Which Metal Detector Should I Buy? A Practical Guide for New Detectorists

52 Years of Lessons Learned Before You Spend Your First Dollar

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, “Dennis, what’s the best metal detector to buy?” I could probably own every flagship detector on the market. After the five decades of metal detecting, my answer still catches people off guard. I literally tell them “There isn’t one”. There never has been. There is only the detector that best matches the way you want to enjoy this hobby. That probably isn’t the answer you were expecting, especially if you’ve spent weeks watching YouTube videos, reading reviews, comparing specifications, and asking questions on Facebook for so called self experts to give you 1000 different answers.

Every manufacturer proudly promotes its latest detector as deeper, faster, lighter, or more advanced than the last one, and every enthusiastic owner naturally believes the detector they own is the best available. I don’t care for Brand Loyalty alone. I refuse to blindly follow a new car sales tactic of ours is the best, blah, blah, blah. I have earned my creds by hard work and many thousands of hours learning the truth of detectors, and I want to share those with you.

I understand that mindset because I once stood exactly where you are now. On December 10, 1973, I walked out of a dealer’s store carrying my very first detector, a Garrett Master Hunter BFO. By today’s standards it was an incredibly simple machine. It didn’t have a digital display except for an analog meter, and it didn’t have target ID, wireless headphones, or software update capability. It simply detected metal, and that was enough to change the course of my life.

About two weeks later I recovered my first coin, a 1935 Buffalo nickel. I still remember staring at it and thinking, “People really do lose money.” Four months later I found my first gold ring, a heavy 18-karat wedding band. That one discovery completely changed my perspective. From that day forward I knew I wasn’t just looking for lost change. I was hunting for history, jewelry, and the next great surprise hiding beneath the ground.

During the next fifty-two years I would own or spend time with detectors from Garrett, White’s, Tesoro, Minelab, Nokta, XP, and several specialty manufacturers. Every one of them taught me something. The biggest lesson, however, has never changed. The detector rarely determines success. The detectorist does. Today’s detectors are remarkable pieces of technology, but success still comes from understanding history, choosing productive locations, learning your detector until it becomes second nature, recovering hundreds of targets, asking the right questions of the right people, and gaining the kind of experience that only time in the field can provide.

If you’re looking for a simple list ranking detectors from best to worst, this isn’t that article. My goal for this article is to help you choose the detector that best fits your interests, your budget, your physical abilities, and the kind of detecting you actually plan to do so you can spend less time wondering whether you bought the right machine and more time enjoying the hobby.

Before You Ever Buy a Detector

Before you compare brands, prices, or features, ask yourself a much more important question: Why do you want to get into metal detecting? The answer to that single question will influence nearly every buying decision that follows. Some people are drawn by history. Others dream of finding old coins, jewelry, Civil War relics, or even natural gold. Many simply want another reason to spend time outdoors. None of those reasons is more valid than another, and you’ll probably discover that your interests change as your experience grows. My reason was that in my wide eyed crazed youth I wanted to become rich and well known by finding the really big treasures. I have indeed found several caches of buried money and piggy banks, coin spills, rare coins, silver and gold rings, and other items of value, but if that is your expectation, I used to play the lottery and never won. So, enjoy the ride and every once in a while you will find exceptional things. In other words, the chances of you finding that huge fabled treasure ain’t far from zero.

Your first detector doesn’t have to do everything well. It only needs to do the things you’ll spend most of your time doing. After all, you don’t even know if you are going to enjoy a hobby that caused you to dig a LOT of trash. One of the biggest mistakes I see beginners make is buying way too much detector without even knowing the type of hunting they actually plan to do. The next question is just as important: Where do you expect to hunt most often? Someone searching city parks for coins and jewelry has very different needs than someone working iron-infested Civil War camps. Freshwater lakes require different capabilities than ocean beaches. The best detector for one environment may not be the best choice for another. When someone asks me, ‘What’s the best metal detector?’, the answer depends entirely on what you’re trying to accomplish. A sports car, pickup truck, family SUV, and four-wheel-drive Jeep all excel at different jobs. Metal detectors are no different. Be honest with yourself about how much time you’re likely to devote to the hobby. Buy equipment that matches both your goals and your level of commitment. Don’t purchase a detector simply because someone on YouTube or Facebook calls it a ‘game changer.’ Instead, understand why that detector performs well and decide whether those strengths match the kind of detecting you actually plan to do.

