Customer Reviews

American Hawks High Performance Basic Metal Detector with Audio Alert and Red LED Alert

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Treasure hunting has become more and more popular these days. Metal detectors vary from a few bucks to thousand dollars. I bought several metal detectors priced below 50 bucks and this is the only model I recommend. This is not a toy. It's a good start if you want to try and decide whether treasure hunting is right for you.

The title says it all. It's not a fancy metal detector for serious enthusiasts. It's just a simple metal detector for kids to develop an interst in the hobby. I purchased three for my children along with a couple of magazines geared toward this type of hobby for Christmas and it got them interested. They used it to find stuff buried in the backyard. (It helps if you bury a few coins before you give them the detectors). For the $30 price I paid I'm pretty happy. It will keep them busy on the beach this coming Summer. The units work pretty well and they're simple to use. Magazines geared toward the hobby will steer more serious hobbyists toward the better high end equipment but if you don't want to spend thousands of dollars just to find out if you really enjoy doing this, I think this unit is a great way to start. The kids had fun outdoors in the fresh air, which, in my opinion, beats hanging out indoors in front of the computer or TV anyday. Just my humble opinion. I recommend lithium batteries, which are more expensive but last longer.

The following claim under "Product Features" is totally false: "Sensitivity: > 8 inch (for a US quarter). It means if the quarter is buried within 8 inches from ground, you can find it."

Turning the detection knob to maximum sensitivity, I could only detect a quarter in air when the detector was 1" to 1.5" away from it. I wanted to use this to find iron property stakes where I live. It did not detect the stakes, even when they were right at the surface! I have since rented two metal detectors that detected the stakes immediately! Unless you plan to give this item to children to find coins you placed on the surface (and they know where to look), it's totally useless.

I thought this was a toy for kids. My son used it in the metro park and found several gold coins. I never thought there were any coins in the park. I didn't think this basic metal detector could detect the coins either.

This is the only model cost less than $20 but comes with waterproof searching coil. I used to doubt the quality and durability. I guess I am wrong. It is so compact and convenient. I take it with me when I travel. One time, I found a diamond ring along the beach. I know it was luck but the metal detector did find it.

I bought this as a gift for my 10-year old nephew. It was a definite hit! He was playing with it all afternoon. The construction seemed a little cheap, but it worked fine. I would consider this more of an educational toy than a tool for true treasure-hunting. He was able to find old nails and screws, but had to be really close to them in order to even get the sensor to go off (within a few inches). If I were buying one again, I would figure that you get what you pay for, more expensive is probably a little better. But this was a good gift for a 10-year old.

I bought this product after reading another review that said he found a ring with it. That is exactly what I intended on using it for. Some friends and I were haveing a mud fight in some very thick mud and my ring slipped off. I bought this about two days after that and we found my ring with it even after it had rained. So I am very pleased that I got one of the cheapest products and saved about $180 by findng my ring.

Santa brought this metal detector to our 9-year old son for Christmas. He loves it! He and his friends cannot get enough treasure hunting! The unit is easy for him and his friends to use. We are also excited about the fact that we can use it in shallow water. Boy, the treasures he thinks he has already found should be worth a fortune!!

Ordered this item based on the positive reviews. Received the item, followed the directions. Would not work properly. The sensitivity knob was at the lowest setting and the detector would alert when no metal of any kind was anywhere close to it at times. Would not detect anything under a thin layer of dirt or in high grass. The other one star reviews were right on. A piece of junk. Was the bug and not the windshield on this one. A defective product.

Both detectors helped me during installation or removal of carpet. I could probably do the job without them, but those small nails could easily hurt my hand. I definately recommend these two models as a good tool for home improvement.