TX-850

[CleotisJames]

Does anyone own a TX-850 detector? If so, do you like hunting with it?

 

[MuddyMo]

Never used one. Unless you already have it then I’d look for something else. A friend talked last week to a guy that has one. He said it didn’t have any depth. I’ve heard in the past that the electronics were ok but the coils are trash and need replaced with a First Texas coil.

 

[abcoin]

I bought one earlier this year when they were on sale for $70. I've since been out with it just a couple of times, so take all this with a grain of salt:

The good: It does hunt and find stuff. It seems to work like a genuine G2. It took me a minute to get used to the VCO tone, but once you get past that, you realize that it's a sensitive machine. I dug a large cent on my first trip out with it (it was just three inches deep but when I heard the signal and saw the VDI, I literally thought "Hm, this sounds like a large coin"). I also dug tiny little pieces of bronze that sounded great. The detector is mostly well-built with a thick coil cable and knobs on the control box that might even be a little tougher than the original.

The bad: I haven't dug anything deeper than about six inches with it. Mine came with the AT Pro-shaped coil, so you'd definitely think a coil that big could go deeper. It's possible I just didn't swing over anything that deep with it. The all metal mode seemed too chatty for me (and I'm used to using all metal on the T2) but again, I'm not 100% sure whether that was the machine, user error, or EMI. The arm rest is also a little short for me.

It's also worth noting that these machines appear to be compatible with any coil you can use with the F75. I have several coils for the F75 and F70 and all of them work when plugged into my TX-850. I haven't taken it out using one of the F75 coils, so I can't speak on whether those coils work better or worse than what comes with the machine, but it could be worth trying if you pick one up.

TL;DR, My early impression is that it's a decent machine especially given the price. I have much fancier machines, so it'll never be my primary unit, but could make a decent loaner or backup.