Metal Detector Reviews - who we are

Get the metal detector reviews before you buy with tips, reviews, news, finds and more. Welcome to Metal Detector Reviews and I hope you find the growing amount of content on this website useful. If you are new to the hobby of metal detecting or a seasoned detectorist I hope you find something that will interest you. I don't claim to be a metal detectorist guru, but someone who was bitten by the metal detecting / treasure hunting bug many years ago and has never looked back.

I am an avid metal detectorist with over 19 years eperience in metal detecting under my belt. I can often be found head down listening for the tell tale signs of those lost hammered coins or the tone that might indicate another gold ring buried in the sand.

I will bring you advice, tips, reviews, finds, articles and anything else that catches my eye that has a metal detecting perspective, with the aim to inspire and inform you about the world of metal detecting.

Feel free to join / 'Like' my Metal Detecting Facebook page and comment on the finds and posts there.

5 more beach metal detecting tips to help you find more

Beach metal detecting can be a fascinating hobby and there are times when it can be very lucrative. With me saying this, don’t rush out and buy a beach metal detector and expect to get rich quick. Beach metal detecting is great and you will find coins and jewelery if you put the time in. Like many hobbies you need to know how to use your metal detector correctly (make sure you buy a metal detector that can handle the wet salt sand while you are metal detecting on the beach) how to read the beach and the best conditions to search in. Below you will find 5 more tips to help you find more while metal detecting on the beach. (more…)

Cheap Kids Metal Detector that works a treat

Hours of fun with this cheap kids metal detector, and it works

Looking at this detector as a kids metal detector it has a great star rating and the kids love it. See it in action below. . .

My overall rating
Build Quality
Functionality
Value for Money

I have reviewed a few children’s metal detectors and this review focuses on the Ferrous / non-ferrous metal detector. It’s another metal detector for kids and one that certainly works. It’s small enough to be used by children as a metal detector and can be adjusted. It’s lightweight, can be used for long periods of time and has a set of simple, effective controls and functionality. Above all, it actually works as a functioning metal detector (see it in action below) that can pick up metal objects to a reasonable depth. A great choice as a kids metal detector and one that will offer hours of fun. (more…)

Bounty Hunter Gold Digger Metal Detector review – great for kids and as an entry level detector

A great kids metal detector and for those new to the hobby

My overall rating
Build Quality
Functionality
Value for Money

In this metal detector review we look at another metal detector suitable for children. A metal detector that is basic but does find metal buried in the ground. Some reports have items found at 12 inches down but you have to consider the ground conditions and the size of the metal object. Aimed at children and those new to the hobby, The Bounty Hunter Gold Digger Metal Detector review will give you a great insight and unbiased look at this cheap but effective kids metal detector. (more…)

Beach Metal Detecting Torre Abbey Sands – part 2

Beach Metal Detecting Torre Abbey Sands -part 2

Part 2 of Beach Metal Detecting Torre Abbey Sands looks at the middle and Corbyn Head section of the beach. An area more rocky in nature and where you will find the beach huts and the beach cafe.

Moving along the beach from the white bridge end of Torre Abbey sands, the sand drops off and is always much lower than the flatter bridge end . It’s here you can glimpse the number of steps that actually go down into the sand and this is shown in the picture below. Notice that only a few steps are visible at the other end of the beach. At the far end you can gauge how much new sand is on the beach by the number of visible steps. (more…)

Beach metal detecting at Torre Abbey Sands part 1

Beach Metal Detecting at Torre Abbey Sands

With years of metal detecting under my belt, I have been metal detecting on numerous beaches in my time. Beach metal detecting can be a very rewarding hobby, at times a very lucrative hobby and below I will highlight some great spots to metal detect on Torre Abbey Sands, the main beach in Torquay.

This is going to be the first of a series of posts on metal detecting on particular beaches and we start with Torre Abbey Sands in Torquay, Devon, or Torquay beach as it’s better known.

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Bounty Hunter Junior Metal Detector, great for children.

