Best metal detector guides
"Which one should I actually buy?" — answered by what you plan to hunt. Every pick in these guides is a machine with a full review behind it, and every one comes with the honest downside attached.
01All buying guides
Best Pinpointers for Metal Detecting
The best pinpointer for metal detecting is the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT — waterproof, adjustable, and hard to lose. Probes compared for dirt, water, and gold.
Top pick · Pro-Pointer AT
Best Pinpointer Metal Detector for Gold
The best pinpointer for gold is the Falcon MD20 — a very high frequency probe that finds flakes in quartz standard pinpointers miss. Gold probes compared.
Top pick · Falcon MD20
Best Metal Detector for Kids
The best metal detector for kids is the Nokta Mini Hoard — light enough for a small child and capable enough to find real coins. Picks by age, from 5 to teenager.
Top pick · Mini Hoard
Best Metal Detector for Beginners
The best metal detector for beginners is the Nokta Simplex+ — waterproof, wireless, and simple enough to use on day one. Starter, entry-level, and intermediate picks compared.
Top pick · Simplex+
Best Metal Detector for Beach & Water
The best metal detector for the beach is the Minelab Equinox 800 — multi-frequency handles wet salt sand and it's submersible to 10 feet. Waterproof and underwater picks compared.
Top pick · Equinox 800
Best Metal Detector for the Money
The best metal detector for the money is the Nokta Simplex+ — waterproof, wireless, and rechargeable at an entry-level price. Budget, cheap, and under-$300 picks compared honestly.
Top pick · Simplex+
Best Metal Detector for Gold
The best metal detector for gold is the Minelab Equinox 800 — high frequencies find small gold and it handles mineralized ground. Nugget hunting and gold jewelry picks compared.
Top pick · Equinox 800
Best Metal Detector for Property Pins
The best metal detector for property pins is the Nokta Simplex — turn discrimination all the way down and it finds buried steel rebar and survey stakes at real depth. What to buy, and what a metal detector can't tell you.
Top pick · Simplex+
Best Metal Detector for Coins and Jewelry
The best metal detector for coins and jewelry is the Minelab Equinox 800 — multi-frequency depth on old coins and enough sensitivity for thin gold jewelry in the same swing. Here's what actually separates this from a gold-prospecting machine.
Top pick · Equinox 800
Best Metal Detector for Relic Hunting
The best metal detector for relic hunting is the Garrett AT Pro — genuine iron audio instead of blanket iron rejection, real depth, and ground handling that holds up on old homesteads and Civil War camps.
Top pick · AT Pro