being Collapsible
• Waterproofing 

Unfortunately, the device is heavy, particularly when being used on land, and the exorbitant price tag deters many interested parties.  

In its price range, the ATX metal detector is one of the best pulse induction detectors. As a result, it has all of the features you’d like in a PI machine, such as ground balancing, waterproofness, and high sensitivity for detecting all targets regardless of depth or terrain. 

Simply put, this isn’t a beginner’s metal detector. Prospectors for gold and relics, park rangers, law enforcement, and archeologists can find the ATX’s accuracy and efficiency to be up to par.

Detech EDS Gold Catcher

 The Detech EDS Gold Catcher is a great option for anyone looking for a well-built and technically sound device. It is designed to be able to reach some pretty serious depths while searching for relics and other options. Using this device can ensure that you are able to find even the tiniest of gold nuggets. 

This option has a host of great features, including:

• Automatic Ground Balancing
• Sensitivity Adjustments
• 6” x 6” and 10” x 10” DD Search Coils
• A Headphone Jack
• A Two-Year Warranty

 Although not as expensive as the previous recommendation, this device is still pretty expensive. Its price is its only major drawback. 

Nokta Makro Gold Kruzer Waterproof Metal Detector

What makes the Gold Kruzer special is that, as far as I’m aware, no one has ever created a detector with the primary design purpose of detecting jewelry. Detecting for micro jewelry is more to the point with the Gold Kruzer. Micro jewelry has no precise meaning, but it simply refers to jewelry that is very small and difficult to detect. Thin gold chains or single-post earrings are examples. Most regular coin detectors are ineffective at detecting these small targets if they can detect them at all. People had to choose between using coin detectors, which have the features but are poor on micro jewelry targets, or using dedicated gold prospecting detectors, which are hot on small targets but have a restricted range of characteristics. This generally means that there are usually no discriminating features. 

Makro has made a name for itself as a business that pays attention to its customers. The new Gold Kruzer model is a prime example of this, with the machine being built almost entirely based on customer reviews over the last few years. The new Gold Kruzer’s Micro Mode is a direct nod to those who want a detector for hunting micro jewelry and maybe gold prospecting, but don’t want to forego the features found on most detectors today. In reality, Makro goes above and beyond with the Gold Kruzer, which includes features that aren’t found on many modern detectors. 

Something to take note of concerning this device is the fact that the arm cuff is much smaller than in other devices. This could pose a problem for someone who has large forearms. 

*The price is updated to when I checked it.

Teknetics Omega 8500 Metal Detector 

The Omega 8500 Metal Detector enhances the Teknetics line by improving precision on difficult-to-find targets like older and deeper-buried coins. The key is in the 64 different levels of adjustable discrimination that enable you to quickly change the Target ID settings on the metal detector. You can also use the pre-programmed discriminations to save time fiddling with the settings and just spend more time metal detecting! The Omega 8500 Metal Detector, like you, is a multi-tasking master! The metal detector has a pinpoint mode that automatically locks on to the target. 

The Omega 8500 Metal Detector also comes with a slew of new features which might astound you.  An Iron Segment ID is included in this version of the Omega line, which is ideal for detecting iron in any mode. A separate volume control for each target group is included in the metal detector, as well as an external tone with corresponding audio. There’s also a positive ground balance offset with an automatic offset that you can configure for your metal detecting adventure. There’s even a deep mode for controlling retune speed and blocking EMI, with four settings and different filter choices. 

Some of the features of the device are as follows: 

This is much cheaper than some of the other options; however, its main drawback is that it just does not offer as much as some of the other options listed before. 

XP ORX Wireless Metal Detector 

Since the XP ORX differs from other detectors on the market and includes XP Deus DNA, it may be considered a more affordable alternative to the high-end and costly Deus. The ORX 9.5″ Elliptical search coil, WS headphones, and an LCD remote monitor are included in this kit, which is available in three model configurations. Packages differ depending on the headphones and search coils chosen.  

The best feature that this device has to offer is the fact that it has a selectable frequency control. This allows you to change the settings depending on what you are looking for. On the other hand, its worst feature is that it lacks an expert mode. This is the last recommendation on our best metal detectors list. 

The Bottom Line 

When deciding on the right metal detector for you, it is important that you choose the right one. By following the tips provided in this article, I am certain that you can find the perfect device for your needs. Happy hunting!