Understanding Modern Metal Detector Technology

Before you can make an informed decision, it helps to understand the basic technologies used in modern detectors. Fortunately, you don’t need an engineering degree. A practical understanding of how each type is intended to be used will help you avoid expensive mistakes and buy with confidence. Most hobby detectors fall into three categories: Very Low Frequency (VLF), Simultaneous Multi-Frequency (SMF), and Pulse Induction (PI). Each has clear strengths and limitations. None is the perfect answer for every situation.

Traditional VLF detectors operate on a single frequency, or allow you to choose one frequency at a time. Lower frequencies generally favor larger, high-conductive targets like silver coins, while higher frequencies are often more responsive to small gold jewelry and tiny natural gold. That doesn’t mean they can’t detect other targets, it simply means each frequency has its own strengths.

Simultaneous Multi-Frequency technology changed the hobby in a very real way. Instead of evaluating one frequency at a time, SMF detectors analyze several frequencies simultaneously. For many detectorists, they’ve become the best all-around choice because they perform well across a broad range of targets, adapt to changing ground conditions, and generally handle wet salt beaches much better than traditional single-frequency detectors.

Pulse Induction detectors are specialized tools. They excel in highly mineralized ground and often locate deeply buried metal beyond the reach of conventional detectors. The tradeoff is that many PI machines provide limited target identification, making them less practical for the average beginner whose interests center on coins, jewelry, and relics.

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that a waterproof detector is automatically a good choice for saltwater beaches. Freshwater lakes and rivers are relatively forgiving. Saltwater isn’t. The conductive nature of salt creates conditions that can make some detectors unstable or reduce their performance. If hunting ocean beaches is one of your primary goals, make sure you choose a detector specifically designed to handle wet salt sand well.

Ground balance is another subject that intimidates many new detectorists more than it should. Think of ground balance as teaching your detector to ignore the ground so it can pay attention to the metal. Soil contains naturally occurring minerals that can produce signals of their own. Ground balance tells the detector, “This is just dirt, ignore it,” allowing it to respond more accurately to buried coins, relics, jewelry, and other metal targets.

Fortunately, most modern detectors do this automatically or require very little input from the operator. Years ago, it demanded much more attention from the operator. Today’s detectors are far more sophisticated. Many modern machines automatically compensate for changing ground conditions as you hunt. Across much of the United States, especially for typical coin and jewelry hunting, today’s simultaneous multi-frequency detectors require very little operator intervention.

When you compare detectors, don’t get distracted by long lists of features. Focus instead on the features that will genuinely improve the type of detecting you plan to do. Weight and balance deserve far more attention than many buyers give them. When I was in my twenties, I could detect all day without thinking about fatigue. Today I appreciate a lightweight, well-balanced detector much more than I once did. A detector that’s comfortable for four hours will almost always find more than one that’s heavy enough to send you back to the truck after ninety minutes.

The search coil deserves just as much consideration. The standard coil supplied with most detectors is an excellent place to start. Smaller coils usually separate targets better in trashy locations, while larger coils cover more ground and can offer additional depth in cleaner sites. Truth be told, I do recommend buying a small accessory coil before investing in a larger one. Although it covers less ground, it teaches you target separation, helps isolate good targets from surrounding junk, and makes learning your detector much faster and easier.

Wireless headphones, rechargeable batteries, software updates, and waterproof construction are all valuable features. None of them, however, will ever replace experience. Technology can make you more efficient, but skill is still what consistently puts good finds in your pouch.

Thought not necessarily a part of the main subject of this article, I also suggest that you acquire a quality pinpointer to help  you in learning where objects are once you open up the ground.  I do NOT recommend a cheap Chinese pinpointer. 

I also recommend that you learn to spend as much time researching where you’re going to hunt as you spend researching detectors. On focusspeed there are several articles on learning how to research.  I highly recommend you spend some time and both read and practice what you learn there.  A good detector in an outstanding location will consistently outperform the most expensive detector ever built in a poor one. Many people spend weeks comparing detector models but only a few minutes deciding where they’ll buy one.

