Buying a metal detector is not easy. Lets face it you do not invest in a metal detector everyday and you need to think a lot before you buy it. Not only do you have to consider the place and location where the metal detector will be placed you also have to consider the different features of all types of metal detectors.
There are many different types of metal detectors. Each metal detector is for a particular type of use. These detectors are designed with different features and the performance of each type is slightly different depending on the intended use. There are five basic categories that metal detectors are divided into:
- Gold prospecting
- General purpose: coins/ treasure/ relics
- Salt and underwater beach
- Security and industrial
- Deep searching/ Cache hunting
Since each type is used for different purpose, each has its own set of specifications. These metal detectors can be further divided into sub-categories. For example security metal detectors can be walkthrough or they can be handheld.
Walkthrough metal detectors are found at all locations where there are more than a few people who enter or leave. They are found at airports, malls, government buildings, correction facilities, schools and other such places. It is easy to allow a person to walk through the detector rather than do a physical pat-down of each and every person who enters the area.
When it comes to handheld metal detectors, it does not take much to understand how these work. Handheld metal detectors look very much like a flat baton that is passed over an object. If the alarm goes of at a certain area of the object that area is checked to see what type of metal is there.
Saying that walkthrough metal detectors are better than handheld or vice versa is not really possible. Each type fits a different purpose. It is also possible to use both detectors simultaneously. With so many people walking through the metal detector is possible that the alarm goes off once in awhile. A physical pat down is not appreciated by many. For this reason and many other security issues it is best to have one security personnel hold a handheld metal detector. For example, if a person walks through a metal detector and the alarm goes off the security personnel is bound to ask that person to step aside.
When the person steps aside, it is possible that a person is not comfortable with a physical pat-down. For such purposes a handheld metal detector can come in handy. It also makes it easy for the security personnel to identify exactly where the piece of metal is that is setting off the alarm.
Therefore we, see that both types of metal detectors are handy when it comes to security. It is always a much better idea to stay protected rather than think about all the other drawbacks.
