Metal Detectors Super Store

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Example One: "What would be a good 'budget' to mid-priced detector for coin hunting?" Example Two: "I have been using a low-end Tesoro model and think I would like to get a detector with Target ID, but I am on a limited budget. Do you have any suggestions?" Example Three: "I have been using a 'budget-priced' detector that requires coil motion all the time and I have a lot of difficulty pinpointing. Is there an 'affordable' detector that would have good pinpointing abilities?"Example Four: "I like the idea of Target Identification, but I am used to searching and just listening to the sounds when trying to find coins in local school and park playgrounds. Any reasonably priced models that have both audio tone and visual display that would help me 'hear' potential coins?"Example Five: "I have found more with my ten year old Bounty Hunter than my friends have with their very expensive models. Their detectors only have a two-year warranty and while I haven't had any major problems, is there a better warranty available?"Example Six: "What would be a good detector to get for the family to use just to have some fun?"There you have a half-dozen questions that are very good examples of what I get asked on a fairly regular basis. Ever since I first got into metal detecting in the spring of 1965 I have encountered many questions. Often they are asked differently, but have the same meaning. Folks can get interested in this great hobby, but of the many who do, most seem to be on a more 'limited budget' than others. Logically, many would like to get into this outdoor sport with something that isn't bottom-end in order to see if it is something that interests them, and then down-the-road they might 'upgrade' if they get serious about metal detecting.

During a Metal Detector Seminar I Conducted. . .Questions like those above were quite typical of what I fielded earlier this summer when I held a small seminar on recreational metal detecting. At the time I was able to offer a few suggestions that might be within the budget of most folks, and at the same time I was curious what offerings might be out there at the time or up and coming in the near future. A friend who is in management at a local store had asked me on an earlier visit what I thought about the metal detectors they carried, noting that they had some 'new models.' I had the liberty of taking the three offerings out for some evaluation and was impressed with the two upper-end models they now have, made for them by First Texas. I was somewhat impressed with their top-end unit except for the difficult-to-see target references on the faceplate decal. With my eyes keeping up with the rest of my age I found it difficult to see them clearly. But I was inspired by what I got to toy with outside and decided that maybe a closer look was in order.New Titan Metal Detector Series from Kellyco Metal DetectorsThe next day while checking some Online dealers I saw the new Titan series offered by Kellyco. These First Texas models caught my eye for a few of reasons. One was the newer physical package had a very bold red, white and blue theme to the decals, and the target ID references on the control faceplate were very clear and easy to see. Another was that they are priced very competitively, AND they have a 5 Year warranty! Still another was that there is ample TID (Target Identification) info available to satisfy anyone who might make use of this detector, to include .... me!You see, I have been looking for a modestly priced model with a lot of features but still very easy to use. I figured I ought to get my hands on a Titan 3000-XD and see if it met my needs. Yes, I know it is a First Texas detector, which most folks simply refer to as a Bounty Hunter, but I have had some decent success with various 'Bounty Hunter' models through the years and felt this one might work out. Why have I felt a need for a mid-line model with all the added functions? Because I hunt a lot of different sites and often find these sites located on private property. Long ago I found that having an easy-to-use detector that I could let a property owner use help me gain welcomed access to their land.Then, too, there are many times when I have an opportunity to introduce newcomers to this great sport. When they see that I am usually using a top-end model with the visual Target ID and such, they naturally feel that it is something they just have to have. Well, a 'loaner' unit with a lot of target info is one way to introduce the curious to the fun of metal detecting!I Still Need to Have a Unit for 'Fun' Hunting.Finally, while I make use of my MXT and XL Pro for most of my serious hunting, I still need to have a unit for 'fun' hunting in parks, playgrounds, school yards, play areas and the like. I want to use a lightweight model that has reasonably good visual Target ID, slow-motion operation with quick response & recovery, and handy discrimination to deal with the typical small junk, such as nail clippers and files, bobby pins, cheap hair clips, foil, and other fairly common trash. It's also nice to have good ID separation of some of the higher-conductive litter, too, such as pull tabs and screw caps.

Here are two photos to give you an idea of what kind of 'FUN' I had while working with the Titan 3000 XD this past SIX WEEKS!

