T2 "...just another Bounty Hunter..."

[WolfAtTheDoor]

Hello everyone. I've been a lurker around here for a while and I've finally registered. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed and learned from all the forums here.

My Ace 250 was recently stolen out of my car and I have been doing a lot of reading and research before buying a new machine. Long story short, I was a bit torn between an XLT and the T2. This forum (among other things) helped me decide in favor of the T2, which is on its way from Dixie as I type this.

At any rate, I was reading the posts on another site that I am a member of that caters to California enthusiasts in particular and although there have been a few (like 3) previous comments about the T2, none of them were very informative... until perhaps today.

The post I refer to says that the user in question had used the T2 daily for two weeks and seems to despise it, calling it "just another Bounty Hunter". He stated that it "loves" caps (I was familiar with this problem from the posts here) and square pull-tabs and IDs them as dimes/quarters and that it shows small shallow junk as deep coins much of the time. He also stated that it was pretty much worthless on the beach.

I wasn't counting on the T2 being a "miracle machine" or anything, but I am starting to feel a case of buyers remorse coming on without even getting the thing in my hands yet. There is little debate on the T2 being a great relic machine, but I'm a city boy that hits parks, urban demos, schools, front lawns and occasionally the beach.

What do you all think? Did I blow it? Should I have gone XLT instead?

Thanks,

Wolf

 

[Eddie Currents]

[quote WolfAtTheDoor] What do you all think? Did I blow it? Should I have gone XLT instead?

Thanks,

Wolf[/quote]

No, you didn't blow it.

It's amazing to me how reading one negative opinion can obliterate all the many rave opinions posted about a particular machine!

You can find such negative posts about every machine ever made so I wouldn't put much weight on any one person's opinion (pro or con).

I think if you read all the posts you'll see that the consensus of opinion is that the T2 is in a class that includes the best detectors available. Whether it is the very best for you on your ground and with your needs is something that only you can decide after using the machine for a while.

But, the T2 is not "just another Bounty Hunter" any more than a Jaguar racing car is "just another Ford" (because Ford owns Jaguar).

EC

 

[BuckeyeBrad]

n/t

 

[Mike Hillis]

The square tab is a new one on me Never have any problems with tabs. The only trash target I struggle with is the steel bottle cap, and even those are overcome with a bit of patience and machine knowledge.

No...one guys rant does not a peice of junk make. More likely the T2 is more machine than the guy can handle. So you can blow that off.

Its going to be alot different than the ACE-250 though. The ACE has a slow recovery speed, the T2 is fast. You are going to see alot more target separation and thereby alot more targets. The ACE has notches and the T2 doesn't but you you will learn how to make the different audio modes of the T2 perform the notch function you were used to on the ACE. The ACE can be swept faster so you'll need to slow down a little on your sweeps with the T2. There is also a frequency difference, so expect the T2 to be more sensitive to the lower conductors and adjust accordingly as compared to the ACE.

There is going to be a giant quality difference between the two machines as is befitting the price difference.

As far as inland hunting, it does fine in parks, schools, urban demos and front lawns. It also goes deep in all of those areas. Some places its going to have a electrical interference issue and you have to adjust accordingly. Other places it will run like a well tuned dragster.

Beach hunting...it does not have a beach mode. Beach modes usually allow a dual ground balance so that you can cancel both conductive salt and iron mineralization at the same time. The T2 doesn't have that feature, so wet mineralized beach sand can be an issue that has to be dealt with with various other means.

Don't despair, you have bought a really nice machine.

HH

Mike

 

[John LA]

Wolf I did sell my T-2 but the T-2 is a very good machine and certainly not just another BH. If I were a relic hunter or a nugget hunter I think this would be my main machine.

 

[WolfAtTheDoor]

Well, thanks all. I feel a bit better now. I guess when you don't have the advantage of personal experience you're more likely to be influenced by the nay-sayers. The selling points for the T2 in my mind are the way it handles highly-mineralized ground like we have here in California and the depth capability. I'm sure I can try to work around the few problems the unit presents. Okay, I'm starting to get stoked again . Just wish it performed a bit better on the beaches (anyone have any tips on this?)

