Metal Detecting For Customers New to the Hobby

As a new detectorist that is new to hobby of metal detecting, you probably have many questions to determine the best metal detector for yourself. Below are some of the key factors to help decide which detector is best for you! 

• What type of detecting do you plan on doing?
• Where do you plan on detecting?
• Do you plan on hunting in salt water?
• Is your dirt mineralized? Is this your first detector?

What is your budget?
Getting the answers to these type of probing questions is going to help you better understand your customers’ needs so that you are recommending what is best for them.

Kids Detectors

When recommending a detector for a kid, you do not need to recommend something that is complicated at all. Something easy to use and inexpensive is what your customer is looking for.

Beginners Detectors

When someone is new to metal detecting, researching the right detector is going to be very confusing. First asking the appropriate probing questions will help you with determining if the customer wants to start with an easy to use beginner machine or a mid-level detector.

Mid-Level Detectors

So your customer has had some experience with a metal detector and they want one that will do a little more but not something that is over complicated. A mid-level detector will offer some additional “bells and whistles” but nothing that is overly complicated. This detector can be used for several years before the customer would feel the need to upgrade.

Advanced Detectors

Your customer has been detecting for a while and has decided to upgrade to something that is a bit more complicated but allows them to have more control over the way they detect. These detectors are not turn on and go machines. They are machines that can be programmed or give you more info to analyze before digging a target.

PI Machines

These detectors are completely different than your standard VLF (Very Low Frequency) detectors. They are a pulse induction machine. These detectors send a brief magnetic field to the ground followed by short small pulses. These detectors are able to handle highly mineralized ground and salt water. They do detect objects deeper that the traditional VLF machine and cause interference with these machines.

Beach Machines

There are 3 different areas to detect on the beach- Dry sand, wet sand, and the water. Not all detectors can handle all the areas on the beach. Most detectors can handle the wet sand. But to detect the wet sand, the detector must be able to handle the mineralized sand. In the water, a water proof machine is best because a wave could knock the detector out of the customers hand and ruin a machine.

Gold Detectors

When a person is looking for a detector to use to look for gold, the detector must operate in a higher frequency. Yes, all detectors can find gold but gold nuggets are small and are made up of low conductive materials. You need a machine that operates with at least 40khz to find small nuggets