Minelab 6" or Coiltek 5x10.....What's in your closet?

[Dan(NM)]

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated, pros, cons from those that have used both, performance differences etc. etc. Thank.

 

[sprchng]

I have both and it's exactly as you would think , more coverage with the 5x10 is the main difference. In really intensely bad ground with lots of targets the 6" is going to be better , and it's cheaper , so to me it's the better value. The lack of warranty on a 5 x10 , unless you pay retail for a new one , scares me away from used ones whereas the 6" is worth the gamble if pre-owned. Coiltek warranty is not transferable......

The 5x10 MAY be a little better separator than the stock but I have seen no indication it has the depth. It's more ergonomic and nimbler in tight spaces without giving up much in coverage to the stock so I use it in areas where speed and ID are more important than the depth. It's a good first coil through an area if you plan on detecting it on numerous occasions as you won't miss much before going to the other coils. Pinpoints off the nose superbly.

I would give up the 5x10 first if I had to but would always keep the stock.

 

[Champ Ferguson]

5x10 on the advice of Andy Sabisch for the type of hunting that I do.
Havent tried the 6 so cant say on that. I doubt you'd go wrong with either unless you have a very specialized use in mind.

 

[jas415]

I hunt with 3 other CTX users, and the stock 6" coil is unbeatable for the trashy demolitions we hunt!

 

[IDXMonster]

Dan,I'll be honest here....just MY experience with the 3 Minelab coils. I have used the 6" coil in places I thought might be a bit too thick with targets for the larger 2 coils and have NOT found anything the stock one wouldn't. These areas may have 5-10 signals in a 4 foot sweep,maybe more. Same exact settings except for higher sensitivity as usual with the 6" coil. That's ME. I could be doing something wrong, no doubt. But I just haven't seen it yet...AT ALL. Not ONE recovered coin the stock one didn't already see and I dug it before.
Don't take this as a turnoff,because I really like using the little coil,it's so easy to swing around and it will see the 6-8" coins with high sensitivity and if you're paying attention. In my areas I need depth to get to anything old,except in a few select places. That makes the 6" coil my absolute LAST resort.
Now, hunting in shrubbery,in tight spots,under porches....no contest,small coil all the way.

 

[sube]

idx you need to hunt in heavier trash to see a differences places where you can't make heads and tails out of anything brain overload that's when the 6 comes out .The stock coil is a great coil but there are places the 6 will smoke it .

All coils well see some of the same targets but each coil will see some targets the others won't, it depends how the targets are arranged under the coil which let's one see it and the other not.

Dan sprching said it best for the money and separation the 6 all the way. sube

 

[Digger]

Although the target trace and various separation modes allow all coils to "see" all targets simultaneously, the smaller diameter of the 6" coil allows me to separate targets more readily than the larger 5 X 10 due to the smaller footprint. Particularly when using minimal discrimination. JMHO HH Randy

 

[MI-AuAg]

Dan,I'll be honest here....just MY experience with the 3 Minelab coils. I have used the 6" coil in places I thought might be a bit too thick with targets for the larger 2 coils and have NOT found anything the stock one wouldn't. These areas may have 5-10 signals in a 4 foot sweep,maybe more. Same exact settings except for higher sensitivity as usual with the 6" coil. That's ME. I could be doing something wrong, no doubt. But I just haven't seen it yet...AT ALL. Not ONE recovered coin the stock one didn't already see and I dug it before.
Don't take this as a turnoff,because I really like using the little coil,it's so easy to swing around and it will see the 6-8" coins with high sensitivity and if you're paying attention. In my areas I need depth to get to anything old,except in a few select places. That makes the 6" coil my absolute LAST resort.
Now, hunting in shrubbery,in tight spots,under porches....no contest,small coil all the way.

I agree. With the unique visual abilities of the CTX, I personally haven't felt the "need" of a smaller coil. When working extreme high density trash areas, I just reduce the number of tones, and utilize the screen to a greater degree. You still SEE the targets in their conductive zone, with less audio tone overload to your ears. The maneuverability in tight spots is a plus for the 6" though.

It came to the point, 3 yrs after buying my CTX, that I thought about getting the 6". I couldn't bring myself to do it. I just used those funds toward another detector with a very fast recovery speed and good small coil. It gives me some versatility. I don't always need the capabilities of the CTX, and it saves the wear and tear on the CTX, where less difficult hunting conditions exist. It also gave me a quality backup machine, if I should run into an extended repair wait situation. Just my twisted logic I guess?