Advice for a newbie please!

[Samantha]

My friend and I have been looking into getting into metal detecting. We've been doing a lot of research but we are still unsure on which metal detector we should start off with. We aren't able to afford the most expensive but we still want to be able to get one that is good. We live in Arizona, in the tri-state area (border of Nevada and California) so we have the river and desert area to explore, along with many parks. We're also wondering if there is a good place to maybe buy used ones. Thank you, any advice is appreciated!

 

[hoser]

Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy your stay with us. Lot of very knowledgeable folks on here that can help you with any questions you may have about detecting. First off what is the amount you are willing to pay as that will let us know the range there is to choose from. You mentioned river hunting so do you need a totally waterproof machine or are you mainly looking at dry land detecting. You also mentioned a used detector. There are a lot of used units out there on the market but keep in mind the used one may come with issues. If you can afford it, I would lean towards a new detector as it will come with a warranty and that is a big deal if there is a problem from the beginning. But that's not to say there are a lot out there that are great used machines. Take your time and do the research and find the right one for you. Look at the sponsors we have here on the forum. Good luck, and happy hunting.

 

[Samantha]

We want to mostly use it on land, but be able to use it in the river as well. We may get two (one for each). So one can be a little less expensive. I would say no more than $800.

I was thinking about that with the used ones, but my friend wanted me to ask.

 

[hoser]

I have the Garrett AtPro and love it. It's both a land and water detector. You can pick one up for less than $600 through one of the sponsors here on the forum and I would guess you would have great service doing that.

 

[John Madill]

You should budget a couple hundred bucks for a handheld digger, small shovel and a pinpointer.
Some used machines will come with these accessories.
I'm a big fan of craigslist if it is local.
The seller can demonstrate it for you.
A Simplex is a rugged waterproof detector and used ones might be popping up as owners upgrade to the new Legend.
Both are made by Nokta.

 

[oldkoot]

hoser is spot on with what he stated

I am also in Arizona, there are several choices of detectors that many of us can reccomend to you but with out knowing what your budget is its pretty tough to give you suggestions

Mine lab has a new detector out that in my opinion would be a great purchase for anyone starting out in this hobby A mine lab Xterra Pro it is priced around $269 i believe then you have a Simplex Plus priced a little higher than the Xterra Pro

personally I would recommend the Xterra Pro over the simplex plus, stepping up a little higher you have the Nokta Legend not sure of the price of the Legend even though I have purchased two Legends the price has dropped considerably since I made my purchases of the two Legends I have.

Simplex Plus single frequency detector running 12 KHz (if the Simplex is your choice I would wait for a bit) reason for my quote Nokta is getting ready to come out with three new Simplex models that will be upgraded versions running 15 KHz $279

Next the Xterra Pro is a single frequency selectable frequency detector running 5,10,15 KHz and in beach mode runs 8 KHz
(my Choice if I was just starting out detecting today would be the Xterra Pro) $269

the Legend is a pretty huge step up it is a SMF (Multi Frequency) Detector running 4,10,15,20 and 4o KHz in single frequency mode but also can utilize a combination of those five frequencies in what is called multi frequency mode, the legend has three multi frequency modes M1,M2,and M3 $499

the legend is the most expensive of the three detectors I have mentioned, and there are several others that I am sure others will recommend

all the prices I have posted are from Big Boys hobbies

If you want to step up to more expensive detectors there are others that come to mind Like the Mine lab Equinox 600,800,700 and 900, or the Xp Deus 1&2 or the Mine lab Manticore but keep in mind just because they cost quite a bit more than the three I mentioned to you does not mean they perform any better

 

[Reelfoot Relics]

I love the Simplex+ I started with it in Oct. 2021 and still feel like I haven't outgrown it or felt the need to upgrade. It's simple to learn and operate and I have found a lot of cool things with it. Keep in mind this is the only machine I have owned.

 

[Ludlow6]

The fact that you are in Arizona i would go with a detector that can find small gold nuggets as well as coins and such. I would say the XP ORX would do the task and fit in your budget. Not all detectors are made to find small gold nuggets. You also need to have the correct coil to do so. The ORX comes with what you need to find just about any target.

 

[oldkoot]

We want to mostly use it on land, but be able to use it in the river as well. We may get two (one for each). So one can be a little less expensive. I would say no more than $800.

I was thinking about that with the used ones, but my friend wanted me to ask.