In my experience, the dealer you choose can be almost as important as the detector itself. Buying a metal detector whether it is new or used should never be an instant decision. You are investing several hundred to several thousands of dollars for a device that might never pay you back what you spend. The absolute fact that it CAN find something that will is a huge stimulation to help you justify that expense. A good dealer does far more than process your payment. They should help match you with equipment that fits your goals rather than simply steering you toward the most expensive model. More importantly, they’ll still answer your questions after the sale, when the real learning begins. I always encourage new detectorists to pick up the phone before clicking the Buy button. Spend fifteen minutes explaining where you live, what you want to hunt, and what your budget is. You’ll often learn more during that conversation than you will after watching hours of online videos.

If a dealer is worth his salt, he should be able to help you or guide you to someone else who can. If they don’t help guide you, I would suggest moving on to someone else who will. My personal go to dealer is someone whom I have entrusted my money to many times throughout the years. In return, he knows that if someone calls and he doesn’t know the answer, he steers them to me for answers. And never forget that we stand on the shoulders of others and if and when you have the time and experience to help new folks to the hobby, do so. I mentor about 40 people in this hobby and I am so happy to do so.

Ask the dealer what they’d recommend if your budget were a few hundred dollars lower, and what they’d recommend if it were a few hundred dollars higher. Their reasoning often tells you far more than the recommendation itself. Also ask about warranty service, firmware updates, repair turnaround times, accessory coils, and long-term support. Those topics rarely appear in advertisements, but they become important after you’ve owned the detector for several years.

Many manufacturers enforce Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP), so advertised prices are often identical from one dealer to another. That doesn’t mean every purchase offers the same value. Dealers may include accessory packages, promotions, or support that make one purchase a much better investment than another. It never hurts to ask. And for what it’s worth, you should ask what discounts they offer on the detector itself.  If you are a veteran or first responder, ask about discounts there as well.  Some manufacturers and some dealers offer military style discounts.

Buying Used Can Be a Smart Decision

Some of the best values in this hobby aren’t sitting on a dealer’s showroom floor, they’re in the used market. Every time a manufacturer introduces a new detector, many hobbyists sell perfectly good machines to help finance the upgrade (like what happens with  new car syndrome). That creates an opportunity for new detectorists to buy proven equipment at a substantial savings from individuals or dealer trades. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with buying a quality used detector from a reputable dealer or someone you trust. In many cases, you’ll save hundreds of dollars while ending up with a detector that’s capable of making outstanding finds for years to come. Facebook Marketplace, findmall.com, metaldetectingforum.com, and others have used metal detector sales. These last two have ratings on sellers as well. Before handing over your money, physically inspect the detector carefully. Make sure it operates properly, verify that the charger and accessories are included, and examine the search coil for excessive wear, cracks, or other damage.

The 100-Hour Rule

One of the most valuable lessons I can share is what I call the 100-Hour Rule. In my experience, it takes roughly one hundred focused hours before you truly begin to understand what your detector is trying to tell you. During those first hundred hours, the detector hasn’t changed, you have. Your ears begin recognizing subtle differences in audio. Your eyes become more comfortable interpreting target identification. Most importantly, your confidence grows because experience is teaching you lessons that no owner’s manual or YouTube video ever can. That’s one reason I discourage beginners from upgrading too quickly. Before replacing your detector, ask yourself an honest question: Have I really learned the one I already own? If the answer is no, another detector probably isn’t the solution. I have had one total idiot that went through 4 different detectors over a 4 month period because “He understood how they worked” and knew more than I did about everything detecting. He was a brand-new-to-detecting person and didn’t have a clue. I finally stopped trying to assist him, and he quit his new bobby because the machines he kept buying were defective. As Bugs Bunny used to say……What a Maroon!

I’d rather see someone buy the right $500 detector, learn every target language it speaks through it’s tone, and master it completely than buy the wrong $2,000 detector and never discover what it’s truly capable of.

