20 Best Hand Held Metal Detector (2023 Updated)

The next day after receiving, I lost my brand new hearing aid while searching for my lost dog in the woods. I took my brand new Pyle Secure Scan Handheld Metal Detector back out and retraced my route and found my brand new hearing aid.

I never would have found it without the Pyle Metal Detector.

Bought this for my child’s school. Principal can now do a scan every morning without having to touch the students. She’s caught vapes and cell phones so far. Woman looks like a symphony conductor of a morning now.

Safety first.

I own a bar. This is a no-brainer at $35. Works well so far. It will hit on a cigarette lighter or pen clip. I’m not sure why the other models cost well over $100. And for $3, I had to get the warranty!.

First time out with this thing snorkeling in the USVI and I scored a 1500$ Appraised Value Collectors ring from Alaska. Yeah it works wonderfully. Highly recommend it. The on off was a little weird to get to know but once you do its pretty easy.

Anyone who’s on the fence if you are planning to be in water this is an easy to handle detector. no real settings and any and all metal sets it off but that’s ok. Make sure your pulling trash out of the water when you dig it.

Enjoyed using my new detector in Cozumel. The only thing that is negative, is it is easy to accidentally turn it off or on. While storing it in luggage, you have to remove the battery to ensure it doesn’t turn on and run down while traveling.

Not a big deal, just a little inconvenient. Otherwise it was a great experience and I would still recommend this item.

I own the best water resistant garret pointer and vibra-quatic. I bought them both at the same time to test and the vibra-quatic by far beat the garrett. Very happy with it the Garrett is not bad just not as good.

Ran 3 times good, it’s beeping non-stop even with new batteries. Need replaced or repaired.

I have a BV5600. This bag is smaller than the original by about 4 inches. But after reading previous comments prior to purchase, I expected that. Will just have to be emptied more often. Seems to be of the same material as the original.

Bag has some reinforcing material at the base of the filler neck where the leaves enter the bag which may prolong the life of the bag. To me, if it lasts a couple years, it is worth it. We shall see.

I bought this because it looked like it would fit a Craftsman electric leaf blower, and it does fit. It is smaller than the original bag, but an OEM bag costs upwards of $60, or more. The smaller bag is much easier for me to handle, and because I only use the leaf vacuum for light clean-up, it works well for me.

Got this to check for nails & staples in old barn wood, pallet wood and fresh cut trees used for slabs, so I don’t damage my saw blades. It’s worked really well finding large cut off nails, legs of old T50 staples, small finish & trim nails as well as a chunk of chain embedded in a trunk that had grown around it.

Takes a little practice to zero in, especially on really small hard to see things like finish nails or staples. Overall, really happy with it so far – been in use a few weeks. We’ll see how it holds up in the long term.

I bought this detector to find any nails or metallic embedded objects in used lumber. I try using used lumber, when possible, in various projects that I do. I have ruined a few saw blades or, at the least, dulling the blades prematurely.

I hope to use this device to locate those pesky/problematic objects from interfering in my work. Although recently bought and not used as yet, I am certain this device will have a permanent spot very near my table saw.

I purchased some reclaimed barn wood and was going to use it on a project. I have a SawStop table saw so I needed to insure that the wood was free of hidden metal. The 9v Metal Detector Wand was a perfect fit for my need.

Its well worth its price and it is very sensitive. I uncovered some bird shot in the wood that would have set off the safety break on the saw. That alone would have cost me over $175 to replace the blade and the safety brake on the SawStop.

A great investment as far as I am concerned.

I have always, since I was a kid (I’m in my 40s), wanted a metal detector. I researched which one to buy for less than $800 and after watching several people on YouTube metal detecting, I chose this one.

I couldn’t be happier with it. After just a few minutes I had found a silver-colored button, a penny, a quarter, a very big washer, and a very old aluminum can. We have several acres here, and so I can’t wait to see what else I turn up.

One word of advice, I had a hard time figuring out the instructions to put it together, and after getting halfway through and realizing I didn’t really know what I was doing I looked up a video on YouTube.

I should have done that first. Save yourself a bit of frustration and look at a video first then read the instructions. They’ll make more sense then. It was easy to put together, after I figured out what I was doing.

