I'm looking for a decent metal detector for my young boy who is becoming interested in looking for "treasure". He's not yet 10 years old, so I'm not looking for a top of the range device, but at the same time, I don't want the cheapest product on the market. Any recommendations in terms of brands? 

Also, is this hobby in any way regulated? By that I mean, do hobby detectorists need a license or something similar? 

Thank you in advance. 

 

There are metal detecting apps you can download.

 

Yes. I know this does not answer your question but at least you could actually download one immediately and test its effectiveness by hiding metal objects at different depths and seeing if the app works. This would at least give you and him a yardstick to measure dedicated machines by.

 

When I was 10 I was fascinated by microscopes. My grandparents bought me one. Tried it out for a few days and was thereafter cured. But I still thought it looked pretty cool on my bookshelf.

I would recomend a n XP Deus 1 or 2 ,being very light and all parts are connected bywifiso no cables dangling everywhere,itfoldsup small in a backpack  .batts included ,ou can discriminate between junk and precious metals ,ring pulls and paper foil is a nuisance, beaches are your best bet where plenty of lost gold chaines and amulets lie ,buried .apps are not needed but go terrain maybe usefull

Hello I could recommend you could check this out Bounty Hunter Junior T.I.D.: This is designed specifically for kids and is lightweight, easy to use, and has a simple interface. It features an LCD display that shows depth and target ID. Garrett ACE 200: This is a bit more advanced but still user-friendly for beginners. It has adjustable sensitivity, multiple search modes, and a durable design.

I was thinking about starting a new update thread to see if metal detectors have been in the news at all.  But I'll just bump this one...

 

Over the years, there have been several threads about people (foreigners?) getting in trouble for using metal detectors in Thailand.  Not often, but occasionally...  Has anyone seen any articles to that effect since Covid?  I used to bring one to the beach with me in Jomtien and found enough change to buy a bottled water under the Russkie dominated beach chairs.  So I certainly don't want to get banged up for using one.  If I found a Rollex, maybe.  (That's not a speeling mistek)

 

In fairness, I wasn't very serious about it, and I'm more interested in WW2 artifacts up around Kanchanaburi.

 

TIA for any input.