Customer Reviews

Bounty Hunter QUICKDRAWII Quick Draw II Metal Detector

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I did a lot of searching and review reading on the internet before finally deciding what to buy. I am convinced Quick Draw II is THE best value available of any make by any conpany. The features on the QDII are generally found only on much higher priced detectors. This thing really works as advertised. I have already found several coins and other things right in my own yard. It will reliably indicate what coin is being detected although it many times confuses dimes and pennies on the LCD readout. It is very sensitive and detects most coin size items very reliably to about 6 or 8 inches. The auto notch discrimination works well and filters out most trash items. I have used metal detectors that ended up being aggravating and frustrating. This one is a pleasure to use and is quickly becoming a relaxing and profitable pastime for me. If you want a serious metal detector without spending a whole lot of money give it a try... you won't be disappointed...

The Bounty hunter QDII is a detector that allows both the proffesional and amateur detectorist to make excellent finds. although it is in Bounty hunters interest to push their higher price models, the QDII is probably the equal of most detectors in a much higher price bracket, and is in my opinion not promoted enough.
It is good on the beach, on both wet and dry sand, it is at home inland, in forest, park, or ploughed field. it is advanced in its electronics, and very lightweight. this detector is in a class of its own, and very affordable. Dont allow the low price to put you off, this detector is easily the equal of detectors in the £600 price range, and will pay for itelf in no time at all.

For the same price you can pick up the SAME detector at WalMart. It's Wally-branded the Pioneer 202 there, but it's the same detector.

It's a nice enough "intro-level" detector to see if the hobby is something you might want to get serious about and thus make the necessary investments and upgrades to equipment designed for the long-haul or extended use.

If you really want a fair to good dectector, I'd seriously try the Prizm series (III-V) of the Whites Electronics line or a similar intro models meade by more reknowned companies like Whites, Garrett, Fisher, Tesorro or even the foreign-made Explorer.

PROS:
- Dandy little "coin-shooter" for kids and visitors while YOU use the "real" thing
- Ideal for sandy or chip-filled play areas
- Lightweight and easy to use and adjust
- Great little machine for curious relatives/friends to try, kids over 12 or to loan to land owners whose property you'd like to detect.
- Not a "bad" investment for the money, but there ARE better detectors in the $200 range.

CONS:
- Like most detectors, it'll eat up those 9volt batteries in no time if you're not using headphones (Upgrading would save you batteries)
- Not having a adjustable strap over the arm cup is literally a real pain in the arm!
- No depth (about 4 inches is pushing it, though it's picked up quarters in "clean" soil at 6 inches)
- Wil NOT work anywhere NEAR a salt beach...not even in the dry dunes. In fact, I couldn't use it to hunt a park about a mile inland because the Rec Dept had used beach sand for the play areas.
- Overloads easily in trashy areas or mineralized soil.
- Totally worthless for relic hunting.

