My thoughts on Detectors lately

[F_27stryker1]

So what is the best thing that technology has bought to us as detectorists.Is the latest high tech machine really going to find you that much more than the last really good detector?
I've been in this hobby for thirty six years and have used a lot of machines and i haven't seen or used a single new model detector that has made a significant impact on my finds rates over a seasons detecting.I've tested loads of machines in real world conditions and the"latest greatest"has often not shown any real advantage over earlier generation top end machines.
Lets take the latest "best ever" machine the Deus 2.This is the machine that is attracting a lot of attention as the next big breakthrough.So over a seasons detecting if one detectorist used the deus 2 and another say a dinosaur like an explorer on the same fields and compared the same signals,how many more signals do you think the deus 2 would pick up over the old explorer......hardly any is the answer.Most of the latest technology is about weight and cordless technology which is a good thing but people buying the latest machine in the hope it will find them a load more may be disappointed.

I do like some of the newer machines, mainly the ORX. I've had a couple of them over the years just because they are so lightweight compared to everything else. I don't condone any new or old detector, and have favorites from both ages, but the ergonomic improvements are nice. Something that feels comfortable and lets you hunt a little longer before being worn out is nice. I do agree that the hype these days is you have to have the latest greatest detector. It's how marketing has made the majority today. Just look at phones....they release the next thing for say $1000 and it has 5% more battery life, new looks, slightly better camera. 6 months later they release the next in the generation for $1200 with yet an additinal 5% battery life, 2mm bigger screen, more cameras on it. Me i don't see the hype on it. When the tech advances majorly i could get behind it, such as a new phone that now features 25% more battery life, screen size has increased by 2 inches, and has a camera that is significantly better. Some people love the newest best thing and others don't. The phones were an example but i feel like with the exception of adding multiple frequency detectors it has just been trickle fed to the majority when it comes to features on detectors for the last couple decades. There were some companies that released state of the art things and way beyond what others were doing, but the market for the majority just rebadged and remarketed, and finally in the last couple of years we are seeing the companies actually release some decent leaps and bounds in detector technology and making progress with it. I know some will read this and disagree with me, but please don't forget, that there are companies/detectors out there that do change the hobby for the better and improve the technology, that i would lay down my hard earned money for, but only when i felt like it would really make a change or difference in my particular hunting styles and ground. Have a good night

 

[u2robert]

So what is the best thing that technology has bought to us as detectorists.Is the latest high tech machine really going to find you that much more than the last really good detector?
I've been in this hobby for thirty six years and have used a lot of machines and i haven't seen or used a single new model detector that has made a significant impact on my finds rates over a seasons detecting.I've tested loads of machines in real world conditions and the"latest greatest"has often not shown any real advantage over earlier generation top end machines.
Lets take the latest "best ever" machine the Deus 2.This is the machine that is attracting a lot of attention as the next big breakthrough.So over a seasons detecting if one detectorist used the deus 2 and another say a dinosaur like an explorer on the same fields and compared the same signals,how many more signals do you think the deus 2 would pick up over the old explorer......hardly any is the answer.Most of the latest technology is about weight and cordless technology which is a good thing but people buying the latest machine in the hope it will find them a load more may be disappointed.

Yes, and the reason is the processors are faster making for target separation which = unmasking target that have gone undetected by slower old fliphone detectors.
This opens up old "detected out" sites to newer faster detectors.
Another words the older slower detectors see 2 targets as one because it's not fast enough to distinguish between the two whereas the new detectors are fast enough to see both targets
On top of that the adjustable iron bias settings is also a big help in unmasking

 

[F_27stryker1]

If your comparing detectors from the 70s, 80s, and the 90s to detectors released the past couple years I highly agree with you, Leaps and bounds of advancement. Yes there have been some major advancements every so often from the 2000s up till today. I see no problem buying any detector out there, weather it's a new deus 2, an equinox, a tesoro, rutus, teknetics, etc etc etc. My point being if it advances the hobby enough that it will drastically improve your finds and the tech has improved to more than drip feeding, go for it. Otherwise stick with what you have and know. There's no need to run out and buy a new detector everytime companies release one.

 

[MuddyMo]

The more expensive detectors have a lot of features and options that make them more versatile, pleasant to use and help find targets some of the others might miss. But to think they're great at finding most of the targets in iron or trashy areas you only have to watch the video below, especially the 2nd half for a big eye opening. I wonder what the percentage of masked target are found with top of the line models vs an old vaquero. There's probably places where 1 is finding 11% vs the other finding 9% for example and we're still missing 90%. Not knowing what we're missing we'd think our high $ detector was so much better and worth the $. The biggest advancement detector companies could develop would be better unmasking, like ten times better. Now that would be worth buying.