What you see are cleaned pennies and unclean pennies, and a pile of cleaned nickels, dimes & quarters and unclean nickels, dimes & quarters. Also four of the six dollar coins I found. The cleaned dollars are somewhere in the cleaned penny pile. Also there was one Kennedy half in the cleaned 'clad' pile. Total finds I got to cash in after hunting wood chip playgrounds and other sites with the Titan 3000 XD? 6 - 1 Dollar coins ,  1- Half Dollar, 174 - Quarters, 278 - Dimes, 130- Nickels and 1007- Pennies. That's 1596 coins with a face value of $91.87 which is not too shabby considering the way above average heat we've had here this summer and the competition I have from the many active local detectorists.

This beautiful 14k gold ring with 3 outstanding Amethyst stones set in individual prongs is one of the many rewards we get from hunting those playgrounds. Many valuable gold rings - with diamonds and other precious jewels are being found everyday, wherever people have congrigated.

I wanted an "affordable" detector with a lot of features, as I have explained, so I decided to evaluate some of the new metal detectors being offered. I was especially driven to do this after I read about the new Titan Metal Detectors.

No False Signals with Titan 3000XD Metal Detector

I decided to test the Titan 3000 XD against another similarly priced detectors. I felt it was fair to consider the features, prices, claims, etc. I continued with my side-by-side evaluations of the new Titan 3000 XD and the Prizm IV I had purchased and a couple of Garrett GTAx models. In short order I noted that in the ground where I started my evaluations (which reads between 78 and 85 ground phase), I was having some falsing trouble with the GTAx 750 and GTAx 1250 due to their set ground balance. The Prizm IV could be operated in the same area without any falsing, but only IF I rejected the first of a number of discrimination segments. The Titan 3000 XD, however, operated without any falsing. I attributed this to the external, user-set ground balance.

Has Features Even Many Detectors Double the Price Do Not Have

The 3000 XD has a Ground Balance adjustment control that has 'Preset' marker. It is a simple 1-turn GB control knob that increases the GB setting with a counter-clockwise adjustment, and has the word "Preset" at the left-most position. The nice thing about this control is that it adjusts the GB for BOTH the All Metal and Discriminate modes, something even many detectors at double the price do not do! After initial comparisons with the 3000 XD in the 'preset' setting I then adjusted the GB to be just slightly positive for some of the worst ground in my area. Once set I just left it there and haven't had any problems with it bumping out of adjustment.

Since the vast majority of detectorists search in a motion discriminate mode, this is where I gave the most attention. The 3000 XD has 11 discrimination TID segments, and the user can adjust the first 7 of them as desired. The All Metal mode, which is a motion-based all metal accept default mode when the detector is turned on, allows for full-range user adjustment of the discriminate settings. There is a mode change touchpad that lets the operator switch between the All Metal accept motion discriminate mode and a more 'traditional' Discriminate mode. In the Discriminate mode the first three TID segments are automatically rejected, allowing the operator to reject any of the next four conductive segments as desired. This provides ample iron trash rejection for most users. If used in the All Metal mode, the detectorist can reject just those lower settings they feel handles their iron discrimination needs.

In either the All Metal or Discrimination modes the Notch discrimination touchpad can be used to accept or reject any of the allowable user settings. To make it even easier to reject an annoying segment of trash, the 3000 XD has a touchpad marked ITD, for Instant Target Discrimination. This neat feature lets you immediately reject any of the 7 rejection segments that responds. If there is one particular type of annoying trash you do not want, then after it is detected and the TID pointer prompt points at that segment, simply press the ITD touchpad and an 'R' (for Rejected) appears under that segment.

Personally, I like to reject only the first two of eleven segments most of the time, using the All Metal motion mode and a custom setting, but those I have welcomed to try out the 3000 XD simply opted for the Discriminate mode with the automatic Iron Zone rejection (the first 3 segments).

