All reviews
Every option in our Best Metal Detectors for Beginners ranking, reviewed on its own terms.
- #1 Garrett ACE 300 8.7/10
The one most clubs hand a newcomer, and for good reason: the target ID is honest enough that you stop digging junk within a session, and the iron audio lets you hear trash before you dig it.
- #2 Minelab Vanquish 360 8.5/10
Multi-frequency at an entry price, which is the single biggest technical advantage on this list - it reads targets in mineralised soil and on the beach where single-frequency machines get confused.
- #3 Nokta Simplex Ultra 8.4/10
Fully waterproof to a real diving depth rather than splash-resistant, with a wireless setup that beginners usually pay extra for elsewhere.
- #4 Garrett ACE 200 8.1/10
The cut-down ACE: same honest behaviour as the 300 with fewer segments on the display and no iron audio. Fine as a first machine, frustrating by the second season.
- #5 Fisher F22 8.0/10
Weatherproof, light and quiet in trashy parks, with a clear numeric ID. The one to look at if your ground is full of modern rubbish.
- #6 Garrett ACE 400 7.9/10
The top of the ACE line: adds iron audio, a frequency adjustment and a better stock coil. More machine than a first-time user needs, but the one you would not outgrow.
- #7 Minelab Vanquish 540 Pro-Pack 7.8/10
The Vanquish with two extra coils and headphones in the box. Excellent kit, but it puts a beginner well past the price where the learning happens.
- #8 Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro 7.5/10
A capable machine on paper held back by a display that asks you to interpret rather than read. Rewards patience, punishes impatience.
- #9 Bounty Hunter Tracker IV 7.0/10
The classic cheap starter. It will find coins, and it will also send you digging a great deal of iron - which is exactly why so many people try detecting once and stop.
- #10 Nokta Simplex Lite 6.9/10
The stripped Simplex. Waterproof and light, but with the features removed that made the Ultra worth recommending - and priced close enough to it to be an awkward middle.