What happened to Fisher?

[Keppy]

I never send to the Detector Co. for Nylon bolts i just go to.. Home Depot ..Lowes or the hardware store.............==Jim==

 

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[dbsmokey]

Re: What happened to Fisher? They seemed great to me!

Last May I purchased a new (demo) GoldBug 2 from a dealer in Oregon. When I fired the detector up 3 weeks ago it wasn't functioning properly. I called Fisher and they had me send it in. Everybody I talked to was very friendly.

5 days after receiving it they called me to confirm the return address...It was fixed already. The Fisher representative said they replaced the searchcoil, the threshold potentiometer, the sensitivity potentiometer, and threw in new batteries... all under warranty... I should be receiving it back by Monday. Very speedy!

I was impressed. So...my limited experience with them has been quite positive!! Maybe there is hope...

-matt-

 

[Newfiehunter]

Well, there are always two sides of the coin. When I had a problem with my CZ5, Fisher was very prompt and really I couldn't complain about the service. Yet, there are so many complaints about customer service, it worries me to buy another Fisher. I was considering a MXT as my next choice for my next purchase but perhaps I'll look into the F75.

 

[BamaBill]

I have an MXT and while its been a relatively good machine, I'm ready to sell it and get an F-75. I'm a relic hunter and I need a lighter machine that has the same depth and capability as the MXT (and can operate in bad ground). Also, the feature rich, programmable nature of the F-75 actually appeals to me. I used to be in IT support and understand computers. Its seems some people are intimidated by too many features, not me. Also, I use my detector to detect, not clear brush or defend myself. I think most of the negative F-75 reviews I've seen were by people that had the machine for just a few months and hadn't really gotten to know it. I've heard plenty of the same kind of complaints by people that didn't understand their computer either and didn't really want to put the effort in. As for how Fisher is being run now, wake up and smell the coffee, most companies are being run this way. They turn a profit or they go under (or get bought).

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I have an MXT and while its been a relatively good machine, I'm ready to sell it and get an F-75. I'm a relic hunter and I need a lighter machine that has the same depth and capability as the MXT (and can operate in bad ground). Also, the feature rich, programmable nature of the F-75 actually appeals to me. I used to be in IT support and understand computers. Its seems some people are intimidated by too many features, not me. Also, I use my detector to detect, not clear brush or defend myself. I think most of the negative F-75 reviews I've seen were by people that had the machine for just a few months and hadn't really gotten to know it. I've heard plenty of the same kind of complaints by people that didn't understand their computer either and didn't really want to put the effort in. As for how Fisher is being run now, wake up and smell the coffee, most companies are being run this way. They turn a profit or they go under (or get bought).

I've been at three companies who were shaky and ended up being bought out. After the initial "Black Fridays" of cuts and layoffs there is a tremendous pressure on the survivors to produce and stop the bleeding. Things like marketing and websites (OK, so two were pre-Internet) take a back seat to things like production and cash flow. ESPECIALLY with companies who sell to and through dealers and not direct retail. Yes, Fisher/First Texas will probably eventually get a web editor or hire out a design and web update service. Right now they're revamping the product line (the old models may have been OK but apparently they could not live off them) and putting the limited resources into design, development and production. Obviously 25% of every sale is not going into glitzy magazine ads and TV spots.

Ever buy a digital camera or a personal computer with a "lifetime warranty?" Who wants 15 year old technology of this type? Five years is still 2.5X to 5X better than Minelab, Whites or Garrett. That ain't bad!

I think most of the negative F-75 reviews I've seen were by people that had the machine for just a few months and hadn't really gotten to know it.

You're kinder than me. I've seen some that I would doubt the user took the unit outdoors and put it the soil. Many, it seems, could have been placated by turning the sensitivity down to stabilize the unit or getting the discrimination out of the high gain regions. I've had mine 10 months and there are still things like Jewelry Mode and static search that are too much for me, so I just go on merrily with the modes and settings that I am comfy with and blissfully dig coins. I may get there eventually. Nice to have something to grow into.

