Metal Detectors Reviews

I've used various metal detectors off and on for many years. While I would certainly not classify myself as a hardcore-detecting hobbyist, I do try to do it properly when I participate.

One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of metal-detecting "snobs" out there that love nothing more than telling you that while your detector is cute, it might as well be a giant turd with earphones compared to theirs! It's weird--I like this hobby because it's different / not mainstream, but when that stuff happens, it may as well be golf...

Anyway - I'm not into this hobby enough to spend $700 - $1500 on a detector, but I do want to get my moneys worth. There are A LOT of reviews on the web for this particular detector, and I would say that 1 in 10 were negative, with the rest being very positive. For $200, I gave it a shot. My findings:

The good:

When I received the device, I walked out into my backyard to play around a little, and immediately, with a resounding "DING", found a penny about 4 inches deep. It seems to really like coin shooting

The discrimination and sensitivity settings work well, and the various settings (coins, all metal, jewelry, etc...) work fairly well-- as far a coin shooting, the find usually is exactly what the detector says it is.

I've read many reviews slamming the "pinpoint" feature. Honestly, after I READ THE BOOK and played with it for a couple minutes, I found that it worked quite well.

It seems to work very well down to about 8". It may work well beyond that... I really haven't had the chance yet to hunt anywhere for really deep items.

It's very light, and the display crams a lot of usefull stuff into a small area without being confusing.

If you turn it off while you're digging, the batteries last a long, long time.


The bad:

It uses 4 "AA" batteries instead of a 9-volt.

The shaft is a bit on the flimsy side, although it is pretty easy to stabilize if you desire.

It only has a couple tones - a dull beep for trash or unknown items, and a 'DING!' for coins. Honestly though, after I got used to them, they were plenty.

It seems to like a slightly slower sweep than most detectors.

*Major Gripe* There is no volume knob. Get with the program guys, that thing is LOUD!

In short:
The bottom line is this - you really need to read the book that comes with it and spend an hour getting aquinted with the device for it to really work for you. I like it, and for the money wouldn't think twice about buying another.

This metal detector is the easiest to operate I've ever used. Although it comes with a 9" searchcoil, I also ordered a 12.5" for deeper penetration. By accident the manufacturer sent me two of them. When I told them of their mistake, they told me just to keep the extra one, so I did. Now I'm passing this all on to whoever buys it from me. I only used it once, cleaned it and put it up for later use. The only reason I'm selling is that I've decided to take up the hobby of Cowboy Action Shooting and need some more equipment for this hobby. It is a great buy for anyone. Also included is the owner's manual as well as a video. Enjoy

I've been using metal detectors for around 5 years now. My first detector was a Bounty Hunter QuickDraw II, a very fine, easy to learn detector that's a real workhorse. I learned most everything I know about metal detecting from personal experience and from reading lots of posts and asking lots of questions at the Bounty Hunter Forum http://www.detecting.com

I shopped around and found the Bounty Hunter Land Ranger as a factory shipped model (no extras except 4" and 8" coil) for $337. For that price, I couldn't afford not to buy it!

When the Land Ranger (LR) arrived, it was in 3 pieces and extremely easy to assemble. The manual that comes with the LR gives you the basic information you need to get started detecting with the LR, but is a bit general when it comes to explaining what each of the functions do.

If you just want a "Turn On and Go" detector, the Land Ranger may not be for you. If this is the case, I would recommend getting an easier to learn detector such as the Bounty Hunter QuickDraw II or even the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV. Should you later decide to get the Land Ranger, your first detector will make an excellent back-up detector and a great detector for a friend or family to use with you. What I would recommend is going to the Bounty Hunter Forum website listed above to learn, way more, information about various detectors and their various functions than I could ever begin to explain here.

Even though I had been detecting for a while, my first trip out with the Land Ranger was quite overwhelming and somewhat frustrating due to the much greater sensitivity of this model, the added features it has and an the information overload of tones responding to mineralized ground conditions, trashy areas (many pulltabs, screwcaps etc.) and a condition know as "falsing" (tones due mostly to incorrect "Sensitivity" settings and improper Ground Balancing). The initial experience that I describe here is very common with first time Land Ranger users and is frustrating, but will get much better with practice and with the more one learns about detecting in general and about the Land Ranger in particular.

As I use the Land Ranger now, I have learned much about settings, what to ignore and what to watch for to indicate which targets may be worth digging. Once past the information overload (that will happen, I assure you), the user will begin to appreciate the sensitivity of this detector, learn the proper settings, begin finding more and more valuable items (or targets as they are called) and become one with this detector.

I purchased the Bounty Hunter Land Ranger for it's very sophisticated microprocessor features including - Target Id, VDI (numeric) readout indicating target conductivity, 3 Tone ID, it's automatic & manual Ground Balancing, Programmable Target Accept/ Reject, All Metals, No Motion/ Pinpoint mode, Self Tuning (Motion) All Metals Mode (good for deep hunting of Relics, Caches and/or gold nugget shooting) ... And ... for the reputation of Bounty Hunter Detectors ... but MAINLY for the excellent price of such a full featured, professional metal detector.

