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6X8 SEF -vs- Sunray X-5. Is there enough difference to justify both?

I

Idaho PRB

Member
To those of you that have both the 6X8 SEF and either the Sunray X-5 or the 6" Excellerator coil, I have one question. Is there enough difference between the two to justify having both coils? I can definetly see having one medium size coil, like the Pro Coil or the 10X12 SEF and one really small coil for trashy areas but I am having trouble justifying the size of the 6X8 SEF as an "in between" sized coil. I am of the mind set that if you need a small coil because the area is really trashy or has a multitude of good targets really close together, then a 5" or 6" coil is all you really need to get the job done. Not liking to change coils all the time, I just can't see where the 6X8 comes in.
After the season is over (my first with the E-Trac) this question might just answer itself but for now, I would like to appeal to those of you who have already spent time with both to help me make a decision. Do I keep the 6X8 and buy an X-5, or sell the 6X8 and buy an X-5? Why?
Thank you for your time :thumbup:
 
Check out Bryces post on coils. Awesome detail on a lot of them in different sites and tons of info. Can't thank him enough with all the time he puts in doing that.

I am still reading through them since I am in the same boat as you....I am leaning toward the X-5.

JC
 
I have the 6 x 8 and honestly it seems tiny to me after using the pro coil I cannot even imagine having a 5inch coil. To me that would be like a hockey puck....lol
I have only used mine a few times. Whenever I use it I do find stuff but it just seems like it takes forever and a day to cover any ground and I always put my pro coil back on. I really don't have any trouble separating targets when using the pro coil, even in the trashiest of areas. I think if you swing slow enough the etrac is fast enough to separate targets just fine with the pro coil. I primarily hunt old farm houses and you know how iron laden those are.
 
I don't have the 6X8 but I did purchase the X-5 last summer to help me out in a few old trashy lots. The first day out, I went over an area that I had gridded using the pro-coil and pulled out 4 additional silver coins (1 Barber dime, 2 Mercs, and a 58' Washington) all in the course of about two hours. The X-5 is tiny...and does take some discipline to be able to cover a decent amount of ground.

Its a great tool to have in your toolbox.
 
I have the 6x8 and I love it so I'm very interested in hearing the consensus from people here on this issue. I've pulled a lot of silver from trashy areas with it but it seems like the X-5 might be even better? I'll wait to see more posts but it might be worth having both...
 
X-5 is great for the trashy areas and I wish that I had one last year when I did my first sidewalk tearout hunt.

I had borrowed my buddies 6x8, but it was to big for the tearouts that the city was doing. It seems that they use metal forms and the 6x8 just did not allow me to get as close to them as I would have liked.

Just my 2 cents
 
you have some extremely trash laden sites.

The 6 x 8 SEF coil is a killer on trashy spots as is the 8" Sunray.However both of these two coils are "mid sized" coils in my opinion. They are excellent for a nice balance between target/trash separation while getting superb depth and decent ground coverage.

The true "small" coils would be the 5" Sunray, and 6" excelerator. These coils are unmatched for trash/target separation at sites with extreme trash density while still getting good depth.

To narrow both of these small coils down even one step further...IMHO it would be like this:

5" Sunray: Superb trash/target separation and excellent depth

6" Excelerator: Excellent trash/target separation and superb depth.

Now the other side of this is as follows: If your sites are trashy...but not extremely trashy...then your 6 x 8 SEF will more than do the job.

However at sites that are just trash upon trash targets...one of the small coils will definitely pop another keeper or two out if you are patient and persistent enough...AND are willing to crawl and creep at a snail's pace. Trust me...it isn't for everyone..but there are some nice keepers hidin' in the trash if you are willing to work at it...and the 5" Sunray and 6" Excelerators are killer little coils.

No way anyone can tell you...at least I wont...that it would warrant you to spend another big sum of money for a smaller coil. That decision has to be yours...and only you can decide if it's worth it to take a chance at squeezing out a couple more keepers at some of your tougher, trash laden spots.

