Darnsober,
Paid $565.00 for mine delivered new with Whites bag, Whites 140MM bulls eye pin pointer and a pair of Whites head phones. I already had a pin pointer and I use Killer Bee head phones. Now I have some extra stuff, anyway it is a very nice detector and performs very well. It works well with the 5.3 eclipse coil and the 6x10DD eclipse with a lot less noise than the MXT. I think it is one of the better detectors out there for the dollar spent for an ID detector with smooth operation, and a top notch ground tracking system.
( Below is a quick review I posted about the M-6, since then I can add a 1902 Indian head in great shape, about 8 wheat's a few older toys an old eagle pendant and more modern clad )
Good Luck
Bill G
I got in my new M6 machine, put it together, and did some quick air testing. There was a minor fix that needed to be done. The discriminator knob was off by a notch forward. I pulled it off and rolled it back one notch so that the nickels would drop out at nickel instead of past the nickel mark on the dial. Now the dial is right on the money at the nickel & coin markings.
I took the M6 out to an old oilfield lease house sight from the early 1900's. The homes are gone and there is a ton of iron trash in the ground.
I have to say the detector did a fine job over all. Every bit as good as other units I have had or used in this area; including the XLT, DFX, and the MXT (the unit was nowhere as noisy as the MXT in the iron trash, which was the only dislike I had with the MXT). I found the trick was to ground balance in a good area then lock the track toggle, this kept the chatter down from the iron trash. There was a noticeable difference between auto ground tracking and the locked in tracking position in the iron trash. Every now and then I would lift the coil to waist height and toggle the pin point on, then place the coil above the ground and pump the coil to check balance, no problems in this area of function.
I used the 6x10DD and the 5.3 coil, they both did well. The DD was a little quieter in the iron trash. The detector ID'd well only being fooled by a few flat iron washers or larger pieces of decomposing iron. It also ID'd a zinc as a screw cap once and most of the old pop tops Id'd as penny/dime if they were flat, but they had a slightly different sound to them and the ID bar would only fill in half way most all of the time even though it locked penny/dime. On a good penny or dime the ID bar would fill in all the way with a good lock.
I feel the detector discriminates in iron trash well and will be a great coin machine with good solid depth.
My finds included: a 1917 wheat, an old brass tool tag from the 1950's, a 1965 quarter, an old Milk of Magnesia toothpaste tin tube with a metal lid, and the regular modern clad items.
Take care,
Bill G
