coil suggestion for yourself

[machineman]

I have beeen detecting for years. I have come to a important conclusion. Use the smallest coil you can! I have aCompadre, poeple say its a great jewlery detector. I compared it to my Outlaw and it isnt as good with the same size coil. I resd some posts about the mxt. They said to use the 5.3 coil its great. I have GM2 it works best with the small shooter coil.
We think that by using a bigger coil we will cover more ground, but we dont do as well on the ground we do cover with that big coil. Big coils have their place, depth and coverage are great when out I n the woods. But when hunting in parks and yards and pretty much anywhere that lots of people have been use that small coil, and watch your finds add up. Good luck.

 

[matthias]

I too prefer small coils whenever possible. The big coils have their place like beaches and mature woods. The 5x8 coil on my AT Pro is incredible and the 6x8 SEF on my DFX is the bomb. HH. Matt

 

[KinTN]

My 6x8 SEF is my standard unless there is a reason Not to use it (like the beach). So count me in the small coils club.

 

[BarberBill]

When I first started detecting I thought bigger has to be better. Now, some years down the road, I find that I use the standard and smaller coils much more than the large ones and generally with better results.
BB

 

[Nauti]

I also agree machineman.I've never really rated big coils at all to be honest.....they provide little extra in the way of depth and are almost useless in the trashier areas.I believe a lot of people put them on because they think that they cover more ground and are deeper so they will get them more finds.Like you say however,a small coil will give you a better quality search for the area covered which adds up to more finds overall.Metal detecting is about taking your time and searching an area carefully and thoroughly and swinging a big coil to cover as much ground as you can in the shortest time gets you less finds,not more.

 

[dirtfishinfool]

I also agree machineman.I've never really rated big coils at all to be honest.....they provide little extra in the way of depth and are almost useless in the trashier areas.I believe a lot of people put them on because they think that they cover more ground and are deeper so they will get them more finds.Like you say however,a small coil will give you a better quality search for the area covered which adds up to more finds overall.Metal detecting is about taking your time and searching an area carefully and thoroughly and swinging a big coil to cover as much ground as you can in the shortest time gets you less finds,not more.

LOL..I would have to guess you're not a relic hunter...yes my little 5.3 concentric or 4x6 shooter are the #1 tools to help me sniff out all the nooks and crannies of a foundation hole..but a 1 1/2 acre yard dating back 300 years?...absolutely foolish for me to even consider that I could call the area thoroughly searched with one of the "little guys". Out comes the 12" concentric (or the 10"DD or 8x14 DD) depending on the circumstances.

PROS: Solid 3" more depth
twice as much coverage with each and everyone of the 10,000(??) or so swings that I will make over this site
lot less mental fatigue (added bonus for being able to look up at the clouds every once in a while or smell the roses) also much less chance of missing strips of coverage
greater likelihood of finding things that lazy or less skilled detectorists have left behind

CONS: my arm gets tired sometimes. Solution slap on detecting harness or do strength and conditioning exercises=MORE DETECTING

Proper settings and technique are needed no matter what the size of the coil. There are a number of sites I have on my list that I know I will only get 1 opportunity to hunt, so I gotta give it my best shot. Low and slow with the "best" coil that the conditions allow for. Even in the parks I hunt, I'll always start with a bigger coil and drop down as/if I need to.

 

[SpiritRelic]

I like the coverage of a DD coil.I live on perfect neutral soil so a concentric should be my first choice,but i just like the detection pattern of the DD coil.It is like it scans so much more easily.Small coils are great to search with.Light,easy pinpointng.You would be amazed at how good you can cut between the trash with a 11 or 12 inch DD.The 8 " concentric seems to be a favorite with Tesoro
junkies.

 

[UK Brian]

Elliptical coils can provide the best of both worlds when larger areas have to be searched but "Low and Slow" could be a bad suggestion as a raised coil hight can provide more depth on some mineralised sites and effectively turns a bigger coil into a smaller one and "slow" depends on the filtering of the detector as four filter machines or adjustable filter detectors that can be used in a four,five or six filter settings require faster speeds for maximum depth/best discrimination.