The word professional gets used loosely. What actually separates a professional machine from a toy is how it behaves in difficult ground: stable ground balance, clean target separation when finds sit close together, and build quality that survives being used every week rather than twice a summer.
If gold specifically is the target, frequency matters more than price. Higher frequency machines are far more responsive to small, low conductivity gold, while deep scanning systems are built for large buried caches rather than flakes. Our gold detector range covers both approaches.
Newer to this? The beginner range is a better starting point, and nothing there will hold you back for your first season.
One built for frequent, serious use. In practice that means stable ground balance in mineralised soil, good target separation around iron, a target ID you can trust, and build quality that survives regular use. It is about capability rather than badge.
In this range, from about £149 for a capable step up machine to £29,990 for full survey equipment. Most serious hobbyists land between £250 and £700. Beyond roughly £2,500 you are generally buying scanning and imaging rather than better coin finding.
There is no single answer, because ground and targets differ. For UK fields and pasture a good multi purpose machine around £300 to £700 is hard to beat. For gold, frequency matters more. For survey work, a 3D scanner is a different tool entirely.
If you detect regularly, yes. The gain is not magic depth, it is fewer wasted digs and finds you would otherwise have walked over. If you go out twice a year, the money is better spent on permissions and time in the field.
A high frequency machine for small gold near the surface, or a deep scanning system if you are chasing large buried caches abroad. The two jobs need genuinely different equipment, and no machine does both brilliantly.
No licence, but you do need the landowner’s permission before you search, every time. Scheduled monuments and some protected land are off limits entirely, and treasure finds must be reported to the coroner.
For a coin sized object in reasonable soil, eight to twelve inches is realistic for a good machine. Larger objects go deeper. Depth claims quoted without a target size are not worth much.
Yes, but there is little point at first. Most of the gain comes from learning your ground and your signals. Start simpler, then upgrade once you know what your current machine is costing you.