Overrated???

[Herb Jones]

Thinking of stepping up to something more advanced, just to see what I've been missing. I know it's taboo to ask which detector is best because that just gonna lead to endless debate... what I'd like to know, from [personal experience which higher end machines are the most overrated? Which have been a disappointment for you and why?

 

[IDXMonster]

You’re going to get the same result,but reversed. Instead of people debating what’s best,they’re going to debate why it’s not the worst. If you are a deep coin hunter and can lug around 4-5 pounds without complaint and you want one machine to do it all except tiny gold...buy a CTX and be done forever. I just coughed up my 131st silver coin this year,if that kind of performance appeals to you at all. Sorry,it’s not over rated...by ME anyway...

 

[Mega]

For me personally the only detector that i could not get on with and have ever sold was a brand new Troy X5 which is/was a rare beast to buy here in the UK,including shipping costs and customs duty it was expensive,build quality was super and also the weight aspect as well,even after giving it a fair amount of time ie about 14 months with 100s of hours on the clock this detector and i was never going too 'gel'.

It just loved iron and on some of the sites that i detect on and even speaking directly across the pond to Troy i still could not 'gel' with it,so as mentioned before this has only ever been the 1 detector that i have sold,luckly as i kept it in mint condition and also they had at the time been reasonably rare machine i basically got the same price as i bought it for,which as we are all aware of prices can drop by a massive margin in a very short time duration.

My personal opinion is that this machine may suit some folks but for me it was drastically over rated,still very rare sight in the UK,across the pond as i understand it they are good relic machines,thats my over rated contender.

 

[IDXMonster]

And I’m glad Mega posted...because I think we could BOTH agree that one of the most UNDER rated would be the IDXPro. Very easy to run and very accurate...

 

[mrwilburino]

A lot of those disappointments are due to people buying the wrong machine for their type of hunting or just not spending any time learning it. The higher end machines tend to be more specialized than some realize. Great at certain certain things, not so hot at others. Can also be overly complicated with a lot of features. Not the easiest to hunt with right out of the box.

 

[hairymonsterman]

Just about every detector i've owned has been overrated in some way, be it by testers, fanboys, or even the manufacturer themselves!

Out of the more upto date detectors i've owned, Signum MFD, Etrac, Racer 2, GM5, GM5+, F19, Nexus, Deus, 705, the only one i've kept is the Signum as it works deep in my soil and covers 90% of my needs, and i'd say it's the one that best met expectations.

 

[John-Edmonton]

The best over rated/under rated detector has always been the one which someone has spent countless hours on, learning it very well, being aware of the various accessories such as coils and head phones and applying your knowledge to pick the best accessory for your desired hunt. Other then that, all detectors have some warts, both cheap and over priced machines. What aa over rated detector is to one, is a fantastic detector to another.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

A lot of those disappointments are due to people buying the wrong machine for their type of hunting....

I also like what IDX-monster saw (re.: the converse of the ford/chevy question) : " ....You’re going to get the same result, but reversed...."

The Troy x5 was pointed out as a disappointment (in relation to the bruhaha at its introduction). I agree. But then again, there's places where that might excel over some super power house machine. It's all in where you're hunting. I have hunted places where my Explorer II will be spanked by the Tesoro Bandito. That would be ghost-townsy nail conditions (masking) . Where depth and TID are a non-issue. Notice that the Bandito is doing good to even get 5" on a coin though !!

And I've seen people blissfully get super high powered expensive nugget machines, because they were told they're "the deepest on coins" (which is no doubt true). But pity that poor soul when he arrives at the junky park thinking he's going to dig 18" deep coins that all the other mere mortals are missing. Eh ?

So this question is nothing more than the ford/chevy question in reverse. The question has to be asked: "For what purpose, type soil, etc.. ?" Eg.: nuggets ? coins ? ghost townsy sites? beach ? etc... Humorously, the person posing the question will then answer "all the above". Doh! You can't win with this question. That's like saying: "I want a motor vehicle that seats 7, gets great gas mileage, can haul 30 yards of rock and dirt to the quarry, take the kids to soccer practice, and does zero to 60 in 7 seconds."

