Newbie really leaning towards Fisher, but which one?

torreym

Greenie
Feb 12, 2017
11
6
Charleston, SC
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hi folks. Am brand new at this metal detecting thing. Looking for one that I can take my 3 daughters with me around Charleston,SC for fun. Will be moving to N. Louisiana in mid-June. For a first machine, would you spend the $350 for the Fisher F4 or would you buy a used F2 on ebay for $145 or would you look at a new F22 for $250? Is the F22 an updated version of the F2? What are the differences in the 3 or is there another I should consider. Dont want to go above $400 but for $200 less, hard not to notice that used F2.
 

steve1357

Hero Member
May 17, 2013
981
439
Arkansas
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Fisher Teknetics Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'd get the F2, love mine. Then if the bug bites, step up to F75 or F70 or Teknetics T2 classic for 499. (Fisher and Teknetics are same company)

Dont do as I did and waste money on every step up the ladder.

Learn if you need a better machine like the $1k, 2k, 3k, or $5k machines...
 

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Dug

Bronze Member
Feb 18, 2013
1,138
1,263
SC Lowcountry
Detector(s) used
XP Deus/Sovereign GT.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Once you get your machine you will want to detect and dig every target in a small area of your back yard. Then bury coins (quarters and pre 1965 pennies) at different depths and mark them with non metallic markers so you can try out different settings to see what gives you the best depth with solid readings.
 

TheHunterGT

Bronze Member
Feb 2, 2015
1,246
1,847
Central California
Detector(s) used
Anfibio Multi - T2 Classic - F75+ - G2+....and MANY more tested and reviewed.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For $350 you get the F44 which is a better detector than the F2 and F4 (older 6.6khz tech)...and is weatherproof...and is 7.7khz so can swap with any of the other 7.7khz Greek coils from Teknetics.

I have nothing bad to say about the F2 or F4...they are great detectors. But the F44 is superior in just about every way...in my opinion.
 

digger27

Bronze Member
May 18, 2011
1,506
3,225
The F4 has an all metal setting and you have a ground balance feature which is usually on higher end units but the GB only works in all metal where you will get signals on everything because well, it's all metal.
If you are going to use discrimination, which most do especially at the beginning, that GB setting won't transfer over so you will be hunting with a way overpriced F2.

The F2 is discontinued in favor of the F22, the F44 will be around long after they decide making the F4 is not good business anymore.
If you go that route remember the newer F22 is only about $30 more...if that.

The F44 is also great but costs more, some think the extra features are well worth it though.
As a beginner unit I would consider both new Fishers good values depending on how much you want to spend.

The F22 is a 21st century machine with many nice features the F2 doesn't have, uses two cheaper AA batteries vs. two 9 volts on the F2 and it can be rained on...hard.
A new F2 might still be around for $199 if you look, you can still get a 5 year warranty on a new one while on that used one you will get no warranty at all...if you are into that stuff.

The F2 was used by many as a first detector and others like me bought it as a backup but ended up using it all the time because it worked so well and we all found a ton.
My $200 purchase paid me back in over $2000 worth of coins, silver, gold and a whole lot of other great stuff so there is no bigger fan of this great unit than me and I wrote volumes about what I learned and how I used it to find more than many thought possible.

However to be honest if I had to do it all over again today I would probably go with the F22 which you can definitely get for less than $250 from most dealers and you get the warranty and upgraded features if money isn't a life and death issue.
Just this week Fisher announced they are now selling a small sniper coil for the F22 that is $49...or less if someone discounts or bundles it in with a new unit.
Works great around trash and easier for newbies to lean a new detector with a small coil.
On the F2 that one's cheap sniper was a favorite of many owners and something that made that one an extreme value and I rarely used anything else when I realized how well that one worked.
Till now a sniper for the F22 was over $100 but that has changed and evened out the playing field...a lot.

Forget the F4, get the F2 only if the savings is extremely important to you and remember there is always a risk when buying used.
Many here that's all they do and most times everything is great but I would hate for you to be that rare exception and with a new F22 you will be protected by the factory and have that new warranty.
 

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HighVDI

Silver Member
Feb 16, 2017
2,765
4,594
Pa
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I'm just getting back into this now too, but if you're willing to spend $350, you may as well just look into the $500 t2. I found way more with my f2 than I ever thought I would, but I just learned that using my new f75 I was absolutely leaving deeper targets. The T2, and f75 are basically the same machine from what I understand. T2 is 100 bucks cheaper though. What a great family hobby. Kids will love digging things up!
 

Loco-Digger

Gold Member
Jun 16, 2014
11,825
17,742
Northern O-H-I-O
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F75 LTD, 1280X Aquanaut, & a Patriot (back-up/loaner)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Look at the Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro, it's the best bang for the buck it comes with the DD coil and is within your budget. It comes with options that other more expensive detectors have. I have an F2, great little detector, easy to teach someone in 5 minutes or less and I use it to detect seedier areas and to use as a loaner. They are selling cheap used. I had the F4 back in 2014 and it helped me dig about $450 in 5 months. I now swing an F75LTD2. I am huge fan of the DD coil. I have bought all but 2 detectors used and have never had an issue.
 

veemaxx

Jr. Member
Dec 22, 2015
21
43
Raymond, Ne
Detector(s) used
Fisher F2, BH Tracker 4, XP Deus, (CTX 3030 sold due to elbow pain)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I would go with the used F2 and with the money saved get a Garret ProPointer AT and a quality digging tool. You are going to want a pinpointer no matter what detector you go with.
 

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