Opinions on Classic Fisher machines 1266 & 1270

Looking for current or former users opinions on these two old warhorses.
I want to hear the good the bad & the ugly, best & worst attributes, success stories, horror stories, let's hear em.
Thanks,
Drew.

Hi Drew,

Are you looking to acquire one or the other?

I rate the Fisher 1266-X as one of the best detectors I ever used. In fact, I rate the F 75 as 'one of the very best' both ergonomically and for super detection and flawless ease of operation'.
I'd put them both in the same Category.

Why?

It suited the soil conditions of the places I visited when I had one, Scotland, Ireland & UK.
It suited the types of finds I was chasing, small 'low-conductive' thin coins especially.
However, it also liked to signal positively on 'coke, clinker', small nails and deep iron. > These were the only negatives/bad points.
It was good on battery life, great on Discrimination but I soon found I didn't really require the 2nd DISC control when I switched over more to "Tesoro" use and I created my 'Disc Roaming' method of using my thumb to rotate the DISC control fully around to judge where 'targets dropped out?'

There was also the 1266-XB that came with a hard case: I'm currently considering the purchase of one of these (but I don't really need the case, the unit is Mint)

The Fisher 1270-X on the other hand was probably the worst 'Fisher' experience I ever had.
I hated it. I gave it enough time. I'd safely say it found more ferrous than non-ferrous targets! It just loved iron!
I have a short report on the 1270-X that I wrote years ago and as soon as I locate it (I have looked already) I'll put it up as it conveys the findings at the time of use.
I kept hold of it Unused for many years but left it go to a Buyer two years ago (dealer)

Des D



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2019 05:08PM by Des D.

The 1266 is a very good detector.

A Fisher 1266 was a deep machine for sure. I never owned a 10.5 Spider coil to see what it would do on one..but I did have one of those Kellyco Hot Head coils for mine, and an 11 or 12 inch solid white Fisher coil for it too. The Hot Head coil was by far deeper than the 8 inch stock coil on it.

Never have used the 1270 though.

My dad still has a hot 1265-X at his house. For kicks and giggles, I brought it with me to my bullet field one day just to see how it would do there. I wanted to see if the lower freq would be of benefit in the mineralized soil. If set to reject a nail, you would never hear a bullet with it there. I dug a lot of bullets in other places with it though.

Was the 1266XB a two or 3 rod set-up as I always forget that one?

XB was three piece with hard case!!!I bought a brand new one back in the day in that configuration.

Had all the coils for it too even the elliptical 5x10 and the real rare super 6!!

The 10.5 was a deep sucker for sure on bullets out in the field away from trash.man I'd dig them past a foot easily in good soil.Used to get in front of trench lines and dig bullet's all day past what others were doing back then with that coil.Daniel I found the 10.5 deeper than the Hot Head but as hot heads went it may of been a bad hot head. Side Note Hot heads were lousy on Whites 6.59 machines but the Hot Shots Jimmy sold were fantastic.

The little 3 inch was nice in iron VS the 5 inch

The Super 6 was as deep as the 8 inch and better in trash.

Think I still MAY have a Super 6 somewhere in a box.But cant say, I remember about ten years ago seeing one when I was moving stuff around.may of sold it not sure??
,
The 1270 after they fixed the iron falsing issue when first released was a bit better at not digging deeeeep iron or fasling on nails but the 1270 never balanced like the 66..The 1270 was sort of half attempt to go against the X5 they were building for Troy but was never in the X5 league for GOOD DISC.Must of been weird out in Los Banos building a machine for another company that was better than what you were building for relics.

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Thanks Des, look forward to reading it if you can find it.
Cheers,
Drew.

Thanks for taking time to reply folks.
Cheers,
Drew.

Keith Southern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The 1270 after they fixed the iron falsing issue w
> hen first released was a bit better at not digging
> deeeeep iron or fasling on nails but the 1270 neve
> r balanced like the 66..The 1270 was sort of half
> attempt to go against the X5 they were building fo
> r Troy but was never in the X5 league for GOOD DIS
> C.
> Keith


No, I wouldn't agree with you there!

My experiences using a "Troy Shadow X-5" showed it to be horrendous signalling big iron!

Having said that, I used it first in Germany where I picked it up and founds lots of genuine targets AND much later used it on [DRY sand beaches] where it was very effective.
But, on more 'ancient' iron infested sites, it and the 1270 would have been 'iron picker's!' (I'm not sure where my 1270 slotted in? Before or after the fix you mentioned?)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2019 11:48AM by Des D.

Those that learned the language of the 1266 excelled...just gave me a headache but balance and ergonomics were good.

1270 was terrible balance and ergonomics....poor remake of 1266 but had feature to help with iron....

