Ever since the discovery of gold by James Marshall in 1848, prospecting is the ultimate hobby for Americans. The manufacturers know that, too, hence the reason why the market is inundated with multitudes of metal detectors claiming to find you the ultimate treasure hunt.

Having such a wide range of choices is a double-edged sword. For, while competition brings the price down, it also makes it extremely difficult to settle on one particular device. After all, how do you know which is the best metal detector for gold?

Enter this article. Packed with useful information, a comparison table, and 20 different metal detectors, it has got enough to help you make the right choice.

Best Metal Detectors for Gold – Comparison Table

How do Metal Detectors work?

Positioned inside the circular base of a metal detector are a small receiver coil and a large transmitter coil. It is through the transmitter coil that the electricity passes to create a magnetic field around the metal detector. Hence, you are literally moving the magnetic field when you move the detector.

Now, if you’re lucky and happen to move your detector over gold, the moving magnetic field will excite (raise the energy of) the atoms inside the metal. At the same time, the metal’s magnetic field creates an invisible magnetic glow around the metal object.

Now, when these two magnetic fields interact – one of the metal and the other of the detector itself – a signal is sent to the loudspeaker of the detector. Which, on receiving the signal, starts blaring out an audible sound to let you know that it’s your lucky day.

Fisher F22– Best Metal Detector for Gold

Whether it’s a buried treasure full of gold that you’re after – or you just want to recover relics which your ancestors left in the ground back in the day, the Fisher F22 has a huge range of features to satiate your appetite.

Features:

Weighing just over 3 pounds and with dimensions of 5 x 8 x 22 inches, the Fisher F22 is a cinch to carry around. It boasts a water-resistant coil which, though it won’t help you in retracting underwater treasure, is suitable to handle tough weather conditions and high humidity with ease. Also, depending on what type of treasure you are after, its four searching modes will help you out. Of the four modes, the artifact mode picks up steel stakes, the coin mode is known for its speed whereas the relic mode recovers silver and gold.

Then there is the pinpoint mode which is known for its accuracy. What’s more, due to its adjustable volume and sensitivity settings, the metal detector discriminates between treasure and trash. Still, if you want it to warn you every time it gets something, you could take help from its 4-tone ID to discriminate manually.

Thanks to its two high-power AA batteries, the F22 provides a detecting range of up to nine inches below the ground. Upon detecting, it offers a readout to let you know how far the object below the surface is so that you have a better idea how deep you need to dig. That doesn’t mean, however, that you need to dig all the way through to identify what lies beneath the surface. Instead, thanks to its nine-segment visual and numerical target ID, the F22 tells you in advance what lies beneath the ground.

Garrett Ace 300 Metal Detector – Runner-Up

Had it not been for its slightly extra weight – as the Ace 300 weighs over 5 pounds in comparison with the 3lbs. weight of Fisher F22 – this metal detector would have been our top pick. Still, if you feel that its extra weight won’t bother you, the features of the Garrett Ace 300 deserve your attention.

Features:

First thing first, the Garrett Ace 300 metal detector offers an exciting choice for both hobbyists and beginner treasure hunters. It offers advanced detection of technology and has a mammoth depth range of 12’’ below the ground.

To find exactly for what you’ve bought it, the Ace 300 lets you control it via three touchpads. These touchpads offer three features in Power, Pinpoint, and Accept/Reject, respectively. Three separate rocker switches are also included in the package to let you control its mode, sensitivity, and discrimination.

Turning our attention to its modes, and there are five of them on offer, the first of which is the jewelry mode which is ideal for gold-enthusiasts. The next four options let you navigate for coins, relics, lost treasures, and buried metal objects.

What’s more, the Ace 300 not only finds buried objects but also saves your time thanks to its easy methodology. For, provided your search has hit a jackpot, it produces a ‘’sound of money’’ ring to tell you to keep digging. And to make sure it retains enough juice for hours of work, its four AA batteries provide at least 30 hours of use.

Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker – Best Budget Option

While the market is inundated with cheap metal detectors, the Bounty Hunter TK4 offers a great amalgam of low-price and brilliant quality. It is available at less half the price of both the detectors mentioned above, so it’s a great choice if you’re a budget minded person.

Features:

If you were thinking that its low price-tag will automatically translate to below-average features, the 8’’ depth range provided by the Bounty Hunter negates your doubts. And that range is only true for the smaller objects, for it could find target objects at a depth of up to two feet with ease.

In case you were wondering, it is the non-digital display of this model which helps its manufacturer keep the cost down. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t adjust its power, sensitivity, and depth – for a knob interface is provided for this purpose.

Also, this metal tracker gives you the option to discriminate. That is, whether you want to focus on a specific object i.e. a gold nugget or are on an all-metal detection mission, it provides both options on its knob interface.

More importantly, to make sure you could use it straight out of its package, the Bounty Hunter TK4 comes with a preset ground balance. That is, regardless of how many minerals exist in your area, this unit will produce next to nothing false signals.

Finally, as long as the water isn’t too deep, you could submerge the eight-inch coil of this unit for it is water-resistant. Then there is the adjustable steam which allows you to fidget with its height to complement your size. There is also a padded armrest which makes sure you remain comfortable during searches.

Garrett AT Pro – Best Waterproof Gold Metal Detector

Expert treasure hunters might ruminate that not every buried treasure in this world exists under solid ground, with a huge portion currently lying under water, waiting to be discovered. So, if you want your name to be on that list of under-water discoverers, the Garrett AT Pro deserves your attention.

Features

First thing first, the Garrett AT Pro takes a lead over every other metal detector in this review by allowing full water submersion. Even under 10 feet of water, all functions of this metal detector would be fully useful. And while its manufacturer recommends you keep it off-shore, we saw its brilliant performance over shallow areas as well as reefs.

The most standout feature of the Garrett AT Pro – apart from its under-water functionality – is its Digital Target ID. Its numbers, which range from 0 to 100, help you in deciding whether to dig or not. The closer the number close to zero, the more the object in there is worth-digging up. Conversely, if you get a lower number count, you should try your luck somewhere else.

Moving on, this metal detector offers two modes: Professional Mode and Standard Mode, both of which are equally impressive and useful.

While the former is best for valuable objects such as gold nuggets, the latter is recommended if you are searching for coins. Both these modes are common in a sense as they allow the set-up of different tones for different types of targets.

Lastly, if you want your ideal metal detector to ignore iron and salt signals emanating from the ground, you’re in luck as the AT Pro offers both manual and automatic ground balance features. Apart from cutting down signals emanating from trash, the ground balance also improves the target ID accuracy of the detector and increases its depth range.

Bounty Hunter BHJS – Best for Kids

If you think that metal detecting shouldn’t be the domain for the kids – and want your kids to get in on the fun – the below-average price tag and above-average features of the Bounty Hunter BHJS make it a worthy of your attention.

Features:

The Bounty Hunter BHJS indicates its utility for kids by weighing just over 1.3 pounds and measuring 5 x 6 x 22 inches. These properties of the BHJS makes it adequate for your child if his age is between 6 and 12-years.

That this metal detector is designed for kids doesn’t mean it is merely a show-piece. Instead, it offers an impressive feature set which allows your little ones not only to adjust its sensitivity but also the audio emanating from its headphones.

Looking at how far this metal detector will go to find hidden objects, it boasts an impressive depth range of 5-inches for coin-sized objects. And if the size of the object emitting magnetic signals is large, this metal detector can go as far as 3-feet below the surface.

Also, to make sure your kid remains interested in the sport, the BHJS has solved the problem of false signals by providing this device with a preset ground balance. This feature increases the range of surfaces over which kids could use this metal detector to find hidden treasures.

