Our Detecting Gear
Here you will find the gear we use.
All items are used by us, Terri and Scott, aka The Detecting Duo in our videos.
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Metal Detectors
XP DEUS II *Wireless Metal Detector.
See / Buy on Amazon
At the high end of our metal detectors is the DEUS II. Originally sent to us to review and test as an alternative to the MineLabs series detectors.
It has proven to be one of our most versatile Metal Detectors thus far and has become the primary detector Scott uses.
Sure, like any metal detector it has its pros and cons. But if you’re looking for metal detector to take you to the next level whether in the water, on the beach or anywhere in the world, this detector can handle it all.
It’s the most configurable detector which can be as simple or as complicated as you needs.
*It is mostly wireless, but if you plan to put the coil or detector under water you need to use the included antenna wire to get the coil (brains) to better talk to the remote. This detector can be taken diving up to 60 meters!
Minelab Vanquish 540
See / Buy on Amazon
Probably one of the best medium prices metal detectors out there. The Vanquish is great for beginners to advanced. This is the detector Terri uses most and we’re always surprised at how well this detector does.
In many situations it out-performs the Minelab Equinox 600 series – especially in areas where there is a high amount of Electromagnetic Interference.
This detector is excellent on the beach or anywhere and has been used to find a lot of rings, jewelry, gold, silver, hearing aids, cell phones, coins and more!
Minelab Equinox 600
The Minelab Equinox 600 is a top notch metal detector for its prices range. It’s designed for the beginner to pro detectorist and doesn’t disappoint. 99% waterproof detector (would say 100% but some have had reported leakage issues over the years). But Minelab support is really good at replacing any faulty component (ask us how we know!)
The only real issue we’ve had with the Equinox 600 is EMI around cell towers and microwave towers. Tends to get a bit chatty when in multi-frequency mode. It can also cause chatter on other detectors like the Vanquish, but we’ve found that if one turns on the Vanquish after the Equinox, the Vanquish finds a clear channel.
Pin Pointers
We’ve used both the really cheap pinpointers to the ones listed below. In our opinion, you get what you pay for. The cheap (less than $50) kinda work, but struggle really hard to find targets. XP, Garrett and Minelab make the best pinpointers.
XP Metal Detectors MI-6 Pinpointer
See / Buy on Amazon
The MI-6 has Wireless connectivity to The Deus II, Deus & ORX Metal detectors, by XP Metal Detectors, but can be used by all detectorists as a stand-alone pin pointer. We’ve found this pinpointer to be much better in the wet, highly mineralized sands on the beach than other pinpointers.
A slightly cheaper model is the MI-4 pinpointer with the only difference being it doesn’t have the wireless ability. Both are waterproof up to 20 feet and have internal rechargable batteries.
The Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Pinpointer Metal Detector is an excellent pinpointer that’s waterproof up to 20 feet. We use it from time to time to help track down targets.
Scoops
CKG Large Scoop
The CKG Scoop has been, so far, our best scoop choice. It’s solid, has a light and strong handle, 11″x8″ in size and able to dig the toughest beaches. Overall it’s light and sturdy, with both pieces weighing in around 2.8 lbs. It’s definitely lighter than the Honey Badger scoop. Then Carbon Fiber handle has a quick snap-together system making assembly and breakdown a snap.
Honey Badger Scoop & Travel Shaft
The Honey Badger Scoop is an excellent scoop created by Merrill of Metal Detecting NYC. Overall it’s an excellent (sightly heavier scoop than others we use) and the best configuration is with the carbon fiber rod. You can get the travel version that splits in half or the full stick version.
This scoop is slightly larger than our CKG models and about twice the price. But you won’t be disappointed in this scoop as it will last you for a very long time and has some very nice features like the jewelry catcher.
Merrill stands behind his product. This isn’t on Amazon and no affiliate link here. Tell Merrill you saw his scoop on our site just so he knows where the reference came from.
Treasure / Finds Pouch
XP Metal Detectors Finds Pouch
TheXP Metal Detectors Finds Pouch is our newest favorite. It’s extremely well built, has its own belt that can be used, or put on your belt, either way!
It’s robust and fully washable, with Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment supports on either side for say, like I do, attach my pinpointer or carrying other light loads.
Camo Finds Pouch
The Wedgi Camo Pouch is about 1/2 the price of the XP Pouch. Simple bag that fits on your belt via two easy button snap straps. Simple and large enough for most detecting finds. Well built, waterproof and will work well for you. No where near as robust as the XP Pouch, but we own and use several of these.
Cameras and Mics
Our background is in Broadcasting, Film and video production. We’re always trying new cameras and equipment out.
Action Cameras are OK, and we use both Insta360 Ace Pro, GoPro 10 and GoPro 8 cameras. No action camera is perfect. The mics / recorders we use, however, are near perfect at this time as compared to other alternatives.
Insta360 Ace Pro
Our latest Action camera is the Insta360 Ace Pro. Why change from GoPro? GoPros have issues. Always have. Shut down when they shouldn’t, battery issues, over-heating, doesn’t work well in low light, etc. No action camera is perfect. But the Insta360 Ace Pro is proving to bet far better than any of the GoPros we have. This can shoot up to 8K video, has fantastic stabilization, longer battery life, HDR capabilities, and PureVideo for low-light shooting. We need this during our night hunts.
3 Batteries should be enough for a day of metal detecting. We carry 4. Note that the camera isn’t recording during our entire day, only when we have something to dig or of value to capture.
The only issue I have with this camera (right now) is that the focus distance starts at a good arms length away from the camera, so showing off finds up close isn’t possible. But that’s true of all fixed focus Action cameras. A 4x diopter lens adaptor does fix this as a quick clip-on.
GoPro Hero
We use 2 GoPros – the Hero 10 and the Hero 8. Both work pretty well in most video situations. Yes, both have over-heating issues from time-to-time, can’t use 3rd party “certified” batteries – you MUST use GoPro batteries, and occasional lockups.
This is the Hero 12, which is the latest version. The 8 was great, the 10 OK, but hopefully the 12 better? Cheaper than an Insta360 Ace Pro and will work well.
You’ll need at least 5 regular batteries (blue) or 2 to 3 high-capacity batteries (white) to get through a normal day metal detecting. Note that we’re not recording the entire time, just when we find something to dig.
Tascam DR-10L Digital Audio Recorder and Lavalier Mic
We own 4 of these Tascam DR-10L recorders. 2 we use on the beach and the others are just backup and used in other productions. These are rock solid recorders. Adding a fuzzy windscreen (known as a “dead cat”) on these and you’ll get some of the best audio when out detecting.
No, they are not waterproof. But for 90% of the time we don’t need waterproof recording. If we do, then the mics on the Action Cameras will suffice.
So each of us wear a mic recorder and clap sync to start. That is synced up in editing to each other and the video clips making for a great days audio.