Spent $150 on a metal detector for a dig and it was a total bust

I was helping on a site survey in New Mexico and thought it would help find small artifacts. It just kept pinging on old nails and tin cans, wasted a whole afternoon. Anyone have a better method for scanning a new area?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica7072mo agoTop Commenter

Ugh, that's the worst. It feels like half the stuff we buy now is built to disappoint. My brother got a fancy stud finder that just beeped at random spots in the wall. Makes you wonder if the simple way is better, like just walking the site slowly and looking for surface clues first.

anna4912mo ago

I read a DIY blog that said @jessica707, sometimes the old knuckle-rap test beats those gadgets.

moore.beth2mo ago

Oh my goodness, $150! That is a serious chunk of change to spend on a tool that let you down like that. I would be so frustrated. It sounds like that detector just wasn't made to tell the difference between a precious find and common junk metal. Jessica707 has a point about starting simple. Walking a grid pattern and keeping your eyes open for any odd shapes or colors on the ground can turn up a lot before you ever turn a machine on.