Here is the recommended equipment with recommendations.

Your detector

Ahh decisions decisions !

When you first decide to start metal detecting it is very tempting to buy a cheap detector or an ebay “china special” advertised for 50 dollars and will detect 2 metres deep.

I can only advise you to not go down this route for the following reasons.

1. A cheap detector will have little or no discrimination to be able to filter out stuff you really dont want to dig up. (iron for example)

2.A cheap metal detector will have no ground balancing features , what this basically means is that the detector will not be able to be used on beaches or in areas where gound mineralisation is. Bascically without ground balancing it wil seem like you are getting permenant signals which are false signals.

There are 3 main parts to a detector :

The shaft ,the coil at the bottom of the shaft and the box of tricks at the top of the shaft.

For me the two manufacturs of detectors that you want to consider is either Minelab or Garrett.

Lets take a look at some examples from  Minelab (I have linked to each machines website so you can see the full spec.)

X-TERRA 705 Gold Pack

This is a really nice detector and contains all of the features that you are ever likely to need , it is not however water proof so cannot be used fully underwater however some coils are water proof so they can be submerged in a rock pool.

 

 

X-TERRA 505

Next is the 505 which is a good midrange detector it offers slightly less features than the 705 for example less notch segments for discrimination and ground balancing is manual not automatic, however it is still an excellent machine just with a slightly lower price than the 705 and slightly less features.

 

 

X-TERRA 305

This is your entry level detector and is meant as an introduction machine. It is obviously cheaper and has considerably less features than the 705 and 505 .

If you want a detector to start you off on coins and relics on fields then this is the one , but I am sure an upgrade will be soon coming once you find out more about the hobby and want more out of your detector.

 

Excalibur II

The Excaliber II is a completely sumbersible (up to 200 feet) detector designed for divers who wish to metal detect the sea bed or wrecks . It is basically the same as the Sovereign GT and the Safari models. It just has the addition of being completely waterproof.

 

Sovereign GT

The Sovereign GT is the detector that I use and is a really lovely machine. It is great for the beach and fields and has fantastic ground balancing and discrimination.

It has been discontinued by Minelab but has from what I have read been replaced by the Safrari.

 

 

Safari

The Safari is a really nice machine and is great for the beach or high density trashy areas.

It appears that this detector is more a fire up and use detector than the X-Terra’s which are a lot more customisable.

If you dont want to be fiddling about with settings then the Safari is probably the one for you .

PRO-FIND 25

A pin pointer is a really useful bit of kit to have with you. Once you have dug out a hole it enables you to really accurately find what your looking for.

 

 

Land Recovery Tools

For land digging you are going to need some fairly strong tools to get through some soils, rocks , tree roots etc .

You will need at the minimum a good strong spade it is recommended to also carry a proper hand trowel designed for the job and maybe a large old screwdriver.

This is the Garrett digger .

It has a nice grip and serated edges to really push through small roots getting in the way.

 

 

 

Beach Recovery Tools

All you really need for the beach is a very lightweight spade , there are however other tools available such as hand held sand scoops and scoops on a shaft so you dont have to bend down a lot.

This is the Garrett hand held scoop just scoop up the sand and shake , what you are looking for stays in the scoop and all the loose sand falls away.

This website has a huge variety of different scoops.

Scoops for me are a ” nice to have ” not essential if you are on a budget.

Ancillary Equipment

You will also need a belt mounts finds bag . This nice example from Garrett includes straps to hang your pinpointer.

 

 

 

 

 

I also recommend a tool pouch , these are really handy to have enabling you to carry more than just your spade. Some even have a place to put your water bottle

A good pair of cut resistant gloves is also highly recommended especially if your detecting in the winter.

Last but by no means least is footwear. Remember you are going to be walking over sometimes very rough ground and for long periods of time. Trainers just are not going to cut it .

For land work I recommend a good strong pair of boots and for beach work a pair of wellies will do the trick quite nicely . Dont be tempted to go barefoot or wear sandals on the beach , this will limit where you can detect. For example you wont be able walk onto shell encrusted rocks in bare feet