S-5 & Tornado 10" Coil Seperation Tests/Comparisons

[Critterhunter]

Yes, great coil for brush/woods, and along fences/playgrounds. The depth is amazing. A Whites MXT using a 10" coil would have trouble matching it's depth after seeing one in action, which a friend sold real quick. No exageration, most machines using an 8 to 10" coil would have trouble getting the 7 to 8" of depth I'm getting in my soil.

 

[synthnut]

That's the beauty of the smaller coils .....You can safely run your sensitivity up further than normal too without falsing !!....Jim

PS ...I know you're not big on higher sensitivity , but you don't have the same feedback from the smaller coil that you do from your bigger coils , so the "headlights in the fog " issue is reduced with the smaller coil ..... Punch down on the high beams and let er RIP !!....Jim

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

I did not read all the posts but from the pictures they test is flawed cement isn't where I hunt? Dig a hole and put the stuff in it . Do the test 5 years from now and post results. Or at the very least place the targets on the ground (Dirt) 1000 ft from any electrical interference.

 

[Neil]

I did not read all the posts but from the pictures they test is flawed cement isn't where I hunt? Dig a hole and put the stuff in it . Do the test 5 years from now and post results. Or at the very least place the targets on the ground (Dirt) 1000 ft from any electrical interference.

thats certainly what I see also. good info if your hunting garages I guess

 

[Critterhunter]

The reasons/benefits to any kind of testing are obvious to anybody who puts any kind of thought into it. By your way of thinking a doctor should not even bother practicing surgery unless it's on a real live human being. Why waste time on frogs, dead people, computer simulations, etc...None of that stuff is useful to you, so might as well volunteer for them to learn on I guess.

I just think it's funny as all heck that you and a few other people seem to advocate that less knowledge, thought, and experimenting is the way to go on a subject. Less knowledge and curiousity is king! Or that conducting tests under controlled circumstances has no useful purpose in science. Yea right, tell all those things to my lab teacher.

 

[Neil]

so now your comparing yourself to a doctor and how they learn?

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

And again I read all the info available an use it to increase my knowledge of any said equipment. Yes bench testing is probably the best test that one could use to increase there knowledge of there detector. That being said like the above post says. If I run into coins and jewelry scattered over a cement patio I will be able to use the data provided.
As a further note there a several youtube demo's of of air test for all kinds of detectors under direct fluorescent lights this data comes in handy if you should be in you local park and there is a concert with outside fluorescent lighting!

 

[Rick(ND)]

The problem is we have too many people that are book smarts as they go by what they read while those that are practical smarts that learn from experience and know more than those that are book smart.
Just reminds me of what my Electronics instructors told me there are those that become Electronic technicians and those that become electronic engineers the difference is the Engineers are book smart with a little practical smarts and design something according to the book while the technician is needed to figure out what is wrong and make it work like it was suppose to.
This tells me you can read how something is suppose to work, but to really learn is to use it and understand it from Experience as there is a big difference.

 

[synthnut]

" Believe 1/2 of what you see, and none of what you hear "

I read a LOT and will learn what I can from what I read , but one thing I will ALWAYS do is check things out for myself after I have read something ......I've seen a lot of B.S. written or even shown by many folks in this business that just doesn't add up .....I think you guys know me well enough by now that if I don't believe something to be true , I will say something about it , and I don't care WHO wrote it or demonstrated it !!....... If any of you followed the AT Pro forum , you will know how much crap I had to deal with over there when dealing with the falsing coil issue on the early AT Pro's .....Take a look at what's going on now !!......They're not throwing rocks at me anymore !!!........ There is nothing in the world that can trump first hand experience ......and no 2 soils are the same , and no 2 detectorists are the same ......There are so many variables that can change the outcome of so many different situations ...... I was once engaged to a lawyer ( why wasn't she my girlfriend in my younger years ? ) ......I would mention something to her that she would doubt , and she would always say to me " Did you see this happen , or did you just HEAR that it happened ? " ......... I knew what was coming next as anything that you HEAR , is considered "HEARSAY " ......and we know how far this goes in court !!...... Jim

 

[Critterhunter]

And I find it curious that somebody who feels experience is the only valuable teacher wastes any time on the forums at all, and in fact wastes even more time reading and responding to testing they feel is completely useless. Remember something called a scroll bar.

 

[jamesinwesttexas]

I've enjoyed this thread because I really need a smaller coil for my GT. I have the 5 inch Excelerator on my MXT all the time and so tend to use that detector more because of that. I suspect the main difference in the two coils is that the Sunray may be built tougher. Is that true? I also hope that Critter keeps publishing his results and that others keep up their criticisms [I know how to use the scroll bar if necessary] and I get ideas from both. Buena suerte y que le vaya bein. James

 

[Critterhunter]

I've heard the excelerator is just as good of a coil for the most part. It's cheaper, so I'd say buy an S-5 used or if you can't then buy an Excelerator new. Of course since you aren't basing things on your actual field experience this is all very useless to you...So looks like you have to buy both coils, use them, and then don't bother sharing any opinions on them. No sense in doing that by the way some think...

 

[Rick(ND)]

I believe in actual field test of actual targets in the ground as these are the ones that count when you are out detecting, If you were to do some competition hunting than bury some coins and do some test. I don't do any detecting of coins in the air as mine are always in the ground or on top of the ground so air test don't do any good for me. Since 1996 when I first started using the Sovereign I have done many air test too and seen where one coil seem to respond better to a target and better depth, but in the ground it did not do the same so unless I was looking for coins floating in this air test was not good and why many of us that have used the Sovereign for year and have years of experience do not agree with you many time.

