Anybody using a metal dectector- as a tool or hobby?

As I caught a glimpse of something metallic while raking leaves yesterday, I stopped and retrieved my very basic Radio Shack metal detector and went looking. Sure enough, the clip for the breakaway brake system had fallen off the A-Frame of the trailer and was soon headed for the compost pile.
While I use mine mainly for when I drop something in grass or leaves while working on equipment, I was wondering if anyone else dose the same or perhaps as a hobby. I find it's a big help when something "disappears" into the weeds.
Hobbyists I have spoke to seem to think the Minelab- https://www.minelab.com/metal-detectors are the top of the line, my old Radio Shack unit has worked surprisingly well. There are many others through all the price ranges so if you are interest in finding the needle in the haystack, there is hope.
OM

Next to my golden retriever for finding lost keys......Metal Detector is best

Mine is a 20 year old "white" brand that I got for my son years ago, it still works. It's found not only parts to the chainsaw which flew apart in the woods as I was fixing it, springs, nuts, washers; there are times when I take it around to the local civil war battlefields campgrounds and find, spoons, ax heads, shrapnel, and belt buckles. It has survived a couple of corroded battery sessions with scraping the contacts with a screw driver.
The main lesson is to TAKE OUT THOSE BATTERIES when you are putting it away til the next use a couple of years from now........Good tool to have. Maybe at a pawn shop for a good deal..............God bless....Dennis

OM, it's something I've thought about buying and exploring with for decades. One day I may just buy one, as there's many ancient areas to explore out this way like old mines, mining ghost towns etc.

Buddy has one that works underwater, he and his snorkel the Salt River every Monday after tourists have tubed it all weekend. They finds watches, rings, phones, glass/sunglasses, necklaces etc. She cleans up some of the better items, takes them to a pawn shop and gets some pretty good cash for the stuff they find.

Finding fallen small stuff that's lost to old eyes in the yard or garage, great idea, thanks

"White" is one of the brands that have been around a long time. Sounds like it is still finding the lost and hiding for you Dennis
If I had to put forth a theory, the more advanced metal detectors make it a lot easier to figure out what you may have found saving random digging. The older units are able to detect the object but the operator needs a lot more experience to understand the relevance of the detectors alarm. Some of the high-end units almost "tell" you whether its a nut or a Rolex. If thinking of purchasing one, I think the advantage of some over another is the possibility of waterproofing allowing searching in wet or underwater environments.
Oh yeah, checking the batteries is important. I date the devices to let me know when the batteries were installed.
OM

I just have a small handheld wand type for finding metal in salvaged lumber before it ruins an expensive blade.

"survived a couple of corroded battery sessions with scraping the contacts with a screw driver."
I use this to clean up corrosion on wiring and leaky batteries.
https://www.crcindustries.com/products/qd-174-electronic-cleaner-11-wt-oz-05103.html

Great hobby, I also have a white submersible and have cleaned miles of Cape Cod. If rusty old snow fence wire was worth anything, I'd be a millionaire.

I recently purchased one from Harbor Freight. I used a 20 percent off coupon from one of their ads to get it for 48 bucks. It seems to work pretty good.

I live in a 120 year old home. Every time I did in the back yard I find something historic in nature. Every time that happens I think, I need to get a metal detector. I just know there’s a mason jar of gold coins buried around here somewhere.

I don't own one but do borrow one occasionally to look for barbed wire on the Mesa behind my house. It hides in Creosote Bush and Mesquite. Some of those fence lines fell apart a century ago when the posts decomposed, but the wire remains, and my Springer does not look carefully when he's on a tear after whatever has his attention.