F Series Fisher Opinion POLL

[Michigan Badger]

Vote and tell why you voted the way you did.

Many of us are wondering what's up because there are so many conflicting "reviews" out there.

You can VOTE here without the threat of someone deleting it. So, be honest in your VOTE and wise in your comments

Do tell all...

Badger

 

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[BuckleBoy]

You have some of the "classic" Fisher crowd that expect the old level of quality and service.

The you have the "Hay the Fisher team is moving into the 21st century" crowd. Who are willing to give up quality and service as a trade for that improvement.

Then you have the new crowd that take Fisher for what they get now and expect no more.

As a company which group would you like to have behind you? Thats up to the management of Fisher.

I'm just curious as to what percentage of the folks who are happy with the new Fishers ever owned or used for any amount of time, one of the old -X series machines?

You may have hit the nail on the head about at least the first and third group of folks you mentioned, LeBeep...

I'm wondering if alot of it is an expectation thing--what we had in the past, and what we expect now...and weighing that against Cost. For example, we don't expect much from a mid-range Garrett or BH--certainly not a decade of durability, but then again they don't have the type of price tag that the mid-range new Fishers do... And of course we all measure our customer service to something--be it Tesoro's service, the old Fisher service, or what have you...


-Buckles

 

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[Michigan Badger]

I never owned a lot of Fishers but did try a few over the years.

Back in the old days I was mostly into Whites and then later Tesoros.

I totally missed Compass which was a shame.

BACK to Fishers.

The Fisher machines I had never really impressed me for great build quality as compared to the Whites and even Tesoros.

Performance wise one of the most productive detectors I've ever owned was the Fisher 1260-X (ca. 1982). That model revolutionized detecting and we finally started to depart from the "lunch box" design. But after about 6 months and less than a few hundred Barber/Merc dimes and Indian/Wheat pennies--the 1260 died on me.

I owned a few Fisher "lunch box" machines that were basically worthless (no depth). Now that I think about it, the only one back then I really liked and produced for me was the 1260-X. I've read about other later models that were great but spent most of my money back then on Whites and Tesoros.

Really, spending some time thinking on this there really weren't that many great machines back in the 60's to 80's. There were lots of okay detectors but only a handful of greats. Hum? I never really thought about that until now.

I hope I don't offend anyone but when it came to build quality and general performance none of the Fishers I owned (except the 1260-X) overly impressed me. I figured I owned about a dozen different Fisher models from the 60's to the CoinStrike and F2.

But it's also true I owned some Whites models that were basically junk

If I were to rate one machine highest it would be the Minelab GT. Second would be the Tesoro Silver uMax. There are other new models and brands I haven't used yet.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I'm just bringing the issue of expectations up because my first 1266 was bought in 1992 and lasted until this year--through lots of abuse...I think it still could've been repaired, but I didn't want "Fisher" to do it because of horror stories of them swapping out original (and electrically o.k.) parts with cheaper BH parts when a 1266 was sent to them to repair. The issue, after 16 years of hard use, was the box coming loose from the grip--and it had a few other quirks that I had learned to live with. But I think in terms of durability that is pretty astounding--never needing a repair. You've seen the type of wooded, overgrown sites I hunt. I'd also heard great things about the old Fisher's customer service in the 90's...

So my personal expectations are high--and I've been hearing negative things...so I'm trying to sort out how much of that is because the "old Fisher" owners were disappointed after Fisher's merger.





-Buckles

 

[Michigan Badger]

Ya Mr.B I think some don't like change and others buy a name.

Someday when Whites, Tesoro, Garrett, etc., have thier detectors made for them in China, there will still be those devoted to their brand.

 

[liquid1]

Howdy la Beep lets sit down and have a cup of ..I'm not here to argue and want, I'M to Busy..I just know I like my F75..Because it works for me thats all....If I had a whites,Tesoro,Minlab...It would be cool, I am no way shape or form Brand Loyal If Its Junk its Junk..My unit Aint It acually works great from salt Beaches to Hi-Mineral grounds..As a matter of fact I am thinking hard of getting a good used Tesoro silver-Umaxx for quicky park hunts there lifetime warranty is awesome.. I went and looked at the Whites DFX and MXT today... WOW There Built with quality they look Great I see the Differance..They may be a tick heavier But I agree there Built like a tank...and look Great!!!!
.......This is a great site with gobs of info..Great Debate and post... ....james

 

[Michigan Badger]

Howdy la Beep lets sit down and have a cup of ..I'm not here to argue and want, I'M to Busy..I just know I like my F75..Because it works for me thats all....If I had a whites,Tesoro,Minlab...It would be cool, I am no way shape or form Brand Loyal If Its Junk its Junk..My unit Aint It acually works great from salt Beaches to Hi-Mineral grounds..As a matter of fact I am thinking hard of getting a good used Tesoro silver-Umaxx for quicky park hunts there lifetime warranty is awesome.. I went and looked at the Whites DFX and MXT today... WOW There Built with quality they look Great I see the Differance..They may be a tick heavier But I agree there Built like a tank...and look Great!!!!
.......This is a great site with gobs of info..Great Debate and post... ....james

I just want to say thanks for sharing that you like your F75. Being in the middle and not really a Fisher person I've appreciated the discusion going back and forth. I guess things got a little carried away for a bit but I was gone from here and missed all that.