Anyway, I’m very pleased so far, and can’t wait to go back out with it tomorrow.

Very good documentation came with the AT Pro. Very easy to understand and use out of the box. The AT Pro is light and very adjustable to fit the user. I especially like the beginner instructions and suggestions.

The AT Pro is engineered for the serious hunters as well as the beginner. The display is clear and very easy to understand. The audio alerts are great when identifying what type of metal it has detected and the depth indicator is great.

The deeper the target registers, the excitement level raises in anticipation of what is under there. I haven’t had the opportunity to submerse it yet, so I can’t say anything as to its performance in that respect.

We look forward to using it as often as we can. Our son, 5 years, has his own small detector so when I pull out the AT Pro he is right there with me. He is still a little short to make the AT Pro fit but it won”t be to much longer and he’ll be mastering it and I’ll have to buy him one or replace this one!.

The Garrett AT Gold is an excellent detector for. 2 gram and larger gold prospecting, for relic hunting and for coin and jewelry hunting. It is easy to operate and has enough features to make it be capable of satisfying many levels of detecting expertise.

Being fully waterproof and well built, it can handle underwater and rugged terrain conditions. Since it transmits at 18 kHz and does not have special salt ground balancing compensation, it is not recommended for salt water or wet salt beach operation.

It is a bit heavy with a larger coil but using one will get more depth than the AT Pro. The stock 5X8. 5″ coil is perfect for it however and gets plenty of depth and coverage. Some people do not like the more digital sounding tones on the AT Gold and AT Max compared to the more doorbell like tones on the AT Pro.

I personally think the two non-ferrous tones sound great and give me plenty of information. For small target hunting, for areas that need lots of target separation and for going after deep targets with a larger coil, the AT Gold will do very well.

You will need to learn this detector, it’s not for beginners. As with all detectors it’s about listening and concentration on the audio response. So many variables to set up on this detector which is good.

for experienced detectorists. I am using the 15inch coil. to cover more area but I think I may need to go to the 11inch whilst I get used to the detector when finding signals between iron. It likes big IRON so a Profind 35 pinpointer will be needed.

The 35 detects iron to save you digging it when the equinox says its a good signal. I have used several detectors and this one will take a long time to get used too. I Watched lots of YouTube videos first, but still need to watch more.

The Identification numbers even when low can be a good item to dig. , so Don’t ignore them. I found a silver sixpence with an ID of 16 which is low. I do try to run detectors at max sensitivity to get deeper targets.

, This one I had to dial back as there was so much feedback The multi frequency and the fact it sees big IRON. as good target. means you have to dig anything that sounds interesting.

I have had this unit for just over 12 months and love it! It is used weekly and even daily at times. Battery life is great and easy to charge. I have found a number of pieces of jewellery and plenty of coins, my oldest coin being aver 120 years old.

I have used this in parks, beaches, open fields and in the gold county. I have had luck with a small. 5g gold piece found, my only one so far. I love this unit as does the kids. The only part I’ve had trouble with is the armrest, it has broken on me a couple of time – easy to replace though with a kit being available to order.

I didn’t have very high expectations for a folding metal detector, but I’ve always wanted to have a metal detector that I can carry in a backpack without it looking like I have a rifle in there (I was accosted once by somebody that thought my old metal detector was a gun!) So I decided to order the MineLab Go-Find 66.

I was pleasantly surprised; this detector isn’t a toy. It’s actually a really good detector, it has very quick response to targets and has features, including multiple discrimination modes, pin-point, target ID number, headphone jack, backlit display, etc.

that higher end detectors have. It does not have manual ground-balancing and will probably not work on a wet, salt-water beach, but I haven’t tried that scenario yet. Since I live far from any salt water it’s not an issue.

The auto ground balance works well. The detector is very good at discriminating out garbage and is very quiet until it finds a legitimate target. The hand-held pin-pointer only has audio (beeping, but no vibrate mode) but works well and has a nice auto-find, auto-off feature if you leave it on too long.

I’m very happy with this purchase. I was able to pull the arm brace right off of the detector one day, though, by pulling on it too hard, but it snapped right back on again and that’s never happened again (because I’m more careful now).

