Bounty Hunter Platinum vs Lone Star Pro: Which Should You Buy?

Both machines are analog step-ups from Bounty Hunter's simplest starters, so the spec sheets overlap heavily. The table below lines up the points that actually change how each performs in the field.

The headline difference is the Platinum's notch mode, which lets you accept or reject specific target categories rather than only dialing discrimination up or down. Everything else - VLF technology, an adjustable target ID and an interchangeable waterproof coil - is shared between the two.

The Platinum is built for the hobbyist who wants to make deliberate choices rather than run one fixed setting. Its notch mode is the standout feature over the Lone Star Pro: it lets you reject a specific junk category, like pull-tabs, while still accepting other non-ferrous targets, instead of a single discrimination dial that treats trash as all-or-nothing. That extra control matters most in iron-heavy parks and old homesites where you want to dig fewer bottle caps without also skipping good targets. The trade-off is a slightly steeper learning curve than the simplest models, since notch settings take a bit of practice to dial in correctly.

The Lone Star Pro is consistently described as one of the easiest recommendations in the whole lineup on value alone. It gives you the same core formula - adjustable sensitivity, discrimination and a target ID reading on a submersible coil - without the notch mode, at a price that undercuts the Platinum. If you like tuning discrimination to your site and swinging in all-metal for depth but don't need to isolate specific junk categories, the Lone Star Pro delivers nearly the same real-world experience for less money. It's also a strong fit if you're weighing it against the true entry-level Fast Tracker and want a bit more adjustability without the step up to notch discrimination.

Pick the Platinum if you hunt cluttered, iron-heavy ground and want to notch out a specific type of junk while keeping other targets. Pick the Lone Star Pro if you want essentially the same analog step-up experience - adjustable discrimination, a target ID reading, a submersible coil - at a lower price and don't need notch control. Neither has an LCD screen or numeric target ID; if that's a must-have, compare both against the digital Land Ranger Pro instead. For the full range, see our best Bounty Hunter metal detector guide.

Both models take an interchangeable, submersible search coil, so a larger coil adds depth in open ground while a smaller one improves separation in trash - see our search coils guide for the trade-off. Neither control box is waterproof, so keep it out of full submersion even though the coil handles wet sand and shallow water. Pick up a decent set of headphones and a digging tool from our accessories page regardless of which one you choose, and check the manuals page for the model-specific owner's guide once your detector arrives.