Yes, the bonus items are definitely worth it. All my FORS series units have the weather covers on, and when one is in-hand, the Nokta Pointer is on my gear belt.Stoof-tabsallday said:Thanks Monte.
And yes that's the idea.... Interested in the pointer and wanted the core since before I got my relic. Oregongreg says he loves his core and when I was shopping I opted for the relic for the expanded nonferrous zone and extra features, but still interested in the core for the khz difference and it's ergonomics.
But the bonus pointer and covers is a definite great deal.
After using the FORS CoRe for a year and being very comfortable with it in my arsenal as my #1 all-purpose detector, getting the prototype that had a few new and 'functional' adjustment choices and a slightly higher operating frequency was 'intriguing,' I guess you could say. I was familiar with the excellent weight and balance, really liked the search coil choices I had been using, so it wasn't just a matter of working with a prototype to learn what it might offer, but working with myself to see if I could still discern any usefulness for it and observe any noteworthy behavior.
Well, I quickly discovered both of us, the Relic prototype & I, were up to the task at hand!
I have maintained an assortment of detectors in my personal arsenal that spanned the common or popular operating frequency range from about 6.6 kHz to 15 kHz for several decades, and in recent years have bumped some of my model picks from the higher 19 kHz selections. The 14 kHz Racer series and 15 kHz CoRe were an excellent 'fit' in my arsenal and replaced some ± 14 kHz models and 19 kHz models I owned.I had been less than thrilled with most of the in-the-field performance of the competitor's 19 kHz detectors because while they worked, generally, they didn't handle a lot of iron sites very well, and they showed a dramatic decrease in performance on higher-conductive coins and trade tokens, and other desired artifacts. I was often resorting to a pair of units I used, at ± 14 kHz and 7.[size=small]8[/size] kHz, in densely iron plagued locations over the 19 kHz offerings. I knew it wasn't just a matter of the frequency of operation, but the guts of the detector and how well it had been engineered to perform in a wide-range of hunting applications.
Last December I started working with the 19 kHz FORS Gold + and it smoked the other 19 kHz models I had been using ([size=small]a Teknetics G2 and Fisher F19)[/size], and I hit some old home sites and brans and other outbuildings with iron to compare the CoRe w/'OOR' DD coil against the Gold Plus' 5½" round DD coil, as well as compare the 5½X10 DD coils on both the CoRe and Gold Plus. I think this is where more of the 'testing' comes in that determines how well we, as individuals, can discern subtle differences in performance that might be associated with a detector's operating frequency.
From ample experience out Relic Hunting a lot of sites for over forty-five years where iron of various sizes and types abound, I was easily able to pick out the 'edge' the Gold + provided with that higher frequency. Did it completely over-shadow the CoRe? Certainly not, especially in low-to-moderate trashy places when many targets I'd like to find are higher-conductive like silver or quality copper coins. Or at times when I consider coin depths to be a little deeper, although it is very close, I feel the CoRe might have a slight edge.
Nonetheless, I worked the Relic prototype and CoRe side-by-side, and as I did I quickly grew to appreciate the few changes it had. Performance similar to the 19 kHz Gold +, but the Relic has the 3-Tone audio Discriminate mode, plus two additional 2-Tone modes [size=small](Swift and Deep)[/size] that behave differently for our benefit when conditions call for their use. Tone Break and Iron Audio Volume control are the main additions I appreciate having and using. Those new additions are complemented by a broader TID resolution for non-ferrous targets than the CoRe, and I make more use of that feature when Coin & Jewelry Hunting in urban locations as I rely mainly on audio response when Relic Hunting more remote places.
For me and considering the bulk of my detecting sites I prefer to hunt, I quickly found the Relic to be a wonderful detector that called for a #1 all-around ranking in my personal detector battery. I used it more and more even after the evaluation was finished and the product introduced just because it is so comfortable, yet 'simple' to get into action and 'functions' so well in a wide-range of trashy conditions. But as time passed I also came to appreciate what the CoRe provided me in overall performance.
In your case, after initially owning and using and appreciating the FORS Relic, it is great to pick up a new CoRe with the end-of-the-year bundle as a bargain purchase, but it will be interesting to see if you can discern some of the subtle differences between the Relic and CoRe and come to like it as much even with the reduced non-ferrous TID range. Kind of a 'test' of how you can adapt to the two just in reverse from how I got to enjoy learning them. My guess is that you'll do well and admire both detectors.
Now that I have rambled, with the change back to 'standard' time [size=small](I absolutely detest the Daylight Savings Time concept)[/size] I need to get on my boots, and Rikki & I are headed off to try and find a new place to hunt this morning. Be sure to keep us all posted on your impressions and experiences when you get that new CoRe, and I hope you have weather in the coming weeks to get out and enjoy some detecting.
Monte