PS: I didn't mean to depress anyone.

 

[Nauti]

Yes, and the reason is the processors are faster making for target separation which = unmasking target that have gone undetected by slower old fliphone detectors.
This opens up old "detected out" sites to newer faster detectors.
Another words the older slower detectors see 2 targets as one because it's not fast enough to distinguish between the two whereas the new detectors are fast enough to see both targets
On top of that the adjustable iron bias settings is also a big help in unmasking

Brilliant target seperation isn't new technology.........i own and have owned some really simple older design machines that do really well in amongst iron such as red heat detectors and saxon detectors that are built in a shed at the bottom of a garden.Faster processors are not the only factor in how a metal detector can find a non ferous object lying next to a ferous one,coil design,frequency,soil conditions,etc,etc also playa large part.I also believe that many get influenced by watching ridiculous "nail board" tests or similar tests that have no bearing on long buried targets whatsoever.......and yes i have tested this extensively on a proper test bed with targets buried at different depths mixed with various bits of ferous material.In such tests i have witnessed surprising results finding out that some machines i thought would do a lot better than others don't do any better at all.......they all do well on a small coin next to a big nail on top of the grass......not so good on the same type of target buried under the soil for even a relatively short period of time.......do the tests yourself.
I have yet to own a metal detector that has re opened up any site of mine.......i await in eager anticipation for such a machine.
I totally agree that the latest machines are a big step up from very early models but we seem to have hit a brick wall in breakthrough technology with good detectors from twenty years ago still maintaining overall finds rates as good as the latest models.
The best way to improve finds rates for many isn't to buy the latest high tech machine but would be to learn how to swing a detector properly.......i see so many swinging wildly,at the end of their swing the coil is about a foot off the ground and its only really parallel to the ground for about 6 inches in each swing of the detector.

 

[Odanscoils]

It's called the advancement in technology.
Do you still use a flipphone?

Yup

 

[Odanscoils]

The cellular phone is changing the way our brains work. Go to a social function and everyone's head is looking at their phones. SAD

My daughter back on her 16th birthday party a few yrs ago.
A dozen girls in a dark family room.
Suddenly I noticed all was quiet.
No giggling and horsing.
I walk in and their All on their phones.
I ask Who are you all texting ?
The reply.
Each other. ???
They actually were having More fun communicating to each other on their phones.
Than talk to each other in the same room.
Yea
It's changing the way they think.
In a bad way.
No personal interactions.
Isolationism is the New Big Thing.

 

[Odanscoils]

So what is the best thing that technology has bought to us as detectorists.Is the latest high tech machine really going to find you that much more than the last really good detector?
I've been in this hobby for thirty six years and have used a lot of machines and i haven't seen or used a single new model detector that has made a significant impact on my finds rates over a seasons detecting.I've tested loads of machines in real world conditions and the"latest greatest"has often not shown any real advantage over earlier generation top end machines.
Lets take the latest "best ever" machine the Deus 2.This is the machine that is attracting a lot of attention as the next big breakthrough.So over a seasons detecting if one detectorist used the deus 2 and another say a dinosaur like an explorer on the same fields and compared the same signals,how many more signals do you think the deus 2 would pick up over the old explorer......hardly any is the answer.Most of the latest technology is about weight and cordless technology which is a good thing but people buying the latest machine in the hope it will find them a load more may be disappointed.

Eggzactly.
I still very much enjoy my oll Explorer XS and Sovereign GT. Except the weight.
Heck for special hunts I truly enjoy the old Brick Garret Master Hunter CX3 power + with the little 5" sniper coil on it. Slow but accurate.
Knowing the vast field of electronics technology.
I truly can not understand why technology hasn't come along in metal detecting equipment like other fields.
Why can't they come up with a machine that tells us at Least exactly what metal is in the ground ?

 

[Confetrit]

My brother won't use anything but a flip phone. He doesn't text or use the internet. It's small in his pocket, comfortable to talk with and and tough as hell. It went through the washer a couple years ago. It fell off the roof of his truck going 35 mph. No broken screens, no freeze ups, no restarting it and his service is $9 a month. He also runs a two tone detector with the iron volume on 1. Keeps it's simple and he's happy.

And this is all that really matters in the long run. What works for the individual, and what makes the individual the happiest. I know that a lot of technology has changed over the years since many of us began detecting, but I know at the same time that "HYPE" plays a lot into it, much the same as everything else. As long as I'm happy with what I use, and others are happy with what they use.....The way I see it is All's Well. HH ya'll. No matter what type of hunting you do, or whatever detector you use. It's All Good!

