Not here to bash any machines, but to justify some comparisons. I started with a lower end Minelab (still better than most single frequency machines at the time in my opinion) I had pretty much all the different coils available for it that I wanted. Had to change coils for each of the 3 available frequencies for each size. Did pretty well with it, but trashy areas were difficult at best, and there was never any all around good solution. The highest frequency would help get those silver coins out of the iron, but depth was very limited, often to only maybe 6 inches tops. The low frequency would pound the nickels, but loved iron too. Big coil low frequency in clean open fields was killer, and could hit lower conductors to almost 18 inches. But to get through iron and have any depth, had to keep the mid range mid size coil and hope to catch a hint of a peep signaling a possible good target-although it was usually a false signal, so digging maybe 30 holes would net 1 or 2 good targets. Going with the smallest coil at middle frequency cold really help get between the trash, but again at the expense of a lot of depth.

I was able to upgrade to a Minelab CTX 3030 before long, and having the multi frequency was night and day difference. But again, coil choice makes a HUGE difference in many cases. Of course the smaller the coil, the more the depth is limited, yet in many cases it will pick through those trashy areas so much better than a large coil that might be over a dozen nails at the same time. But again, the biggest coil is great for relatively clean open areas like farm fields or long stretches of beach where it would be absurd to use a 6" coil as you would be there years before covering a vast area one time. It boils down to choosing the best tool for the job, and experience, often through trial and error, will dictate what works best for you in certain situations.

As for new machines, I know the CTX is awesome but it has become somewhat dated. There has been no updates for it since I've owned it, so a bit (OK, more than a bit) disappointed at the lack of support for such an expensive machine. The technology has grown quite a lot since the CTX was introduces, and machines are far more sensitive and magnitudes faster processing signals allowing very tight separation of signals. I'm looking forward to likely upgrading to the new multifrequency Minelab machine in the next year as the prices will also become more affordable as the novelty wears off, and we get some new adopters getting some time with them under their belts to give feedback.

This is just to show that we don't really care about what machine you enjoy using, but just try to help advise others how to get the most out of their treasure hunting time. Finds are becoming far more scarce, and places to hunt are also becoming a challenge. So good luck and happy hunting. We'll be here if you have any more questions.