Originally Posted By: cheapskate
Are these detectors able to detect lead? I know of a couple river spots where I can probably pick up quite a bit of pencil lead, where people have broken off from snags. But would need to probe around gravel and cobblestones to find the lead pieces. A detector would make the job easier, if they are able to detect lead.


They absolutely detect lead, and even with a cheap machine you'll hear it when the coil goes over it. You may not get great depth with a cheap machine (like 8" max) but it'll sure find it.

I have a specialized, highly sensitive machine for hunting gold, and on a trip down to Nevada a few years ago I was driven nuts by the number of .22 slugs I was digging.