Definitely recommend this, especially the Go-Find 66. And if you don’t have a hand-held pin-pointer you’ll love this combo.

So, I have finally had a chance to test out my Christmas present. First thing, don’t go metal detecting in steel toe cap boots or boots with any steel in them! I first tried the Go-Find 66 on New Brighten beach in Christchurch, but, I suspect that there was too much iron sand around and I got a lot of false positives.

I then tried it at the farm and got much better results. I still found as I was doing the quick sweep that I got hits that when I focused in on the spot came up negative. I suspect that sometimes plant foliage flicking through the coil may have given some false positives along with dock plants which gave a hit when moving the coil quickly but then came up blank when focusing in.

It did find some pretty small pieces of metal and an old bolt as well, so, when it does find something it was picking up some pretty small stuff. The pin point feature worked well. So, overall, a bit more false positives when quickly scanning that I would like, but otherwise happy.

Bought this for when we are out and about camping. Have used it about half a dozen times now and have some interesting finds so far. The grandchildren absolutely love it! Hours of family enjoyment already.

I admit that I have used better detectors (friends) worth in the 2 to 3 thousand dollar range. But bought this on special and with a $100 gift voucher given to me. I believe it is the best value for money general purpose metal detector around.

Plus I ordered on line and picked up from local store! (Could have got it delivered for free – but wanted it the next day!) I absolutely enjoy my time when using it. I have just invested in a better set of earphones for it but the others were okay for a while.

I have had several of these gadgets, and they all have the same problem, they eat batteries. Nowadays that is getting more and more expensive. This one did not have a headphone jack which is a big minus.

To use one of these, unless it is on your own property, most public places like parks, highway rest areas, etc will not let you dig; metal would have to be laying right on the surface like a dropped coin.

Digging is allowed at the beach, but basically you are an eyesore and nuisance, and your chances of finding trash is very high. I live along what is known as the Treasure Coast in east central Florida, which has a history of shipwrecks which bring out the treasure hunters.

Based on the large number of people that sweep the same areas over and over again I find it hard to imagine anything is left. I did find an old cellphone, which is probably more like modern day treasure trash.

This is great metal detector for the beginner. The digital display and controls make discriminating out undesirable metals easy to do. It gives different tones for different types of metals, and allows depth settings with the touch of a button.

I bought this for beach combing on vacation. I found some coints, lead fishing weights, and a few bottle caps. I didn’t strike it rich, but the metal detector worked as advertised. Its a great family activity.

Bring the young ones along to dig!.

Although I have not used this item personally, my daughter has absolutely no complaints about how it operates or handles. A group of her friends joined her to search the hills for treasures. They have spent hours walking around out in the woods! Excellent use of their time.

Not many outwardly great treasures as of it, but the search continues. A glowing recommendation in my daughter’s words — “Best birthday present ever Mom!” Accolades don’t get much higher when a teen tells you you have done a good job.

It Came today. I have lived on this land for 15 yrs and always used a differt brand and found mostly junk. I took a challenge on here from a post on you tube and the guy dares you to set it with junk button off and see if you dont find something.

I got a strong hit 3 ft from my side walk and 4″ in the dirt was a Victorian solid copper doorbell. So i brought it in the house and polished it up. Not bad from 15 mins in an area tried before and 6 ozs of solid copper.

Well im 100% Convinced.

I purchased this metal detector just to find the metal stakes the surveyor pounded into the ground indicating my property line. I just purchase the property but it had been surveyed several years prior.

I knew the general area of my property and spent hours before I purchase this metal detector looking for them. Out of frustration i called a surveyor and asked him if he could come out and survey or show me where the stakes were.

I also asked him how much it would cost. He told me around $100 to find the stakes and more if he couldn’t but he was also very busy and didn’t know when he could make it out. I really want to get started on my fence so i came up with the idea to buy a cheap metal detector to try to find them on my own.

I read some amazon reviews and decided to purchase this metal detector. I got home put it together in 2 minutes and went outside. within 5 minutes I found the first stake then 5 min later the next stake and so on until I had all four.

I was so happy to save money and find the stakes right away instead of waiting for surveyor. the way I look at it i got a free metal detector. Then I just kept searching and having fun finding things in my yard.