 

[F_27stryker1]

i have witnessed surprising results finding out that some machines i thought would do a lot better than others don't do any better at all

I witnessed this myself just about every time i purchased a new machine. Sure i was able to squeak out a few things here and there on my hunting grounds, but it's not like i was pulling dozens of things i had previously missed. I feel there are so so many variables with metal objects, think of how many different shapes and sizes and material compositions of targets there are out in the world, and then mix it all in with the same in junk(nails, can slaw, junky target in with something good). There are billions and billions of possibilities of what lays in the ground, of how it lays in the ground, and what other objects it can be mixed with. I'm not even counting the different soil conditions and ground variables or experience of the user. Sure a faster processor might help out, but just how much faster is a new processor??? Can anybody tell me? How much better is it actually going to be.
Now if we are comparing a garrett ace 250 to a deus or equinox, sure they are going to find more, otherwise you wouldn't be paying 3-5 times more for the newer machines. How much more, who knows, but in my hunting experience, not enough to say this machine is the find all. But i could reliably say this. Take the guy with an at pro, or a whites coinmaster, fisher f44, etc. who has used them for years, and put the same guy who has used them a hundred hours or so and a few months later and bought a new garrett at max because it just came out. Who do you think would do better???
I know not everybody feels this way and i can understand. I'm not saying the older machines are the best, and the new ones are bad. But i'll take any decent detector from the past 20 years and bet it can find me plenty of goodies, nearly just as much as a new flagship machine of any company out there, as long as i know how to use it and can learn it. It all, and i mean all, comes down to the user at the end of of the day, no matter what the conditions or variables, to make the choices of what works or what they need to hunt the best.
For me my current detectors stand at this: Teknetics omega 8000, Teknetics delta 4000, Teknetics g2, Xp ORX, Nokta simplex, Bounty Hunter land ranger pro, and a Bounty Hunter legacy. Using the teknetics g2 and the xp orx the most, although i use every machine i have quite often, even the cheapies.

 

[F_27stryker1]

Why can't they come up with a machine that tells us at Least exactly what metal is in the ground ?

I too have wondered the same thing, but thought about how many variables there were. I do wish they would improve on it though. I liked the minelab etrac with the scale they had and the number system, but i found it to be pretty unreliable at depths for me and i pretty much continued with my dig it all system. There were times though it did squeak me out some beauties though.
To be honest what i am wondering is why all detectors are not waterproof these days. Even if you dont hunt in the water or near it, at least you can wash it without fear of frying it. Also why did it take garrett detectors so many years to put an onboard volume control, when every other company had been doing it for so long before them lol

 

[F_27stryker1]

And this is all that really matters in the long run. What works for the individual, and what makes the individual the happiest. I know that a lot of technology has changed over the years since many of us began detecting, but I know at the same time that "HYPE" plays a lot into it, much the same as everything else. As long as I'm happy with what I use, and others are happy with what they use.....The way I see it is All's Well. HH ya'll. No matter what type of hunting you do, or whatever detector you use. It's All Good!

I can't agree with you more. I've just sit back so much the past few years and watched how marketing is, and things being rebranded, and how so many people and companies are pushing brands and detectors. With the release of the deus 2 it has just blown up. I do like it, may even purchase one down the road, but i'll wait until the reviews are in and see how she holds up. Same with every detector i'll buy in the future.

 

[Odanscoils]

I can't agree with you more. I've just sit back so much the past few years and watched how marketing is, and things being rebranded, and how so many people and companies are pushing brands and detectors. With the release of the deus 2 it has just blown up. I do like it, may even purchase one down the road, but i'll wait until the reviews are in and see how she holds up. Same with every detector i'll buy in the future.

The Legend has my interest after falling in love with the Simplex. Runs and sounds like a cross of my oll MXT and the AT Pro. Cheap and Light Weight. Not forgetting waterproof.
I just hope Nokta does one thing nobody else has done with multi frequency machines to date.
Allow a choice of single or combination of any frequencies in Every Mode.

 

[F_27stryker1]

The Legend has my interest after falling in love with the Simplex. Runs and sounds like a cross of my oll MXT and the AT Pro. Cheap and Light Weight. Not forgetting waterproof.
I just hope Nokta does one thing nobody else has done with multi frequency machines to date.
Allow a choice of single or combination of any frequencies in Every Mode.

when the simplex came out, i was actually suprised at what you get for $250. Its a hit out of the ballpark when you compare the price and features to other mid range machines. If I get someone serious about detecting that wants to join me, i usually hand them the simplex and say...i know its a little heavy, but it will do just fine, because i know it can hold its weight. Nokta changed the game for entry level detectors forever. I too am keeping my eye on the legend, watching to see what it turns out to be. May pick one up someday down the road.
Something i don't like about the new generation of metal detectors...sealed in batteries. Eventually those are gonna have to be replaced. Could have made them a little easier to get too

 