I love being able to put this baby to work discriminating out trash items while ringing in sharp and clear when locating coins and jewelry. The Land Ranger is also ideal for hunting Relics and for (gold) nugget shooting, although I have not done much of either of these yet (soon, I hope). I also love the fact that two coils (standard 8" and 4" nugget coil) come stock with the Land Ranger and I also have a 10" coil that I purchased for around $60. (it's important to have several coil sizes available for various types of hunting) The price of additional coils for many other brands of detectors is astronomical, so this was an integral part of my decision to get a Bounty Hunter rather than some other brands.
I love how lightweight this detector is. I love knowing that I have a sophisticated detector that will not miss items that are buried deep. (how deep depends on the size of object, type of metal, soil conditions etc) Generally, the LR will detect to a depth of around 10"-12" deep for a coin sized target. (believe me, you won't want to dig too many objects THAT deep, most targets are right around 4"-6" deep, due to how coins, jewelry etc. tend to migrate down into the soil, this varies, of course, but in general, a greater number of objects are somewhere in this depth range.

What I hate about the Land Ranger is that parts of the manual give a very general description of certain features like the ground monitor meter or self tuning all metals mode. I wish that the Land Ranger were waterproof or at least water resistant ...
it is not, and I highly recommend that you do not use it in the rain without a good plastic cover that fits securely around the control housing.

In Conclusion:

I highly recommend the Land Ranger for any seasoned detectorist ... or for a novice detectorist that is willing to devote a good deal of time and a fair amount of patience to mastering the many nuances of this full featured detector. The Land Ranger hosts Target ID, (VDI) Numeric Readout, 3 Tone ID, Depth Meter, Battery Meter, Ground Monitor Meter, Sensitivity meter and Target indicator. It has Touchpad controls for Sensitivity, Accept/ Reject Discrimination, All Metals - No Motion/ Pinpoint mode, 3 Factory Preset modes, All Metals (Motion) Self Tuning mode and for Smart Trac Automatic and Manual Ground Balancing.

It's a handful, but a great full featured unit for a very reasonable price. 5 stars ... Highly Recommended if you are willing to devote some time and patience in learning it's traits and harnessing it's potential, once you do, you'll absolutely love it, I know I do!





Recommended
Yes

We Love it! Best purchase I have made in a long time! At first I thought it was a little too much to spend on a metal detector... This is in the middle range and very easy to use. I bought it as a family project, something we all could do. In the first 3 months of purchasing it we have found 3 diamond rings, 2 gold watches, a bracelet, gold necklace and several old and valuable coins that date back to as early as 1890. Also it's a great hobbie and money maker. Worth every cent!! Don't forget to get the headphones---a MUST!!! Get it for a Christmas 2004 gift, your gift will keep them busy and keep giving back all year long.

This metal detector is nice, notwithstanding, it performs poorly when in all metal mode. Initially all metal mode works fine, however, after half an hour of use the batteries begin to wear out and the battery low indicator does not come on. When all metal mode is used after half an hour of the detector's use, it just squeals uncontrollably. It's supposed to go off over metal and pin point the source of your initial find with great accuracy. Again, after thirty minutes of use of the detector, it will no longer go off over the source, it will just go off constantly, no mater where you hold it. I could hold it into the air and it still squeals. I made every adjustment I could and it just continues to make noise. This mode is worthless unless your using it with two fresh 9 volt batteries every half an hour. Finally, if you're hunting say meteorites for four hours, you can expect to spend over $56.00 on batteries for that afternoon.

I've owned the Bounty Hunter Land Star for about 2 years now and it is a great, economically priced detector. Shop around because you can get it for less then one hundred dollars if you know where to look... cough... ebay... cough... ebay.

I've found tons of silver coins with this detector. It's target processor is extremely reliable for coins. If you get a solid repeatable coin tone then you've got a 95% chance of digging up a coin. I've also found Civil War buttons, old toys, and multiple rings at the beach. Yesterday I found 2 Mercury Head dimes (1918 and 1941) in a local park. Believe me when I tell you that treasure is in the ground everywhere.

Contrary to another review that you may see below, the All-Metal mode works exactly as it should. Not only does it work as it should, but it is the most useful and descriptive mode on this machine. Mr. David Carlson obviously doesn't know how to operate his metal detector. The symptoms that he describes are the result of someone not reading the manual. He doesn't understand the relationship between All-Metal mode and Ground Balance. It just takes a moment to read and understand.

Bottom line: Great metal detector to get you into the hobby cheaply so that you can begin finding some great stuff. Like I said, I've been using mine for 2 years and I don't feel the need to upgrade.

I bought this for my husband for Christmas and I thought it would be a big waste. To date my husband has found several pieces of jewelry, a ton of coins and a silver dollar coin that dated 1860 (that we sold for $220). Its easy to use and we now fight to see who will use it next. A great addition to our family.