Your First 30 Days

Congratulations. You’ve bought your first detector. Now the real education begins. Many beginners head straight to the nearest park expecting silver coins, gold rings, or valuable relics on their first outing. Those finds certainly happen, but your first goal should be learning your detector, not measuring success by what comes out of the ground. Start by reading the owner’s manual and do so several times. You don’t need to memorize every feature, but you should understand the basic controls, search modes, sensitivity adjustments, noise cancel procedures, and charging requirements. That familiarity builds confidence before you ever recover your first target. When I have first gotten many of my detectors, I printed out the instructions and I put them in a arm band like professional athlete’s use so I could learn the paths to settings and also the VDI numbers which by the way are ALWAYS approximate and never precise dependent upon the environmental factors of any site. What that means is if a silver dime VDI is stated as being a 81, you should expect it to be somewhere between 79 and 83 and some pennies will likely come in at that same number. Spend time practicing in your own yard before visiting important historical sites. Sweep over known objects. Experiment with different sweep speeds. Listen carefully to repeatable signals. The more comfortable you become with your detector, the more enjoyable, and productive, your first hunts will be. Don’t judge your detector after one outing. Weather, soil conditions, target density, and your own experience all affect the results. And those can vary any given signal day by day. Give yourself time to learn before deciding whether you bought the right machine.

Build a Classroom in Your Backyard

One of the best training ideas I’ve ever seen came from a longtime detecting friend. Instead of simply burying a few coins in the yard, he built what I like to call a classroom. He buried sections of two-inch PVC pipe vertically, capped permanently on the bottom with removable top caps flush with the surface. The caps were painted fluorescent colors so each station could be found instantly. Every pipe was filled with the same native soil found on the property as that dirt should approximate what is in your area. Most coins rested flat at the bottom, while same denomination duplicate coins were positioned nearly on edge with small angled pieces of Styrofoam supporting them. It was a simple way to demonstrate a lesson every detectorist eventually learns: a coin lying flat can sound very different from the same coin standing almost on edge. The beauty of the system is consistency. The targets never change depth, so you always know exactly what’s beneath the coil. That allows you to compare detectors, coils, sensitivity settings, recovery speeds, search modes, and software updates under controlled conditions. He buried them at 2 feet intervals. I copied his idea and have them planted in my back yard. As your training garden grows, add more than just coins. Include silver coins, clad coins, nickels, gold rings, brass relics, lead bullets, pull tabs, bottle caps, square nails, and good targets placed beside iron. If you really want to learn, consider planting these at 2 inch invervals so that a silver dime is at 4 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches and 10.  This will TRULY show how good the machine and you are at finding coins at depth. Those combinations teach target separation far better than any video ever could. Approach every target from several directions and experiment with different settings and different coil sizes. Remember, your detector is already interpreting the signal. Your job is learning the language it’s speaking.

Your First 100 Finds

Many beginners become discouraged because their first hundred recoveries contain far more trash than treasure. That’s completely normal and, in my opinion, it’s part of the education every detectorist needs. Every pull tab, bottle cap, piece of foil, square nail, and shotgun shell teaches your brain another lesson. Experienced detectorists aren’t simply lucky, they’ve built a mental library of thousands of target responses over years of digging. During your first several outings, don’t become obsessed with recovering only the ‘good’ targets. Dig enough questionable signals that you begin recognizing the differences between junk and desirable targets. The lessons you learn during those first hundred finds will pay dividends for the rest of your detecting career. Your first detector is introducing you to the hobby. Your experience is what will ultimately make you successful. Be patient with yourself, enjoy the process, and give yourself permission to learn.

Common Mistakes New Detectorists Make

Buying Based Solely on Depth

Perhaps no specification has sold more detectors than advertised depth. The reality is that depth depends on target size, soil mineralization, moisture, target orientation, nearby trash, coil size, detector settings, and operator skill. There is no single depth number that applies everywhere.  Many experienced folks will tell you quickly that detecting is 80% operator, 20% detector.  I agree.

Buying More Detector Than You Need

Premium detectors often include advanced adjustments that experienced users appreciate, but those same features can overwhelm a beginner. A quality mid-range detector that you truly understand will usually outperform an expensive detector you never learn to use properly.  A turn on and go type detector is easy to learn, but a mid-level or flagship machine is likely to have subtle adjustments that a new detectorist is not going to understand and it is just going to leave you frustrated, and thus more likely to just throw in the towel and quit……a huge mistake.  Riches are found, and sometimes by rookie detectorists, but if you quit, you will never find anything.