I also noted that most of my friends and family who have used the 3000 XD were comfortable with the factory Sensitivity setting, with a few of them increasing it to maximum sensitivity. When turned on, the 3000 XD is set at four (4) sensitivity level bars registered, but the user can increase it with the touchpads to a level of six (6), or reduce it to a level of one (1). I found the turn-on sensitivity level to work 'OK' for most applications, but when I hunted near the metal pipes and playground structures, I was able to quickly reduce the sensitivity level to one or two bars and that improved the performance closer to the offending large metal.

While I was also able to reduce the sensitivity of the Prizm IV that I had purchased to allow operation close to pipes and get similar performance with their standard coils, the 3000 XD had another strong point in its favor which helped in my decision making. That is the ability to mount a small 4" search coil to hunt very close to metal structures & pipes, as well as handle the densest trash conditions. The Prizm series does have interchangeable coil capability, but there isn't a smaller-than-stock coil offered for it. With a 4" coil available through Kellyco for just $40 with the purchase of a new Titan 3000 XD, it puts a definite bold checkmark in the favorable column of the Titan.

I had the opportunity to borrow a 4" coil (it's nice to have friends in the hobby) to work near pipes and into some of the tighter spaces when working the wood chip playgrounds. It was also handy when hunting an overgrown park that dates to the turn of the last century! I know I should have ordered one initially, but I wasn't sure if the Titan 3000 XD was going to meet my needs and I was just going to compare stock coil to stock coil with these detectors. There is no doubt that I prefer smaller coils to larger ones, but since the accessory coils are very affordable for the Titan series, I will likely get the 4" ($40) and 10" ($60) just so I will have a full compliment.

Naturally, some who read this will wonder if I am going to be using the Titan 3000 XD all the time, but if they know me and have read my frequent postings on various Online metal detecting forums then they know better. I prefer my XL Pro for 'cruising' sites and taking advantage of its four-filter faster sweep. No doubt that the MXT, with its ever present 5" EXcelerator coil, will remain my primary serious tool and it will handle a lot of open territory I like to hunt with the 12½" or 14" EXcelerator coils. But I needed a model in my arsenal that I could enjoy using when I wanted to have some relaxing fun, yet also provide some enjoyment for friends, family, and those I encounter who want to get a taste of what metal detecting is all about. With a Titan 3000XD and two accessory coils at the ready, I will have that particular need addressed.

Visual Target Indicator

Oh, one other feature some will like that is available on my XL Pro & MXT is a numeric VDI readout. For newcomers, TID is visual Target Identification. They are letters such as 'Zn' or 'Cu', words such as 'Iron', or other descriptive terms such as 'Nickel' or 5¢. VDI stands for Visual Discrimination Indicator which is a numeric reference the detectorist can use to have a little better idea of what a potential target might be. With my XL Pro the numbers are printed on the analog display and range from 0-100. The MXT features a digital readout with bold numbers on the display. The Titan 3000 XD also has the very bold, easy-to-see digital readout with a numeric range running from 0 to 199. It is best to use this info along with the TID response as well as the audio response to master ANY detector.

Two Final Features

Okay, so there are two final features I feel need to be pointed out. One is the location of the headphone jack. While I do think the White's Prizm is a very good detector, I am irritated by the headphone jack location. It is on the right-hand side of the control pod. I am right handed, like most folks, and with the headphones plugged in there, unless you have a 90° angled plug, it sticks out very pronounced. Then the headphone cord stretches past the display to your headphones, (not very practical). The Titan's headphone jack is located on the left hand side on the back (if you call the control panel the front) and is at a nice angle to make it easy to grasp the headphone's plug, and not the cord, for removal.

Titan's Pinpoint is One of The Best!

Finally, I cannot let it go unmentioned that the Titan's Pinpoint function is one of the best I have used on many, many detectors. There is no autotune, and this allows the user to detune for a very precise pinpoint. It also makes it superior to fast auto tuning designs when it comes to sizing and shaping a detected target.

If you have any questions which are similar to those examples I gave at the start of this evaluation review, then you might want to take a good look at the Titan 3000 XD. A lightweight detector, easy-to-use, ample operator control for a variety of applications, good sizes of accessory coils, a 5-Year warranty, and all at a very affordable price.

Monte V. B., Sr. (Detecting for 39 years - since Spring of 1965)

This Metal Detector Has A 5 Star Rating.