First, I note that this was only your 4th post and you registered 3 years ago. I hope you'll get more active on the forums as it helps us all to learn more from questions, suggestions, and such.
Second, let me make a few corrections to your post, if you don't mind.
goldlubber said:
Hi fellow hunters.......Don't know when I last posted but I would like to know opinions and experience on White's ECLIPSE SHOOTER DD vs White's Eclipse 5.3".
The '
5.[size=small]3[/size]' label was more of a marketing effort than using a common practice approach to describing a physical size. You called it a 5.[size=small]3[/size]", but it has long been a common practice to describe a search coil by its actual physical measurement. The 5.[size=small]3[/size] Bullseye coils [size=small](for the 6.59 kHz models)[/size] and 5.[size=small]3[/size] Eclipse coils are round-shaped search coils that measure about 6½" across. That's why I call them a 6½" coil so as not do mislead a reader/consumer/shopper with an incorrect size measurement.
goldlubber said:
They seem to me to be basically the same size.
Somewhat, yes. The Eclipse Shooter is an elliptically-shaped search coil and the longer, fore-aft measurement is almost the same as the diameter of the 5.[size=small]3[/size] labeled/6½" coil.
goldlubber said:
One a concentric and the other an elliptical.
You are only partly correct, but you erred by describing a coil 'type' with a coil 'shape,' and those are two different things. Instead, you could describe EACH coil by SHAPE and DESIGN, such as a Round Concentric [size=small](the 6½")[/size] and an Elliptical Double-D [size=small](the Shooter coil)[/size]. A Concentric or a Double-D internal winding designed coil can be configured to fit
either a Round or an Elliptically shaped search coil housing, so the coil
type is not assigned solely to the coil
shape.
goldlubber said:
I've seen more comments about the 5.3 than the other but that's only what I've seen. From those that have or use both I am interested in your experience. This forum is fun to read and very informative. I've taken numerous notes. Thanks to all that have contributed.
You will likely see far more comments about the 5.[size=small]3[/size] labeled 6½" Concentric coil than you will the small-size 'Shooter' DD coil because there are far more people using the 6½" Concentric coil.
When the MXT was first introduced I ordered one and thought I would give the 'Shooter' size DD a try because I almost always [size=small](95% to 98% of the time)[/size] am using a smaller-than-stock search coil due to the very trashy sites I try to hunt the most. I was curious how that coil would feel, and how it would handle, and also if I would like the performance of a Double-D coil's '
behavior' when sites were very littered, especially with a lot of ferrous trash.
Oh, I already had a DD coil on my old Compass TR, but I generally used smaller-size Concentric coils and had a 7' Concentric on my Tesoro Bandido, 7" Concentric on my Bandido II µMAX [size=small]([size=x-small]micro[/size]MAX)[/size], a 6½" Concentric on my White's Classic ID and a 6½" Concentric on my XLT ... all of them Round shaped.
Well, it didn't take long before I decided I didn't like the skinny little DD coil compared with the round Concentric coils, especially in a dense iron littered site, or where trash was closely spaced with desired coins, etc. So I got a 6½" Concentric, the 5.[size=small]3[/size] Eclipse, for my MXT and did a few comparisons, side-by-side, with the Shooter coil. I then sold the Shooter coil and have never missed it. The 6½" Concentric coil worked better in the trashy sites, provided me better Discrimination in ferrous junk, and due to that my audio responses and visual Target ID read-outs were tighter and more accurate with a Concentric coil. In addition, I got better depth of detection in low-target sites than I did with the Shooter DD coil.
Those are just my experiences and my opinions about which of the two coils I prefer.
Monte
