Hello guys,
after a short internet brake I'm back with the F4 vs Discovery 3300 comparison.
[attachment 58073 F4.jpg]
Let me start with the hardware:
The F4 is a 3 pole design and the 3300 just a two pole.
The F4 has the better grip and armrest. The Fisher hardware seems to be the better quality and feel.
The F4 come with the 8" round concentric AND the new 11" DD coil.
Yes, the Fisher DD coil works on the 3300 two.
Now, is the F4 just a nicer looking 3300 ? No, it's NOT
I haven't had much time with the F4, but the differences are easy to see not only in the hardware, but also the performance.
First thing i noticed is that the F4 has target ID numbers from 0 to 99 and the 3300 has numbers from 0 to 199. Is that a good thing ? I don't know. Never had problems with the numbers on the 3300, but 100 numbers on the F4 is good enough.
Next thing i had to do is ground balancing the F4. That is a lot better and easier to do compared to the 3300. Just set the F4 to auto tune all metal mode, pump the coil up and down a few inches above the ground and turn the GB control with the thumb, until no change is heard while pumping up and down. New is also that turning the GB control clockwise sets the GB more positive. With the 3300 COUNTERCLOCKWISE is more positive (that was alway strange to me).
Since the 3300 has NOT a autotune all metal mode, you have to GB in pinpoint mode and lift the coil to waist level, change the GB setting, press pinpoint, pump the coil down to the ground and repeat that procedure until you found the right GB setting. Sounds hard to do, but is not too bad once you have done it. But not as easy as with the F4.
Next test was my 5" deep dime buried in my backyard. No problem for both detector even with the coil 3" over the ground. I noticed here that the 3300 gave the same target volume on the target, no matter how deep it is. The F4 sounds of on shalow targets loud and is quieter the deeper the target is. That gives some additional info how deep the target is you just found. Guys with bad hearing may like the 3300 better since deep targets sound the same as shalow targets.
Depth on both detectors is about the same. Using the 8" round coil on both detectors a Quarter on the ground could be detected at about 9.5 inches. Nickels about 9" on both.
But here come the biggest difference: The recovery speed and target response on the F4 is MUCH faster. Again, both detector tested with the same 8" coil. Here is where the F4 really outperforms the 3300.
On a Nickel, i found that the deeper the Nickel was the higher it read on the F4. Very deep Nickels read in the coin range (penny). The 3300 puts deep nickels (deeper than 5") in the iron range.
Due to the ground balance and target ID numbers the F4 performed better than the Garrett Ace 250. I'm talking about inground performance, NOT air tests.
The F4 is a very good detector in its class, i just wish First Texas would use a 4 AA batterie setup on the F4 and not two nine volt batteries.
I still have some testing to do how the F4 and 3300 work with the 11"DD coil and the 4" nugget coil (Yes, already available for both detectors).
Price: The Discovery 3300 is 299 $ at Radio shack with a 3 month warranty and just one coil. The F4 is 425 $ with two coils and 5 years warranty.
That's it for now,
Andy,NM
after a short internet brake I'm back with the F4 vs Discovery 3300 comparison.
[attachment 58073 F4.jpg]
Let me start with the hardware:
The F4 is a 3 pole design and the 3300 just a two pole.
The F4 has the better grip and armrest. The Fisher hardware seems to be the better quality and feel.
The F4 come with the 8" round concentric AND the new 11" DD coil.
Yes, the Fisher DD coil works on the 3300 two.
Now, is the F4 just a nicer looking 3300 ? No, it's NOT
I haven't had much time with the F4, but the differences are easy to see not only in the hardware, but also the performance.
First thing i noticed is that the F4 has target ID numbers from 0 to 99 and the 3300 has numbers from 0 to 199. Is that a good thing ? I don't know. Never had problems with the numbers on the 3300, but 100 numbers on the F4 is good enough.
Next thing i had to do is ground balancing the F4. That is a lot better and easier to do compared to the 3300. Just set the F4 to auto tune all metal mode, pump the coil up and down a few inches above the ground and turn the GB control with the thumb, until no change is heard while pumping up and down. New is also that turning the GB control clockwise sets the GB more positive. With the 3300 COUNTERCLOCKWISE is more positive (that was alway strange to me).
Since the 3300 has NOT a autotune all metal mode, you have to GB in pinpoint mode and lift the coil to waist level, change the GB setting, press pinpoint, pump the coil down to the ground and repeat that procedure until you found the right GB setting. Sounds hard to do, but is not too bad once you have done it. But not as easy as with the F4.
Next test was my 5" deep dime buried in my backyard. No problem for both detector even with the coil 3" over the ground. I noticed here that the 3300 gave the same target volume on the target, no matter how deep it is. The F4 sounds of on shalow targets loud and is quieter the deeper the target is. That gives some additional info how deep the target is you just found. Guys with bad hearing may like the 3300 better since deep targets sound the same as shalow targets.
Depth on both detectors is about the same. Using the 8" round coil on both detectors a Quarter on the ground could be detected at about 9.5 inches. Nickels about 9" on both.
But here come the biggest difference: The recovery speed and target response on the F4 is MUCH faster. Again, both detector tested with the same 8" coil. Here is where the F4 really outperforms the 3300.
On a Nickel, i found that the deeper the Nickel was the higher it read on the F4. Very deep Nickels read in the coin range (penny). The 3300 puts deep nickels (deeper than 5") in the iron range.
Due to the ground balance and target ID numbers the F4 performed better than the Garrett Ace 250. I'm talking about inground performance, NOT air tests.
The F4 is a very good detector in its class, i just wish First Texas would use a 4 AA batterie setup on the F4 and not two nine volt batteries.
I still have some testing to do how the F4 and 3300 work with the 11"DD coil and the 4" nugget coil (Yes, already available for both detectors).
Price: The Discovery 3300 is 299 $ at Radio shack with a 3 month warranty and just one coil. The F4 is 425 $ with two coils and 5 years warranty.
That's it for now,
Andy,NM
