Looking for recommendations on metal detectors

Bigwig - August 19, 2021

AdviceGear

I’m looking for recommendations on metal detectors.  One of my neighbors lost his keys in the snow and asked me if I had one.  It made me think that it might be handy to have one around for various uses.  Knowing nothing about them, I’m assuming there are a number of trade-offs depending on the purpose for its use.  Looking for something that is cost-effective for the more casual user.

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That’s a good idea for a prep! Maybe you can find lost keys, a buried treasure 🏴‍☠️, or someone’s hidden survival cache in the woods.

My grandparents have a metal detector and they have used it to find a lost wedding ring 💍 in the garden before.

 

A family member gave me their old detector and I haven’t had a chance to take it out for a spin yet, but it looks like it will work. The one I have is a National Geographic PRO series metal detector. 

I’ve used metal detectors in the past that used heavy and harder to find D batteries. This one only takes 2 AA batteries keeping it lightweight and easier to power because you probably have more of those in your house. 

Things I would look for in a metal detector is weight (so you don’t get tired of swinging it around), waterproof foot (so you can run it through mud and grass), size of the foot (not too big so it’s not accurate, but not too small that you miss things), and the ability to have a headphone jack is nice so you can listen without disturbing others with your beeping.

If I didn’t have one and wanted to get into the hobby, I would probably go with this one since it has good reviews, and seems very sturdy and well made. It does use two 9v batteries which can get expensive, so I would look into rechargeable 9volts.

I did have a nice chat with a neighbor who took up treasure hunting in his retirement. He found this like 100+ year old knife and was on the quest for some legendary local treasure and was writing a book on it. His top recommendation was to get your metal detector and also get a pinpointer like this. He said that once you locate the general area of something you want to dig up with your metal detector, use your pin pointer to narrow down the spot to dig, otherwise you could be digging out a 3X3 hole.

 

Saw this news article today and thought about this forum post. A man finds a 2 pound stash of gold with his metal detector! 🎆