I even decided to put a penny,nickle,and quarter in the ground to practice what to listen for and how to pinpoint items and tune in the metal detector. Well worth the money!.

No, it is not ready to go out of the box as the description states. Would’ve been great to know the unit needs 2 9volt batteries. Nowhere in the description or in the specifications is noted the need for the type and quantity of batteries.

I was ready to do some detecting with my grandkids, but first I’ll need to make a trip to the store to get the 9volts, got plenty of other size batteries, just not 9volts.

I purchased the Bounty Hunter Junior metal detector for my 9 year old granddaughter for Christmas 2020. I also purchased some additional batteries. Of course, Covid got in the way, so I didn’t give this to her until spring, which is better anyway.

At first, she and her younger brother did not know what to make of it, but she got busy opening the package. It was easy to start using. Both granddaughter and younger grandson went outdoors and kept themselves busy for hours.

They loved it. It picked up a piece of an old beer can that was buried in the dirt, obviously left over from a party. It also picked up some nails and screws. Son and daughter-in-law have 3 acres of land, but apparently there are no mother lodes of gold deposits in upstate NY.

The kids, however, were thrilled with the hunt and the things they found. Although no one carries coins anymore, I found a dime at the bottom of my bag, and we planted that for the kids to find. The Bounty Hunter picked it up and they found it, but I think they were more impressed with their beer can find.

Go figure. Now I want a Bounty Hunter for myself. This turned out to be a great find and I’m glad I purchased it. Recommended.

I read the information of several models when choosing this particular Bounty Hunter BHJS Metal Detector. I picked up said item at Walmart and then had to make a second trip back to Walmart to buy two 9 V batteries for it, which weren’t included with the purchase.

It was so disppointing when the metal detector didn’t perform as expected. I first put my t gold watch on the sidewalk and hovered the machine over the top of it. It made a low humming or buzzing sound, which was short lived.

I then put my gold ring on the sidewalk and the machine didn’t make a peep of a sound. I switched the batteries and again tried hovering the machine over my gold watch and then my gold ring. It was the same disappointing experience stated previously.

Walmart gave me no hassles and were good about my returning said item.

I bought the Bounty Hunter Junior for coin shooting. I like the condensed size and light weight. I keep the detector in my truck and one in my wifes car, so if I get board while my wife is shopping I can head out and get some detecting in.

Also I will use this detector when my arm wears out from swinging mt AT Pro. All in all I love this little thing. It is not the most powerful, but for what I use it for you cant beat it. Take a look at what I found the first time I went out with it.

Be reasonable with your expectations and you will not be let down. If you want a detector that wii reach 6-8 inches, look elsewhere. If you want a fun swingable coin shooter grab a BHJ. Happy hunting.

I’m am truly surprised by the performance of the Quest X5. I took it to the beach tonight and went right into the wet sand along the California coast and it worked great. I actually found a piece of jewelry in the sand under the surface of the saltwater.

Anybody who knows metal detectors will know that most metal detectors don’t do well in saltwater. It totally surprised me. I’m impressed !.

The best exclave is definitely worth the money I have found a lot using the quest X5. One of the best metal detectors that I have owned this metal detector is great for beginners like myself it’s lightweight.

I would recommend this for children, beginners, and anyone who wants to have a hobby with metal detector. great quality easy to use.

Definitely worth the money, found a lot using the Quest X5. This metal detector is great for beginners like myself. I would recommend this for children, beginners, and anyone who wants to have a hobby metal detecting, great quality and easy to use.

Just a few points: Some will find the arm cuff odd, or not needed. We liked it for the stability for our learning children. Our two, nine and ten year olds of each sex, prefer the cuff, as it makes working the unit less tiresome, as they scout for unknown treasures.

(Almost anything they “work for” is such a treasure. ) The manual is, like many National Geographic toys / kits, a learning information manual, which might dumbfound some YouTube adult reviewers (HINT!), but is great for those absorbing, young, inquisitive minds.

Remember, any information advanced, such as detecting depths might be for something akin to a stove or refrigerator; it’s the teaching of the history and possibilities. The battery chamber is a bit dubious, but solidly securable via a Philips screw.