Upgrading Too Soon

Before replacing or upgrading your existing detector, ask yourself one simple question: Have I really mastered the one I already own? If the honest answer is no, buying another detector probably won’t solve the problem, because most likely you are the problem in that you have not dedicated enough time to learn your existing detector.

Ignoring Research

A detector can only recover metal where people once lived, worked, traveled, worshipped, relaxed, or gathered. Time spent researching productive locations will consistently produce more finds than simply purchasing new equipment.  This is hard for new folks.  It is akin to asking someone to speak German before they even know Germany has a language.  Research can be as simple as asking neighbors in an old home about the history of the house, or finding out how old a park is.  It is a learned skill, and with practice you will gain that ability.

Believing Social Media Hype

Every year a new detector is promoted as revolutionary. Show Stopper.  Game Changer.  And the manufacturer will come up with some catchy name.  Would you be more inclined to purchase a metal detector called the Kitty Cat by Ronin detectors, or the Hellfire Dragon Slayer by Camelot?  Just because a machine has a sexy name doesn’t mean it will perform.  Understand that some new technologies truly are meaningful advances, but none of those replaces patience, research, experience, and time in the field. Technology is valuable. Knowledge is priceless.  Detectors are expensive, Questions are free, and those free questions, once answered, can save you a lot of money.

Detectors I Would Feel Comfortable Recommending to a Friend

Instead of naming one ‘best’ detector, I prefer matching the machine to the person using it. The following recommendations reflect the types of detectors I would confidently suggest to a friend based on their goals and the kind of hunting they expect to do.

Primary Goal	Recommendation
General-purpose hunting	A quality simultaneous multi-frequency detector from an established manufacturer.
Parks and jewelry	Accurate target identification, good ergonomics, and waterproof construction.
Relic hunting	Excellent target separation and fast recovery speed.
Freshwater	A fully waterproof detector.
Saltwater beaches	A simultaneous multi-frequency detector designed for wet salt conditions.
Gold prospecting	A dedicated gold detector or pulse induction machine if prospecting becomes your primary focus.
Limited budget	A quality used detector from a reputable manufacturer or dealer.

Appendix and Quick Reference

Appendix B – Accessories Worth Buying First

Buy Early	Can Wait
Quality pinpointer	Large accessory coil
Good digging tool	Premium carbon-fiber shaft
Finds pouch	Specialty backpack
Comfortable headphones	Extra specialty coils
Gloves	Detector stand

Appendix C – Dealer Checklist

• Call before you buy.
• Describe how and where you plan to hunt.
• Ask about firmware updates and warranty service.
• Ask about promotions or value-added packages.
• Find out who will answer your questions after the sale.
• Buy from someone you trust—not simply the lowest advertised price.

My Personal Final Thoughts

On December 10, 1973, I walked out of the store carrying my first Garrett Master Hunter BFO at an antique dealer. I had no idea that one purchase would shape so much of the rest of my life. That detector led me to remarkable discoveries, lifelong friendships, opportunities to travel, and a much deeper appreciation for American history than I could have imagined at the time. If you’re standing where I once stood, wondering which detector to buy, my advice is simple. Buy a quality detector that fits your goals. Learn it thoroughly. Spend as much time learning and researching great places to hunt as you do researching equipment. Ask questions of experienced detectorists. Be patient with yourself, and never stop learning. The detector you choose will introduce you to this hobby. The knowledge you gain, the friendships you build, the history you uncover, and the memories you create are what will keep you in it for years to come. In the end, the greatest treasure you discover may not be what comes out of the ground, it may be the journey itself.

The best detector in the world can’t find a coin that was never lost there. Spend as much time finding great places to hunt as you spend choosing the detector you’ll carry.

If this guide accomplishes nothing else, I hope it helps you make an informed decision instead of an emotional purchase. The right detector is the one that fits your goals, your budget, and your willingness to learn. Over decades I’ve learned that remarkable discoveries come from remarkable locations, careful research, patience, and truly understanding your detector, not from constantly chasing the newest model.

Someday another beginner will ask you which detector they should buy. I hope you’ll smile, remember your own journey, and realize that the best answer isn’t a model number. It’s helping someone choose wisely, enjoy the hobby, and begin a lifetime of discoveries.

Happy Hunting