Lastly, just like its high-end counterparts, the Bounty Hunter BHJS features a Target ID indicator. This feature, which ranges in numbers 0 to 100, tells you how likely it is that the treasure you’re digging is valuable or not.

Teknetics Delta 4000 – Best metal detector for Gold and Silver

For those of you who want an accurate, high-tech detector – but also yearning for it to be easy to use – you could kick-start your next treasure hunt with the Teknetics Delta 4000.

Features:

Starting from design, the Delta 4000 has a large LCD screen which is extremely user-friendly. You can use this screen via buttons to change the device’s sensitivity, volume, and several other functions.

Also, if you are a beginner who isn’t familiar with target ID numbers, the screen gives a readout to tell you whether the metal which you’ve found could be a quarter, dime, or iron piece. It also has notching and discrimination features which let you customize the detector to hunt for a specific kind of treasure.

Then there is the 11’’ concentric search coil of this detector which creates a conical search field and allows you to search 11-inches beneath the ground. That said, we found the accuracy of Delta 4000 decrease below 8inches.

Also, while it falls behind the best gold detector by offering a solitary mode, the Delta 4000 justifies its astronomical price tag by providing 3 discrimination tones. It also provides a preset ground adjust feature, though it is only set for average conditions. It means if you live in an area where ground concentration isn’t normal, you’ve to manually set the ground to adjust.

Lastly, the metal detector is a cinch to assemble and doesn’t require any tools for its assembly. That means that you could get it up and running within minutes of its package arriving at your doorstep.

Bounty Hunter Quick Draw Pro – Best metal detector for placer gold

The Quick Draw Pro is a budget-friendly product from Bounty Hunter which has got enough features to attract the most experienced treasure hunters. However, if you’re a beginner, its large user-intuitive screen should keep you interested

Features:

Starting from the best the Quick Draw Pro has to offer, and its 10-sensitivity adjustment levels enter into the picture. This feature will come handy if you don’t want to get spooked by too many false signals during your hunt. Just turn the sensitivity level down, and you would stop getting erratic readings.

Its LCD screen – which is not backlit – can only be used during daylight and displays a multitude of features including sensitivity, notching, and discrimination. You could tinker with these features to narrow down your search to a specific kind of metal.

Also, if you don’t like waiting and want to know at the start which object might be lying underneath the surface, the pinpoint feature of this model should sort you out. This feature works in tandem with a target ID number, though you don’t need to memorize numbers with the Quick Draw Pro.

For, positioned atop the LED screen are tabs for various metals including iron, aluminum, zinc, and foil among others. Provided the detector detects any of the metals in its list, the corresponding tab will lit up in the LCD screen.

Finally, to tell you how deep the object is, the Quick Draw uses its ‘’Three Arrows Feature’’. If it displays one arrow, it means your coin is just beneath the surface, whereas two arrows mean it’s shallow and three means the object is buried deep (less than 9 inches).

Teknetics EuroTek PRO – Best metal detector for gold and silver for intermediates

Compare it with the abovementioned Delta 4000 – which is another model from Teknetics – and the EuroTek Pro has decided to forego the concentric coil used by its colleague in favor of DD-coil. Will this not-so-slight change affect its performance? Let’s find out

Features:

Not many metal detectors use DD Coils these days, so the fact that the EuroTek has gone for it has set it apart. That is, because, DD coils are known for their depth range, as no other coil provides as much range as them. And guess what, that is also the unique selling point of the Teknetics EuroTek Pro.

During our testing, the EuroTek was the only model which missed not a single item which we buried underneath the ground. What’s more, while the manufacturer rates it depth limit at 10 inches, it went as far as 12 inches to find our buried items.

That said, there is a reason why the majority of metal detectors don’t go for DD coils – they aren’t accurate – and the EuroTek was no different. That is, while it will tell you something is lying underneath the surface, most of the time it won’t be able to tell what that thing (or metal) is.

