Review — Performance & Use

The GO‑FIND 66 is Minelab’s top model in its folding, beginner‑friendly series, and it leans hard into simplicity: no assembly, a light 1.06 kg chassis, and a control face with big icons that make sense at a glance. Compared with most “first detector” options, the 66 adds a larger 10‑inch coil, four find modes, pinpoint, backlight, and Bluetooth connectivity to hook into Minelab’s companion app. On paper, that’s a tidy starter package. In UK fields, it behaves exactly like the spec sheet suggests: approachable, swift to set up, and biased toward casual, low‑stress detecting rather than deep pasture unpicking.

Auto ground tracking (“Easy‑Trak”) is the defining feature for new users. On inland ground—from permissive pasture to light plough—this smoothing helps quiet the machine and lets a novice hear repeatable tones without fiddling. Sensitivity at 3–4 of 5 is a realistic sweet spot on most UK soils; pushing to 5 tends to raise chatter around iron and hot rocks. The Treasure View LEDs (red = ferrous, green = non‑ferrous) sound gimmicky, but for learners it creates a useful visual cue to cross‑check the tone ID before digging. After a few sessions, most users rely more on tones than lights, but as training wheels it works.

Depth and separation are adequate for an entry‑level single‑frequency detector: modern pennies, decimals and small buckles at ~4–6 inches in clean pasture are routine; larger coppers and milled silvers at 6–8 inches are plausible with a careful sweep and a steady ID. The 10‑inch coil covers ground quickly, but being hard‑wired limits upgrade paths. Recovery on iron‑flecked plough is respectable so long as swing speed stays moderate; the 66 will call masked non‑ferrous if you coax the coil to “edge” targets and listen for crisp, repeatable high tones. It isn’t surgical—don’t expect performance like a mid‑tier Vanquish or Equinox—but it will teach target interrogation basics without overwhelming the user.

UK users frequently ask about beaches. The short version: dry sand is fine; wet sand is not its forte. As a single‑frequency VLF around the 8 kHz mark, it struggles with conductive salt and the black‑sand patches typical of British beaches. You’ll get falseing and unstable IDs below the tideline even with sensitivity tamed. That isn’t a defect of the 66—it’s physics—and UK forum regulars consistently report the same pattern: use it on the dry for coins and the learning curve, and don’t expect multi‑frequency wet‑sand calm. If your main goal is serious beach hunting, save for a multi‑frequency machine later.

Ergonomics are a win. The collapsible “no‑assembly” shaft genuinely makes it glove‑box friendly, which matters for family trips or opportunistic hour‑long permission stops. The 1.06 kg weight means long sessions are possible for younger diggers, and the armrest is kinder than many budget rivals. Build quality is the trade‑off: the plastics prioritise low mass and price. Treated sensibly, it holds up, but several UK buyer comments mention flex and a “toy‑like” feel. None of that stops it finding coins—it simply means you shouldn’t expect agricultural ruggedness.

The app integration is a curiosity. The Pro App (unlocked on the 66) mirrors IDs, gives coin guides and basic mapping. In the UK, it’s fun for beginners and families, less essential for seasoned detectorists who will default to ear‑led decisions. Bluetooth is present, but in practice most users stick to the 3.5 mm jack or the onboard speaker. Battery life on 4 × AAs is fair; good rechargeables keep costs down.

On UK farmland, the 66 shines as a training platform: a straightforward tone language, visual reinforcement via LEDs, and enough discrimination to dodge the worst ferrous without masking everything. It will not chase whispered hammered at depth, and it will fall over in wet salt—but as a gateway into permissions etiquette, grid discipline, and sensible digging, it does the job. Several UK owners describe it as the machine that “got them hooked” before stepping up to an X‑Terra Pro, Vanquish, or Equinox. That’s the right expectation: buy the GO‑FIND 66 to learn, keep it as a light grab‑and‑go, then upgrade when your ear (and ambitions) outgrow it.