Just my 2 cents my friend.
 
I have both and would have to say Bryce summed it up well.I would not recommend selling the 6x8 to fund the x-5 .However if you can afford both it would be worth buying the x-5 down the road.I hate changing coils as well but if you have a lower shaft for each coil it is a breeze.

I have found that the x-5 will unmask some goodies that the 6x8 will miss.But you must go very slow to get the full benefit and from different angles.
Nothing like the x-5 for surgical precision both at unmasking targets and pinpointing the same.
 
[size=large]There is a significant difference in separation between the 6X8 and the X-5 or 6" Excelerator... The 6" Excelerator is about 1/2' bigger than the X-5. I believe the 6" Excelerator is deeper than both the 6X8 and X-5 and separates as well as the X-5 and can be throttled back to get near fences, pipes etc and still get some decent depth.. The X-8 is soft compared to the soft compared to a 6x8 especially on partially masked targets.. The X-8 with give a more accurate VID and retain the proper tone on a partially masked target but the audio response gets soft and not as deep as the 6x8. ..Turning up the gain a notch or to on the X-8 may help it out.(I'm on my 4th X-8 trying to get one that is good as folks say they are) When using the 6x8 on partially masked target the VID and tones are skewed more but the response remains strong. . I found when using 4 tones it was dropping good target tones enough to lower them into the next lower tone pretty often, I remedied this by running multi tones instead of 4 tone. . If I'm going on a hunt and taking a limited amount of detectors and coils I take the the A-Team , Etrac, Pro Coil, 6x8, and 6 " Excelerator.. In the B- Team bag you will find a SE, Pro coil, X-8 and a X-5. The 10x12 seldom leaves the house any more... The 4.5 X 7 is also a good coil separation wise but lacks the depth of the X-5 or 6" or 6X8 but may be a good choice if you don't need the depth and find a 5.5 or 6" coil unbearable.. .. wildherre[/size]


4821369929_828d53b370_b.jpg
 
I have both also and have to agree with Bryce's comments.

There are special situations that require each of them.

You do have to spend more time to cover the ground which is why I use the largest coil I can get away with at each site.
 
Yes they are tennis raquet bags.. Here is a pic with 4 coils in a detector bag.. 10x12 0n detector, 6" Excelerator on bottom, 6x8 & Pro Coil on sides...wildherre

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4821367511_b15c91bf96_b.jpg
 
wildherre said:
Yes they are tennis raquet bags.. Here is a pic with 4 coils in a detector bag.. 10x12 0n detector, 6" Excelerator on bottom, 6x8 & Pro Coil on sides...wildherre

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4821367511_b15c91bf96_b.jpg
Click to expand...


Awesome idea! :thumbup:

I should have never opened this thread, now I need an X-5 and a couple tennis bags! :rofl:
 
wildherre said:
Yes they are tennis raquet bags.. Here is a pic with 4 coils in a detector bag.. 10x12 0n detector, 6" Excelerator on bottom, 6x8 & Pro Coil on sides...wildherre

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4821367511_b15c91bf96_b.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I'll be heading to the local sporting goods store in the morning.
 
Tennis Racket bags - great idea !
 
Cool use of the tennis bags I have sitting around. I wonder how the 8 inch coil from minelab compares as nobody talks about it much.
 
Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your thoughts and experience with me. I do see myself with one of the smaller coils before the year is out, as I enjoy picking very slowly through a mess of trash from time to time, and really enjoyed the 6" DD HF coil I had for my XT 70. I think I will use what I have for now though, so I can see just what each of the two coils I have will do for me in the areas I have to hunt. I enjoy learning to use what I have first, rather than adding a lot of variables too early to a hobby that already has quite a few variables to begin with. Good luck on your future hunts and just remember to have fun doing it! :thumbup:
 
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