 

[vlad]

What type of targets, and where.
A dual/multi is great for beaches or looking for things extremely deep, maybe at the expense of other characteristics. I know of no one that recommends one of these for prospecting though.
Many machines are rated % wise as to various types of hunting-it seems people tend to lean with these though to a specific type of hunting for most of the time and use it less-for another type.
Buying more than one machine may be more efficient--but more costly....what are you willing to pay? (keep in mind too that some are updatable) Throw in different coil types may help a lot too.
Maybe going the preowned route is the best way to get a specific unit that may be uncompromising in one aspect, and another also near ultimate in another--and not worry about the using them for
secondary functions--except purely as a backup if a detector goes down.
Any machine can be misused (overrated) using it for the wrong application-but be a godsend in something different.
(The new Equinox is interesting, though the V3i has done very much the same and been out for years.)

 

[Herb Jones]

I appreciate all The responses, I legitimately do, and yes I Am Aware the answers wiould be subjective.... just like I said in
My OP..

I am Not sure Why everyone here has to Complicate a simple
Question.... all I asked was If any of you had any first Hand Experience buying a Machine (for Whatever purpose,) and we're ultimately disappointed.... i Should have known better than ask....

how About we Close This Thread. I get enough sermons In Church.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... I am Not sure Why everyone here has to Complicate a simple
Question.....

No it was not a "simple question". Hence the range of answers.

.... how About we Close This Thread.....

It was an interesting way to turn the question around backwards, I must admit

 

[vlad]

Overrated and the best to use what metal detector is not. Yes, hmmm. http://www.yodaspeak.co.uk/yoda.png
Still comes down to what you are looking for and how much trash you are willing to dig. Simpler, to dig all above iron, get a Fisher 1270X, a Tesoro, or a DMC-2B, and you will still be leaving 90+% of the goodies. Willing to unmask, dig the iron--want deepest, get a ATX, or a ML GPX-5000 and get a big shovel and some Alleve (throw in prednisone, hydrocodone, & soma-helps a lot more) and you can get it all.
Read NASA Tom's articles, two good ones, "The Painful Truth," and "Beneath The Mask." I truly admire Tom, he is a warrior and dedicated; but to me what he is doing falls between drudgery, and torture.
Physically due to age and debilities I can no longer do it like that. (the articles are posted here, and his site)
That's why we have TID, tones, notches and many other features-to enhance the ratio of treasure to trash-because the reality is your time is always limited. Questions and answers can be simple, or complex,
but the real complexity is when you put the loop to the ground and there are 10,000, or 100,000 pieces of metal in every shape, size, and composition--throw in oxidation, mineral, position, depth, moisture, and luck, good or bad.....its compounded, convoluted, and multifarious (and evil) on steroids and PCP! What's real simple is digging--your eyes are 100% right every time (Monte.) I have many units, but my Treasure Baron Cointrax-2, CZ, and latest F-75 (multiple loops) get the most travel (coins inland/battlefields; in saltwater, Excalibur.) Whatever you hunt with just have fun and hope the detector Gods are on your side (you have two of their high priests already, George Paine and Dave Johnson.) I'd love a detector someone mentioned here, AKA Signum MFD-hearing a lot of good ( and some bad.)
A simpler question, what's your favorite drink (and I carry Montecrisos and Cohibas when I hunt too.)
https://wspucla.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/candh_treasure.gif
Maybe Nanook of the North, John-can chime in.

 

[calabash digger]

Makro racer 2 = deep in all metal cut it in disc mode and depth is gone, didn't like the high toning in thick iron either seemed a little excessive for a so called iron machine.....
whites mx sport = audio bad clanky machine imo (didn't buy that one 2 of my friends did though)
nokta fors core.. same reasons as racer 2
at max(borrowed one to test) its a deep machine BUT the audio is horrible and it takes away from the depth .. If you need to hear the iron then this machine is almost unusable in it because of the iron tone garrett put on this machine. It doesn't have a iron vol and that would have helped it a lot.. Audio imo downfall of this detector for hunting iron IF you need to hear the iron.

