What detector should I buy for Prospecting, or Which Metal Detector is Best For Me?

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This is probably the most common first question asked on the electronic prospecting forums by new guys, and there are a lot of opinions out there. I am presenting my own opinions here - I not a dealer, nor am I allied with any detector manufacturer, so I have no axes to grind one way or another in buying or selling metal detectors. If you are a new prospector trying to figure out what gold oriented metal detector to buy, you need to start by asking yourself two questions. First, What do I intend to do with my detector? Will I be using it every week? Some guys know they want to be able to go prospecting with their detector, but can only get out in the field for a few days each year, and that makes a difference. Second, you need to figure out what you can afford, even if you have to spend some time saving up.

There is no simple one “best” detector for all purposes – that’s why the detector manufacturers make so many different models. When looking at the costs, many guys see how expensive the top of the line prospecting detectors really are and want to cut corners and buy a less expensive detector. Gold detecting isn’t easy, and that may not be a very good idea. You can sometimes get decent bargains in used equipment, but in the end you do get what you pay for. Commercially available gold nugget detectors use either VLF or PI (Pulse Induction) type technologies in their operation. Each has their place, but it is no coincidence that the guys doing the best in AZ and NV (and many other locations) are doing so with minelab pulse detectors in the GP and SD series. In certain parts of the mother lode country of California and also Alaska, there are places where the advantages of minelabs are not really significant because the mineralization is mild and the gold is shallow, but unless you know that those are the only places you will be hunting, you'd be better off in the long run with that more expensive minelab. Even in CA and AK, minelabs have a big advantage in many parts of those states. Additionally, the newer GPX series minelabs have made great strides in their capability to detect small gold.

Second, most ground in gold bearing areas is moderately to highly mineralized, so the ability to ground balance in strongly mineralized soil is critical for a gold machine. Most coin detectors are not made to hunt in strongly mineralized locations because that's not where the coins and jewelry generally are found. Many guys with prior experience coin hunting likely have never have seen ground as wild as is common in many goldfields. It’s fairly normal that goldfields have ground full of noises that sound like targets or thousands of hot rocks lying all over the place - if your machine can’t deal with those, you are just out of luck. Extreme mineralization and all the beeps, clicks and other noises it creates can hide even large nuggets lying fairly close to the surface.
If you use a coin machine, you will find yourself limited to areas with mild mineralization and large, near surface gold. That makes for a heck of a handicap as much gold is small and located in places with moderate to high mineralization. Most places with mild mineralization and big near surface gold were hunted out decades ago – these were the targets of the first detectors developed because the detector operators back then had no option to buy a machine with higher sensitivity and the ability to handle mineralized ground. My honest opinion is that nugget detecting with a cheapie radio shack or other low cost detector made to hunt coins is a waste of time.  I've done both and gold nugget detecting really is quite a bit different from coin or jewelry hunting in local parks.
On the other hand, there are some multi purpose VLFs like the MXT and Xterra 70 which can also be used for coin hunting and other detecting. VLFs which are specifically designed to detect gold nuggets have an advantage over PI detectors with tiny gold, and have better discrimination. They are generally less expensive than PI detectors, which is often a reason many are attracted to them. Unfortunately, they also have serious problems with hot rocks and mineralized soils which are all too common in many gold districts. In the many gold districts where mineralized soils are common it is necessary to turn down the sensitivity in order to use them, which is a serious disadvantage and greatly limits how deeply they can detect. VLFs work best in old mine dumps, and areas with shallow surface exposures of bedrock. However in desert areas and other locations where PIs have an advantage, that advantage can be very large.  If you are working one of those regions where the advantage to the PI units is large, he can be very tough to find gold using a VLF machine when you are working behind a good PI operator.

In the end, much of this decision comes down to what you plan to do with your metal detector, and what you can afford. If you can afford it, get both a VLF and a PI machine. I own a Gold Bug 2, a Whites MXT, a Minelab GP Extreme and a GPX 5000, and use them all. The MXT is a multipurpose detector, and between the capabilities of these four different detectors, I pretty much have all the bases covered.  If you plan to mostly detect for coins and jewelry in local parks and the like, with only an occasional prospecting trip, then a multipurpose machine like the MXT or Minelab Xterra 705 might be a good choice. They sell new for around $700, and a couple hundred less if you can find one that is used. The lobo supertraq is also a good inexpensive multipurpose machine that can detect parks and schools, but can also do some work in the gold fields. 
For detecting the smallest gold in areas with mild to moderate mineralization and shallow bedrock, I recommend the Gold Bug II by Fisher (now part of First Texas and Bounty Hunter detectors). They are still making them, and new one is around $700, but used gold bug II can be had for around $400 or so. The Gold Bug is a VLF detector built specifically for gold nugget detecting and does an amazing job on small gold. However, if you really are going to be seriously detecting for gold on a regular basis, in most cases you probably would be better off with a Minelab PI machine. In this class, I recommend a GP class machine (GP Extreme through the current model, the GPX 5000). A new GPX 5000 may sell for $5000, but a used GP Extreme can currently be purchased for around $1100. Some SD class Minelab PI detectors can sell for as little as $700 (SDs are an older model of minelab Prospecting PI type detector). Unless money really is no object, take your time and think about what you want to do, don’t rush, and as I said, get the very finest detector you can possibly afford.

To the right I have links to several of the most popular metal detectors for gold oriented use and prospecting for sale through Amazon. To find more information on these detectors and their current prices, check out the Amazon links. There are also comments written by those folks who have purchased the one of these detectors.

Nevada Outback Gems