[Odanscoils]

when the simplex came out, i was actually suprised at what you get for $250. Its a hit out of the ballpark when you compare the price and features to other mid range machines. If I get someone serious about detecting that wants to join me, i usually hand them the simplex and say...i know its a little heavy, but it will do just fine, because i know it can hold its weight. Nokta changed the game for entry level detectors forever. I too am keeping my eye on the legend, watching to see what it turns out to be. May pick one up someday down the road.
Something i don't like about the new generation of metal detectors...sealed in batteries. Eventually those are gonna have to be replaced. Could have made them a little easier to get too

I'm running the 2.77 with the lil SP 24 coil on my Simplex.
Not twitchy or squeaky anymore. Never take it off.
Smooth as silk now.
Really hitting the small stuff.
My only gripe. The id #'s are way off compared to my other machine's.
Gold coming in around 14-18 throws me off.
Though I guess the equinox does the same. I've read anyway.
Going to Alaska knowing the MXT does well up there. I figured the Nox would do great on the small gold.
Glad I waited.
It's lack of durability would have made it a waste of money.
Guess we'll see on the Legend.

 

[Nauti]

I believe the technology exists to provide a big advancement for detectorists but would it be in manufacturers interests to let us have it.Instead of giving us tech that makes a huge difference to finds rates they give us tech that keeps people interested in buying the latest products such as wireless tech,lighter weight etc.If we get the ultimate tech now,how are they going to keep emptying our bank balances for years to come.No good for detector companies to give us detectors that will empty the fields of good targets quickly.........there are too many more insignificant advances that will keep people interested for many,many years.

 

[Odanscoils]

I too have wondered the same thing, but thought about how many variables there were. I do wish they would improve on it though. I liked the minelab etrac with the scale they had and the number system, but i found it to be pretty unreliable at depths for me and i pretty much continued with my dig it all system. There were times though it did squeak me out some beauties though.
To be honest what i am wondering is why all detectors are not waterproof these days. Even if you dont hunt in the water or near it, at least you can wash it without fear of frying it. Also why did it take garrett detectors so many years to put an onboard volume control, when every other company had been doing it for so long before them lol

The White's V3I technology is the only machine I feel was on the fast track to actually IDing types of metal detected in the ground.
The 3 line active graphic analysis really caught my eye. Just too heavy.
Love to see Garrett incorporate at least some of the White's tech they now own into a new Garrett machine.
For that matter.
Minelabs had a great machine in the Explorers.
The amount of information it received and processed from the multiple frequencies.
With a little tweaking of the received information.
From the multiple simultaneous frequencies.
It could quite possibly ID types of metal.
Just IDing aluminum from all other non ferrous metals would be a Big help.
Shouldn't be to hard knowing aluminum has a delayed echo effect in reflected rf radio signals.
And a delayed magnetic effect.
Hmmm
Maybe I got something there.

 

[Coin Rescue Inc]

Raise your hand if you are reading this post on a smart phone...

 

[Missouri -- Ma Betty]

Raise your hand if you are reading this post on a smart phone...

I am 86 & too dumb to use a phone smarter than I am! TRUE, as my memory doesn't work good enough to use one--have a phone but no messages & anyone can only call my number, although Tami's & Tom's numbers, for calling & messaging are also in it--She & Tom sleep days (he watches over me at night while she works--baby Monitor) & neither want to hear a phone ringing & waking them up! Dogs usually quiet but will bark & wake each at one time or another through the day--They are small dogs BUT LOUD HOWLERS when Tami comes home from work or shopping! I am getting used to them & seldom hear them; especially, when I take naps during the day! Thank You, Lord Jesus, as I am so blessed to not have to be in a Nursing Home--Awful when I was there! Ma

 

[2 Much Trash]

I’ve been detecting/relic hunting a little over 40 years now. I have owned only 5 detectors. My latest being the T2se which I’ve been using the last 9 years. My experiences through the years has taught me never to under estimate any detector or the person swinging it. One experience that really sticks with me is a hunt I was invited to some years back shortly after getting the T2. It was with 5 other guys. The only one i knew was the guy who invited me. Everyone had the latest bestest detector available at that time. Except one ole fellow who wore a hearing aid had a worn out looking Tesoro Vaquero. So worn out the only printing left on the control box was part of the letter V. Evan the numbers around the control knobs were gone. At the end of the day I had found 1 3 ringer. Another guy found 2. One guy found a rusted pocket knife. 2 guys got skunked. The guy with the Vaquero had a pouch full of bullets along with several eagle buttons, a knapsack hook and a couple Indian head pennies. I ask one of the other guys who supposedly was a metal detector expert how he found so much stuff when we all were hunting behind one another. He replied, I think he super tunes that detector. I replied, we should have super tuned ours.