Metal detectors: where to buy
A metal detector finds the gold that pans and sluices never see: nuggets lying under the surface of desert washes, hillsides and old diggings, and meteorites too, most of which contain some iron. Detecting for gold is harder than hunting coins. Gold country is often mineralized, hot ground full of iron that makes a detector chatter and can sound like gold, and most nuggets are small.
Two kinds of detector do most of the work. VLF detectors send a continuous signal; the higher their frequency, the more sensitive they are to small gold close to the surface, and they are usually lighter and cheaper. Pulse induction (PI) detectors send short pulses and listen in between; they handle heavily mineralized ground much better and reach bigger nuggets deeper, at the cost of weight, price and some sensitivity to the tiniest gold. With either kind, ground balance, the setting that tunes the detector to the soil, decides how well it performs.
Tell the dealer what ground you plan to hunt, and look for one who offers lessons or field days: knowing your machine well matters as much as the machine itself. Detectors are not allowed everywhere, since national parks and many state parks ban them, so check the rules for the place you plan to go.
7 shops across the US that sell metal detectors. Each one links to its own website, so you can compare them one by one.
History Seekers Metal Detectors
Dealer · Online or by order · Heflin, Alabama · Ships nationwide
Online metal detector dealer run by Heath Jones, a relic hunter who has been detecting since 1992 and films his hunts on the History Seekers YouTube channel. Authorized dealer for Minelab, XP, Nokta, Garrett and Fisher, including gold detectors such as the Minelab GPX 6000, Gold Monster 1000 and Fisher Gold Bug 2, plus pinpointers, coils, digging tools and Gold Cube concentrators. Help choosing and setting up a machine by phone.
Also sells: Picks, shovels & hand tools · Fine gold recovery
A & B Prospecting Supplies (Mesa)
Dealer · Storefront · Mesa, Arizona · Ships nationwide
Prospecting store since 1979: Minelab, Garrett, Fisher, Keene, Falcon
Prospecting supply store in Mesa and one of the best known in Arizona, listed by ICMJ as a trusted vendor. It sells Minelab, Garrett, Fisher and Falcon metal detectors; drywashers, sluices, highbankers and recirculating units; dredges, pumps and parts; pans, classifiers and fine-gold concentrators; hand tools, rock crushers, books and beginner kits; and assay and refining supplies such as furnaces, chemicals and labware. A second store is in Prescott Valley.
Also sells: Gold pans & classifiers · Sluice boxes · Highbankers & power sluices · Dredges & parts · Drywashers · Picks, shovels & hand tools · Fine gold recovery · Assay & refining supplies
A & B Prospecting Supplies (Prescott Valley)
Dealer · Storefront · Prescott Valley, Arizona · Ships nationwide
A&B's second store, a short drive from Lynx Creek
Second store of A & B Prospecting Supplies, in Prescott Valley in the gold country of central Arizona, with the same range as the Mesa store: metal detectors, drywashers, sluices, highbankers, dredge parts, pans and classifiers, fine-gold concentrators, hand tools and assay supplies.
Also sells: Gold pans & classifiers · Sluice boxes · Highbankers & power sluices · Dredges & parts · Drywashers · Picks, shovels & hand tools · Fine gold recovery · Assay & refining supplies
Bear's Archery, Guns and Prospecting
Dealer · Storefront · Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Minelab dealer in Lake Havasu City, alongside archery and guns
Archery, firearms and prospecting store in Lake Havasu City. On the prospecting side it is an authorized Minelab dealer and sells pinpointers, gold pans and panning gear, with advice on where to look in the desert around Lake Havasu.
Also sells: Gold pans & classifiers
Miners Depot
Dealer · Storefront · Quartzsite, Arizona
Quartzsite dealer: Minelab, Camel, Falcon, Keene, Gold Cube; seasonal
Prospecting store in Quartzsite and full-line dealer for Minelab, Camel Mining Products, Falcon, Keene and Gold Cube: metal detectors, drywashers, dredges, sluices, highbankers, rock crushers, fine-gold concentrators, hand tools, books and paydirt.
Also sells: Gold pans & classifiers · Sluice boxes · Highbankers & power sluices · Dredges & parts · Drywashers · Picks, shovels & hand tools · Fine gold recovery · Paydirt
Nugget Shooter Metal Detector Sales
Dealer · Online or by order · Morristown, Arizona · Ships nationwide
Minelab Certified Expert; shop in a miner's cabin near Morristown
Metal detector dealer and trainer in Morristown, near Wickenburg, run by Bill Southern of the Nugget Shooter forum. Authorized dealer for Minelab, Nokta, XP, Garrett, Coiltek and DetectorPro, with a focus on gold nugget detecting, and gives hands-on training in the Arizona goldfields.
Also sells: Classes & training
Rob's Detector Sales
Dealer · Online or by order · Surprise, Arizona · Ships nationwide
Minelab certified gold trainer; Coiltek, Nugget Finder, Detech coils
Online metal detector dealer in Surprise, northwest of Phoenix, run by Rob Allison, a nugget hunter who posts on YouTube as Nuggethunting. It sells detectors from Minelab, Nokta, XP, Garrett, Fisher and other brands, gold coils from Coiltek, Detech and Nugget Finder, headphones, pinpointers, picks and scoops, panning kits, smelting and refining supplies, books and used equipment.
Also sells: Gold pans & classifiers · Picks, shovels & hand tools · Assay & refining supplies
Other gear
Gold pans & classifiers · Sluice boxes · Highbankers & power sluices · Dredges & parts · Drywashers · Sniping & crevice tools · Rocker boxes · Trommels · Picks, shovels & hand tools · Fine gold recovery · Assay & refining supplies · Paydirt · Mineral specimens · Rough & slabs · Lapidary equipment · Fossils · Meteorites · Petrified wood · Classes & training
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