Top brands and quality
When purchasing a metal detector it’s extremely important to choose one from a known brand name. There are several cheap off brand units available on the market but they are usually made in China and have basic circuitry that performs very poorly. Here is a list of the major brands that have been in business for many years and have a solid reputation:
Price
Metal detectors can range from $50 all the way up to several thousand dollars. Having a budget beforehand will help you focus in on specific models to choose from. For the most part the more expensive the unit is, the better it will perform but there are exceptions.
Intended use
It’s important to know what the intended use of your metal detector will be before purchase. Each detector has strengths and weaknesses. For example some units do poorly in salty sand so if you’re looking to do some beach hunting you’ll need a unit that can handle those conditions well. If looking for gold nuggets a general machine might do OK but there are specialized units available that are made to find small gold targets. If you’ll primarily be detecting trashy parks a detector with excellent discrimination and recovery speed would be a better option. Most general detectors will do well in a variety of conditions.
Features
When considering features try to thing about which ones would make your detecting life easier. For example if you’re the type of person that likes to dig every signal then advanced notch discrimination might not be needed. On the other hand if you want to cherry pick old coins you might choose a unit with a wide target id range and multiple audio tones.
Weight
Will the detector be used by a person of small stature or child? Will you be breaking the unit down and putting it into a backpack for hiking? Swinging a detector for several hours can be tasking so it’s important to consider the detector weight when purchasing.
