32
Vent: I spent $300 on a metal detector that was basically useless for my yard dig
I bought a cheap detector online last year thinking I'd find some cool old stuff on my property, which is near an old colonial road. After about 20 hours of scanning and digging, all I found were modern nails and bottle caps. The thing couldn't tell the difference between trash and anything actually old. Has anyone had better luck with a specific model that actually works for historical sites?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
logan_mitchell16d ago
Man, that's the worst feeling, isn't it? I had the same thing happen with a bargain bin detector I grabbed. It just screamed at every little piece of tin foil and made me dig a hundred holes for nothing. You get all excited for a colonial button and pull up a pull tab. What model did you end up with? The guys on the hobby forums swear you need a machine with better discrimination to ignore the new junk, but those cost real money.
9
thomas_sanchez16d ago
Honestly, doesn't this happen with every hobby where you try to go cheap at first? Like @logan_mitchell said, you just end up digging up trash and getting frustrated. Tbh it feels like you always have to pay more upfront to get the tool that actually works for the job.
6
Actually had the opposite experience with my first detector. Got a used one for under a hundred bucks and found a couple old coins in my first month. It's more about learning the machine and knowing your land than just the price tag. Thomas_sanchez makes a fair point about cheap tools, but sometimes you just need to tweak the settings and go really slow. My buddy with a fancy machine still digs up trash if he swings it too fast over a spot.
2