Metal Detecting Equipment

I will start off my metal detecting posts with a description of the equipment that I use.  My detector is the Minelabs E-Trac.  For those familiar with metal detectors, you will know that this is one of the higher end and more expensive detectors out there.  I bought mine in March 2011 from Detector Depot in Knoxville, Tn.  They are great folks there and have amazing pricing and deals.  As for the detector itself, I couldn't imagine detecting with anything else.  It has found targets that other detectors of folks I was detecting with could not find.  It is hands down worth every penny that I paid for it.  I don't know that I would recommend it to someone who was just getting into metal detecting mainly due to it's price.  For most people the E-Trac costs a good deal and is more than they should be spending on a hobby unless they are 100% certain they will be sticking with it.  That said, for anyone who has been detecting for a while or is certain they are going to stick with it, then I would highly recommend the E-Trac.  In my opinion it can't be beat.

Aside from your detector, one of the most important tools I feel that a person needs is a good probe.  The probe is used to find the target in the ground once the hole has been dug.  It makes things so much easier and faster to have a good probe.  There are many out there to choose from.  I first used a cheap probe that got me by, but was difficult to use.  I then bought the Garret Pro-pointer.  This probe is by far the best stand alone probe on the market.  It has a depth of about two inches, is relatively small, light weight and comes with a great belt holster.  Although it is one of the more expensive stand alone probes out there I would highly recommend this for the person just starting out or someone who has been detecting for years.  I would not waste my money with other stand alone probes.

I keep using the term "stand alone" probe and some might be wondering what exactly I mean by this.  Probes like the Garrett Pro-pointer can be used by itself for anything from metal detecting to looking for small metal objects like screws dropped into the carpet.  I eventually purchased and started using a probe called the Sun Ray X-1 Target Probe.  The X-1 goes in line between your coil of your detector and the detectors electronics.  It actually uses the detector to "probe" the hole you just dug for the target.  What makes this probe so nice is that this allows you to still see the target identification while in the hole.  When using a stand alone probe like the Garrett, you have no way of knowing what the probe is hitting on until it is out of the ground.  With the X-! you can still see exactly what the probe is pointing towards.  Although the X-1 is about twice the price the Garrett I would recommend this probe to anyone that is buying a higher end detector that is compatible with it.

The last two pieces of equipment I use that deserve to be pointed out are my headphones and digger.  The headphones that I use are the Sun Ray Pro Gold.  They are extremely comfortable and very durable.  Although you want to get a good quality set of headphones, I don't think that the brand is that important.  Just find a pair that is comfortable and works for your detector.  The digger that I use is the Lesche Model 85 made by Predator Tools.  I will freely admit that it is kind of pricey for a digger however after using several different gardening diggers bought from Lowes, Wal-Mart and various other big stores, the Lesche digger is worth every penny.  It cuts through the ground so much easier and makes a cleaner plug.

Although there are other pieces of equipment that I use while metal detecting these are the main items.  Hopefully someone will find this helpful and interesting.