10X12 SEF or 5.3?

[Whitetail]

Looking for some opinions. I've got the 12" stock coil that came with my MXT Pro and a 6x8 SEF coil. I was thinking of picking up the 10 X 12 SEF or the 5.3 as an added coil. I know both have different circumstances in which you'd use them. Those who have the respected coils....what are your thoughts on them. I don't hunt beaches and don't care about how one coil doesn't work in the "beach environment" I'm looking for using it in parks, the woods, old homes..etc.
Will I get that much more depth with a 10x12 over the 6x8 I already own? Thanks.

 

[Aarong81]

How do the SEFs handle high trash? The 5.3 works pretty well in heavy trash, but I would assume your 6x8 also provides similar porformance as the 5.3 coil would. The 10x12 SEF is considered a 10" coil, with size similarities to the 12" but dramatically different design so it should handle mineralization and trash alot better than the 12". If you buy the 10x12 SEF it would most likely permenantly replace your 12" since I can't think of when the 12" would be desired over the 10x12SEF, as long as it delivers as advertized. The stock 12" should be deeper in perfect conditions, although a rare thing for me. I've heard both good and bad experiences with the SEFs but never used one myself.

Both coils you are looking at seem to have really close applications to what you already own. 5.3 vs 6x8SEF, and 10x12SEF vs stock 12". The obvious design differences that I mentioned gives them different characteristics but the applications are very much the same. The problem I have with the stock 12" is that I rarely hunt areas that have low mineralization, so the 10x12 SEF would easily replace it in those scenarios.

 

[hank1]

I "ditto" what Aaron wrote. I think your pretty closely covered by what you have already.

 

[Whitetail]

Thanks Aaron. So...If I'm not planning on using my 12" stock coil anymore. What do you think it could fetch...if I could sell it? I'd rather have the 10x12 SEF. Would be willing to sell/trade if anyone is interested in it.

 

[Whitetail]

I have an early 1800's home and have been over the yard with my SEF, however there are sections that all I hear is high trash noise...beep...beep...beep constantly and it is near a main walkway. I can't help but think that I'm missing silver there. I just thought the 5.3 might help in areas like this, but from the posts above it sounds like the 6x8 would cover that. What does one do when there is a ton of signals like I have. I've tried to pick out any "high" tones amongst the constant beeps and trying to look at the readings to better locate a place to dig.
Here's a little perspective. I have a flower garden near this area....this summer I put in some flowers opening up the ground in some spots making it wider. The other day when I was walking back from the vegetable garden I looked down and I see this perfect circle. I bend over and look at it.....1921 Buffalo nickel right on the surface(no detector needed!). Now..I've been over my yard a million times. How does one miss the buffalo. I know to look and listen for the +20 VDI reading! I'm guessing it was masked by something else......juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust like the other area I'd like to search better above.

 

[Aarong81]

Sounds like you have hot rocks or too much 'Gain'. Don't be afraid to lower it to about 5 just to be able to detect less depth 'at first'. It sounds like your detector is seeing alot of targets whether they are trash or not so lowering the gain should help clear out a few of the blatant shallow targets. With the hard hitting targets moved out of the way you should have a much more stable machine. You can't jump right into the deep goodies if theres junk piled over it, OR UNDER it in the case of the nickel. I recently bought the D2 coil and figured out that in these really trahy areas with constant signals that it can see right up against a piece of junk and still seperate the 2 targets due to the narrow signal of the coil. Your 6x8 SEF should provide this same affect, go real slow with it and try to cover only a small spot on the ground to see only one thing at a time. If targets are very close together and you constantly sweep across both or more targets very quickly you cannot expect the detector to know how to decipher all that info accurately.

 

[bigtim1973]

I tell you how to get those pesky hidden good signals.......................You got to dig all that other crappy trashy signals out of the way first so your detector can see the goodies. Sorry but it is the only way, Tim

 

[tommy63]

im new to detecting and i have an mxt with standard 91/2 coil i love it and get some nice clads and such. Nothing nice yet but continue to hunt parks and ball diamonds lots of trash and im thinking of another coil to help in these trashy places any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[Aarong81]

im new to detecting and i have an mxt with standard 91/2 coil i love it and get some nice clads and such. Nothing nice yet but continue to hunt parks and ball diamonds lots of trash and im thinking of another coil to help in these trashy places any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Trashy areas require either a smaller coil such as the 5.3(great coil) or a DD style coil such as the D2 by whites(also great but pricey). I have both and leave the D2 on almost all the time since it "covers" more ground 'front to back' of the coil with each pass so it has a lot of overlap. Concentric coils create a cone shape signal and don't provide this overlap affect as a DD coil would.

Trashy=smaller and/or DD coil. Elliptical coils such as the whites 4x6 and 6x10 are good at seperating as well(both DD coils). If you go very small such as the 4x6, it will turn out to be more of a specialty coil because not every place you detect is going to be really trashy. Then you will find yourself 'over stepping' your swing very easily. The smaller the coil, the less ground it will cover and requires tiny tiny steps so you get adaquate overlapping. If your trying to add to your arsenal of coils then specialty coils are nice to have but if money is an issue then get a coil that will serve the most good(time on your detector).....a mid size DD.

 

[Mike Livingston]

So hunt in all metal? Dig every thing? John did that with a cheap Garrett. Should have seen what he did find around an out door pool one week end.

 

[Mike Livingston]

So how do you like your SEF?

 

[mouseman]

hi, I have a sef butterfly 10by12 and a 5.3 also the standard 12" 300. the 10by12 does ok when you have more soil than salt. it doesn't pick though trash vary well, and it sucks on the pacific ocean beaches. on soil the 12" works better,and covers more ground. the 5.3 is good and I'm glad I bought it. that's my point of view. I hope I was helpful. mouseman crescent city,ca.

 

[Nancy-IL]

5.3 all the way. I can't say enough for that coil. JMHO, Nancy

 

[Critterhunter]

My advice would be to test the 5.3 against a 12x10 in left/right separation via masking targets with nails in various ways. I've done that, filmed on video for youtube, and shockingly my DD trash coil on my machine didn't appear to have nearly as good left/right separation as the 12x10 DD in several tests. That impressed the heck out of me, and I always suspected the 12x10 had a super tight DD detection line width.

Outstanding coil in both depth and separation and stability, but I'm not using your machine so no way to say that would be true for you. I'm confident if I grid a site from several angles there isn't much the 12x10 will miss masking wise, but of course a small coil, even one with seemingly not as good left/right separation, will have the advantage in terms of length wise separation. That's why it's important to grid from several angles IMO, regardless of how big or small the coil is.

Another thing that surprised me is that the old rule of thumb of a smaller coil seeing through mineralization better didn't seem to apply in my case. I did a test using 3 mineralized bricks, testing 4 coils as I did them also on various nail masking tests in the video, and found my trash coil didn't *appear* to handle the mineralization as well.

Of course these were all air tests, so the results are in no way a sure thing in actual in ground conditions, but just the same I found it highly interesting.

Since you already have a 6x8, which is a very good trash coil, I'd shoot for a larger coil for more potential depth. Then again, I'm a big fan of the smallest round DD coil for a trash coil as well for max separation. I love the shape of the 12x10 in a large coil to attempt to improve left/right separation while still gaining depth, but in terms of a trash coil I just want round for max unmasking potential. Depth to me is secondary in a trash coil. Not what I want one for.