Popularity is a useful signal but a blunt one. A machine sells well because it does a common job properly at a fair price, which is not the same as being right for you. The notes below say who each one actually suits, including when to ignore it.
If you want the shortlist rather than the full list, these top 5 metal detectors cover almost every first purchase: the Lander XD50 at £79.95, the Edge Tec at £149.95, the Edge-Power at £199.99, the Reflex G6 at £249.99 and the Reflex G10 at £275.
The accessory that changes most people’s day is the Edge Pro Pointer at £49.95. It finds the target inside the hole in seconds instead of minutes. Almost everyone who buys one wishes they had done it sooner.
Brand new to this? Start with the beginner range. Chasing gold specifically? See the gold detectors.
Our biggest seller by volume is the Lander XD50 at £79.95, because it is the machine most people buy to try the hobby. Among detectorists who already know they are staying, the Reflex G6 at £249.99 and the Reflex G10 at £275 sell most.
The Lander XD50, Edge Tec, Edge-Tec Pro, Edge-Power, Reflex G6, Reflex G10, Air MD, Golden Mask 7, Gold Legend and the Edge Pro Pointer, which outsells most detectors on its own as an accessory. That is our top ten metal detectors by units sold over the last twelve months.
Between £80 and £275 covers almost everyone. Under £100 tells you whether you enjoy it. Around £250 gives you a machine you will not outgrow for several seasons. Spending more at the start rarely improves results.
No. Above roughly £700 you are buying specialisation, such as gold sensitivity or ground imaging, rather than general ability. For finding coins and jewellery in UK soil, a mid priced machine in skilled hands beats an expensive one in new hands.
Across our range the Edge and Reflex machines sell in the highest numbers, with Golden Mask strong among more experienced users and OKM dominant at the professional survey end.
Reasonably well, if they are a known model with available parts. That is another argument for buying something common rather than an obscure import, since you can sell it on when you upgrade.
A pinpointer, a decent digging tool, headphones and a finds pouch. Of those the pinpointer makes the biggest difference to how many targets you recover in a day.
You need the landowner’s permission before searching, every time. Scheduled monuments are off limits. Beaches vary by owner, and treasure finds must be reported to the coroner.