Regards,

Wolf

 

[Mike Hillis]

sidewalk demos, and the like. Some "special" places as I can plan them. The only places I dislike using the T2 is where I can't get it to quiet down because of severe electrical interference, or in mass amounts of steel bottle caps. Every machine has its warts.

I can tell you one thing for sure, if I didn't like it, it would be already sold and in someone else's hands.

The first time you use it in a place that it runs quiet in you are going to fall in love with it. The first time you use it where the electrical interference just won't quit you are going to hate it.

The first time you pull a really deep coin, you are going to love it. The first time you take it to softball complex and hunt in the steel beer caps by the parking lots, you are going hate it.

But you'll learn it and it won't be long you'll be a pro with it and able to use it almost anywhere.

HH

 

[Rick(ND)]

I will tell you it will be different than the Ace 250 you may be used to. It will be faster recovery so you will see more good target close to trash. It will not run as smooth as the ace 250 as it sees more and give you more info to digest. You will be running a high performance detector with the T-2, so you will have a learning curve to learn. It not a bad one like some detector, but it will take a little time to learn it but not like the XLT by any means.
I have a T-2, a Explorer XS II, a Sovereign GT, a X-Terra 30 and a 70 and each one takes a little to learn and know. My first time out with the T-2 was to a sledding hill being the ground is froze and found many new coins plus a gold ring and a bracelet and found the T-2 to be very quit running, could ID the pull tabs from coins, got fooled by a couple of alum cans to begin with, but soon seen the signal was bigger in pinpoint. The snow and ice was a good 7-8 inches deep and deeper is spots and was very happy with the depth as some were deeper and in the ground I had to chip though to find.
I was out 2 days for a total of 4 hours at the most and i was very impressed with the T-2 for how well this detector works.
I used to use a XLT for a while and I feel you made the right choice with the T-2 as it is easier to use, more depth and will see coins beside trash much better plus the learning curve is only a fraction of the XLT.
Good luck when you get it and like any detector have patience and learn what you can then you can post some of your great finds you will find with the T-2. It may be built by the same company that builds Bounty Hunter, but it is no Bounty Hunter.

Rick

 

[Eddie Currents]

[quote WolfAtTheDoor]The selling points for the T2 in my mind are the way it handles highly-mineralized ground like we have here in California and the depth capability.
Regards,

Wolf[/quote]

Did you know there is also an excellent forum for California MDing?
See:
http://forums.kinzlicoils.com/index.php?

EC

 

[CarlUpstateNY]

BH-not even close.. ..its a fine machine..a few small quirks but its sens..is awesome ..cant wait for a small coil I will kick butt with that..Carl

 

[Dean (Whitby Canada)]

As I mentioned 2 days back...on my 3rd try out I could pull good targets at 8 inches in really trashy areas..the machine is eay to learn..as for bottle caps..yup I get fooled on some but not all..with time I will get better.
I go into some very rough areas..why..because others don't..coming home sratched and bleeding is the norm for me..Today I went to a site like that..the fact that the "coil" doesn't have to move much or quickly is a god send...not to mention in a real tight spot I can hunt on "grab" and not move the head at all.
Today I hunted a very trashy area with tons of long grass and undergrowth...very hard to move the machine for part of the time...I am looking for a very small WW1 Canadian CEF campsite that was used for about a month...did I find any Military Gems??? NO, but with this machine I feel confidant that is was my fault for not finding the correct area...the machine worked well..and I did find some strange stuff..but not what I was looking for..due to the ability of this machine I know that I will have to look farther up the creek and not wonder if it was the T2s fault.

What else can I say???

Dean

 

[WolfAtTheDoor]

Yes, that's where I read that nasty T2 review.

