That cheap metal detector I bought on Amazon for $80 ended up being a total waste

I figured I'd try out metal detecting as a hobby without spending a ton, so I grabbed one of those $80 detectors off Amazon with good reviews. Took it out to a public park near my house in Austin and it basically just beeped at every piece of trash and soda can within 10 feet. After about 3 hours of digging up rusty bottle caps and pull tabs I was pretty frustrated. Then I borrowed my buddy's Garrett detector that he paid around $350 for and the difference was night and day. That cheap one literally could not tell a nickel from a nail at 6 inches deep. So now I'm out $80 and probably going to save up for something decent in the $300 range. Has anyone else had luck with a budget detector or is it just not worth the money?

2 comments

2 Comments

keithyoung8d ago

Man oh man that reminds me of the time I bought a cheap fish finder off Wish and it just showed a bunch of blobs that could have been anything.

webb.christopher8d ago

Dude, I feel your pain with those cheap Amazon detectors. I went through the same thing with a $60 one and it was basically a glorified trash finder. What worked for me was actually going to a local metal detecting club meetup in my area. A guy there let me borrow his old but decent Fisher F22 for a weekend and it changed everything. After that I picked up a used Minelab X-Terra 305 off Facebook Marketplace for $150 and it's been solid for two years now. So yeah, saving up for something in that $250-$400 range is totally the move. Don't waste money on another cheap one, just grab a used decent model and you'll be way happier.