Spent $60 on a 'professional' metal detector for a dig and it was basically a toy

I got excited for a volunteer dig in Ohio and bought this cheap detector online... it kept beeping at every tiny piece of modern trash. The team lead took one look and said, 'You'd have better luck with a sieve.' I wasted a whole morning digging up pull tabs and a rusty nail. Has anyone found a decent budget detector that actually works for field walking?

3 comments

3 Comments

seth_wells4914d ago

Rough start, but skylerg17 has a good point about site conditions mattering a lot. You really need a machine that can handle trashy ground.

skylerg1715d ago

Ouch, that's the worst feeling. I've been there with a junk detector. Before you buy anything else, what kind of sites are you usually walking? If it's fields with a lot of iron trash, even a good budget machine will drive you nuts without the right settings.

sam_anderson7d agoRising Star

My old Garrett Ace 250 screamed at every rusty nail in that old park.