Need help asap!!

TheDrtyBrger

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Hi everyone! I am looking to get into metal detecting for something to do with my son, we are going to cabelas tonight to buy a machine.

I was hoping to get advice on a couple machines, I am looking for something versatile and easy to use but also as close to professional results as possible. Here are my options:

Garrett AT pro
Garrett at max
minelab vanquish 540
minelab equinox 800

Thanks in advance!!
 
I agree the AT Pro is easy to learn but personally I cannot recommend the AT PRO even though I own one I have always felt the ATP was and still is way over hyped the ATP was one of the first machines I purchased back in 2010 and my experience with it are not the same as others say about it.I have never used any of the other three detectors you mentioned

but I will say this The Equinox 800 is the most advanced of all the machines you mentioned and probably will give you a detector that you and you son can grow into together the vanquish from what I have read is a watered down version of the Equinox have never used either but have friends that do and they either love them or do not like them, the Equinox can be used in different detecting scenarios like coins relic and gold field detection it is a multi frequency detector which has settings to run multi or single frequency the vanquish can only run in multi from my understanding The AT GOLD and AT PRO are single frequency machines

the Equinox 800 is way more versatile then the other three

another machine you might want to consider is the Nokta/Macro simplex plus I purchased one for my grandson and for a $250 detector it is a fantastic detector and is the best bang for you buck it is a single frequency detector though and is fairly simple to learn has great depth and is just a solid well built detector

the ATP is built like a tank and for me it was the most uncomfortable detector I ever used
 
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well I went with the equinox 800 with a pinpointer and a shovel. Any beginner advice with this machine? Hoping this is good enough to find something impressive before my son loses interest 😆
 
I would of bought the 600 The $300 you would of save and then bought the Simplex + for the son

For a newbie 600 is more than enough... Multi Freq is same as 800
 
I would of bought the 600 The $300 you would of save and then bought the Simplex + for the son

For a newbie 600 is more than enough... Multi Freq is same as 800

It was more of an issue of what was available on short notice. The list I gave was what they had in stock, I originally wanted the vanquish 540 but they were sold out.
 
It was more of an issue of what was available on short notice. The list I gave was what they had in stock, I originally wanted the vanquish 540 but they were sold out.


I could believe that the way the supply chain is rite now, anymore i just order on line and its delivered in a few days but I have had to wait 6 months before

I agree with someones statement about getting a second detector if you want to keep your son interested it is not fun to be second fiddle
 
It was more of an issue of what was available on short notice. The list I gave was what they had in stock, I originally wanted the vanquish 540 but they were sold out.

You did good with the 800. It will give you room to grow. Start in Park 1, do a noise cancel and your ready. Put a few coins on the ground and remember how they sound. This will give you a base line for coin targets. Pinpointer a great addition, cuts recovery time substantially. People using the 600 will never know the advantages of using an 800 but as you learn the machine and all its capabilities you will if you stick with it. Good luck to you and your son. Post pics of your finds please. Mark
 
I could believe that the way the supply chain is rite now, anymore i just order on line and its delivered in a few days but I have had to wait 6 months before

I agree with someones statement about getting a second detector if you want to keep your son interested it is not fun to be second fiddle


You guys are probably right. Any advice on a cheaper yet functional easy one for my son?
 
You did good with the 800. It will give you room to grow. Start in Park 1, do a noise cancel and your ready. Put a few coins on the ground and remember how they sound. This will give you a base line for coin targets. Pinpointer a great addition, cuts recovery time substantially. People using the 600 will never know the advantages of using an 800 but as you learn the machine and all its capabilities you will if you stick with it. Good luck to you and your son. Post pics of your finds please. Mark


Awesome advice thank you!! He can't wait. I will definitely post my finds!! Hoping to discover some cool places and treasures!!
 
You did good with the 800. It will give you room to grow. Start in Park 1, do a noise cancel and your ready. Put a few coins on the ground and remember how they sound. This will give you a base line for coin targets. Pinpointer a great addition, cuts recovery time substantially. People using the 600 will never know the advantages of using an 800 but as you learn the machine and all its capabilities you will if you stick with it. Good luck to you and your son. Post pics of your finds please. Mark

Oh one other thing I forgot to mention, when you buy the 800 you get the WM08 module with it and you can pair a second pair of headphones with it so you can both hear whats going on.
 
You guys are probably right. Any advice on a cheaper yet functional easy one for my son?

Any of the Vanquishes. It'll be nice for you two to both be using the same underlying tech so your tones (assuming you haven't heavily modified the tone breaks, etc.) and VDIs will be largely the same.
 
You guys are probably right. Any advice on a cheaper yet functional easy one for my son?

I kind of agree with other on getting your son a vanquish because of it being a basically watered down Equinox

but bang for your bucks you cannot go wrong with the simplex plus even though I have not put any time in on the simplex plus and am going just by what I have seen the simplex plus do in my grandsons hand and he is a total newbie with it he is not new to detecting he has gone with me in the past

Vanquish $400 plus
Simplex Plus $256.95

Simplex plus is also water proof, Vanquish is not.
 
Any of the Vanquishes. It'll be nice for you two to both be using the same underlying tech so your tones (assuming you haven't heavily modified the tone breaks, etc.) and VDIs will be largely the same.

Would the vanquish 340 do the trick? It was the inly vanquish model they had and it was only $200 so I'm not sure if it would work well or not.
 
Would the vanquish 340 do the trick? It was the inly vanquish model they had and it was only $200 so I'm not sure if it would work well or not.

How old's your son? Assuming he's at least 5 or 6 then yes, the 340 is a good option. And if he outgrows it, it's a great loaner machine for anyone else who wants to tag along with you and metal detect.
 
I kind of agree with other on getting your son a vanquish because of it being a basically watered down Equinox

but bang for your bucks you cannot go wrong with the simplex plus even though I have not put any time in on the simplex plus and am going just by what I have seen the simplex plus do in my grandsons hand and he is a total newbie with it he is not new to detecting he has gone with me in the past

Vanquish $400 plus
Simplex Plus $256.95

Simplex plus is also water proof, Vanquish is not.

Well I just broke the news to him, another trip to cabelas tomorrow lol. He's super excited, hoping the vanquish 340 is good enough otherwise we may have to order the 540.
 
How old's your son? Assuming he's at least 5 or 6 then yes, the 340 is a good option. And if he outgrows it, it's a great loaner machine for anyone else who wants to tag along with you and metal detect.

He turned 10 yesterday, so I guess this will be a late birthday present!! I will start him with the 330 and when he gets a little older if he's still into it I'll upgrade it for him. Thanks for the advice!!
 
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