You're not alone in your liking the F75. I've had private email communications with serious hunters who absolutely love it's performance. Although all were critical of build quality (or lack of it).

I'd recommend the Silver uMax for fast coinshooting in yards and parks. But beware, you might find yourself using it more that your expensive machines

Badger

 

[bigolhorns]

Ya Mr.B I think some don't like change and others buy a name.

Someday when Whites, Tesoro, Garrett, etc., have thier detectors made for them in China, there will still be those devoted to their brand.

I had an f-75 for 11 months. Upgraded to a CZ-3D two months ago. For me it wasn't "not liking Change" I went from the new to the old. Never owned a Fisher before the F75. I want something that works for me in my spots. The F75 wasn't it. Yes the build quality of the F75 is very poor.

 

[liquid1]

Here ya go jim..this is some sweet info from Badger...about the silver rig..
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,175038.0.html

 

[Michigan Badger]

You know Badger, seeing your comments on the Silver uMax, I'm mighty tempted to go get one, with the large coil, and give it a whirl. Nothin to lose. A little off the topic, but have you ever tried the Vaquero?

Jim.

The Silver uMax machines do differ in depth so I'd get a new one or buy used from some honest person. And make sure it's the newer Silver uMax. The older Silver Sabres, Conquistadors, Banditos, etc., aren't nearly as good. I used all of them and the Silver uMax is the one to get.

Here's another thing I've learned. My Tejon got very unstable if I didn't keep it ground balanced. I often had to turn the sensitivity way down and GB just to keep it running right. The same was true of the Nautilus IIB. The Silver usually runs smooth as silk at full sensitivity and I only need turn it down occasionally to maybe 9.

The biggie is the Silver with 12x10 is finding lots of deeper/smaller copper and silver items the Tejon, Nautilus, and even my GT totally missed.

One thing I didn't write in my story on finding the ancient coins was I had hunted those exact spots many times with all my other machines. I never got a beep. The Silver with the 12x10 gave a very solid signal on all.

Jim there's no question that in our soil here the Silver is the better coin machine. But in extremely trashy sites I'll still use the GT (for now anyway).

But too I've found the 12x10 separates targets extremely well. I dug a 22 shot yesterday at a good 8 inches. It will do BB's at 4-5 inches. It's a myth that bigger coils can't detect small targets.

Jim you've been around the block and you know coil size and depth are directly related. Only so much power out requires a bigger antenna for greater depth (Nexus). I read these fables of greater depth using a smaller coil. Smaller coils can mean less masking but I've discovered that's not the big problem. Most old coins and trash run about 4+ inches deep at old sites and at that depth almost all coils are smaller coils.

And too, the 12x10 coil will give a good/bad signal with extreme masking. I simply check the targets from differ directions and raise the coil a little and bingo! The Tesoro coil separates without losing depth with a dinky coil.

When I pull coins from 8 inches with my 12x10 concentric my actual coil size down there is maybe 4x3 inches? At 8 inches a 5 inch coil won't even see the target.

Jim, there are finds out there deeper than we used to think they were in the old days. I found this out when some grounds were damaged my a careless heavy equipment operator. I checked a deep ditch and found a very nice old heart pendant 7+ inches lower than the trench! I later found lots more goodies this way.

The THing in the future will be digging all the deep stuff this generation missed because we thought it wasn't there. Some new type of machines in the future will open up a whole new movement in coinshooting.

I'm trying to get Tesoro to make a round 15 inch concentric uMax web coil but I doubt they'll do it. The reason being they can't put a bigger concentric coil of their "hot" machines because they get very unstable (yes, they've tried it). The uMax is a better system than the "hot" series and the big coils work with them. But this would make the low cost Silver so obviously deeper than the expensive models that this could prove bad news for sales. Tesoro needs to sell some expensive machines or raise the price of the Silver. But, with competition the way it is, raising the price of the Silver would be very risky for them.

WOW! What a machine a Silver uMax would be with a 15 to 20 inch concentric coil! Try thinking rings/cobs at the beach at 20 inches!

