A hobby metal detector turns beach walks and old paddocks into treasure hunts for a couple of hundred dollars, and that class is where the picks below live, backed by thousands of reviews. The four-figure gold machines from Minelab are a different purchase, with their own note further down.
1. Best Overall: SUNPOW Professional
The SUNPOW is the hobby detector Australians keep buying, with 4.4 stars across 5,200 reviews. Adjustable sensitivity, discrimination modes that skip bottle caps and pull tabs, a waterproof coil for creeks and wet sand, and a shaft that adjusts from kid to adult height.
At around $230 it's the whole starter kit, and owner stories run from backyard bottle-cap archaeology to actual rings at actual beaches. The control box isn't waterproof, only the coil, which is the line every owner learns to respect.
What We Like:
- Height adjusts kid to adult
- Waterproof coil
- Discrimination modes that work
What We Don't Like:
- Control box must stay dry
2. Best for Kids: National Geographic Junior
The NatGeo junior detector takes the hobby down to primary-school size: light, simple, folding for the car boot, with 282 owners averaging 4.4 stars at around $90. It genuinely detects rather than toy-beeps, which is the complaint that sinks cheaper kids units.
Depth is modest next to the SUNPOW, and the discrimination is basic, so expect proud presentations of rusty nails alongside the coins.
What We Like:
- Genuinely detects
- Folds small
- Light enough for kids
What We Don't Like:
- Shallow next to adult units
3. Best Accessory: SUNPOW Pinpointer
The pinpointer is the tool that turns a beep into a find: once the big detector marks a spot, the handheld probe locates the target in the hole instead of a widening excavation. SUNPOW's is the popular one locally, 4.3 stars across 2,200 reviews at around $50.
Detectorists on every forum call the pinpointer the first upgrade that matters, ahead of a better main machine.
What We Like:
- Ends crater digging
- IP68 waterproof
- Around $50
What We Don't Like:
- One more battery to charge
Other detectors worth a look
- Minelab — the Australian brand that owns serious detecting, from the Vanquish around $500 to gold machines beyond $10,000. When the hobby sticks, Minelab is where the upgrade money goes, through detector specialists and their dealer network.
How to pick a metal detector
Discrimination is the feature that keeps you digging. It tells iron junk from coin-like signals. Without it every bottle cap sounds like treasure, which is how starter detectors end up in cupboards.
Coil waterproofing decides where you hunt. Wet sand at low tide is the most productive ground most people can reach, and it needs a waterproof coil. Full submersion needs a fully sealed machine, a different price class.
Know the rules before digging. Councils differ on parks, beaches are generally fair game below high tide, and anything historic can be protected. A quick check of local rules beats a fine.
RELATED: The Best Folding And Pruning Saws and The Best Garden Hoses
FAQs
How deep do these detectors go?
Coin-sized targets around 15 to 20cm for the SUNPOW class, deeper for big objects, per owner testing. Depth claims beyond that on hobby machines aren't reliable.
Can I find gold with a cheap detector?
Jewellery gold at the beach, yes. Nugget gold in goldfields needs the specialised high-frequency machines, which is exactly the gap Minelab's four-figure range exists to fill.
