What machine have you had that paid for itself in finds?

For me it would be a AT-Gold and a AT-Pro. And I've swung a ton of others that never seemed to quite produce as much as those two.

Excalibur II, Sovereign GT and ETrac.

Tesoro vaquero, eldorado, Bandido 2 micromax and both compadres

Most recent (last 20 yrs)

CZ20
GTAx1000
GTI 2500
SurfMaster II
Deus

Every machine ive ever owned paid for its self....... just because i kept them until they did. That ment i put in the time to ensure i knew the machine and its capibilities. Big difference between dirt and beach hunting thou as to how fast you get paid back.

Dew

I've only actually "paid for" three machines with finds.

1. Tesoro Tejon. Literally my first signal with it was a huge 10k class ring. It was a lot of gold...so big that it was loose even on my thumb! I also dug a few more rings with it and a Pennsylvania National Guard button from the Civil War that was a pretty sweet yankee button. Several nice seated coins with it too.

2. Tesoro Vaquero. My best find with it was a V.M.I. Cadet button from the Civil War era.

3. Fisher F75. Dug a couple Civil War plates with it, but most impressive was the number of minie balls I have dug with the F75. If I counted just the bullets, and sold them for just .25 cents a piece....it would pay for what a new F75 costs.

Never did count up finds relative particular unit however did find a turn of the century 14 kt. gold ring with 16 diamonds that I had sized for my wife and it was found by a CZ5..

Every machine I have used pays for itself going back over 15 years...I have found so much that adds up really fast $$$

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

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If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

BH EX, (Quicksilver)...First detector, learned on this one...Cost $50, found $30 in clad before retired permanently

Vaquero...Paid for itself probably twice in clad, silver and gold finds.

F2...Paid for itself about 10X's over in clad, silver and gold finds.

Compadre...Paid for itself about 7X's over in clad, silver and gold finds.

F70...Cost $400...Paid for itself in clad, silver and gold finds within the first year...about 3 X's over in 20 months.

Compass Judge 2...Cost $10...Don't use it much but paid off in clad finds.

Red Baron
pantera
1265

all three of those netted me $20K in bullets..

1266= $800.00 confederate wreath buckle tons of expensive relics..800.00 in yankee plates

Bandido2 umax=no one big find but still around $3,000 in buttons im sure of..And around $1,000 in yankee plates

Sovereign= 2 Confederate clip corner buckles..$1,000.00

Lobo St= german p38 pistol nazi marked...$750.00.... $600.00 in yankee plates..

Explorer XS.=$1,200 Reb Button... couple Thousand in bullet's.

Musketeer=$4,000 dollar Mississippi marked Martingale,,,,$400.00 Mississippi Spur..$500.00 in yankee plates $1,200 Reb button

IDX= valued at $5,000 railroad Lock..only one known to exist marked like this..

MXT= $3,000 C.S.A. belt buckle,,500.00 in yankee plates

Gold Bug=$1,800 button..300.00 in yankee plates

705=Turned down $10,000 for soldier made Texas martingale..Very special piece to me..

T2= $1,000 button...$400.00 in yankee plates

Silver sabre Umax= $1,200 set of collided bullets one Yankee on Reb hit head on.. perfect dead center..

GMP 500.00 carved whitworth bullet..200.00 in yankee plates..

X5 =$1000.00 in reb buttons

List keeps going..LOL..

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2015 06:06PM by Keith Southern.

dewcon4414 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Every machine ive ever owned paid for its
> self....... just because i kept them until they
> did. That ment i put in the time to ensure i
> knew the machine and its capibilities. Big
> difference between dirt and beach hunting thou as
> to how fast you get paid back.
>
> Dew


That is my intention.

For me, its the Safari on clad totals alone. I'm working hard on the CTX but have just had it a year; shouldn't be too much longer. My Excal is going to take a while as I don't get much beach time. Maybe 20-30 hunt hours per year- still, it only takes one good find.......

I'd have to say in the last 40 years, these are the detectors that I used long enough or made big enough finds to say they actually paid for themselves. I've had many others that just didn't get used enough.
Compass Gold Scanner Pro
White's Eagle II SL 90.5
White's DFX
White's PI Pro
White's V3i
Tesoro Tiger Shark
Minelab Sovereign Elite
Minelab Sovereign GT

Allmost all of them since 1962, bought a few for resale and didn't use. l dont keep records so am guessing but the original Gold Bug produced the most for the investment , biggest single find with it was a nine troy oz. Gold nugget. The Gold Bug 2 comes in second. Found a cache of silver dollars with the Metrotech. #4 probably was the original Tesoro Stingray, #5 Garrett ground Hog

Funny, I haven't sold any of the 25 or so silver rings and 3 or so gold rings the E-Trac (mostly) found. I guess I technically could sell them all and buy another used E-Trac, but I would need more finds to pay the doctor for my back.
Guess I will wait for that light E-Trac to come out and then sell them all and buy it. ><

An "Arado 120b" a UK machine whose inventor a man named Spencer passed away earlier this year.
Purchased 09/30/83
Paid for by 03/06/84

all 9 machines I have own, have given away a few of them and traded up, but they all were free after about a year detecting with them, have 6 left

Although I never really liked the machine (just didn't get good depth in my dirt) the Fisher F70 found me a super piece of jewelry that paid for the machine, and the Fisher F75 LTD & CZ-70 Pro paid for themselves in old coins, relics and jewelry. I believe the Racer will pay for itself over the fall/winter once my sites start opening up.

Sovereign...many times over.

My Lesche digger and two shovels have paid for themselves many times over. Levers = simple machines <g>

Wayne

Pleasant Garden, NC
AT Max, Nokta Impact, MX Sport, Nokta FORS Relic, GPX 4800, Infinium, Racer, Deus, F75SE, Nautilus DMC II (order of acquisition, last to first)

Does an archeologist argue with a plow? A bureaucrat with a bulldozer?

All of them.

deathray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sovereign...many times over.


+1

IDX...twice at least

All of the metal detectors that I have used in the past have more that paid for themselves with the fun factor and the enjoyment they provided.

G2 and F75 LTD. CTX 3030 well on its way.

Radio Shack 70's model.
(does it count if it was given to me and I found exactly nothing with it?)

Welgund Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tesoro vaquero, eldorado, Bandido 2 micromax and
> both compadres


Ditto! I find more good stuff with Tesoro detectors than I do with the other brands of detectors that I use, especially gold rings.

Besides, they're more fun to use!

tabman

The White's TDI Pro, wet sand at Negative tide, payed for it self in 3 weeks, OK now it's time to upgrade the sand scoop.

Bandido and X5 have earned their keep


Wayne

If I were to sell my finds from the first 4 years with the E-trac, it would cover the costs of the E-trac, CTX3030, and other detecting gear.

Love the hobby.

Detecting since Feb, 2010
E-trac with 18"x15" SEF, 13" Ultimate coil, Pro coil, Minelab 8" coil, 4.5"x7" SEF, Sunray target probe
CTX3030 with 17"x13" DD coil, 11" DD coil

CZ-6a.. many times over
Tesoro Compadre...2nd time I used it
Fisher T2 (green machine)
Tesoro Stingray II

All were jewelry finds at freshwater beaches. I have never paid for a machine with coins and relics only...lol