We tested a R223 metal detector with surprisingly good results

MyBroadband bought a wand-type metal detector for R223 from Takealot and found that it works exceptionally well.

Considering the low price of the metal detector, we had low hopes of it working but still decided to see if we could get a usable product for the low price.

The metal detector came in a bright yellow and green box, and is branded “Super Scanner”.

The box also contained a single-page instruction manual, as well as a faux leather holster for the detector.

We had to install a single 9V battery before it would work. The original advertisement indicated batteries weren’t included, so this didn’t come as a surprise.

The metal detector has two operation modes: one with a buzzer, and the other with only vibration to let the user know when metal is detected.

There is also a button to temporarily activate a lower power mode, which allows you to pinpoint the location of any metal.

Although the metal detector is made entirely of plastic, it feels sturdy and durable enough for the purposes of searching for hidden weapons.

While the metal detector always performed well, we had a recurring issue where the buzzer would still sound sometimes in the vibration mode, which could be a problem in an environment where silence is appreciated.

Switching between modes a few times usually fixed this.

In the normal operating modes, we could easily pick up various objects from a relative distance.

A smartphone was detectable between 5 and 10 cm away, while a wallet with some coins usually required a closer wave.

We could also easily detect a hidden pocket knife around 10 cm away.

It easily detected larger metal objects around 20 cm away.

The lower sensitivity button also works perfectly.

Holding this button seems to halve the detection range, allowing us to detect a hidden knife from around 5cm away.

This scanner surpassed our expectations.

While this may not be up to the standard of a large security company, it should be adequate for basic security screening at an event without overburdening the budget.