How many
detectors do you need anyway?
I hear it often, ‘do you really need all those detectors?’ From
the standpoint of a non-detectorist, it’s valid to ask, especially considering
the cost of some of these machines. The old saying ‘specialization is for
insects’ comes to mind as the typical response regarding doing many things well
vs. one thing extremely well. In the case of metal detecting though, there are
very few ‘general purpose’ machines that can handle all aspects of treasure
hunting without suffering in one regard or even several. So as you will see,
you can make your case based on whatever you intend to pursue.
Technology makes it
possible
If you want to hunt gold nuggets in the goldfields of the US
or Australia, you will have to contend with extremely mineralized soil that
will have most general purpose detectors chattering away and sounding off on
ironstone rocks and mineral deposits. If you want to hunt gold jewelry at
beaches you may have to contend with the mineralization of saltwater, plus the
sands of the beach. Then there’s the waterproof thing. For most ventures
inland, be it treasure or coin hunting, the detectors that work in the
previously mentioned fields may be too heavy or bulky for park or yard usage,
or more importantly lack the ability to discriminate out the tons of metallic
trash in the ground. This is why, when the question of ‘best detector’ comes
up, the ones that have been detecting
for years will answer the question with another question: ‘what type of
detecting do you plan to do most?’.
For most beginning detectorists, it would be safe to
recommend a mid to high end ‘general purpose’ machine that covers most of the
bases pretty well. Once learned, those machines serve as a good beginning
before taking the plunge for specialized machines. In truth, most people only
detect in a few scenarios where they just don’t need the power, extra features,
or specialization of the high end machines.
So now what?
So here is the real point of the post: don’t run out and buy
a detector because you saw it cheap at a big box store, or get the one that so-and-so
has because he seems to like it. Do some research, define your dreams. Even
within the realm of general purpose there are special features that you may
want or need, such as light weight, portability, waterproofness, etc. Some
perform better than others and some are harder to learn than others.
Here are a few forums you can visit to help research types
of treasure hunting, and machines that work well in those scenarios, good luck!
