I make a living metal detecting and spend one heck of an amount of time using my metal detecting equipment over the course of a year.
My usual stomping grounds are saltwater beaches and islands, but I do my fair share of land hunting in some pretty tough areas to search.
The daily grind can and often does take a toll on your metal detecting equipment, but out in the so called field is where you learn what equipment works and what unfortunately doesn't work.
I have found the best way to keep grinding effectively is to use my favorite metal detector and have a similar back up metal detector ready to go at all times, believe me stuff happens when you least expect it but always when you don't want it to.
My "Noahs ark" traveling to metal detect plan covered my butt on two occasions this year, after equipment failures on the first or second day of traveling to and searching good areas.
One way of insuring you have less problems in the long run is to have a regimental equipment cleaning policy, keeping your metal detecting equipment clean also helps you spot any potential problem ahead of time.
You are not going to see a potential problem if your metal detecting equipment is covered in crud all the time, many issues to do with metal detecting equipment failures are avoided by cleaning your gear after every hunt.
Here are a few ways you can avoid potential down time or problems due to dirty equipment.
Remove and rinse your search coil cover out every time you go beach or water hunting, this will help prevent false signals from black sand or salt build up.
Get in the habit of inspecting the bottom of your search coil and the search coil cable every time you wash them off, give the nylon search coil nut and bolt connection point a really good spray.
Metal detector shafts are easier to put together and disassemble when collapsable rods, cam or twist locks are not caked in dry sand, mud or saltwater.
I flush and spray my mid and lower metal detector shaft / rods while at the same time partially collapsing them.
Ways to prepare for the worst is to travel to metal detect with spares that if broken put an end to your fun, two underrated metal detector items are nylon search coil bolts / nuts and arm cuff straps, try using a metal detector without a coil bolt or arm cuff strap.
It should go without saying a spare battery pack is a "Must have" traveling to metal detect accessory.
There is a heck of a lot of metal detecting equipment to choose from and everyone has their favorite make or model, but reliability and dependability are two words you never see on glossy metal detecting equipment brochures.
One way you can learn what stands up to the daily grind is by taking note of veteran beach hunters, after all imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right?
Using a work horse metal detector and target recovery tools is very important, just as important is your plan to take advantage of good metal detecting situations.
Grinding and finding takes planning to execute on a regular basis, as you will see the more you rely on your metal detecting equipment of choice.