A Guide to the Pros and Cons of your Metal Detector

[fortaleza]

I want to start a helping guide for the different brands of metal detectors for durability, long life, weight, balance, battery life, known problems, shafts, coils, quality of machine, electrics, bang for the buck, customer service. Its what you like and don't like about your machine. Would you buy it again? You get the Idea. This might help people who might get another MD or their first one.

 

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[Loco-Digger]

Many likes and dislikes come from personal preference. For instance I do not like the sound of the Garrett's thus I went for the Fisher brand.

I loved the F4 since I am in Ohio and the soil is mild. It had 2 downfalls in my eyes. The manual ground balance only worked in all metal mode and the VDI did not function in AM mode. I ran mine pretty hot and got used to it falsing when passing over uneven ground or when you bumped nuts, pine cones and hard weed stalks.

I swung a White's classic ID. It is the only detector I needed to strap onto my arm due to it not being as well balanced as the F4. It was a good back-up but has since been sold. It came with the 8.5" coil and did not go as deep as I wanted. It is an easy detector to learn and setup, It just did not fit my hunting style.

The Bounty Hunter LRP was relatively inexpensive when it first came out. I have seen that it is popular and thus the prices have risen to over $400 at some places. I got mine for about $240. It is the best bang for the buck. It will compete with all more expensive mid level detectors. It has plenty of options and is ultra light. It's only short coming was it's pin point button. I recommend this model to everyone who wants to start in this hobby. It comes stock with the DD coil. All metal mode provides 1-2 inches greater depth than running in disc mode. It's disc mode depth is not shabby by any means. It can detect a quarter at about 8.5 and show a desent VDI, any deeper and I might not dig the target, but in AM mode it can detect the quarter at 10".

I swung my brother-in-laws Coinmaster GT and the MX5. Both came with a stock concentric coil. I am not a fan of the concentric coil. I rather us a DD since I can cover more ground since I do not have to overlap my swings as much.

I love my F75LTDSE and had it upgraded last winter. It is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It goes deep. I really like the fact that in 3H & 4H tone modes, nickels ring in with a high tone. I have nothing negative to say about this detector. I do use a large coil once in a while and use a homemade harness system. I can swing this detector all day.

I am curious about the FBS technology detectors and may buy a used one to see if it can complement the F75.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Great post Loco

The FBS technology, I highly recommend. I view FBS as a way to fully analyze a target, like a science

But, I'm a sound guy, I don't even look at the FE/CO numbers until I'm just about ready to grab the digger.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I should post my thoughts on several of the Minelab detectors.

The Explorer series have been abandoned. The entire series were essentially revolutionary using the FBS technology. I've never swung one, so I can't attest to very much about them.

Etrac...... Danged thing was so heavy due to the ergonomics, my elbow was killing me within a half hour. I put a swingy thing on mine and it helped, but just added to the amount of clutter I was strapped to. And pricing remained pretty high considering the CTX was introduced. Because the electronics (control module) were attached into the rod, I don't know if anyone ever tried to convert it to a straight shaft. I've heard the Etrac will soon by abandoned by Minelab as well.

CTX is very expensive if purchased new - I picked mine up used for $1500, a thousand bucks off. Ergonomics on the CTX is very good such that I can swing it all day long. Most times I'm swinging the CTX I can't even make out what the screen is saying to me due to the glare. I'd try one of the screen covers if I thought it would actually do any good. However, I only look at the screen when I'm ready to dig anyway.

FBS itself? Of course, the CTX is now FBS2. I don't really notice any difference between the sounds of the Etrac versus the CTX. But I can say that as a sound guy, I still swing my Fisher 1260X when the mood hits me. There's an incredible difference in the richness of the sound. On the 1260X, I am so accustomed to it I'm able to discriminate out the targets based on sounds by themselves.

With FBS and FBS2, it's like the difference between a street musician and a philharmonic orchestra compared to the Fisher. With the Minelabs, if I had better hearing I do believe I'd be able to determine whether the target were round or misshapen. Sometimes on targets I feel like I can almost do that now.

FBS sends 28 frequencies into the ground and have a computer chip in the control housing. The difference between FBS and FBS2 were in the coil design. There is an additional computer chip in the FBS2 coils.... But you can't use coils from the FBS detectors, and the extra coils tend to be very expensive. Personally, I don't yet see the need for extra coils on mine - at least for now.

In addition to the CTX, last Fall I picked up an Excal II. I need to go out in the yard and use that some today when it warms up a little more. Had the CTX in the yard yesterday for an hour, temperature in the 40's, and the wind ran up my britches leg making it quite uncomfortable. But, back to the Excal, it's heavy and ergonomics sucks. So, after tax season is over I'm looking to modify that to a straight shaft.

The Excalibur uses BBS technology which sends 17 frequencies into the sand and soil, older technology at this point, but as I'm retired, when they come out with the next generation of technology I likely won't be able to afford it! That is unless I find plenty treasure with this old technology.

Since I first started detecting in the Spring of '81, I've owned probably 15 detectors, but 12 of them were from the early 80's. I'm sold on Minelab's technology, I can't help but be. But I'm still learning, reading, practicing, and will likely continue to do so for quite some time ahead to finally be able to get everything it's telling me. They are very very complex.

I've owned several models of Garrett, a couple Bounty Hunters, the White's 6000D, a Tesoro Royal Sabre, the Fisher 1260X, and then went into the Minelabs following a decade or so of absence from the hobby. The first detector when I came back was the Ace 250, and hunted beside a partner with the AT Pro. The Ace 250 convinced me to get rid of it after about the third frustration session with it - gave it to my brother, who then gave it back and I gave it to my cousin who's second signal was a 10k man's ring = I guess he likes it. I felt like I was confined to a box with that detector, silent black & white movies and I wanted technicolor with stereophonic sounds

And all along in my new return I kept reading posts about the Minelabs. I do not regret moving to Minelab. I view it as an evolution.

I do still love my Fisher 1260X though