cercisnc
|
New and wondering about the triadHi,
Completely new to MD and am looking around at different detectors and wondering if anyone has suggestions? Also are there any members in the triad area and where are people allowed to MD in Forsyth County - any suggestions??
Thanks!!
|
nc-joe
|
Be careful in up there, they are not too friendly about MDing in the parks around you!
As for looking for a detector, well 3 things that dramatically effect your decission is 1) what do you want to find? 2) How much do you want to spend 3) where will you be looking for stuff?
Once you answer those 3 questions, then you have to start looking at what features, weight and options are important to you (not everyone else)
I am always more than willing to help in the selection process, but you must answer those 3 questions first and then we can review your best options technically and start on answering the personal preferance options. The last thing any of us want to see is someone spend $1000 for a detector that will sit in the closet because you don't like it, or it wasn't designed to find what you want, where you want.
Wecome to the MDAC website. We don't really have any club members up there, but most of us are willing to travel and there are many that visit this website from your area.
|
CJ Tuffy
|
Hi Cercisnc,
Believe it or not no metal detecting is allowed in Forsyth County parks. I checked. You have to go out of the county I guess. That's ok because there are tons of spots to find things. Like playgrounds and old house built before 1950s where there would be silver coins.
I would look at the Garrett 250 or up and the Whites Prizim series. They both are relatively inexpensive but have a lot of features of the more expensive machines. especially pinpointing.
The old saying you get what you pay for holds true.
Keep the coil to the soils…Charles
|
cercisnc
|
Thanks for the responses - Triad and MDThanks for the info about the parks in Forsyth, did not realize that at all. Are there any people on this list in the triad area??
Since I am female I would prefer something not terribly heavy. I read some reviews about the whites Matrix M6 and might wait to see if I can get a used one at a reasonable price - if that does turn out to be a good one. I would like something that works in the triad area but that would work at the beach too. I am open to suggestions about a good low end and maybe a good midrange. Then depending on what I find new or used I could find something that would work. I guess starting out I would be looking for coins and jewelry is never a bad option! 
CC
|
CJ Tuffy
|
That machine would be a great starter, better than what I was suggesting. At the beach it would do very well on dry sand.
Combine that machine with some headphones, digging pouch and a Lesche digging tool and your set to find treasure.
A good practice place would be playgrounds with the chips or sand. Don't go too deep because you may be digging under the landscaping cloth for junk that was there before the playground was built. This is a good place to practice on shallow targets a few inches deep. It hones the pinpoint skill and mostly what you find is modern change called "clad" and jewelry.
As you have questions this would be the place to ask. We all started at one time so don't be shy.
|
nc-joe
|
The M6 is a pretty good machine and has a variety of coil options for future expansion. It uses 14kHz, which is good for the soil conditions in the triad, and will get a respectable depth at the beach. Like Charles said, it will work good in dry sand at the beach, and so/so in the wet sand. It's any easy machine to learn and weight is not overly excessive, but it is a little heavier than some of the starter machines Charles noted.
You will be looking at $400-450 for a used one. You will want to get your hands on one and make sure the weight, balance, feel and sound is comfortable for you.
Others machines in that price range include the White's XLT, the Minelab X-terra 50 and X-terra 70, the Teknetics T2 and a variety of Tesero and Fisher detectors. A lot will come down to what options you want and what feels good.
|
cercisnc
|
Prizm IIII called a hobby shop north of Winston today and the gentleman who is familiar with the detectors and does it as a hobby recommended the prizm III to start with. Is this a reliable machine? He said the stronger machines just go deeper and I can't see myself digging down 12-18 inches at least not to start - unless I really get bitten by the bug. I know prizm was mentioned in the previous posts and I like that they are made in the u.s. Some of the other machines might be too - have not checked into all the varieties.
Anyone have any thoughts/experiences with this particular one?
Thanks for your input.
|
nc-joe
|
What? Here is the honest truth..... I'm not trying to sell you a detector..... The Prizm III is so/so at best. Yes it's light, yes it easy to learn, but here's what you really need know, the M6 might find targets deeper but in this area, you talking the Prizm might go 5" deep and the M6 will go 7". Don't let him intimidate you into a buyer a lesser machine because the good one goes too deep.. that's crazy. Buy the best technology you can affort. If you decide to buy a used M6 and spend say $450, and in 6 months you decide this hobby is not for you and you go to sell the M6 your resale value will still be near what you paid. If you decide the hobby is right for you, you have a high end machine that you can expand your coil selections and grow in the hobby without having to invest in another machine. If you buy the Prizm, you'll spend around $300 and now you have a machine that you can not "grow" with and you will end up selling it to either get out of the hobby and take a loss, or sell it to buy a higher end machine, and take a loss. And don't even bother with the Prizm 5, because it will cost nearly $500 and again, for that money you can get a used XLT, DFX, MXT or M6 or a huge variety of other manufacturer high end machines.
If your budget allows, don't buy a low end machine. Again, buy the best technology you can afford, it will pay off in the long run. The biggest difference in low end and high end machines is not depth, but target seperation and target Identfication. Yes, high end machines do go a little deeper, but again, not like the "salesman" was trying to lead you into believing.
|
cadit
|
Hi Cercisnc,
I'm in agreement with Joe and Charles in their suggestions, and I do know that the White's detectors are among some of the lightest detectors made, I have one myself. But like Joe stated; if you buy a lesser priced machine and then want to up grade your detector, your losses may be greater. Your mid-range to Hi-end detectors give have a much better resale value. Wish you all the best in you search.
Henry
Metal detecting/Treasure Hunting
A Hobby for those with an Adventurous Heart and a Inquisitive Mind
|
EBCIII
|
Weclome to the site Cercisnc! Glad to have you on the site.
I agree with Joe on the M6 Vs the Prizm III. The M6 can be your last detector you buy. Very nice unit and will for sure grow with you.
I looked at one real hard before I bought my X-Terra 70. The M6 will do what you need it to. Lots of coils and just a good detector. Good luck to you, Beale.
|
cercisnc
|
Hi,
Thanks for all the replies and advice. I actually picked up a prizm 4 with a ton of accessories off of ebay with the plan that if I continue I have decided on an mxt and my nephew can use the prizm when I go to Georgia (or a friend up here could use it). There are a lot of rural/older places down there where I know we can hunt for stuff without getting into any trouble - the parks down there should not be a problem at all.
Looking forward to learning more from everyone!
Thanks
|
CJ Tuffy
|
Well let us know how you do in Georgia and post some pictures....Happy Hunting....CJ
|
|
|
