best metal detectors

Rank #1 in Best Metal Detectors 2026: 10 Ranked, and the Coil Spec That Says 12cm

Minelab X-Terra Elite All-Terrain Waterproof Metal Detector

£479.00 4.6 from 85 Amazon ratings
Check price on Amazon

Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.

The Minelab X-Terra Elite is the most expensive detector in this guide at £479.00, and it finishes first. It is a fully waterproof Multi-IQ machine with an LCD display, a 30.48 cm search coil and an IP68 rating, and the spec table answers 'Are Batteries Required: Yes'.

Its listing is tidier than the cheaper ones in the guide, and the slips that are there are easy to check. The fifth bullet reads 'X-TERRA PRO weighs only 2.9 lb and packs down to a mere 25 inches' — that is the name of a different model in the same range, not the Elite. The spec table gives one operating frequency of 93 KHz, while the bullets describe Minelab's Multi-IQ as 'the combined power of multiple detectors in one'. And the rating is 4.6 from 85 ratings, but the star breakdown in the same listing data (82 five-star, 7 four-star, 6 three-star, 1 two-star and 4 one-star) adds up to 100. Everything on this page comes from the Amazon listing, not from a test by us.

How those 85 ratings break down

An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.6 stars.

5 star
82%
4 star
7%
3 star
6%
2 star
1%
1 star
4%

Specification

Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.

Price £479.00
Rating 4.6 out of 5, from 85 ratings (as listed)
Rating breakdown 82 five-star, 7 four-star, 6 three-star, 1 two-star, 4 one-star — a total of 100
Search coil size 30.48 Centimetres
Operating Frequency 93 KHz (as listed)
Item Weight 1.27 kg
International Protection Rating IP68
Model Number 3707-0002

What buyers actually say

Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon

Verified purchase

“After months of studying metal detecting channels, I pulled the trigger and bought the X-Terra Elite. It changed my life—a treasure hunting hobby that actually pays!After only 10 days of owning and learning the machine, I found my first high-end gold ring: an 18K piece weighing in at a whopping 11.2 grams. I pulled it from a 3ft deep trough drop-off on a luxury resort beach in Anguilla. The X-Terra Elite is worth every penny. Buy it!”

breakaway civilization
Verified purchase

“The best metal detector on the market for the price, even the more expensive ones are equally as efficient. I've gotten two.”

Mr. Ryan Cox

What it is up against

The rivals it was ranked against in Best Metal Detectors 2026: 10 Ranked, and the Coil Spec That Says 12cm.

Questions people ask

How much does the Minelab X-Terra Elite cost?

The listing price is £479.00, and the same listing gives a rating of 4.6 from 85 ratings.

What size search coil does the X-Terra Elite have?

The specification table lists the search coil size as 30.48 Centimetres. The bullets do not give a coil measurement of their own.

Which model do the X-Terra Elite bullets describe?

The fifth bullet says 'X-TERRA PRO weighs only 2.9 lb and packs down to a mere 25 inches', which names the X-TERRA PRO rather than the Elite.

How many frequencies does the X-Terra Elite run on?

The bullets describe Minelab's Multi-IQ as 'the combined power of multiple detectors in one', while the specification table gives a single figure: 93 KHz.

Is the Minelab X-Terra Elite waterproof?

Yes. The product name describes it as fully waterproof and the specification table gives an International Protection Rating of IP68.

Does the Minelab X-Terra Elite need batteries?

The specification table answers 'Are Batteries Required: Yes' and lists the power source as Battery Powered. The listing does not name a battery type.

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