Well, as a long time detectorist,,, I have a fair amount of experience. I was the club president for 10 years. I've hunted with several machines over the years,, and I get to "try" a lot of them. Here are a few guidelines.
The best advice I can give is for ANY machine is to READ THE MANUAL twice,, before you even turn it on.
Do not buy a "bargain brand" machine. (Radio shack, wally world etc.) Buy a known brand.
Buy a machine that is above the entry level types. While many of the name brand machines that are entry level will perform better than bargain brands,, I often found most of them lacking in some functions or ESPECIALLY ease of use.
If you budget $300 for a machine,, I strongly suggest you buy the next level above your budget. Why? Just like a gun safe,, you THINK one size will work, only to find it is too small. In detectors,, you spend a bit more,, but the quality of machine steps up a lot.
If I was starting out,, I'd look into the "mid-priced" range for any quality brand to be my first machine. In general,, the mid-priced ones offer features that are very desirable,, they are much easier to set & operate,, and WILL pay for themselves IF YOU USE THEM.
Again; RTFM!!!!!!! (3-4 times,, to truly understand the machine.)
Brands; I have used every major brand out there,, and even many of the lesser ones. In order of what I have seen as far as performance, quality & abilities the brands are as follows;
Minelab
Fisher M-Scope
Whites (With Fisher & whites both about the same all around.)
Tesoro
Garrett
Now, there are others,, and even a few foreign made machines,, that work good. BUT,, these are the ones I see outlast & out perform most others.
To narrow a list of what to buy,, look at the features you desire. Examples;
If you live in a place where gold nuggets are a potentially good item to hunt,, then a "Gold Machine" specifically for that is recommended. I'm a scuba diver,, so for me,, a waterproof machine is a top priority for me. (I currently use a Fisher M-Scope CZ-20 as my primary machine. Mine is older & the newest version is the CZ-21.)
If relic hunting is your main desire,, then look into machines that can be tuned for serious work like that.
Basically when somebody starts asking me about metal detectors,, I start by quizzing them into what their desires are,, and THEN steer them towards a machine that will do the things they want, with ease & as few complications as possible.
And, as many often ask,, "How much should I spend on a machine?" Again, look at your budget,, and go a step above. BUT,, a mid-range machine will cost you $500-$700 average from most good manufacturers.
I was just looking at a Fisher FS-70 as a back-up machine,, and it retails for around $650. The seller was willing to sell it to me,, with a dealer warranty for $650,,, BUT,,, he was getting out of being a dealer,, and if I didn't want HIS dealer warranty,, (there is a factory 5 year warranty) I could have bought it for $550. I used to be a dealer for a little while,, and the mark-up is NOT good for the retail seller,, UNLESS you buy in VOLUME. (Same as gun dealers.)
But,, I think my next machine will be a Minelab,, and a water machine. It isn't cheap,, but I've been able to use my machines & find enough to MORE than buy them again & again. If you learn to use them,, you can make enough back to replace the money spent. You won't recover your time in wages,, but occasionally,, you WILL find stuff worth a LOT.
I fully paid for an elk hunting trip in 1996 using JUST the money made off finds. Some of it was common coins,, and other stuff was found, then sold. And when I got home from that trip,, I was handed another $100 from our store,, where a watch I'd found had sold while I was gone. You won't get rich,,, but you can get money back. It all depends upon your abilities & the time you spend.
Look at my posts about how I, along with just a few others,, whipped butt at the competition. We hunted hard, we know our machines,, and we had the right equipment, for recovery.
I'll GLADLY offer my knowledge to anyone who wants to discuss things at length. We can do the phone call thing.