Wolf

 

[jimmileo]

I don't know if the T2 is made my Bounty Hunter, but if you want literature about it you have to go to BH. And so what if it is a BH? I cut my teeth on a BH as I am sure many of you did. I had many good finds with it and I still pull it out and use it once in a while as well as use it as a loaner. My other detectors are Garrett products and I am sure there are some that bad mouth Garrett, but they suit my style of hunting just fine. The T2 operates on the power band from 12.821 kHz to 13.158 kHz from what I have read and my Garrett detectors run from 7.5 to 7.8 kHz. I don't know what the significance is but I understand one is "better" for gold than another? Perhaps someone can clarify that for me? JIM

 

[Eddie Currents]

[quote jimmileo]The T2 operates on the power band from 12.821 kHz to 13.158 kHz from what I have read and my Garrett detectors run from 7.5 to 7.8 kHz. I don't know what the significance is but I understand one is "better" for gold than another? Perhaps someone can clarify that for me? JIM[/quote]

Higher frequencies (10+ kHz) are generally thought to be better at finding gold. Most prospecting detectors use these higher frequencies.

EC

 

[Ed in SoDak]

George Payne's designs for Bounty Hunter were the first to offer a motion disc with target ID, this circuit is the basis upon which all modern VLF detectors have been built, regardless of manufacturer.

I think most who are unfamiliar with BH tend to categorize the entire line as being "cheap." In a way, this is born out by their choice of marginal connectors for batteries and coils and other hardware. It's also a perception caused by the mass-merchandiser distribution.

Internally, they are well-made machines that took full advantage of the technology of their times. The designs are sound and haven't radically departed from the guiding principles of the early designs, said to be the best. Several of their current lineup are true "sleepers." They all actually perform quite well, even the well-aged Tracker IV.

Their coils are among the most-affordable in the industry, definitely something to consider as a part of the total purchase price.

Mr. Payne went on to develop the Teknetics Mark 1 and its derivatives. The Mark 1 is still the comparison machine for others to match. He later also worked for White's and is still active in industrial detectors.

All of these patents and technologies were available to Dave Johnson of Tek, who added his own expertise gained from his stints with Fisher (Gold Bug 1), Whites and elsewhere. Anyone familiar with those earlier designs can readily note the lineage, their similarities.

So, I say, anyone who berates BH or Tek is, in effect slapping down their own units, since they all take their design roots from BH.

-Ed

 

[Eddie Currents]

n/t

 

[pineapple]

Wolf I think everyone else has already said about that needs to be said about the T2. I'll just say that I have 8 different detectors in my arsenal (Garrett (1), Minelab (1), Fisher (1), Whites (1), BH (3) and of course the T2) and can tell you that the T2 will do as well if not better most all of them.

In recent weeks I have made many, many good finds, some I believe I would not have made had I not been using the T2. As he others have said there may be some little quirks about it, but nothing that cannot be overcome with experience on the machine. When I first used mine, it drove me nuts and to tell you the truth I didn't really like it. Though as I became more and more familiar with it the more I progressively came to liking it. It has proven to me that it is a keeper and will have a place in my arsenal for a long time to come. Just keep in mind that any/all detectors regardless of brand/model have their good and bad points. No one machine will do it all.

If and when the time comes for me to trade in the T2 there is going to have to be one helluva machine out there to top it. I do see that machine coming, though not in the very near future. For right now I am more than pleased with it's overall performance and suspect that you will too once you get it and put some time in with it. BTW, I too am a coin/jewelry shooter that like to work old homesteads and plantation homes. I also do the schools, boat landings, parks and just about any other place you could think of, though my love is the homesteads and the plantation homes.

Once you get your come back and give us some feedback on what you think of it then. Will be looking forward to it. Take care.

 

[denny]

Hey Wofie,
I read the same post on the other forum and the user gave all passing grades.
So how could it be a nasty review? I think you had your heart set on the T-2 and after reading that post it didn`t sit well with you.

I`ll say one thing I would take the T-2 over the XLT anytime.

HH

 

[FrankMD]

Good post Ed. One of my all time favorite detectors was the Teknetics S/T. I used it as a land and rainy weather unit and found many Civil War relics withy it. I sold Teknetics way back around 1984. Then had the previlage of working with George Payne in industrial metal detectors.

 

[buttondigger]

Not!