Now for a smaller coil for jamesinwestexas the 5 inch maybe a little small unless it is super trashy as I feel from my experience and i feel you will see this also from others with some serious Field experience that the 8 inch coil does a great job in trashy area if it is not real super trashy, Between the 5 inch Sun Ray and the 5 inch Excellerator coil they both do good, but I find the Sun Ray does a bit better and build better too, but the Excellerator is cheaper.

 

[jamesinwesttexas]

Appreciate the advice. I love the 5 inch Excelerator on my MXT but don't have the so called 5.3 for comparison which I would probably prefer for most detecting. The 10 inch Tornado is just too big for many of the areas I hunt and since it is the only coil I have for the GT, I tend to favor the MXT for detecting and have many good finds with it. But I know that once I learn the GT I probably will only use it and I am slowly learning it. It's hard to find the 5 inch Sunray used and a new one costs almost as much as a used Sov with an 8 inch Coinsearch. I may go with an 8 inch coil and that way, I would probably never change coils, but at only 2 inches less than the 10 inch, it still seems like it would be too big for a lot of places [ex. picnic tables, tree roots, between rocks, etc]. James

 

[Neil]

James,
Rick has some good info there about the sunray, I just wanted to add some numbers for you to think about. the S5 sunray coil is actually 5.5" diameter.
The 8" Tornado coil by minelab is actually 7.25" diameter. very close. the 8" Tornado coil is going to give you better depth, a lot better, its a nice deep coil and still gets excellent seperation. Be careful there are two 8" minelab coils, one has the Tornado sticker on it like the 10" you have and its the thinner, lighter version and the other is the older thicker version which is heavier. Both have the 7.25" diameter.
You should be able to pick up a excellent condition used 8" Tornado coil for around $100.
Neil

 

[jamesinwesttexas]

Only 1.75 inch difference and much better depth. Thanks for pointing that out Neil and I better give that some serious consideration. Which of the two, the S5 or T8 provides the best discrimination? Thanks.
James

 

[jamesinwesttexas]

Critter, I hope you or someone will do a comparison test between the S5 and T8, which would seem a more fair and logical comparison than with the T10 although I know that's the one you have. Also, I guess the S8 should be included in that test. Thanks
James

 

[Rick(ND)]

I can tell you the 8 inch Coinsearch, the S-8 and the 8 inch Tornado coil will do better than the older 10 BBS coils for depth and separation as we have done that actual comparison on actual in the ground targets. Now we never seen a good target that the S-5 got the 8 inch coinsearch didn't get better in trash and we seen the S-8 see targets in heavy trash and deep too the 5 inch coil could not see unless you knew there was a good target there and worked it slow to get the signal and then fast to make the signal better.
The new 10 inch tornado coil coil we didn't do a actual test on actual target, but i was amazed at how it worked in some trash.
Once you get to know your Sovereign well I think you will see the 8 inch is as small as you need to go unless it is real super trashy and then even a 5 inch will have problems too from what we have seen.
At this time you only need 3 coils. a 8 inch Sun Ray or 8 inch Tornado and even many of our favorites the 8 inch coinsearch which is the best coil to learn the Sovereign with, the 10 inch Tornado coil and the S-12 of Sun Ray the biggest coil I would recommend as it does great, weight it good and does a great job. What about others that have used the Sovereign for years and mastered it, do you feel these are the ones that do the best for you and your hunting?

 

[jamesinwesttexas]

Rick[ND] thanks for that advice. I think I am now leaning toward an 8 inch coil and probably a Tornado 8 but would like to know more about the SR8 and the Coinsearch. I'll start looking for good deals on any of those.

 

[Neil]

I can tell you the 8 inch Coinsearch, the S-8 and the 8 inch Tornado coil will do better than the older 10 BBS coils for depth and separation as we have done that actual comparison on actual in the ground targets. Now we never seen a good target that the S-5 got the 8 inch coinsearch didn't get better in trash and we seen the S-8 see targets in heavy trash and deep too the 5 inch coil could not see unless you knew there was a good target there and worked it slow to get the signal and then fast to make the signal better.
The new 10 inch tornado coil coil we didn't do a actual test on actual target, but i was amazed at how it worked in some trash.
Once you get to know your Sovereign well I think you will see the 8 inch is as small as you need to go unless it is real super trashy and then even a 5 inch will have problems too from what we have seen.
At this time you only need 3 coils. a 8 inch Sun Ray or 8 inch Tornado and even many of our favorites the 8 inch coinsearch which is the best coil to learn the Sovereign with, the 10 inch Tornado coil and the S-12 of Sun Ray the biggest coil I would recommend as it does great, weight it good and does a great job. What about others that have used the Sovereign for years and mastered it, do you feel these are the ones that do the best for you and your hunting?

Rick I like the two tornado coils and the S12, those surely cover all bases. Im starting to get some time in now on the 10X12 SEF but still havent gotten it in wet sand yet at the ocean. Its very sensitive, on a roadside beach I hunt where I have to lower my sens on all my detectors, I could only run mininum sens on this coil but it still got good depth. turning up the sens past min setting made it false alot.
the coinsearch coils are excellent coils, found alot of gold with those.