BUKI France KTD2000 BUKI KTD2000-Metal Detector Expert

The manufacture quality of this is basic, though the toy itself is bright and engaging, and easy for children to handle. I emphasise the word toy, as you shouldn't expect to be able to take this to the beach or the forest and find extensive bits and pieces. It's a basic and functional toy, and perhaps a cheaper offering into the metal detecting hobby to see if it's something your child might want to do regularly (and get them away from screens) or if it's a flash in the pan worthy of a straightforward toy. Easy to set up and use, and not too bulky to store, it's fine as a present.

The best thing I can say about this is that it is an entry-level metal detector for children. Yes, it will detect metal ferrous and non-ferrous objects but let's face it, a device costing £50 is unlikely to unearth the next cache of Saxon Gold.If you are giving this as a gift to a child, all well and good, but please expect the response 'Thank you, but why didn't you get me a proper/real -one'?I don't know if there's such a thing as metal detector-shaming but this really will look like a toy compared to the fancy kit the posh kids have. You might make a saving here but think of the cumulative costs of years of therapy when they do a comparison and your kid comes off worse.So my advice is - do not be fooled by the 'expert' tag in the product title - this is actually the complete opposite. Give some thought to who you are buying this for - and note that the manufacturer recommends that they be at least 9.Probably already on F Book.

First of all, 1 star knocked off as it does not have battery included, this is in my opinion a big mistake. The actual detector needs assembling but is not difficult to do, it comes with a spade and a sieve. It seems to work well and manger to find no end of discarded rubbish, but alas no treasure trove.

Let's get something straight from the beginning, this is a child's metal detector and its more of a toy rather than a professional instrument. I have read some negative comments about this item, but you do not buy a MT at this price and expect it to be a Professional detector.It comes in 4 pieces and all you have to do is push it all together so the pieces lock. You put the 9V battery and you are ready to go. The unit can pick up a multitude of metal objects and it can go down about a metre. Yes, it sometimes gives off false readings, but again its a toy and not aimed at the adult market. In fact, my children have been delighted to PLAY with it. Its not meant to be an all singing, all dancing detector, its a toy to be played with and if a child finds something, it makes it even more fun. I think this is how it should be rated, as a play item and after 1 month of testing, its still being played with and its cost 2 batteries. As a toy I have to give it full marks, as a detector I would give it 2 to 3 stars. The happy compromise for me is to award it 4 stars, as a TOY for enjoyment only, as such I am happy to recommend it.

This metal detector aimed at children's usage is very large. The metal detector simply isn't very good. It's simple enough to use, but not by any means a sensitive device. It's lightweight and requires a little assembly before it can be used. For some reason it's supplied with a little plastic trowel and a sieve that look as though they escaped from a toddler's sand play set. The trowel wouldn't last five minutes in our heavy clay soil.The detector itself has an arm rest section that looks a bit like a crutch, leading up to the hand grip. The foot section is adjustable, and with this set at its shortest length, it's pretty much spot on for me at 5'5" to have this sticking out a little ahead of me, but not so much so that I'm tripping over it. This is too long for my eight and a half year old nephew - who found it quite frustrating.This certainly does detect metal - we checked that out in the house using a range of small and large items including coins, screws, jewellery and a big cast iron cooking pot - and differentiates between ferrous and non-ferrous metal types. However, this detector is completely and utterly confounded by alkaline soil. The whole of our garden and the neighbouring fields are just a constant beep, registering as though metal were nearby with the foot raised, and as though immediately below the detector foot any time this gets near to the ground (it's not). Adjusting the sensitivity seems to make no difference.A certain amount of fun for younger children testing variables or perhaps playing hide and seek within a pre-designed course, but not a device that seems worth investing in for anyone planning to take the kids out detecting properly.

This assembled easily with help from an adult, a 9v battery was acquired and inserted and we were away!Although the box says from 9 years, this was used by a 7-year old very easily who soon got the hang of twidling the knobs on the LCD display that seems to be showing a compass but it all becomes clear soon enough.The young lad using this quickly found all sorts of bottle tops, a two-penny bit and other unidentifiable bits of metal lying around during a walk with the dog. It all seemed quite exciting. I don't think he really understood what "Non Ferrous Metal" really meant on the display, even after a quick-but-apparently-boring science lesson; all he knew is that he could detect "metal" and that was good enough. You've got to keep this fun.It would probably work well on a beach too, keeping him amused finding old drinks cans under the sand; something we will bear in mind for next summer. He can annoy all the other bathers with the incessant beeping.It was comfortable enough to hold (although slightly too long for a 7-year old, admittedly). It even comes with a small spade to dig up your find, probably better suited to sand than earth, but a useful addition.Yes, this is a toy (no adult would use this in a farmer's field hoping to find a horde of Roman coins) but then again the price reflects this. As an introduction it is fine and, who knows, it might just trigger the right synapses that point your child down the science path as s/he gets older.