Is First Texas Products making or planning anything new?

[Rothman]

I have to say first and foremost that I've used quite a few FTP detectors, from low end bounty hunters to high end Fishers, and I really am a fan. I still have and use my Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro because it's such an awesome machine.

All that said, it seems like nothing but radio silence from them for a few years now. They seemingly repackaged/renamed some things semi-recently but nothing truly new. I hope they're not going the way of Tesoro... Anybody heard any rumors on new machines or the like?

 

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[cudamark]

The latest they've been playing with is the AQ Impulse. They made a few prototypes called the Limited. It's had mixed reviews from those of us that got one. They're supposed to have a final version soon, but, crickets so far. They're also supposed to have a gold prospecting version based on the same platform, but, there again, no updates on when and/or if it will ever come to market. They've been a rather disappointing company lately when it comes to metal detectors for the serious hobbyist. They seem to be more interested in their cheap, rehashed, low end stuff, and their commercial electronics.

 

[Rothman]

The latest they've been playing with is the AQ Impulse. They made a few prototypes called the Limited. It's had mixed reviews from those of us that got one. They're supposed to have a final version soon, but, crickets so far. They're also supposed to have a gold prospecting version based on the same platform, but, there again, no updates on when and/or if it will ever come to market. They've been a rather disappointing company lately when it comes to metal detectors for the serious hobbyist. They seem to be more interested in their cheap, rehashed, low end stuff, and their commercial electronics.

Thanks for the input! At least they're working on something I guess. Fingers crossed that they make good on these prototypes and improve them enough to be viable. Good to hear from someone who's tested them!! Again, thank you for your input! I've definitely been underwhelmed by how little they've adapted to the changing market. As much as I love my land ranger pro and some of the Fisher products, they are definitely going to have to do more to remain relevant. Even in the world of new detectorists, better technology is becoming cheaper and more readily available. How long can the rehashed detectors still be a selling point? Of course, I say all of this while routinely swinging a Garrett Infinium which was discontinued years ago lol! I hope they get ahead of the curve because as I sated before, I am a fan of their products.

 

[cudamark]

We can only assume that they're still working on them. As I said, haven't heard a word in ages. To say I'm disappointed in the Impulse is a total understatement. It's quirky, temperamental, and doesn't come close to the discrimination capabilities it was hyped to possess. With no decent ground balancing ability, it's pretty useless in most prospecting areas. It's only waterproof to 1 meter (big whoop), so, shallow surf is the best you can do at the beach too. The finished version is supposed to have improved cable and connection designs, and better battery life. I would hope so, since the Limited needs lots of help in that area too. Don't get me wrong, they have some good designs on it, such as the wishbone coil/shaft connection (although they need to beef it up a bit), and the weight and ergonomics are pretty decent too. Control pod design is old school, but, solidly built with what seems to be quality parts. If they can get the discrimination more reliable, redesign the simply awful cable situation, improve battery life, more coil selections, and get it waterproof to at least the 10ft level, they might have something that people would want. In the prospecting version, they need to have more extensive ground balancing options and again, more coil options.

 

[Rothman]

We can only assume that they're still working on them. As I said, haven't heard a word in ages. To say I'm disappointed in the Impulse is a total understatement. It's quirky, temperamental, and doesn't come close to the discrimination capabilities it was hyped to possess. With no decent ground balancing ability, it's pretty useless in most prospecting areas. It's only waterproof to 1 meter (big whoop), so, shallow surf is the best you can do at the beach too. The finished version is supposed to have improved cable and connection designs, and better battery life. I would hope so, since the Limited needs lots of help in that area too. Don't get me wrong, they have some good designs on it, such as the wishbone coil/shaft connection (although they need to beef it up a bit), and the weight and ergonomics are pretty decent too. Control pod design is old school, but, solidly built with what seems to be quality parts. If they can get the discrimination more reliable, redesign the simply awful cable situation, improve battery life, more coil selections, and get it waterproof to at least the 10ft level, they might have something that people would want. In the prospecting version, they need to have more extensive ground balancing options and again, more coil options.

Thanks again for your input! I guess for now we wait to see what happens.