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CZ20 / DFX / SE New

D

DFXer

New member
After nine years of detecting with mostly Fisher and Whites machines I decided to purchase the highly touted SE. My current machines are the CZ20 for wet salt and the DFX for relic and general beach hunting. Both detectors have served me well. For years I had heard about the exceptional performance of the Minelabs so I took the plunge.

I'm fairly deep into the technology of metal detectors so I go considerably beyond the basics and do a lot of testing.

After a week of use both on wet salt flats in Maine and dry land I've come to some unsettling conclusions. I expected the SE to clearly outperform the CZ20 and DFX but that is not the case - at least to this point and I'm looking for suggestions.

My biggest surprise is depth or the lack of it even in all metal with the sensitivity maxed out. Both the CZ20 and DFX are detecting deeper that the SE and this is upsetting considering the price tag on the SE. I've tried all possible combinations of all-metal and discrimination settings to no avail. The DFX is clearly going deeper in discrimination mode and the CZ20 is far deeper in all metal.

I have to say that the SE appears to be better than the DFX in extreme mineralization only.

What is wrong? Suggestions please!
 
It is safe to say that the difference between top of the range detectors is down to user preference. On dry sandy beaches i prefer the dfx over explorers and on certain farmland sites the dfx seems to winkle out more good smaller finds. oN SOME grassy coin shooting sites the explorers are good for cherry picking coins out of the trash load. I have owned an explorer 2 and an SE i still have held on to the dfx as i like it. ery one to his own i guess.
 
I concur with your observations and the marketeers have won again. Tomorrow I'm going relic hunting at a site that I've been at many time before and the results will be interesting.

What's your opinion on the forum folks claiming coin hits at 16 inches with Minelabs?

Thanks for the reply.
 
Standard coil with max sensitivity. The SE is OK but doesn't meet the hype at all.

Thanks for the reply.
 
Thanks for the reply.

I plan to keep working with the SE based on so many positive comments. I may be sweeping the SE too quickly because of my days with the XLT and DFX.

Thanks again!
 
The more that you use that SE the better you'll get with it. I used whites for about 20 years. I started with the 6DB, bought the big box Spectrum when it came out, I owned about 5 different XLTs, and used a DFX for a year and a half. The XLTs and DFX was excellent in trash but they wouldn't get any depth. I used an Explorer II for 3 and a half years and got my SE a year ago and I'm glad I switched. I was so impressed with the Explorer that I started selling them. We had a Club Hunt a few weeks ago. One of our hunts was a deep competition hunt. They bury dimes and quarters about 6 to 7 inches deep. You get a point for each quarter and three points for each dime you dig. Two of our club members had brand new DFXs and those poor guys couldn't even hear the test target with them. It's hard to hear freshly planted coins when they don't have a halo. I won the hunt with 10 points. Three other people tied for second with 5 points a piece. Two of the second place detectors were an F75 and an Explorer XS and I don't know what the other one was. I know the Explore will get the depth, the rest just takes time and practice.
 
[quote DFXer]I concur with your observations and the marketeers have won again. Tomorrow I'm going relic hunting at a site that I've been at many time before and the results will be interesting.

What's your opinion on the forum folks claiming coin hits at 16 inches with Minelabs?
Thanks for the reply.[/quote]


I would like to hear about depth also...I see a few Explorer users...raving about Fishers F-75 and jumping ship.......

I too am getting very very frustrated with depth....I am closing in on 11,000 coins for year...I would guess my dfx....has found 90% at under 4.0....and about 1-2 % of finds past 5.0....my deepest hits are max 7.5....and that is after rain....
 
Chuck,
Thanks for the reply and I'm going to take your advice. If the ground isn't frozen I'll be out relic hunting tomorrow.

Thanks,
Paul
 
16 inches is SUPER deep and i think the explorer can hit targets that deep, but conditions have to be perfect. 16" coins with the explorer is not the norm.

i think the advantage the explorers have over other detectors is that the tone ID is superior. the target ID at great depth is also superior. 8"-11" coins, in my experience, might be super quiet signals and may not repeat from every angle, but the tone will be high for copper and silver and the target ID usually is dead on, even at that great depth. i suggest using the smart screen. for parks i use CONDUCT mode, DEEP and FAST OFF, IM-6, variability and limits at 10. i generally run sensitivity anywhere from 26-30.

hope this helps.
 
So you are saying steady signals are possible from 8-11 inches...is this just a signal or is the se (or whatever model xs, 11,)also identifying the coins correctly? Either I start finding some deeper coins with my dfx...or its a Explorer or F-75...
 
i found an 11" wheat once that sounded like a coin and ID'd as a coin. the signal was very very quiet, but it was repeating. the more you use your explorer the more you learn what those faint, deep signals sound like. there is no doubt in my mind that the explorer can find the deepest coins and ID them correctly at the same time, AND give off that high pitch tone from a super deep coins.

those deeeeep coin signals have the same high sound as a shallow coin, they're just shorter in length...it's hard to describe a deep coin signal in words. the best way is to hook up with a pro and maybe use an audio splitter.

gotta go to work, i'll be back on the forum later...gregg, get any of the explorers...they are all awesome.
 
And as far as finding old coins it is more important to be able to find coins in high trash areas rather than just raw depth. I seldom dig anything past 8 inches but have found coins from 1830s, Generally in the midwest soil builds at 4-6" per century. If you are hunting old sites there should be older coins. Generally shallow/clad coins will ID much stronger, deeper stuff gets much iffier, especially in trash. The explorer excels in letting you know something is there but it does take time to learn what it is saying, generally most of the experienced hunters run as little discrimination as possible and this is difficult to get used to. I recently bought a F-75 and have not been finding huge amounts in areas I've hit hard with the explorer. But then again I need to put in more time before I make a decision whether to keep or not. The F-75 does have some advantages, such as ease of use, ergonomics.

If you are patient buy a used explorer, try it, and then sell it if it isn't your cup of tea.

Chris
 
Gregg, according to how old an Explorer you want to get, if you decide on the XS, get the one with the Sept displayed at startup, that is the newer version or you may opt for the Exp 2 or SE. You did an outstanding job getting coins this year, my hat is off to you. I think you have already proven that you have the patience by your amount of finds so if you decide to get an Explorer, I am sure you can learn it.
HH
 
You are probably right...it takes alot of patience to continually dig clad...but have found close to 11,000 coins now and only 11 silver coins is not a good ratio.... 1000/1...... Obviously my goal next year is more silver coins less zinc cents and a gain of at least 1-2 inches in depth.
 
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