[quote jmaryt]hi bob!
what do you liike about it?..may i ask!..i bought one after xmas and won't be able to use it until spring!..i am hoping for a lot of feedback here so i will know what to expect when i start using it!...thanks!
(h.h!)
j.t.[/quote]
Hi J.T.,
Since I am the only one who's name is Robert, I figured you must be taking to me!
There is a member of another forum who asked me what I liked about my new F2. Here is what I told him:
My F2 is the first detector that I have ever owned. And, I love it!! It is extremely light (important to me and my bad back), and rather easy to learn (important to me and my 2 functional brain cells ). It is very sensitive, has super quick target recovery, massive sized VDI numbers, and hits coins hard! I don't know if it is still this way or not, but when I bought mine, I got the stock 8" coil, the 4" coil, the extra lower rod, and extra hardware for $199 plus shipping. That's extremely hard to beat!!
Now a couple of things I don't like... It comes with a factory set ground balance that can't be adjusted. But, it was only $199! And, I've learned that I can reduce the sens. to get rid of the falsing caused by my mineralized soil. Surprisingly, this hasn't cost me much in the way of depth either.
I thought that my air tests were quite alright. But, some of the other guys weren't impressed with their air tests. I don't like that. But, most everyone (including me) has been impressed with the unit when tested on the ground. And, that's where it really counts anyway!
The coil's cable does not have a locking ring. Because of that, the cable can come loose from handling the machine and not being mindful of the cable. I've found that this can be easily fixed by unwrapping the cable one round, pulling the excess up high, and fastening the cable to the upper rod (as close to the control box as you can) with the strip of velcro that comes with the unit.
When you lay the F2 down on the stand, it will easily turn over. I don't know if it is because the stand is not wide enough or what. But, since I am aware of this, I am just extra careful when laying it down on the stand.
The "clip" to the battery door is very, very sharp! If you aren't careful, it will split a finger open! I just used one of my wife's emory boards to file the sharp edge and corners down a bit.
Though simple once you learn how to use it, notching in/out targets can be a bit frustrating. The manual should be more clear on how to do this. I learned how to do it simply by "playing" with mine. If you have any trouble, let me know and I'll explain it to you the best way I know how!!
The owner's manual is not the most in depth I've ever seen. As a matter of fact, it lacks a lot of detail. First Texas would have done well to include an instructional CD. But as I said, it is my first detector... and I have had little trouble figuring it out!
I don't mean this to sound as though I don't like the F2, because I love mine. It is just that there are a few things I would like to see done different. But, I'm sure that is true of the best or most expensive machines out there!
When I bought my F2, I was advised to buy all the detector that I could financially afford. I did that. If I had it to do all over again, and I had $100 more to spend, I'd still buy the F2!
J.T., when the F2 first came out, everything I could find about it was rave, rave, rave. Then, there were a few that came out full blast against the F2. It seems now that there are more that are posting that they like their F2 and what they have found while using it. From what I have read, the comments about the F2 have followed in the footsteps of many of its more costly predecessors. They begin with love, love, love... best thing since sliced bread... magic on a stick!! Next, it's a piece of garbage... couldn't find metal at a recycling center... wouldn't have another one if you gave it to me!! Finally, as time goes on we hear reports of and see pics of some of the finds made by the detector. It's usually at this point that we learn how good or how poorly a particular machine performs! But, even then we must keep several things in mind... is the person brand loyal... has the person been using the machine long enough to get a true overall picture of how it performs... what are the person's soil conditions (most machines will work better in one place than they do in others because of mineral content or lack thereof), is the detector being used in a place that is prone to have goodies, trash, both, or nothing at all, and so on.
I know that I am still very new to this hobby. But, my personal experience with the F2 added with what I have read about other detectors that preceded it, tends to lead me to believe that time will show the F2 to be a very good entry level detector. And, definitely a detector that is
extremely hard to beat for $199!!!
When you finally get to use yours, I hope you enjoy it and find lots and lots of treasure. Just remember to be paitent, learn what the detector is "saying" to you, and most of all... have fun!! Oh... and, don't forget to
cover up your holes!!!!!!!
Good luck,
Robert
Congrats on the ring!
PLUS a five year warranty!!!!