On the plus side, it features a motion discrimination mode with multiple volume levels to discriminate treasure from trash. You’ll also be able to use it right out of the package, as it comes with a preset ground balance. It also contains an Iron ID indicator which will light up every time its search coil passes over iron.

Lastly, to assist you in target recovery, a pinpoint mode is also among the features of this detector. However, while this mode tells you that an object is lying underneath the surface, its accuracy is something you shouldn’t rely on.

XP Deus – Most Expensive Metal Detector

If you are extremely confident that it is a buried treasure that is lying underneath your feet – for anything less than finding a treasure won’t justify this detector’s price tag – only then go for the ultra-expensive but equally impressive XP Deus.

Features:

The XP Deus Metal Detector has an 11-inch concentric coil which offers enough range to find objects buried up to 11-inch below the surface. That depth range, when compared with other metal detectors in this review, grabs XP Deus the second best spot.

Making the most of the advantage provided by its range are the four modes which the XP Deus provides. They include coin and jewelry, gold prospecting, relic hunting, and beach detecting. The last mode means that you could fully submerge this detector in water and it would still work.

What’s more, this device is ultra-light at two pounds and when you aren’t using it to comb the surface, you can easily collapse it for easy storage. Its ability to connect to your PC allows the XP Deus to remain up to date by downloading software updates.

Finally, if you want your detector to discriminate with its noises of detection, you’d become infatuated with the included WS5 headphones of this model. These headphones are fully weatherproof and no matter how worse the external environment, they work well to isolate noise.

Fisher F44 – best handheld metal detectors for gold panning

The Fisher F44 Metal detector has a huge search field and offers the 2^nd most sensitivity levels of any metal detector we tested. Provided you could force it to get its depth right, you’d become infatuated with its performance

Features:

The Fisher F44 features an 11-inch elliptical concentric searchcoil which offers an 11-inch range beneath the surface. Once it detects a metal, the F44 displays its type by showing a target ID number on its large LCD screen. And you don’t have to memorize what these numbers mean; as their description is available in the supplied instruction manual.

That said, its screen wouldn’t display exactly the name of the object the detector might have found. Instead, it only notes that the object is in silver range, gold range, and iron range of objects. The beep tones compliment this feature; as low tones indicating iron, medium pitches indicating gold, and high pitches signaling silver.

Moving on, the F44 features a mind-boggling 10 sensitivity levels to make sure you could find the sweet spot with ease. This range is much wider than most other metal detectors in this review. However, if you decide to leave it on its default sensitivity level – which is 12 – the F44 would still detect the treasure while ignoring the trash.

Finally, like the Fisher F22, this model runs on two AA batteries – a unique feature given the fact that most metal detectors make use of a 9-volt battery. Still, this uniqueness has no adverse impact on the F44’s battery timing, as it is rated to provide 25-30 hours on one charge.

Tesoro Mojave – Best metal detector for gold coins

The Tesoro Mojave Metal Detector beats other detectors in this review by arriving with a lifetime warranty. However, before you think its warranty automatically means that its features would be high-end, we recommend scrolling down.

Features:

The first thing you’d notice on turning the Tesoro Mojave on for the first time is a little beep. That beep is the sound of how much battery is left; with a loud beep pitch automatically meaning that this detector has plenty of life left.

That said, the beep is there for a reason as this metal detector has no volume control. However, that doesn’t mean that the advantages of adjustability are lost on this model, as it allows you to adjust its discrimination, sensitivity, and ground condition.

While six levels of sensitivity are on offer – with lower levels meaning less trash detection – this metal detector lets you choose between a low ground position which is adequate for areas with low mineralization and a high ground position for areas with lots of mineralization. As for the discrimination, turning the knob right would mean more metals are taken out of the calculation of this device.

Since it runs on a 9-volt battery, you could expect to get at least 15 hours of battery timing from this model. It weighs a mere 2.2 pounds which means you could do extended hunts with minimal arm fatigue. Add to this its lifetime warranty, and this model can almost fool you into believing that its features are high-end.