A small caveat before you read this review. Understand who this detector is marketed towards. Individuals with a lot of metal detecting exposure or experience will mock this inexpensive version of a more sophisticated Whites or Garrett detector. However, if you are a beginner, this is not a bad first investment considering the prices of some of the more advanced detectors on the market. I was an avid detector fan in high school for a summer some twenty years ago and only recently got bit by the same bug that has infected my eight year old son after watching the National Treasure movies. So for Christmas he got his Bounty Hunter Jr. and I got this detector but the Walmart branded version which is the Pioneer 202.
First, this detector is excellent at honing your digging skills, something you will need as you advance along in the sport. The reason? I dig a lot. A whole lot. With this detector, I find it very difficult to adequately pin-point my target, even using the suggestions that were included in a nice DVD that comes with the product demonstrating its features. However, as I get more accustomed to the detector's quirks and improve my pinpointing abilities, this skill will server me well after I spend $800 - $1000 on a detector with more advanced pinpointing technology. Also, because I dig a lot, I've learned to repair the ground where I torturously labored for some time.
That is really my only negative, again, referencing the market for this detector. The detector comes with some nice discriminating features. It has a manual discriminator that allows you to progressively eliminate certain objects. You can test this by moving the discriminator knob slowly, while you pass objects you want to eliminate over the search coil. Typically I have had success by simply starting in the `All Metal Mode', the default each time you turn it on, to get a feel for the area I am search and then hitting the Auto-Notch. The Notch feature allows you to selectively eliminate certain objects while still seeing others. Auto-Notch is preprogrammed to eliminate most junk. It still detects most coins except nickels but still detects smaller pieces of trash like foil. It does eliminate pesky pull tabs, bottle caps, tin and nails.
The audio you hear is based on the signature it receives as the search coil passes over the object. The signatures are:
Low Tones - Iron, Foil, Nickel and Gold Range
Medium Tone - Pull Tab, new penny, zinc, and Gold
High Tone - Copper Pennies, Dime, Quarter, Half Dollar, Silver Dollar and Silver Range
Aside from the tones, the detector has an LCD display that not only tells you the type of metal your object more than likely is, but also its depth. So far, the depth finder has not been off but you must keep in mind it what is displayed is NOT the depth the coin is buried, but you must include the distance from the search coil to the ground in your depth calculations. This has nothing to do with the detector, but something that has caught me a couple of times as I dug. If the target is displayed at 4 inches and I am holding the search coil 2 inches above the ground, then I should dig 2 inches, not 4.
I would echo another review that this detector probably is not going to work for relic hunting as in my testing I held near the search coil a small rusted antique iron (the kind people might paint and use for a door stop today) and the detector gave a different signature over each pass (high, low and medium). I am sure this iron is `iron' and not a composite material. The detector just didn't handle it well.
All in all, taken for its price and features, it doesn't nor is designed to compete against a Whites or Garrett metal detector. It is an excellent coin shooter. Great in parks or back yards. The coil is submersible but I have not tried beach combing yet. If this is your first venture into metal detecting, I would highly recommend this product for the price. If anything, it will get you the experience you need to truly appreciate the features of an $800.00 Whites or Garrett detector, and the rudimentary skills you will need to be successful and feel that you haven't sunk a lot of money into a hobby that turns out not to be as enjoyable as you thought.

This detector is an amazing value for such a low price. Featuring everything a beginner or experience tresure hunter could ever need. Includes feature that tells what kind of metal and also approximatly how deep it's in the ground, a great help!

I have used the Whites 5900 Pro for several years. This little Bounty Hunter will surprise even old pros. It is light and easy to use. One of the best things is you can break it down for travel fast and easy. You can program it for your personal type of hunting. I can't wait to try the 4" coil on it for nugget shooting. The only problem has been target the exact location after you get a buzz in the earphones. May take a little practice. One third the cost of my Whites unit, and while not as complex, it has lots going for it for the money invested. A good buy.

I lost my gold wedding ring at the beach - IN THE WATER - yesterday at a depth of about 3 feet. The water was really murky and we couldn't see more than a few inches below the surface, so a visual search was impossible, and after about 2 hours of feeling around on the ocean floor in the area where the ring we gave up the search. Determined to find it, today I purchased the Quickdraw II (at a premium price from a local sporting goods store) and headed back to the water. It was simple to set up, and I used my wife's ring as the test to see what reading the detector would spit out (gold 5 cent I think). After 30 minutes of sweeping the area (yes, it works underwater up until the electronic head), the Quickdraw II displayed the same reading it showed for my wife's ring, I felt down and sure enough I found my ring! This thing is a lifesaver!

The "Bounty Hunter Quick Draw II" (QDII) is a very good, feature rich, mid-priced metal detector. After doing a lot of research for a "real" metal detector as a gift for my teenage son, I found the features for the price made the QDII the clear choice.

The QDII has features that are generally only found on higher priced units:

* The LCD screen can indicate what type of metal has been found
* Indicates approximate depth
* The Notch Modes work well for filtering out most trash items

We have really enjoyed using this sensitive and accurate metal detector!

Highly recommended!

The "Bounty Hunter Quick Draw II" (QDII) is a very good, feature rich, mid-priced metal detector. After doing a lot of research for a "real" metal detector as a gift for my teenage son, I found the features for the price made the QDII the clear choice.

The QDII has features that are generally only found on higher priced units:

* The LCD screen can indicate what type of metal has been found
* Indicates approximate depth
* The Notch Modes work well for filtering out most trash items

We have really enjoyed using this sensitive and accurate metal detector!

Highly recommended!

Happy with it. It's on me, but it does take me some practice & refreshing to be good with it. Very good for the money in any case.