You’ll need the AA batteries and we suggest rechargeable batteries. The indicating tone is low volume and the tone doesn’t waiver in frequency, so it might not be heard in noisy environments, whereas an earplug or headset port would have been a nice idea.

(I’m considering such a modification, since our grandkids are headphone savvy. ) All in all, I recommend this learning tool (considering the price and namebrand) for the kids and as a quicky device like the old pocket fisherman: You never know what you can catch.

Bought this today expecting a decent detector due to the price but it is not very good. It detected my gold ring when I tested it but the beep is quite inconsistent. Because of this I think it would be very easy to miss many targets.

In some cases it will only beep in one direction instead of 2 times as I waived it back and forth. This is a Childs detector at best. Unfortunately since I tested this outside, Canadian Tire would not give me my money back but only store credit.

It would be more worth it to spend more on a better detector or spend less on a comparable beginner detector.

My wife purchased this for me for an early Christmas present. I assembled it with no problem and put the batteries in which are extremely hard to get it. No power batteries where not making contact. Tried repeatedly to position to batteries to make contact to stay on for more than 2 seconds with no success.

I was very excited to use this around our small farm before the snow flies. Very disappointed. Returning this piece of junk to the nearest Canadian Tire asap. Waste of time and Money.

Great but for two things. One, the detector must be in constant motion to function. I am used to a detector that is not and if in motion then you need to go back to confirm the detected spot which means having your eyes glued to the ground.

Two, the battery compartment is poorly designed and removing the batteries is difficult with very unwieldy plastic tabs holding batteries in place. I do not expect these tabs to last long which will then make the detector useless.

It does however detect incredibly well. I first used it to find nails I’d lost on my lawn and was picking up very small rusted metal filings from having removed pallet nails. Excellent but for the two drawbacks.

Bought this on sale, right around Christmas, for about $50 CDN. As a novice/beginner, I am looking forward to having some “fun”. Setup was quick, and very simple. Requires 2 x 9 Volt batteries to operate.

Dialling it in is/was a breeze, but I’ve yet to put it through a true test. Once the snow clears and the ground thaws, however, I’ll be seeing what I can dig up.

The metal detector was easy to put together and required 2 9-volt batteries (not included in the box). It is very lightweight and the pole is long enough the average person could stand upright while sweeping it back and forth.

It has a beeping feature that is volume controlled and is loud enough to be heard in typical park or beach settings. It does not have a head-phone jack. If the beep is drowned out by background noise, there is also a window with a needle that indicates the strength of the signal bouncing off the metal.

I have not used it long enough to know how long the batteries will last so I bought a spare set. This is great for someone who would use it occasionally for fun or a hobby.

There was a rattle in the box that turned out to be a knob used to tighten the coil to the swivel joint, and a loose battery cover. There were scratches on the arm where the unit had obviously been assembled before as well as some mars in the finish.

The plastic on the meter was ‘pulled’ as well. This was, evidently, a previously owned unit which SHOULD have been tested before reselling it. It did nothing but squeal when attempting to scan the ground, and ground, with various settings.

I returned the unit.

I knew nothing about metal detectors until my husband announced I was getting one for my birthday. This machine was recommended as an excellent beginner tool that is waterproof with 4 setting to help filter signals based on the environment.

package came with everything needed to start metal detecting. I read the instructions and watched a few videos online to give me a sense of how the machine works. On my very first test just one step away from our patio the signal was strong.

I opened the spot and found one, two, three matchbox cars about 4” underground. A couple steps more, another signal, then another…. Every signal produced a direct hit on something. I was tickled at my own success rate!! Someone with experience gave me the advice to carry flags or markers with me so I can mark several spots and then come back over each spot to dig.

The pointer is absolutely necessary to verify how close you are to exposing the target, and for insuring you got everything out of the hole before you cover it back up. I would have missed 2 of the 3 toy cars in the first hole I dig!! One thing I didn’t expect was how hard the soil is to dig! It requires a great deal of strength so it limited my time digging and finding things on my first test! The package deal I selected included a dig tool and sheath, a finds bag, leg strap for the pointer, wireless headphones, a pointer and a hat.

I would suggest adding markers, flags, and a towel/rag of some sort to wipe off your dig tool before returning it to it’s sheath. I also purchased a protective cover for the controls to keep it from getting dirty from my hands or gloves when I am switching back and forth between searching and digging.

