Discrimination is one of the most important features that a metal detector should have! That’s the unique capability that will allow you to ignore all trash and focus solely on the most valuable targets …
… In this Post I list 5 Metal Detector with high discriminating capabilities
Check that out!
1. Bounty Hunter Tracker 4 (The Cheaper Choice)
The Bounty Hunter Tracker 4 (Check it Here at Amazon) is an easy-to-use entry-level machine for all ages. Not only is it budget-friendly, but also excellent for finding most types of targets, including both gold and silver.
The controls of the detector are simple as it only comes with two knobs and one switch:
- The knob on the left side of the control box is for power and sensitivity adjustment
- While the right knob is for discrimination control, helps you ignore any unwanted type of metal that you will commonly find in the trash such as lead, steel, and iron.
In the Bounty Hunter Tracker 4, you can use 3 levels of discrimination:
- The low end represents metals that have a low conductivity level such as iron, steel, and lead.
- Middle-level is for metals such as nickel, brass, and gold.
- And at the top end are highly conductive metals such as copper, silver, and zinc. This is also the ideal discrimination level for detecting coins unless you are searching for gold coins.
When you first use the Bounty Hunter Tracker 4, the best way to understand how the machine’s discrimination works are to create a ‘test’ garden by burying some things in the ground in your garden …
… This will help you understand where individual targets will hit on the machine’s discrimination scale.
It is best to start with the discrimination setting being all the way down and then slowly keep moving the knob clockwise until you hear the beeps of the various metals.
Check out other Bounty models!
2. Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro (Ideal for Beginners)
The Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro (Check it Here at Amazon) is the Big Brother of the Tracker 4! It is simply a better version, especially when it comes to discrimination …
… This machine is carrying multiple features that are mainly designed for seasoned detectorists. This detector has made a name for itself in recent years as being one of the best detectors when it comes to accuracy and precision.
Once you have selected which search mode you want to use for detecting, the Land Ranger Pro’s improved notch discrimination feature allows you to cancel out any kind of trash basically.
It come with a Target Category Arc, which has a wide range of various targets, including scrap metal, iron, and even foil, amongst the many other options. The device easily rejects these trash finds and does not give any alert when they are detected …
…. Thus saving you time as you will not have to concentrate on and get waylaid by targets you are not interested in.
If you have a specific target you are searching for, or you want to reject a particular metal, then you just need to press the large notch discrimination button on the detecting to instantly reject or accept nay category of the target that you will see long the Target Category Arc present on top of the display screen.
3. Garrett ACE 400 (Ideal for Coins and Relics)
The Garrett ACE 400 is one of the most popular detectors from the home of Garrett!
It comes with a wide range of features, including:
- Iron audio
- Notch discrimination
- Digital target ID
- Lightweight design
- Very reasonable price (Check its Current Price Here at Amazon)
The Garrett ACE 400 is a VLF model that has an operating frequency of 10 kHz. This makes the device more sensitive to smaller targets and targets of medium conductivity.
The detector is equipped with Garrett’s own trademark technology that makes it possible to hear discriminated iron targets. This allows you to adjust your signal range and locate even those targets that are being masked by iron! I love this feature to be honest!
The device is also one of the best in filtering out ‘ghost signals.’
For example, if you detect an iron nail, it will be heard as several low tones. At the same time, a bottle cap will trigger a low-high-low tonal response. This makes it easier for you to hear iron targets that are otherwise silenced, and you can easily avoid digging up any unwanted targets.
However, depending on the ground conditions, iron audio might sometimes not come in handy. For example, if there is a lot of iron trash in the ground, then it is better to just switch off the iron audio in order to avoid being bombarded with iron signals.
However, in areas with low iron trash density, the iron audio proves to be very handy. The iron audio allows you to have some extra information about the target you have found and increases the ratio of finding some real finds.
You can check more Garrett models!
4. Equinox 800 (All purpose model)
The Minelab Equinox 800 (Check it Here at Amazon) is an innovative, multi-frequency detector that serves as an all-purpose detecting machine…
… This is my all-time favorite machine!
The detector is easily adaptable for all possible conditions as well as all target types. The multi-frequency technology in the Equinox 800 is what sets this detector apart from others in the market.
Known as Multi-IQ (multi-frequency), this feature allows you to search simultaneously across several frequencies …
… You can use low frequencies to get more depth on larger targets, while higher frequencies will be more sensitive to find smaller targets.
The Equinox 800 comes with 5 single frequencies of 5 kHz, 10 kHz, 15 kHz, 20 kHz and 40 kHz that you can utilize separately or simultaneously (Multi-IQ) depending on the ground and target you might be dealing with.
The benefit Multi-IQ is that you will be able to cover a much broader range of targets. However, if there is excessive ground noise present at any particular location, then switching to Equinox’s single frequency can help you eliminate false signals significantly.
You can have a look at more Minelab machines!
5. Garrett AT Max (Adapted for Professional Users)
If you are looking for maximum detection power and all-terrain performance, then you need not look beyond the Garrett AT Max (Check it Right Here at Amazon)…
…This robust machine is manufactured as part of Garrett’s “All-Terrain” metal detectors and comes with many new features. Some of the main features of this machine include:
- True all-metal mode
- Z-lynk wireless audio
- Better electronics for achieving greater depth
- Iron Audio
- Digital Target ID
- Automatic and manual ground balance
The detector is also simple to use and is claimed to be the ‘most versatile’ all-terrain detector in the market today.
It is EXCELLENT when it comes to the discrimination feature. In fact, it comes with 44 iron discrimination segments and has a higher resolution than all previous devices combined!
You can change the types of ferrous targets you want to ignore and choose which ones you want to find.
For example, a higher iron discrimination setting will allow you to have to dig through fewer junk targets such as nails. However, at higher values, you may also end up missing some real targets through, such as certain relics. Foil, pull tabs, and other such junk items will, however, evade detection, saving you time.
Apart from the usual custom detection mode, in which you can set up your own search parameters, it also comes with a coin mode. The latter is a pre-notched setting that removes items such as iron, foil, pull-tabs, and makes it easy to search for coins, especially for beginners.
The device also comes with the ‘Elimination’ button. Holding down this button and then hovering over any item you believe to be trash will help remove that item from any future search pattern.
Conclusion
I hope that these models I’ve just listed are well adapted to what you are looking for! I didn’t want to include, only, the high-end models …
… Instead I’ve listed 5 choices that you can choose depending on your expertise level and obviously your current budget!
Finally, as this discrimination feature is required more on the Beach, I highly invite you to have a look at this Beach Metal Detecting Guide! I talk about everything you need to know!
