If you want to quickly detect any precious metal or gold below the surface and always have a good catch – you'll need a solid metal detector.
Metal detectors are great in helping you find precious metals as they notify you of the exact location of the gold or other metals.
However, all metal detectors aren't made the same.
We've researched over 27 different metal detectors and looked for high-grade accuracy, waterproof rating, adjustable height, great sensitivity, and many other important factors.
Here are this year's top 5 picks:
Mivo Metal Detector is by far our favorite choice on the market.
The first thing that separates it from any other metal detector is innovative SensorPoint technology which embraces high-grade accuracy for a much quicker and easier metal detecting.
Depending on the surface you're detecting, you can adjust sensitivity levels and have far more precise detection and increase your chance of finding precious metals.
You can switch between 2 different modes.
Mivo has metal and identification modes which are both made for special purposes depending on your situation.
Another impressive feature is waterproof IP68 rating.
Unlike other metal detectors that can't detect under the water, you'll have an enormous advantage as a lot of hidden gems are located underwater. It's both suitable for saltwater and freshwater.
You can adjust the height for extra comfort from 30 inches up to 42 inches – this makes it suitable for both adults and children.
Both advanced and beginners can use this metal detector.
Considering all the important factors, Mivo deserved #1 spot for this year by far.
Mivo even offers a 1-year warranty. If you have any kind of concerns, their friendly customer support team will assist you.
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Mivo is fairly priced for a market-leading metal detector with innovative technology and adjustable sensitivity settings. Take advantage of this limited-time discount while supplies last. Mivo offers a 1-year warranty and free shipping. Mivo was unanimously voted the best metal detector of 2026.
A good entry-level metal detector includes features and settings that help you get started right away. These models usually only work best in a single type of environment (beach, freshwater, saltwater, desert terrain). So, before too long, you may find yourself looking for a different device to expand your search range. The AT Pro balances user-friendliness with more advanced features, while also being able to handle almost every type of terrain you might search.
This model comes with common features such as preset search modes, Iron Audio and Garrett's digital target ID feature, which helps identify materials on a range of 0-99. It also boasts a higher search frequency of 15kHz that lets it find materials with higher precision — and even identify gold nuggets under certain circumstances.
The most notable feature, however, is its two audio settings (Standard and Pro), which are essentially toggles between the basic tones one might hear with standard metal detectors and a "professional" audio mode that provides a more nuanced sequence of tones depending on which materials you're detecting. Unlike many of Garrett's less advanced models, the AT Pro allows for manual ground balancing, which helps you fine-tune your search settings in highly mineralized soil like saltwater beaches.
If you're serious about metal detecting, you're going to need a machine that can operate in any environment while also providing the most accurate readings possible. Minelab's CTX 3030 is hands-down one of the best metal detectors for any situation.
In terms of basic functionality, its multi-frequency feature allows it to produce cleaner signals from objects hidden deep underground, even beyond 8 inches, which is where most standard detectors begin to struggle. This feature also means that you will be able to pick up distinct signals from multiple items at the same time, quickly helping to determine if the current search area is worth your time.
This model comes with preset search modes, including some that are standard to other detectors, such as coins and relics, but also beach, silver, and high trash modes. There are five additional custom mode slots so you can further customize your search preferences. The CTX 3030's LCD display provides a wealth of background information on your search, such as item depth, conductivity, and iron content.
Metal detectors are pretty versatile machines. Many models can even handle being submerged in up to 10 feet of water in the course of your search. However, if you want to dive deeper than that, you're going to need a sturdier and more powerful device to make up for all the interference that being underwater brings. The Excalibur II fits the bill.
Though it lacks some novice-friendly features found in many models, such as preset search modes, the Excalibur II was built to perform under difficult conditions. It includes Minelab's multi-frequency feature, which sends out signals at 17 different frequencies simultaneously, along with the Iron Masking feature, which automatically eliminates noise from junk targets. The combination of these two features alone will have you finding coins, relics, and more at a much faster pace.
This model's main draw is the fact that it can go up to 200 feet underwater, letting you combine metal detecting with diving and opening up more possibilities for you to find things. It also works excellently outside of water and is able to handle highly mineralized soils since it was built with deep water environments in mind.
Though the days of old-timey prospectors wielding pickaxes and dressed in long johns are long gone, gold prospecting is alive and well today. Specialized metal detectors make the task of finding gold nuggets considerably easier. Nokta Gold Kruzer is a powerful unit that can help you find gold nuggets big and small in difficult, high-interference terrain.
What makes this unit particularly useful for gold prospecting is its 61kHz operating frequency, which helps identify highly conductive gold nuggets more easily. It also sports four distinct operating modes, which allow you to make adjustments for different environments and circumstances: relatively clean soil with little interference, terrain full of hot rocks, and terrain full of other metals and minerals that can disrupt the signals that gold produces, and a "micro" mode for areas littered with small, easily masked bits of gold.
A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, which holds a pickup coil, which can vary in shape and size
