You can take the guy out of the security zone but you can't take the mindset out of the guy.
I don't think that is the kind of detector he was talking about.
A really good mid price machine is the Garrett AT Pro. Many different size coils available for it. It comes with a 6x9 coil. I used one for about 4.5 years here in Virginia and dug a ton of Civil War relics with. It will keep you going for awhile.......