Des D Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My experiences using a "Troy Shadow X-5" showed it
> to be horrendous signalling big iron!
>

Des,
You may (or may not) have been using an earlier X-5 without the later iron mod. (those prior to SN 300)
There was a white sticker in the battery compartment with a capital 'H' if the iron mod had been done.

It helps some, but you still had to use some change-up in sweep speed to help ferret out the deep iron.

I had several 1266's. They were great machines and as others have commented, were deep units. The batteries lasted around 80 hours. Had all the coils....a great relic machine. Bought a 1270 and hated it. The ergonomics were awful. The angle of the control unit head was terrible. Tried to like it but it had to go. Look for a 1266 only. It is rare to find a gently used one, but they are out there. Good luck.

I picked up a one of a kind 1266 Magnum from Tom years ago. Its basically a super-charged unit that has 2 9v's in the control box, in addition to the 8 AA's.

Very powerful, not easy to learn (very sensitive) especially for land.

I use it mostly on the beach,,,with a long handled shovel!

Aaron

Have to love a hot rod detector!
Maybe not for everyday use but nice to take 'er out for a burn now and then.

Dan-Pa. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those that learned the language of the 1266 excell
> ed...just gave me a headache
> .


The 1266 was probably the deepest seeking detector of the era. If you had the 10" coil on there, you could effortlessly air-test a quarter at beyond 1.5 ft. deep ! And a dime to 13 or 14" with ease , etc...

However, the devil was in the details: There was very few places you could replicate these results. You could only get those results in very low or mineral free areas. Like dry sand on white-sand beaches, etc.... Anywhere else: Everything beyond 5 or 6" sounded the same. In even moderate minerals, you could kiss any disc. ability goodbye.

So , for example, they would make lousy turf hunters for deep silver, d/t they were not known for good TID . Even though, in theory, you could "rock the disc. knob up and back" to see where your target "dropped out" at. But they were just too squirrelly sensitive. Chatter and trying to differentiate clicks, one-way vs two-way chirps, etc.....

For certain relicky situations (where you intended to dig-all anyhow), in certain soils, perhaps it was great. But for a lot of other locations and guys, they didn't like it. I saw a guy trying one on the wet salt beach in CA once, and ... he was having a dickens of a time

Tom, a while back I asked Dave Johnson who designed it about the usefulness today of a 1266. I won’t quote his reply because I have no permission to do so. A fair summary is that he said pretty much exactly what you said above!

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

lytle78 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A fair summary is that he said pretty much
> exactly what you said above!


Thanx for the feedback. Glad I'm not saying something controversial, or badgering, or kill-joy, haha

There was a fellow using one around here @ Carmel beach, CA, on the dry sand, years ago. And he was doing quite well with it. He got a Franklin half one day that was over 1.5 ft. deep ! But when he'd go to do wet salt sand, or in-land hunting, he'd grab his cz6. He described the 1266 as simply being "too squirrelly" . Bent nails, beaver tails off tabs, corroded zincs, and silver dimes, all started to sound the same after 6".

Perhaps not an issue in low mineral field relic hunting, where a person intends to "dig all" anyhow. For this reason some CW guys did indeed like them.

Well ,I can only be true to voice my experience probably 40 yrs ago with the 1266X when it first came out.
I previously had been using from new,the Fisher 1265X .& I loved that detector .It was deep seeking & good on land and on the beach it even handled the wet part without `wowing `.
A while later the Fisher 1266x came out , and , as you do ,I thought ah! this must be an upgrade . So I sold my beloved 1265 X and purchased a 1266X. BIG big mistake for me to make !!
Without no one informing me , be it the detecting shop ,or any info from the sales bumf, I discovered the 1266X absolutely HATED the wet beach ,unlike the 1265X which didn`t mind wet sand at all . It took me a travelling a distance of 65 miles to discover that !
I also discovered it loved Iron. I found the twin discrim set up unreliable as far as telling the truth was concerned because the discrim range wasn`t that effective , don`t know why but I found the 1265X discrim range more effective, ,so a few months later I ,without a shadow of any doubt happily got rid of the 1266X ,and to this day rate it amongst the WORST detectors I have ever owned.And if some one offered me one today ,the`d have to pay me to take it off their hands.
I`m aware that the F75 isn`t been asked about but I thought I`d stick it in the story.Today amongst 3 other detectors also ,I use the Fisher F75 and I`ve had one since the very first day they were issued, having had about three to the present one, with DST and 4 levels of FE tone model.
Now the F75LE or SE is, in my book rated one if not the best detectors I have owned because I`ve had & used both.

So the moral of this story is...... I know a lot of Folk have liked the 1266X ,but for me ,its a big thumbs down for the Fisher 1266X in `my`opinion of using one .The 1270 I havn`t had or used so I cannot give a verdict on it.