They've been trying to sell us all this banana oil about PI being the perfect future system. Georgie of Nexus showed us what is needed is a better coil for the VLF.

You can get the 12x10 concentric (for uMax) used. Many people bought these a few years ago and never used them. I've bought 3 so far (2 went to others). I got one from a dealer someone had returned. It was mint for $80 delivered. $80 shipped is the going rate for a used 12x10 in excellent condition. If it's beat-up about $50.

My present Silver cost me $170 shipped. It was mint used condition.

So for a total of $250 I have a deeper machine than a Nautilus IIB (maybe deeper than the GT). And, it's lighter and a million times more fun to use!

If I ever come on a $1 gold piece this machine will easily see it.

No, I never tried the Vaquero. I always went with the Tejon.

Best,

Badger

 

[BuckleBoy]

Excellent comment about the $1 gold, badger--you're right on.  I am continually amazed with the tiny nonferrous items my Silver can pick up--even with the stock coil.  I'll be getting the 12x10 this December for it--and I intend to get a used one.  My Silver cost $159 used, from a reputable dealer. 

Regards,


Buck

 

[Michigan Badger]

Excellent comment about the $1 gold, badger--you're right on. I am continually amazed with the tiny nonferrous items my Silver can pick up--even with the stock coil. I'll be getting the 12x10 this December for it--and I intend to get a used one. My Silver cost $159 used, from a reputable dealer.

Regards,


Buck

Sounds great.

If your soil is average you should do very well.

I'll watch out for a super bargin on a 12x10. I saw a mint one once on Finds that went for about $60 shipped with cover.

The great thing about this rig is you won't lose any money on it if you decide to sell. One can't say that for the F75

Badger

 

[BuckleBoy]

Excellent comment about the $1 gold, badger--you're right on. I am continually amazed with the tiny nonferrous items my Silver can pick up--even with the stock coil. I'll be getting the 12x10 this December for it--and I intend to get a used one. My Silver cost $159 used, from a reputable dealer.

Regards,


Buck

Sounds great.

If your soil is average you should do very well.

I'll watch out for a super bargin on a 12x10. I saw a mint one once on Finds that went for about $60 shipped with cover.

The great thing about this rig is you won't lose any money on it if you decide to sell. One can't say that for the F75

Badger

Detectors, unlike cars, seem to keep a good bit of their value over time--unless they're unusable or weren't great machines to begin with. You'd think that'd be the case with the 1266-X...but I did keep my first one for 16 years (bought it for barely over $400 in 1992, then sold last month for $250. $150 net loss compared to giving me the best 16 years of my life is negligible. Seems like the Whites machines (XLT, DFX, MXT) hold their value very well--even though the market is a bit saturated with XLT's.

If you see a deal in the next few months, PM me. I'll keep my eyes open too.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I buy and sell machines all the time but I think I'll keep this Silver rig for a while.

As for digging a gold coin, some have dug several.

I have a friend who has dug 4 or 5 gold coins.

 

[kickback]

I rated the F series as excellent.I have a F 75.It is a killer on deep coins,especially old silver.My silver count went way up hunting the same spots I had been hunting.It isn't for everybody.Deep rusty iron will false as a hightone,bottlecaps and aluminum screwcaps have given me problems at some sites.When the ground here gets powder dry I have trouble with it chattering.All this being said if you can put up with this and take the time to learn it it will amaze you.I found 2 silver dimes and a silver quarter in a hunted out spot last week the first 12 minutes I hunted there.I almost had to take a nitro.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I rated the F series as excellent.I have a F 75.It is a killer on deep coins,especially old silver.My silver count went way up hunting the same spots I had been hunting.It isn't for everybody.Deep rusty iron will false as a hightone,bottlecaps and aluminum screwcaps have given me problems at some sites.When the ground here gets powder dry I have trouble with it chattering.All this being said if you can put up with this and take the time to learn it it will amaze you.I found 2 silver dimes and a silver quarter in a hunted out spot last week the first 12 minutes I hunted there.I almost had to take a nitro.

Sounds like the Old Fishers of the days of yore.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I rated the F series as excellent.I have a F 75.It is a killer on deep coins,especially old silver.My silver count went way up hunting the same spots I had been hunting.It isn't for everybody.Deep rusty iron will false as a hightone,bottlecaps and aluminum screwcaps have given me problems at some sites.When the ground here gets powder dry I have trouble with it chattering.All this being said if you can put up with this and take the time to learn it it will amaze you.I found 2 silver dimes and a silver quarter in a hunted out spot last week the first 12 minutes I hunted there.I almost had to take a nitro.

When I read this I thought you had Fisher confused with Tesoro.

Maybe Tesoro borrowed ideas from the old Fishers and that's why they're so good?