There is my answer to your question and someone will come along and say just the opposite and tell you how I didn't have the machines set up correctly or didn't spend a 100 hours on it or some other blah blah.... I know what I like and it varies from person to person whats bad for me might be great for someone else... one mans trash is another mans treasure you know how it goes. These are just my thoughts on these detectors and feel free to disagree.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... Makro racer 2 = deep in all metal cut it in disc mode and depth is gone, didn't like the high toning in thick iron either seemed a little excessive for a so called iron machine..... .

Hmm, the racer 1 and 2 were the first machines that my hunting partner ever used, that even BEGAN to pull-up-to-me at our target counts, at our ghost-townsy spots. Prior to that, I'd routinely spank him 2x or 3x to 1x, @ target counts. But once he got the Racer, he pulled at least even. Even saw him use it on the beach, and he got every single signal that my Explorer could, on the wet-salt sand (when going over flagged targets)

So I was actually impressed with his Racer. Perhaps he/we just weren't in conditions where super depth was involved ?

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Every machine ever made is overrated until the day comes when we understand what it's telling us... i had a fisher 1270 that i did not like ,was just too frisky on iron no matter how i set it up.. however when i took it to a freshwater lake i soon realized i had very good machine for micro jewelry hunting, rejected bobbypins but still hit hard on the tiny gold and had very good depth too.. why fisher didnt make the 1270 into a freshwater machine I'll never know cause that's the only place it out performed my other machines... machine has since quit and even though i only found one use for it i miss it...

 

[RLOH]

Herb, I have read the many posts from experienced people. I know you are interested in concrete, black and white answers, but what is fantastic to one, is junk to others. I remember one particular detector that people criticized and I thought the detector was great. For the record, that detector was a Whites Quantum QXT. Another detector that many people liked, I absolutely hated. That detector a Minelab Quattro.

I gave you several models, but metal detectors are very subjective. I don't believe I have ever heard of a detector that was just plain not "up to par". I do know that there are some models that are extremely complicated and in the wrong hands will not perform. I can't call this type of detector overrated. A good example of this is a Whites DFX. In the factory programs, it did not justify it's price. It had to be tweaked and once the operator knew what to adjust, it justified it's price. Some might call this detector overrated, but under utilized might be a better term.

I see the many brand new high priced detectors being sold after only a quick trial. I have found that a person has to spend considerable time with any detector to make any judgement. A couple of years back, my expensive main detector broke and I was forced to use my back up for several months straight. I initially did not believe it was deep enough to get to the older coins at my detecting sites. It was all I had so I started paying more attention to the border line signals. I was pleasantly surprised at what I started finding. I guess that this scenario would apply to most all major brand detectors.

I thought this was a very interesting thread and thanks for getting it started.

 

[IDXMonster]

Every machine ever made is overrated until the day comes when we understand what it's telling us... i had a fisher 1270 that i did not like ,was just too frisky on iron no matter how i set it up.. however when i took it to a freshwater lake i soon realized i had very good machine for micro jewelry hunting, rejected bobbypins but still hit hard on the tiny gold and had very good depth too.. why fisher didnt make the 1270 into a freshwater machine I'll never know cause that's the only place it out performed my other machines... machine has since quit and even though i only found one use for it i miss it...

I love your first sentence. How true it is...

 

[daddyflea]

I had a V3i with all the goodies and sold it to get a spare Etrac missed the great screen and did not gain depth. Just got tired of all the adjustments. Bought a VX3 today hoping it is a little more simple. To me I would never recommend a V3i to anyone who is not a seasoned Whites owner, but the Etrac was supposed to be complicated as well. For me it was a breeze after the V3i.

 

[doc holiday232]

Most Overrated??--Has to be the Phantom ie., NOXIOUS.

 

[still looking 52]

Marketing people usually run under the theory of promise more and deliver less in no matter what type of product your talking about. I was in the tire business for over 30 years and worked for a large tire manufacturer and they were always coming out with there latest greatest tire. I never believed them until after I heard back from my customers and then I would believe what they were saying. Sometimes the tire was that good but most of the time it fell way short of what they promised. I'd take way more stock in what the people were saying here on this forum than the manufacturer of any metal detectors.