Eagle II SL 90

Crutch

Full Member
Sep 1, 2005
162
3
Springfield Tennessee
Detector(s) used
DFX / Eagle II SL 90
Posted this in case anyone ever thought of buying an older detector. This is the detector that started the big change in Whites toward a software driven machine.


This detector was my first. In about late 91 or early 92 I bought this detector used for 400.00. Having asked the dealer why it was traded in he simply said the owner wanted the new spectum. I asked a few more questions about the detector and the one negative was that (in his words) users find it complicated to make changes. I on the other hand have found it easier to use than my DFX. You can actually get changes made on the fly without having to go down thru a bunch of program options. Sensitivity has its own buttons out front, volume is out front along with the different modes.

The machine is very stable and runs at @ 7 kz and operates where the DFX will not. When going to purchace the DFX I told the Mark Swann (see his articles in WET regarding cache hunting and relic hunting) I had an Eagle, his comments were "One of the best detectors Whites ever made and hard to come by now". I see them once in a while on Ebay but not very often.

It is and has always served me well. The drawback I have noticed is having to repalce the clevis that mounts the loop. They seem to be slightly weak. The only other problem I have had is a broken connection on the mother board where the round choke coil is attached. The weight of the ferrite (wire wound coil) loop is supported by a white push button retainer. Either the the factory didn't snug it very well or I set it on the ground a little hard when I go to dig a target. A good soldering iron fixed the problem and the detector does not power down any more.

FWIW, in my opinion the Eagle II SL 90 (not plain old eagle) is the ultimate backup detector. It is not a very expensive machine now.
It has Coin mode, jewelry and beach, Competition hunting where the freq can be changed, prospecting and 2 user programmable modes and accepts several aftermarket heads. Besides being able to raise the AC sensitivity you can manually adjust the Signal Balance control knob on then front of the box which is the same as adjusting PreAmp Gain on the DFX.

This detector will never be sold. It has served me well. My GF uses it now and I use the DFX. If I get to the point I need a second backup detector I am thinking about getting an Ace 250 or an older Classic III. I hear they have excellent filters in the III and the ACE is just a great buy for the cost.
 

montepollock

Sr. Member
Jan 25, 2006
381
0
ft scott Ks
Detector(s) used
,Eagle Spectrum, Fisher1236x2,CZ5,tesoro golden
I BOUGHT AN eagle 2 ABOUT 1992 AND ONCE FOUND A PENNY AT 8"-9" WITH IT.
I would love to have it now.
 

Feb 27, 2006
23
1
SUSSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
Detector(s) used
Whites Eagle II SL 90
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
i have an EAGLE II SL 90 bought it at a garage sale for 75 dollars with both instruction books and field guide. it sold in 1990 for 849.99 i am looking for the instruction vidio that was also avalable but cant seem to locate one. even WHITE does not have any. even a used one or a copy would do. any help would be greatly appriciated. THANKS RALPH OF NORTH JERSEY E-MAIL [email protected]
 

Rusted_Iron

Bronze Member
May 25, 2006
1,682
87
Corrodedlargecentville
Detector(s) used
Tesoro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have an Eagle II SL 90 purchased brand new in 1990, bought it from a catalog.

I just got it out of storage the other day, thought it wasn't working but after getting a new battery pack it works pretty well. Went to a schoolyard and found a handful of clad. Only problem is, the next day, it wouldn't find *anything* in DISC mode. Nothing, not even test coins. Opened up the case, blew out the dust and grit that had built up inside, checked all the connections, and put it back together. Now it seems to work fine!! (I'm afraid to take it to the beach because of the salt air.)

I used to rely heavily on the discrim but I think I missed a lot of stuff. Now I use the programming to make it accept more objects. AFAIK the VDI doesn't work reliably on things over more than about 7-8 inches. I remember finding a 1921 English penny around 9-10 inches with it. I can't remember if the VDI displayed anything or not for that, but I do remember it gave a nice clear tone that said "dig me". That was 15 yrs ago.

I also remember finding a freakishly deep silver dime, the only silver dime I ever found and in fact one of only 2 or 3 very deep coins I ever dug. A Roosevelt, from the 40's I think it was, depth 11 inches. I recall the VDI working, don't know why or if it even should have, but at that time I didn't dig stuff that wouldn't show up on the meter.

One of the best things I ever found was just the other day, only at like 3 or 4 inches, in an area that I and several others have worked MANY times over the years. The VDI read around 55 I think. I don't know what the odds are of finding a (corroded) Large Cent at 3" deep and an 1870's (corroded) IH cent just 2 feet away, but all this place ever gave me before was modern pennies and pulltabs. Same detector, no less!

I love my Eagle II SL (!!!) but hope if something goes wrong with it I could still get it fixed. I will never sell it. I read something about the LCD meter parts being unique to that unit and the Eagle Spectrum, but hopefully White's will have parts available for a while?? (anyone know about this first hand?)
 

B

Brush Creek

Guest
There was a old fella that got me in to detecting a few years back that used a eagle 2 religiously.
He told me he had to hide in a culvert one time to get out of a thunder and lightning storm and the water washed him and his detector out.
soaked the metal detector completely.
he still uses it all the time.
that's why I bought mine. The xlt I had if it was foggy would give me fits and the screen would fog up. I had 2 xlts that did the same thing.
i love my Eagle 2
 

lockman209

Hero Member
Jun 4, 2005
588
24
Chippewa Falls
Detector(s) used
Whites Eagle SL II, Whites PRL-1, (3) Whites DFX's, Whites Coinmaster 4G, Whites Silver Eagle, 2010 Whites Coinmaster, Fisher 1212-X, Fisher 1225-X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I bought my Eagle II SL 91 in 1991 from Kellyco. I love my machine. It has found alot of coins, jewelry, relics, and other things. This machine goes deep not like alot of the machines do. I will never sell my Eagle II SL. As far as I'm concerned, This is one of the best machines that Whites ever produced.
 

Attachments

  • 100_0307.jpg
    100_0307.jpg
    59.4 KB · Views: 1,750

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top