Hi,
Looking to purchase a first detector for my daughter's birthday. The thing is that it will also be a first detector for me as well, so it'll have to be something not only that a kid use, but that a beginner can help her to learn. Articles have steered me toward models like the Garret Ace 200 or Fisher F22 because they are easy to use and lightweight enough.
The type of detecting we'd be doing I suppose would be artifact hunting. Places we would be searching would be along an old abandoned railway that is in our backyard. Crown lots on our road and our own property which are on a historic wagon trail that was the first major overland infrastructure in the region, around some of the major fur trade waterways and portages, the site of a former POW camp, and beaches on fresh water lakes. Local soils are red clay at the surface indicating a fair bit of iron presence I would guess.
We would simply walk to some sites and others I imagine we would be taking our side X side (maybe Americans call them UTVs?) and maybe it would join us on the odd canoe trip, so flimsy construction would be a concern. We won't be going to any manicured city parks or anything like that.
So in researching the models, a couple of things jumped out. While many that are good for beginners such as the ACE 200 and F22, they are not terribly well suited to relic hunting which is mostly what we would be doing I would guess. There is a lot of talk of the Vanquish being a great option as well. It seems like it's a price/quality ratio race. If you are going to spend $200, the extra value on something that is $300 is probably a better way to go and on and on.
But in all the information on how good a model is, I have to remember that it is for a 10 year old and the guy who will be walking behind her with a shovel in hand has no experience either. I'm pretty sure I am apt enough to understand the science, but I don't want to turn my daughter off of it because if she's not interested, I won't carve out the time for it myself. I have plenty of other hobbies like fishing, paddling, and hiking that she would join me in during the warm months. She has a really good attention span but things like ground balance and target separation might be a little overwhelming to manage to start with.
Are there any other things I should consider?
Does my situation scream any one detector over all the others?
Looking to purchase a first detector for my daughter's birthday. The thing is that it will also be a first detector for me as well, so it'll have to be something not only that a kid use, but that a beginner can help her to learn. Articles have steered me toward models like the Garret Ace 200 or Fisher F22 because they are easy to use and lightweight enough.
The type of detecting we'd be doing I suppose would be artifact hunting. Places we would be searching would be along an old abandoned railway that is in our backyard. Crown lots on our road and our own property which are on a historic wagon trail that was the first major overland infrastructure in the region, around some of the major fur trade waterways and portages, the site of a former POW camp, and beaches on fresh water lakes. Local soils are red clay at the surface indicating a fair bit of iron presence I would guess.
We would simply walk to some sites and others I imagine we would be taking our side X side (maybe Americans call them UTVs?) and maybe it would join us on the odd canoe trip, so flimsy construction would be a concern. We won't be going to any manicured city parks or anything like that.
So in researching the models, a couple of things jumped out. While many that are good for beginners such as the ACE 200 and F22, they are not terribly well suited to relic hunting which is mostly what we would be doing I would guess. There is a lot of talk of the Vanquish being a great option as well. It seems like it's a price/quality ratio race. If you are going to spend $200, the extra value on something that is $300 is probably a better way to go and on and on.
But in all the information on how good a model is, I have to remember that it is for a 10 year old and the guy who will be walking behind her with a shovel in hand has no experience either. I'm pretty sure I am apt enough to understand the science, but I don't want to turn my daughter off of it because if she's not interested, I won't carve out the time for it myself. I have plenty of other hobbies like fishing, paddling, and hiking that she would join me in during the warm months. She has a really good attention span but things like ground balance and target separation might be a little overwhelming to manage to start with.
Are there any other things I should consider?
Does my situation scream any one detector over all the others?