 

[Newfiehunter]

Charlie P. How stable is the F75? Heard that it is a little erratic.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I have not been in a situation where I cannot set the sensitivity down enough to operate quiet and stable (it is a silent search detector). That may be at a setting of 30 out of 99, but it still finds the coins. You definately have to play the sensitivity to the moment and understand that there is way more range on the adjustments than needed. Too high is too much. I have a high-tension powerline that crosses diagonally across the back of my property and the utility lines out front and my test garden is in my front yard. I actually get more interference there than at the local in-town park which is on a busy street with traffic and "city" utility lines along the edge.

IMHO most folks crank the sensitivity way too high. It will just percolate non-stop at 98 or 99 and be useless. If I can set it to 90 I think it's a good setting. Sometimes 60 or 70 is necessary. Some spots it is possible to get into the high 90's, but rarely. Think of it like using the throttle to trim a flat-winged aircraft for level flight. All the way to one direction is bad. Too little you won't hold altitude, too much and you're flghting with down elevator to hold her level and just wasting fuel. It just needs be set to keep you flying level. So sensitivity is your throttle and ground conditions are either a headwind or a tail wind. You have to work with them, not against them. So "yes" the F-75 is very sensitive and the operator has to be on top of it.

Another flight analogy: the Sopwith Camel, P-51 Mustang and F-16 all have two things in common. They are superior flghter planes and they are all unstable - meaning you have to fly them every moment and not react to them. The stable planes are the lumbering bombers. You have to move the F-75 fast, but it is light and designed to be used that way. Sweeping it slow will very much reduce your depth and seperation.

I also think a lot of it has to do with how much an individual will tolerate. With my Musky I got used to setting a "positive" ground balance that will chirp on the end of swings if I lift the coil. That way I know I'm "on the edge" at the highest sensitivity. I guess I'm just more used to a detector that mumbles to itself.

There is also a high-gain circuit that kicks in between 6 and 20 on the discrimination settings that makes it really jittery. I solve that by setting the discrimination below 5 in the woods or over 20 in the parks.

 

[Newfiehunter]

Hey Charlie P, I like the way you compared metal detectors to those classic fighters.

 

[La Beep]

This is their current ad on the CZ 5



The Fisher CZ-5 has it all: high performance, deep search capability, & visual target identification. The CZ-5 is easy to use, just turn on and go with pre-set control markings. It offers three tone audio target ID, big target alert, depth reading, push button pinpointing, wet-sand operation, deep-target audio boost and a built in speaker. It uses two 9V batteries for up to 20 hours of operation and comes standard with a 3-piece breakdown handle for easy transport. Plus, the control box can be handle or hip mounted. Backed by Fisher's Lifetime Warranty*.
$848.95

I think when I bought my CZ5 was before it changed to a lifetime warranty. At the time I bought mine i think it was either 2 or 5 years. They changed it later. Guess I will have to try to find the old kellyco catalog.

 

[JW]

Charlie P made an interesting observation. I too have noticed that the F75 goes really deep at a super low sensitivity setting, I was really impressed around electrical interference at low sensitivity settings. I was easily finding coins in the 7" range at a sens setting of 25...

The same spot drives my Explorer2 nuts and when you lower the sens on those babies you lose serious depth...

The F75 is a killer turf machine in high trash and high EMF areas!!!

 

[dbsmokey]

An addendum to my original post..... Fisher failed to send me back my coil cover. I called and Felix at Fisher informed me that I hadn't sent in the coil cover because they thoroughly inspected the unit before performing any work. Boy was I mad!! I asked him if then, I was telling a fib. He said that he was sure of what his employees recorded. I hung up miffed. A few days later I called back and asked for a supervisor. I explained the story to the supervisor and she had a coil cover shipped to me the next day. Frustrating, but at least they followed through to the end.

-matt-

 

[Newfiehunter]

Hey Matt
Sometimes using the art of good negotiation you will be successful at coming out on top. Glad u stuck to your guns and didn't give up on that coil cover.