This was my second metal detector I had purchased in the past 20 years, my first one also being a Bounty Hunter. I was pleased to see that all aspects of the detector were a vast improvement over my 1980's model. The current model is lightweight and easy to use and does not require constant "re-tuning". Although it lacks a "no-motion" detection mode (only found in detectors costing hundreds of dollars more) the light weight and well thought out design make sweeping the target area easy. It has an easy to understand instruction booklet and is a cinch to assemble. Quality is first rate overall and I would recommend this detector to any beginner or even to a seasoned pro as a decent back-up detector.

This Metal Detector is a good intro to metal detecting. It finds coins great and has even paid itself over and over again for me. I've found 3,000 dollars in coins with this thing! It works great and is solidly built, I've dropped it a few times and it just kept on going. Now for the "but" part.... because it is a "mulit-purpose" Detector it's not so good at finding small peices of gold, like small nuggets. It can find the big stuff(at least thats what I've heard) but I have yet to find any nuggets with this thing. BUT! Don't let that discourage you from making a good purchase, afterall, if you find the big one, who cares? But it really is good for coins. For large caches it has a depth of 3 feet! I kid you not! So if for you or as a gift for the kids, pick this up. Who knows, you may find a kings ransom!

I bought one used for [$$$] on .... I started scanning my Girlfriend's yard (house built in 1940's) and immediately picked up all sorts of signals. After a day I became used to the different tones and began discriminating what to and not to dig. That day I found 3 spoons, one of them is silver, and 5 wheat pennies. The next day I searched a sledding hill and found about [$$$] in change. I think its a great deal for the money.

I collect rare bottle caps, and try to take care not to lose any of my collection. I was coming back from a convention recently and one of my collection boxes hopped out of the back of the pickup as I was crossing an old hump-back bridge, and fell into a small stream.

So I bought the metal detector to try to get my valuable collection back. This one said it is waterproof so I figured it might do the job.

Well, after three weeks of wading up and down the stream I have had mixed fortunes. A Celtic chalice, the silver cumtach (cover) from a medieval bible, two viking swords, a couple of daggers, a mound of celtic, roman and viking coins, an array of viking hacksilver, medieval broches and buckes from shoes and belts, delicately filigreed celtic gold jewellry and most notable of all (since the Romans never made it to Ireland) the metal fittings from eight complete and six incomplete sets of roman imperial legionnary armour.

OK, so I am famous now amongst scholars of the Romano-Celtic world. I have been awarded three honorary doctorate degrees for my finds, and I have been given freedom of the cities of Dublin and York, and I had to decline a Royal knighthood offered by the English Queen (I do have principles and I am an Irish Republican). But what is all this fame? I have lost a box of 200 bottle caps and not found a single one with the detector.

In that collection was a rare 1950's Kirin blue, a 1945 victory V double diamond crown cap and most valuable of all a Grolsch porcelain stopper from the first ever commercial batch. What does it profit a man to gain the world if he loseth his bottle cap collection?

If you buy the metal detector I hope you have more luck than me!

I figured that any metal detector would find the '32 Chevy buried in my backyard, but I wanted to find coins, rings, and Civil War relics in my 5 acre woods. It took 5 minutes to assemble the Tracker IV and about 15 minutes to review the instruction manual. Round up a few coins, a gold ring, and some nails and run through the demonstration on page 5 of the manual. It will give you an idea of how different objects respond to the 3 detection modes.

I borrowed my wife's headphones (highly recommended) and headed for the woods. Within minutes I found beer cans, shotgun shells, nails. The detector will pinpoint an object close enough that you can dig it up with a few scoops of a garden trowel. On my second attempt I found a man's silver ring.

Tracker IV appears to be well constructed and a good value. I don't have any experience with other detectors, but I can't imagine that any are easier to use than this one. Tracker IV is a great choice for your kids to use, if they can get it away from you!