The-Bone
Sr. Member
- Nov 13, 2007
- 326
- 24
- 🏆 Honorable Mentions:
- 1
- Detector(s) used
- Ace 250, Whites Silver Eagle, BHID,M6,CZ21
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Ok guys/gals here is my opinion on the M6:
Background:
Have been MD for approximately 18 years. Started with a White's Silver Eagle, sold that and bought a Garrett Ace 250, a Whites BHID and now the M6 (still own the 250,BHID and the M6). Fairly up to date with technology and using new instruments.
Comparisons:
Most of what i know (it taint much!) has been derived from field tests of other detectors and from reading what you folks have to say. That said, most of my comparisons will come from the Eagle vs. the M6. The BHID is a unique beast and i only have one season in with the Ace.
The M6:
The Good:
At first glance i thought the M6 to be a dream come true. The display was bigger than what i had come to expect and it air tested extremely well both in id'ing things correctly and in depth. It is somewhat heavy but is extremely well balanced (not like the Ace 250). All metal mode is EXTREMELY sensitive and can sense a coin at extreme distances in the air. Pinpointing with this machine using the 950 coil is dead on. Did i mention that this detector is fast? I cannot wave a coin in front of it faster than the machine can register it. It is extremely fast in target recognition and also in it's ground balancing feature. The GB is so fast that it becomes necessary many times to lock it so it doesn't try and 'balance out' good deep targets. Target detection is acknowledged on this machine by 3 seperate entities: A VDI readout, a 7 point tonal response and an icon on the display that gives a bar graph indication of the target's probable identity. The machine draws it's lineage from a gold machine and as such is deadly on gold. I have found 3 gold rings with this unit (all junk but that is 3 more than what i have found prior to purchasing the M6!!!!) Each ring gave a very crisp sound off. Nothing explainable in text but, nonetheless, very discernible to the ear.
The Bad:
The M6, for all it's simplicity (basically 3 controls -on/off/gain, discrimination,ground balance) takes considerable time to master. Comparing it to the 20+ year old Eagle it does not stack up. The VDI readings on the Eagle were far more reliable than those on the M6. In fact, i have to rely on the tones of the m6 moreso than on the VDI readouts. If the m6 gives a high tone i know to dig. Also, a trick i learned from the Ace 250 , if both sweeps produce ANYTHING in the coin range you had best dig. This is also a very noisey machine. It makes no excuses that it's lineage is derived from a gold machine. It constantly chirps and questions what it sees in the ground. What is most dissappointing is that my 20 year older Eagle could consistently out ID this unit. If the Eagle said 25 cents it was either a quater or a bottle cap. If the m6 says 25 cents its either 25 cents, a dime or a penny.
Conclusion:
I really enjoy swinging the m6. I would love it if white's did a few things to the unit. First the VDI needs revamping. It is no where near as reliable as on the Eagle models. Secondly, the discrimination needs updaing. I realize that the m6 was designed for folks not comfortable with manipulating computerized menus, but, i wish that there was a way to disc out specific VDI numbers/ranges. Depth seems good and coil selection is 2nd to none. The 7 tones are overkill. No one i know thinks that 7 tones are needed. 3 would be superb: Low for iron, Mid for aluminem/gold and High for silver/copper.
Background:
Have been MD for approximately 18 years. Started with a White's Silver Eagle, sold that and bought a Garrett Ace 250, a Whites BHID and now the M6 (still own the 250,BHID and the M6). Fairly up to date with technology and using new instruments.
Comparisons:
Most of what i know (it taint much!) has been derived from field tests of other detectors and from reading what you folks have to say. That said, most of my comparisons will come from the Eagle vs. the M6. The BHID is a unique beast and i only have one season in with the Ace.
The M6:
The Good:
At first glance i thought the M6 to be a dream come true. The display was bigger than what i had come to expect and it air tested extremely well both in id'ing things correctly and in depth. It is somewhat heavy but is extremely well balanced (not like the Ace 250). All metal mode is EXTREMELY sensitive and can sense a coin at extreme distances in the air. Pinpointing with this machine using the 950 coil is dead on. Did i mention that this detector is fast? I cannot wave a coin in front of it faster than the machine can register it. It is extremely fast in target recognition and also in it's ground balancing feature. The GB is so fast that it becomes necessary many times to lock it so it doesn't try and 'balance out' good deep targets. Target detection is acknowledged on this machine by 3 seperate entities: A VDI readout, a 7 point tonal response and an icon on the display that gives a bar graph indication of the target's probable identity. The machine draws it's lineage from a gold machine and as such is deadly on gold. I have found 3 gold rings with this unit (all junk but that is 3 more than what i have found prior to purchasing the M6!!!!) Each ring gave a very crisp sound off. Nothing explainable in text but, nonetheless, very discernible to the ear.
The Bad:
The M6, for all it's simplicity (basically 3 controls -on/off/gain, discrimination,ground balance) takes considerable time to master. Comparing it to the 20+ year old Eagle it does not stack up. The VDI readings on the Eagle were far more reliable than those on the M6. In fact, i have to rely on the tones of the m6 moreso than on the VDI readouts. If the m6 gives a high tone i know to dig. Also, a trick i learned from the Ace 250 , if both sweeps produce ANYTHING in the coin range you had best dig. This is also a very noisey machine. It makes no excuses that it's lineage is derived from a gold machine. It constantly chirps and questions what it sees in the ground. What is most dissappointing is that my 20 year older Eagle could consistently out ID this unit. If the Eagle said 25 cents it was either a quater or a bottle cap. If the m6 says 25 cents its either 25 cents, a dime or a penny.
Conclusion:
I really enjoy swinging the m6. I would love it if white's did a few things to the unit. First the VDI needs revamping. It is no where near as reliable as on the Eagle models. Secondly, the discrimination needs updaing. I realize that the m6 was designed for folks not comfortable with manipulating computerized menus, but, i wish that there was a way to disc out specific VDI numbers/ranges. Depth seems good and coil selection is 2nd to none. The 7 tones are overkill. No one i know thinks that 7 tones are needed. 3 would be superb: Low for iron, Mid for aluminem/gold and High for silver/copper.