With your budget you have set, you have opened up to being able to get, several different detectors, also being in Arizona i would stay away from the Simplex, and look at detectors that are capable of detecting for gold also as Ludlow6 mentioned gold is what I detect for the most in Arizona, and you are in an area that the potential to detect a nugget or two is not beyond the realm of possibilities, I own a Simplex and there is no way I would ever take it out to detect for gold nuggets, coins and relic's yes i would but I would not want to limit myself to only detect for coins and some relics in the area you will be detecting, personally I would look more toward the Legend, Xp ORX, minelab 600,700,800, or 900 the Legend, which I do own and use for detecting gold nuggets,equinox 800 and 900 all have gold detecting modes and all would be great all around detectors even the equinox 600 and 700 are capable of finding gold nuggets, I have also read some post recently that the Xterra Pro works well for detecting gold nuggets on a different site is where I read about the Xterra Pro, and at $269 personally I do not believe you would go wrong and with your budget you set you could even purchase two and have money left for other accessories that you are going to need like a pin pointer and digging tools

 

[Jski2011]

great advice I am new to this hobby after a lot of research, I purchased the Nokta Legend, the learning curve may be a bit steeper but this machine has a lot to offer for the money,
also I have been following a bit about the new Xterra pro and this looks very interesting for the price

 

[davidhunts]

I've seen some good deals on Facebook market place. I can only recommend the Nokta Simplex and Garrett AT Pro, although for the money you get more with the Nokta. All I can say is stay away from the cheapo's on amazon. I saw one once and it looked like a Garrett Ace 250 but it was a total piece of junk. I would suspect something like that would just turn someone off of detecting.

 

[Solong]

I would also recommend the Simplex. Especially if you want a an easy learning curve, simple to charge, wireless headphones, just a great detector at a great price. Many YouTube videos to get you up to speed quick. Very desirable detector for all skill levels.

 

[Beachhunter]

Xterra Pro!

 

[metaladdict]

Arizona has gold,so does Nevada, you need a detector that ground balances.
Equinox 600 or 700.
X terra pro isn't available yet.
Maybe a Nokta legend.
Xp Orx.

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

the Legend is a pretty huge step up it is a SMF (Multi Frequency) Detector running 4,10,15,20 and 4o KHz in single frequency mode but also can utilize a combination of those five frequencies in what is called multi frequency mode, the legend has three multi frequency modes M1,M2,and M3 $499

This is for the money and bang for the buck the best Detector on the market. The Nokta Legend is also very well-built and has tons of features.
Call or emails us from our website at 405-206-9010 if you have any questions on it and I would like some special forum deals.!

 

[jmaclen]

We want to mostly use it on land, but be able to use it in the river as well. We may get two (one for each). So one can be a little less expensive. I would say no more than $800.

I was thinking about that with the used ones, but my friend wanted me to ask.

If you want to do land and river (even submerged) detecting, the Nokta Legend, Nokta Simplex, Equinox 700 and Equinox X Terra Pro are all good options. The XP ORX can be submerged but that would require an antenna to transmit the wireless signal from the coil to the control unit and a protective waterproof case for the control unit. The Legend and Simplex have proven themselves to be waterproof as advertised by Nokta. The Equinox 700 and X-Terra Pro have newer control unit designs which are supposed to correct the leaking problems of some previous model Equinox 600/800s.

Hunting on land in your area may require a detector that can handle a lot of magnetite (iron ore), volcanic rock and salt mineralization. The Legend and Equinox 700 have simultaneous multi frequency operation options that can really help with ground balancing, depth and target ID accuracy in those conditions. From experience, the Simplex will drastically up average 3" deep and deeper lower conductive targets like small aluminum foil, small aluminum shards, pull tabs, small lead, small brass, US nickels and small to medium sized gold jewelry up into the silver range of target IDs due to higher mineralization. The Legend and Equinox using their multi frequency settings will not up average those target IDs nearly as much even on deeper targets. The X-Terra Pro may up average quite a bit on those targets. The few videos I have seen so far do show this happening on deeper low conductive targets.

If you are able to just dig everything then that doesn't matter so much. If you can't physically dig it all or if there are restrictions on digging with a shovel as in you don't want to completely ruin someones yard or public park, really accurate target IDs and tones may be very important.

Even though the Simplex and Legend are both made by Nokta, they have very different sounding audio, tone choices and very different target ID ranges so just be aware.

The Equinox 700 and the X-Terra Pro have very similar audio, tone choices and ID ranges so they would make a very good pair of detectors. The Legend is so similar to the Equinox that I would also recommend pairing a Legend with an X-Terra Pro.