I have sound something in every hole I have marked, even though it was just my first time using the machine. Now I am ready to find all sorts of lost treasures!!.

I had always been curious about metal detecting. had one of those useless $20 Radio Shack detectors as a kid. Now that I’m older, I was looking for a way to be outside and have a little fun. Metal detecting popped into my head and I quickly found that the Simplex is a budget priced but feature rich detector based on other reviews and videos.

One thing I like is that lots of people are using this detector. You can go on Youtube and see tips and tricks (look up the VDI videos — they’re very helpful). It’s rechargeable and updateable. It’s not heavy.

When I got the device I was swinging it around in my backyard and my first dig was a (modern) penny. It’s always fun finding a target and interpreting what the detector is telling you. and then seeing what’s in the ground.

I received my order quickly, and it was everything I ordered. I studied the book for a few minutes and headed out to the front yard. I immediately started finding targets. The Simplex is very accurate and the pinpointer made it even easier to recover the targets.

I’m still learning the audio, but most targets had their own distinct sound. Very happy with my purchase. Thank you Detector Warehouse.

I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly test the Land Ranger yet, but took it outside yesterday for a few minutes in my yard, which I have hunted in many times, and found a 1966 quarter at about 5 inches deep.

It’s the lightest detector I’ve ever used and you can swing it all day without getting tired. Ready to use out of the box or you can customize the modes you want. Very comparable with higher end detectors that I’ve owned.

I recommend watching the Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro Review by Carolina Coin Hunter on YouTube. He explains all the features much better than the manual. I highly recommend getting one of these.

Anyone who rates this detector badly, just don’t know how to use it yet. I been a detectorist for 30 years and this machine for the money is untouchable. I found the bullet that killed fred mccartey the outlaw murderer.

it was a 40 cal rifle. Two of the mccartey gang was killed in abank robbery in delta co in 1893, I also found a 1907 barber quarter at 7+ inches deep, a 1912 barber dime and also another with date worn off.

I also found a 75 year old ladies middle school class ring and gave it back to her. I love this machine, I wont need to upgrade until I get 1500 for a super epic machine.

Simple to use. Coin depth to 4-6 inches. VDI is somewhat accurate if you get a good lock in the coin. Several selectable search modes. I am impressed by the light weightless for a machine that is relatively low cost vs some other brands.

I bought it to detect bird shot in waterfowl. So far it has detected all of it but one (# 4 steel). I will continue testing it. I have chipped three teeth on bird shot.

PERFECT cosmetic and operational condition. My thanks…!!

Fast delivery. Good product. Will return for any further needs.

I thought it helpful to post a note here for the beginners on here or parents buying for kids as there are some misleading reviews on here from clearly frustrated folks. I’ve been detecting for 7 years with two different models of Minelab detectors, and have had countless hours of fun as well as found plenty of relics, coins and the odd bit of gold.

Minelab is an Australian developed and manufactured brand of detectors, based in South Australia, and they produce arguably the best technology in the world. It’s something all Aussies should be very proud of in an era when not much gets made locally.

So some tips for beginners: – there is a learning curve associated with any metal detector no matter how simple. The more you invest in learning about how to use it the more you will get out of it. – the metal detector will also “beep” a lot in the case that you choose a trashy area to detect.

This is normal. And detecting in trashy areas requires skill, patience and experience. – there was a comment about not detecting anything at the beach. This is frequently the case unless you invest time learning about beaches and how and when to detect them.

Beaches are often very clean environments with little in the way of metal objects. Storms create opportunities for easier detecting due to removal of sand layers. – There was also a comment about not detecting visible nails.

This is actually likely because the iron discrimination was turned on. This is a beneficial feature rather than a flaw, as it helps you search for the more interesting objects. Iron is everywhere and generally a waste of time recovering.

Like anything in life it doesn’t come easy, and treasure doesn’t jump out at you, but that’s the fun of metal detecting.

Great unit. Simple and effective. Quick, hassle-free order turnaround from Jacobs.

I bought this to detect nails in logs before sawing them.

I had to stretch the spring contacts to make a sufficient battery connection.