Fisher Gemini-3 – Best Rated Metal detector

Thanks to the fact that it operates on 16 AA batteries, the Fisher Gemini 3 digs deeper, traces further, and is easier to use than any other metal detector belonging in its fairly astronomical price spectrum.

Features:

Starting from the design, and the Gemini 3 can dig as deep as 20 ft. to locate hidden treasures and lost relics. That is, because, it features a two-box design which enables this detector to find buried objects with more ease.

In case you are wondering, such mammoth range doesn’t mean that only pros could use the Gemini 3. Instead, most of its settings come preset, which means even beginners would find it useful. Yet, some settings give you the freedom to adjust them, including sensitivity and search modes.

Apart from digging deeper than most, the Gemini-3 would also help you in pinpointing the buried cache. It does that because of its crystal controlled circuitry which also allows you to increase or decrease the noise of the beep sounds coming out of this unit.

Like all the best detectors in this review, the Gemini 3 is easy to assemble. It allows you to check its remaining battery by pushing the switch button, and you could use a large knob potentiometer to adjust its sensitivity. And if you get something wrong with this model, its 5-year warranty will take care of it.

National Geographic PRO Series – Best Beginner Metal Detector

The National Graphics Pro Series Metal Detector is one for beginners though that doesn’t mean that it is low quality. Instead, it is the features of this device which limits its usefulness to the entry-level treasure hunters.

Features:

Starting with a good news – one that you’ll notice as soon as you unbox its package – the National Geographic Pro series doesn’t need any assembly. It is delivered in one piece, has an 11’’ waterproof coil, and while the detector is 51’’ when fully extended, it is collapsible up to 22’’ for easy storage Add to this its weight of 1kg, and the Pro Series is an ultra-portable metal detector.

Turning our attention to its controls, and the Pro Series’ control panel has a few buttons, all of which are in your thumb’s reach. You could use these buttons to increase or decrease its volume, activate the pinpoint feature, increase or decrease the sensitivity, change its find mode and discrimination patterns.

The three modes of this detector deserve a particular mention as they are unique in what they claim to find. While one of them is an ‘’All Metal’’ mode, the other is the ‘’All Metals other than Iron’’ one. You also get ‘’All Metals other than Iron or Aluminum” mode to further refine your search.

As for its screen which is backlit so that you can use it in dim or dark conditions, it contains a multitude of information. For, apart from showing the remaining battery level, it also has the depth indication feature to let you know how deep the target is. There are also 4 Find Icons which predict what the object lying underneath the ground could be.

Garrett AT MAX – Best for Serious Treasure Hunters

The Garrett AT Max is another high-end metal detector from a manufacturer which is famous for producing gold prospecting metal detectors. And just like its other colleagues in this review, this product doesn’t disappoint.

Features:

First thing first, Garrett has taken care of the wireless interference problem which mars many metal detectors by providing the AT Max with a Z-Lynk Wireless Technology. This technology is six times faster than Bluetooth, requires no cord for operation, and transmits audio directly to the headphones.

Moving on, this metal detector boasts backlit LCD screen to allow you to use the detector in low-light conditions. The control panel containing the screen has 11 buttons, all of which increase the utility of this metal detector.

Take, for instance, the ‘’Iron Disc/Notch Disc’’ button which allows you to tinker with both the iron as well as the notch discrimination settings. Then there is the ‘’Frequency Adjust/Sensitivity’’ button to let you decide how sensitive (or not) you want the AT Max to be.  This button is neighbored by a “Manual Ground Balance’’ button, though you could also use the detector at its preset ground balance as well.

The most important – and useful – of the buttons is the one which lets you select from the four search modes given in the detector. These modes include a Custom Mode for you to fine-tune the device as you wish, a True All Metal Mode to detect metals, a Zero discrimination mode, and a Coins mode to discover old relics.