Bounty Hunter Junior Metal Detector

Ideal for children as an introduction to metal detecting

My overall rating
Build Quality
Functionality
Value for Money

If your a metal detectorist with young children it’s only a matter of time before they want to follow their dad onto the beach or field and try metal detecting themselves. This is the first review of a metal detector which would be ideal for the smaller members of the family. The Bounty Hunter Junior Metal Detector is ideal for ages 8 to 11 and the length of the metal detector fits most of that age. It’s a sturdy design and build and can be used straight out of the box with the insertion of two 9v batteries. This is ideal as the children won’t be able to wait to get their hands on it. (more…)

Minelab Explorer XS review, the finder of many of my hammered coins

Minelab Explorer XS Metal Detector

My overall rating
Build Quality
Functionality
Value for Money

Minelab are one of the best and well know producers of metal detectors for many sectors. One of these sectors being the hobby Market and the Minelab Explorer XS is one of the best full band spectum metal detectors on the market.

As a user of a Minelab Explorer XS metal detector I am a little bias, but I can safely say that without a doubt, Minelab metal detectors are some of the deepest, most accurate metal detectors money can buy. It’s a metal detector that is backed up with a company that is second to none in the quality of it’s metal detecting units.

The Minelab Explorer XS has been surpassed by newer Minelab metal detectors but still has it’s place well and truly at the top of it’s game. With newer Minelab metal detectors on the market, the Minelab Explorer XS has an advantage (I certainly see it as an advantage) in that you can buy one of these top rated metal detectors at a fraction of their original price.

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World Coin Values – standard catalog of world coins book review

World coin values

2012 Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901 – 2000

World coin values is something that changes on such a regular basis that it’s hard to keep up with the latest coin values. As a metal detectorist and coin collector, I am always interested in the value of coins in general and the metal detecting coin finds made with my Minelab Explorer XS. I don’t normally sell any of my finds but it’s good to know the possible value and any information about the coins I find while metal detecting and the coins I collect.

I am sure there are many places that you could research the value of world coins and coins in general for that matter. For me, I find the Standard Catalog of World Coins a great resource, both for general information and world coin values. A book for coin collectors, dealers and metal detectorists.

At the time of writing this the 2012 Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901 – 2000 is available on Amazon

If you are familiar with the Standard Catalog of World Coins you will know the books are a fair size, with my latest world coins book being over three inches thick and packed with information.
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Metal detector find, Dartmouth Farthing from about 1640?

Metal Detector Find – hammered coin?

Dartmouth Farthing of about 1640

As metal detectorists you are always wondering what your next trips metal detector find will be. I am always amazed as to what comes out of the gound and what possibilities are waiting for us. Most of the time you can’t plan or really be certain as to what will appear in the next hole you dig and that is what makes metal detecting such a great hobby and why this coin was such a surprise when it came out od the ground.

This particualr metal detector find came to light after spending some time wandering a field with very little to show for my efforts apart from the usual bullets, victorian coins and musket balls.

The image below is one of my most interesting coin finds due to it’s relative scarcity, as they really do not come to light that much, or so I believe. It was a bit of a mystery but it’s (I believe) a hammerd coin, a Dartmouth Farthing of about 1640. It took me a fair amount of time to track down what it was and if anyone viewing this knows better than please let me know. Its about 14mm across and came out of the ground as you see here and has had a wash under the cold tap, but thats about it. It was found with my Minelab Explorer XS (review coming soon) at about three inches down on farmland. (more…)

Kids Metal Detector

A Kids Metal Detector and what to look for?

As a metal detectorist with young children it is a fact of life that my children will want to follow their dad onto the beach or field and try their luck and metal detecting in the hope of coming back with a hand full of treasure. With this comes the problem of choosing a metal detector suitable for a young child. A kids metal detector can be a tricky product to buy. I say this as my Minelab Explorer XS is a professional metal detector (even if it has been surpassed by more recent Minelab metal detector models) and you will have to realise that kids metal detector will be very limited in comparison to adult metal detectors on the Market.

When I state “kids metal detector” I mean the item aimed at 5 to 7 years olds that are more of a toy than an actual metal detector. On saying this I have been surprised on occasions as to what my son has picked up. (more…)