A couple friends let me borrow a Tesoro Sabre 2 and a Whites Classic SL. I have only had time to "test" each unit for function and make a dozen holes in my yard. I can see how coins sound different than junk and know have a lot to learn.
I am in no hurry to purchase a new detector but was thinking this morning, would a newer model perform better than an older unit ?
Also are these units better than a modern $200 starter unit ?
Thanks for any input.
FWest
Some very good questions.
Newer doesn't always equate to better.
Why
For some strange reason some times manufacturers stray away on some of their future models with things that made them popular to begin with.
And personal preference here does play into to this too.
An example here,,for deep coins an XS explorer used can be had for $300 usually, put this detector up against the still in production Etrac,,and the latest Minealb fbs release CTX3030. This older detector will hold its own here against these newer detectrors(on solo sitting coins) with the tone of this older detector ranking supreme in my book to the newer release Minelab CTX3030.
There are other older Minelab units like Edplorer SE,,explorer 2, explorer SE pro.
These units can be had reasonable too,,and seem by all accounts to be very dependable.
You see someone with one of these detectors,,and the person knows how to operate well,,,watch out,,they will strike on the deep stuff- copper and silver.
Now there are other models out there that can be had reasonable too.
Fisher F5 is a good one.
Weight seems is coming down a bit on some models vs models made 20 years ago.
On solo sitting coins,,meaning no nails or trash around,,,the difference in performance with older vs newer is more near one another.
Enter some iron and trash,,,this is the area where some improvement has been made.
Some of the bells and whistles on the newer detectors are more helpful than others.
Some bells and whistles are basically window dressing,,,do nothing for a user as far as locating a coin, etc.
All I can say is look around,,read up on different models.
Buy as much as you can price wise at the time.
Why
Cause if you skimp,and start detecting,,get hooked,,you know what usually happens??
You will be wanting to upgrade and fast.
Which means more$$$.
Spend your loot up front and get a worthy unit.
Trading up or selling and buying,in the long run you will spend more loot.
Hope this info helps you.