Fisher F75 Metal Detector – Best Mid-Level Detector

For those of you who are up to their head in the field of metal detecting – and have decided they want a device which can complement their passion for this sport – your search ends with the Fisher F75 Metal Detector.

Features:

As a mere glance over its control panel might tell, the Fisher F-75 features a very extensive menu section. Included is a ground balance option which helps the detector filter out mineral content in its final results. Also present are the discrimination modes which are aided by adjustable sensitivity readings on the screen.

You also get several tones to distinguish debris from treasure, however, if you are fed up with their noise, this metal detector gives you the option to turn off its sound. And to make sure you could use the screen in low-light conditions, it is backlit.

What’s more, in contrast to most other metal detectors in this review, the Fisher F-75 is NOT using a concentric search coil. Instead, it has gone for a double-D search coil, a choice which gives this device a depth range of up to 11’’.

Finally, even if you aren’t careful with your search from yesterday, the F75 has a memory save option using which you could navigate through your past discoveries. And since it runs on four AA batteries, you’re bound to get up to 40-hours of use in one go.

Tesoro Vaquero – Best for Beginners

The Tesoro Vaquero is an all-around metal detector which comes with a lifetime warranty and is made in the United States. The specialty of this detector, however, lies in finding gold nuggets, which means it will serve the treasure-hunters well.

Features:

The major reason why we decided to include the Tesoro Vaquero in our review is its 3 ¾ manually adjusted ground balance. In contrast to automatically adjusted ground balance detectors – which leaves no room for improvisation – the manual ground balance of this detector lets you adjust this device to complement the mineralization conditions in your area.

Apart from offering a lifetime warranty, this machine offers a discrimination feature to let its filter treasure from trash on its own. It also allows you to tinker with its discrimination modes via a knob which is also used to activate the All Metal Mode of this device.

What’s more, if you live in a highly mineralized site, the Responsive Signal Design technology of the Vaquero will help you out. This technology is made to treasure hunt in the most highly mineralized sites and won’t give false signals to detract you from the task at hand.

Finally, the Vaquero features a MicroMAX design which has positioned all the controls on the housing face to make sure they are within a finger’s reach from its padded handgrip. The controls include a Red pushbutton for pinpointing, four rotary knobs for adjusting ground balance, discrimination, sensitivity, and threshold controls.

Add to this the port for a ¼’’ stereo headphone jack – and a frequency toggle – and the control of the Vaquero has everything you may need in a metal detector.

Fisher Gold Bug – Amazon’s Choice

The Fisher Gold Bug Metal Detector is a durable device which requires low maintenance and has an impressive battery timing. Provided you have very deep pockets – as it doesn’t come cheap – and the Gold Bug might fit the bill for you.

Features:

One of the standout features of the Gold Bug is the dual-mode operation that it offers, the first of which is an All Metal Modes. However, if you hate detectors which give false signals – and are looking for buried relics, the Discrimination Mode of this detector might suit you.

Unlike most metal detectors which require you to move them before they find treasures, the Gold Bug has a No Motion Pinpoint. That’s right, you only need to activate its Pinpoint feature and the Gold Bug will tell you where to look for buried treasures.

For those of you who have to find metals in noisy areas, the headphone jack available with this detector is a godsend. You can connect any wired headphone to this model and it would make sure that you don’t miss a beep.

Impressively, this detector boasts a running depth of 12’’, which is a rare feature even among high-end detectors. Activating the running depth is the 9-volt battery of this model which lasts 25 hours on one charge. Then there is the computerized Ground Balance which increases the utility of this model in mineralized areas.

Finally, to let you discriminate between hidden objects which it might have found, the Gold Bug has 2 VCO tones. The first among which is a high grunt which will come out of this detector every time it hits iron. Or you would get a high tone with varying volume and pitch depending on the depth and size of the target.

