A Garretts 1350 is a good machine. I believe around $550.00? I am a Whites man myself, although I do have a Garretts as a backup machine. The Whites are a little more in dollars and a little harder to learn to use right out of the box. Just remember....... "You get what you pay for," really does ring true. If you buy a Radio Shack, or Wal-Mart for $39.99, you won't go out for the 2nd time. Any machine takes time to get to know. Learning the machine you buy will make you happier than anything else. But remember..... It does take time and effort.
better to get a higher quality used machine than a poor quality new one if they are similar prices.
Whites, Garrett, Minelab, Fisher are all decent brands.
You should base the machine decision on what you are hunting for... relics, coins, water/beaches, propecting, etc...
Then I would look to buy a used Nautilus, made right there in good ole North Carolina.
They are THE best thing going for relic/cache hunting (go to any CW/relic hunter and ask them).
There are a couple of models, a DMC1 and DMC 2 and there is a 1A and 2A/2B.
I own a DMC 2 and have had it quite a while. The learning curve on these machines is on the high end, but well worth it, if you are going to be hunting your area, for war relics, etc...
Bill
I used a Nautilus detector back in the 1970s when they were apparently made in someones basement.
It was the true relic hunters machine. The sucker was heavy though , my shoulder still hurts and my right arm is slightly longer than my left from swinging it.