Seems like all discussion is for the higher end equipment. What about us beginner detectorists. Any one have input on equipment such as the Fisher F4? Pro and con. I ordered the DVD, will it help me much since I use low end, beginner equipment?

The best way to learn how to metal detect is by experience doing it.
People can tell you many various ways to follow ,as a guide , but the most important way is experience. Its called `the learning curve`.
Some people want to run before they can walk in it. Others hang on in there and persevere. Its mainly going to be down to how you handle it.
You need A big chunk of luck, a big chunk of enthusiasm, and an few ounces of common sense. Then you`ll make it . Good hunting.

Garrett ACE 250 $212 at Kellco. I do not have this unit but have read a lot about it. Seems to be a good beginner unit. I have several old units and a Teknetics Omega 8000. $599 base price. The best thing to do is read a lot, find a local dealer and go try out some of the units. It depends on what you are going to search for, what you can afford to pay. Always handle the unit and see how it feels, think about swinging it for a few hours. Once you have decided on a couple of units, read the reviews. Keep in mind that everyone thinks their unit is the best. I watch a lot of detecting videos on youtube, this seems to
help learn a little about the detector also. Good luck and I am looking forward to seeing your finds.

Tom

Gambler,

Welcome to the best and most informative site. Where do you live and what type of detecting will you be doing. A lot of times that will decide on what's best for you.

Suncoast Wally

I remember when I was just starting out...there are a lot of videos on youtube to show you how to hunt and if you are not sure you are going to like it get a cheap one but if you are going to like the hobby and have places to hunt get the Omega and you will have a great unit and your finds will be better once you read the forum. This forum is top notch but you can read and learn and ask questions.

LowBoY

Yes, the ACE-250, F2 or F4 are great detectors for beginners. Now..........if you hunt the beach........there is no 'beginner' unit. You must purchase the correct detector for it to even work properly/efficiently at the wet salt beach.

Hello, I am a beginner and bought a new fisher f4, and yes it is considered a beginner metal detector, but it is NOT A TOY, on the main page of this website is a ton of free information by Mr. Thomas Dankowski, who I stand in awe of as do most who frequent this forum. I recommend reading ANYTHING this gentleman has written, and if you decide to buy an f4 you will not be dissapointed. I love mine it works great , but I must say if you are looking for some magic detector that does anything and everything... it ain't gonna happen, whatever you decide, spend the time to learn your own detector, because if you do not, discouragement is just around the corner, All these guys that have found such wonderful finds have done it either the hard way or was smart enough to find Mr. Dankowski. Seek and Ye shall Find!!!

Tom you say if you hunt the beach........there is no 'beginner' unit. You must purchase the correct detector for it to even work properly/efficiently at the wet salt beach.

Well I want to buy a unit for the salt water (Mostly in beach water) that is waterproof. Looking at the J.W.Fish pulse 8x Do you have a better recommendation?

Yes, the Minelab Excal or a Fisher CZ-20.

would I be better off with Fisher CZ-21 Metal Detector versus Fisher CZ-20?

better off??? maybe, maybe not!

a cz20 is a used machine(i have one) cz21 is new.

a cz20 with age can develop leaks where the pinpoint button is, the led lights, and at the seals/gaskets. a cz21 has a few modifications to reduce the chances of leaking. if you buy a cz20 and it has a problem fisher will not repair it they will upgrade your cz20 to a cz21 for about $300.00

a cz21 is new and comes with a warranty but there is some that question fishers abillity to calibrate and qc there units consistantly/correctly. i am not sure where i stand on this but i hope that it was a temporary, companys changing hands problem and that they have these problems ironed out and i know that if you have a problem they will bend over backwards to fix it.

i have a old cz20 and a excalibur that i am still trying to get used to and i can tell you i prefer the cz20s design and tones hands down!!!!!!! if and when my cz20 breaks down i will have no problem getting a cz21. i guess i would say get the cz21 and if it is not right or has problems it will be under warranty.

I personally don't believe in the concept of beginner equipment. I wouldn't buy a yugo as a beginner car. Why spend the money on something you're going to out grow very quickly. I've seen it time and time again. There's closets and ebay ads full of beginner detectors out there. You don’t need to get the flagship model in order to get a detector you can grow with. Spend the extra money for a good mid-range machine, and if you decide this hobby’s not for you then you can sell it for much closer to what you paid unlike a cheapo model which re-sells for hardly anything.
HH
John



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2010 01:24AM by DirtyJohn.

I still have concerns about CZ-21's depth.

agreed!, there is a risk in buying used and a risk in buying new. if new you get a waranty to get things right........ the more i think about it the more i would say buy cz21 with warranty.

Lack of depth is not a warranty issue. Fisher/First Texas issue.

Will the Tesoro Silver µmax be a good starter? Never had one but heard only good reviews, if it is not for wet salt water beaches.

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I still have concerns about CZ-21's depth.


I just made a trade for a CZ-21 that was built less than a year ago and I'm still pretty much a beginner myself. What concerns you about it's depth? As long as I've got you, I have the 8" concentric coil and but was wondering if the 10.5 DD would be better for fresh water diving in Montana, Idaho and Washington? Because I traded another detector for it I couldn't be to picky about the coil at the time.

Thanks
Joe

Joe,

The 10.5 inch coil is not a DD coil. There are no DD coils made for the CZ's. Since you state you are a beginner, I would say don't worry too much about the coil size at this time as it's much more important to learn your machine and get the most out of it.

With the 8 inch coil in fresh water/land, you should get a solid repeatable high tone hit on a dime at at least 8 inches with sensitivity setting around 4-5. Make sure you ground balance the detector, keep the discrimination setting at 0 if you are in discrimination mode so you can hear all targets, and sweep slow to moderate. Just make sure you don't go overboard on the sensitivity at first, because you have much more probability of falsing as the sensitivity increases. The CZ's get very good depth at lower sensitivity settings.

Fresh water diving with the 8 inch coil should serve you well...just get out there and dig.

therover61 Wrote:
> The 10.5 inch coil is not a DD coil. There are no DD coils made for the CZ's.

Thanks, I just assumed from the elliptical shape in the center of the larger coil that it was a DD. Is the dual frequency the reason for concentric coils only on the CZ's?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2010 07:12PM by Joe.

Just simply perform an air-test on your CZ-21.....using a dime.....and see how well it performs. A air-test is a good starting point. The ID circuitry architect is what will not allow the use of a DD coil.

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just simply perform an air-test on your
> CZ-21.....using a dime.....and see how well it
> performs. A air-test is a good starting point.


In my apartment I could only get seven inches but when I went to a friends pasture (to test what I've learned from your DVD, Tom) I got almost nine inches.
On the subject of your DVD, what an enormous benefit it was compared to the last time I went to the same place. At one point I was second guessing what I thought I'd learned, because I was passing up so many targets, so I decided to dig anyway and got the only nail of the day. After digging a few mid-tones and fuzzy high-tones that turned out to be copper and aluminum I finally hit that sharp, high tone, double chirp, that I guessed was a coin on it's side. It turned out to be a 1961 silver dime. Not exactly striking it rich but it sure made this beginners day. Funny, I've done allot of high adrenalin sports and have even been buried in an avalanche while ice climbing just to have a little dime make me shout with excitement.

Thanks for smoothing out the learning curve, it was the best accessory I could have bought.

Joe



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2010 07:23PM by Joe.

Glad it helped!