Makro JeoTech – Best for Gold Bullions

If you think that searching for meager gold coins is a waste of time and money – and want to embark on a search for gold bullions – the Makro JeoTech Metal Detector is certainly worth a shot.

Features:

The Makro JeoTech has a two-box design which makes it equally sensitive to both smaller objects as well as big treasures. Its design enables the JeoTech to detect underground tunnels, cellars, caves, and even graves.

How is that possible? Well, thanks to the 4-meter depth range offered by the JeoTech. This range, in turn, owes its existence to the Target Signal Identification System employed at Jeo System industries. It is this technology which has increased the depth of this detector to unprecedented levels.

What’s more, this user gives you a complete and perfect real-time target analysis of the objects it locates underneath the ground. After receiving underground signals, it categorizes them according to the material from which they are emanating before displaying them on its LED display.

Thankfully, the LED display of this model is as practical and easy to use as the detector itself. On the right side of the LED are the options for coins, deep treasure caches, and other metals. On the left, you get the option for cavities and underground caves. And in addition to its visual LED system, this detector uses two-tone audio sounds to differentiate cavity and metal signals.

Lastly, the targets identified by the JeoTech are divided into four categories: Steel, Cavities, Valuable & Non valuable. All these categories are on display on the LED screen which, in turn, is mounted on a joystick control shaft which is a cinch to use.

Makro Gold Racer – Versatile Gold Detector

While treasure hunters rarely agree on the same thing, most of them could vouch for the quality of Makro metal detectors. And once you go through the features of the Gold Racer, you’d know the reason for their trust.

Features:

Starting with what you could target with the Gold Racer, and it is best when used to find tiny gold nuggets, coins, and even micro jewelry. That ability of this detector stems in part from the 56 KHz frequency at which it operates, which also shields it from external interference.

The Gold Racer is perhaps the only metal detector in this review which does well despite not having a pinpoint feature. That is, because, it uses cutting-edge features including iSAT (Intelligent Self-Adjusting Threshold) and iMask (Intelligent Masking) features to avoid disruption in highly mineralized areas.

Once it has zeroed in on its target, the Gold Racer will then rely on its tone break feature to let you know whether it is treasure or trash. It also has an audio boost feature for those of you who want their detector to give loud and clear signals about its recent find.

It has three search modes, the first of which will search for all metals without any discrimination. However, if you ask us, we recommend using either of the DISC 1 or DISC 2 modes if you don’t want to get inundated with false signals.

Finally, in addition to offering ground balance with three options – manual, automatic, or tracking – it has a digital target ID and ID filtering feature to identify targets and its 4 AA batteries last 25 to 30 hours on one charge.

Garrett AT Gold – Most Accurate Metal Detector

For those gold prospecting enthusiasts who want their ideal detector to have all the bells and whistles – but can’t afford to pay the price – the above-average features and a below-average price tag of the AT Gold makes it a worthy choice.

Features:

The Garrett AT Gold has one of the easiest mechanisms of all the detectors in this review. To get it up and running, all you have to do is to press a single button and it’ll start detecting on its factory settings which you can customize as well.

To make this detector useful for mineralized grounds, its manufacturer has provided it with 2 ground balance conditions. The first among those is the manual ground setting which will rely on your expertise to deal with minerals. However, if you have little faith in your expertise, activate the automatic ground balance to let the detector adapt to ground mineralization on its own.

Then there is the iron audio feature which lets you identify and discriminate trash items like washers and bottle tops. Its frame is collapsible for easy storage and you get 24 hours of battery on one recharge. And while its standard depth range lies between 6’’ and 9’’, it can detect large objects by going to a depth of 12’’.

Finally, whether you want to use it in humid, dusty, and wet environments, the fact that this detector is waterproof up to 10’’ in fresh water makes it a worthy choice. It has a Target ID Scale to let you pinpoint buried objects and also has two discrimination modes to set aside unwanted objects.