(sorry about the edits, I kept finding spelling errors)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2019 11:55AM by Bors.

Druid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks Des, look forward to reading it if you can
> find it.
> Cheers,
> Drew.


Looked and looked and looked...can't find it? I'd swear that I came across it about 2 months ago???

Bors Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well ,I can only be true to voice my experience pr
> obably 40 yrs ago with the 1266X when it first ca
> me out.
>

Bors,

There IS, the major difference between the hobby 40 yrs ago and now. The Internet. It wasn't around 40yrs ago.

So, one had to wait for the monthly magazine to arrive in the Post Box because there was no other way that you could find out what was going on in the hobby otherwise (except for the 'Fisher Newsletter' that was years ahead of its time)
Then, you perused the 'ads' first probably, seeing what was 'NEW?' Then the Field Tests next if, the magazine featured any? But what you saw on the day wouldn't be 'Field Tested' for months so then you had to wait for a test to appear.
Invariably, they didn't!

So then, it's off to the nearest dealer to look at and handle the machine. Therein, the dealer would expound liberally on "How superior it is to the detector you have now!" "How deeper it goes!" "How it is far more sensitive to deep coins!" "How fantastic it is on the beach!" "How the new fangled VLF/TR trigger is far better that anything else!" etc etc so you buy it run out and use it and are disappointed!!!

I can count on 'ten hands' (not fingers) how many times I participated in the above and can honestly say just a handful (yes, five fingers this time) of times the detector did what was actually claimed in the 'glossy adverts' and spewed out by the dealer.
A few "Compass" were great, the "X-70 Challenger" in particular, the "Fisher 1260-X", the "Fisher 1265-X", a "Tesoro Silver Sabre" and when it was released years after the Internet had come into being, the "Minelab Explorer XS"

That's how it was and now is completely different so what you experienced 40yrs ago Bors, 'shouldn't happen' today!

Des D



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2019 02:52PM by Des D.

This has been an interesting thread for a person who has heard all the legends about certain machines that were prominent "back in the day" before one started detecting.
I really appreciate all the shared experiences.
i really enjoy hearing about the machines I haven't had the chance to see and/or use.
A hearty thanks to all!
Cheers,
Drew.

Apart from the internet not being about then, what main point are you trying to make Desi ,apologies but I failed to get the rest of your posts message ?
I bought both the detectors by mail order from Joan Allen and there was no persuasion from anyone or prompting by anyone or anything ,I just assumed (wrongly) that going from a 1265X to a 1266X I was getting a possibly tweaked better version of the 1265X or some sort of enhancement carried out being as the 1266X was still looking exactly the same as each other , but what I got was a version that was Identical in looks but lost the ability to be used on the beach, plus it (To me) liked finding Iron more than my 1265X did.
The main point I was making was that The 1265X was a better detector than the 1266X, if only because it handled wet beach working over the 1266X for one. They were both pretty much the same in their controls, and the depths on the 1265X was in my opinion just equal to the 1266X .
I`m aware you do your "testing and field tests " on detectors, but did you ever do one on each machine and evaluated the pros n cons at any time head to head ? I ask because I don`t know !
I gave an honest and truthful opinion after owning one of each ,& I can`t do any thing else but tell it how I saw it. ( and regardless of who I upset).

Bors Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well ,I can only be true to voice my experience pr
> obably 40 yrs ago with the 1266X when it first ca
> me out.
> I previously had been using from new,the Fisher 12
> 65X .& I loved that detector .It was deep seeking
> & good on land and on the beach it even handled th
> e wet part without `wowing `.
> A while later the Fisher 1266x came out , and , a
> s you do ,I thought ah! this must be an upgrade .
> So I sold my beloved 1265 X and purchased a 1266X.
> BIG big mistake for me to make !!
> Without no one informing me , be it the detecting
> shop ,or any info from the sales bumf, I discovere
> d the 1266X absolutely HATED the wet beach ,unlik
> e the 1265X which didn`t mind wet sand at all . It
> took me a travelling a distance of 65 miles to dis
> cover that !
> I also discovered it loved Iron. I found the tw
> in discrim set up unreliable as far as telling the
> truth was concerned because the discrim range wasn
> `t that effective , don`t know why but I found the
> 1265X discrim range more effective, ,so a few mont
> hs later I ,without a shadow of any doubt happily
> got rid of the 1266X ,and to this day rate it amon
> gst the WORST detectors I have ever owned.And if s
> ome one offered me one today ,the`d have to pay me
> to take it off their hands.
> ....

Bors, I enjoyed your story. Reminded me of the story of a local guy who also got one at the time. Simply assuming it's the "next step up" in detector incarnations/improvements. And ... heck, ... you can't argue with the air-test it would provide !! A quarter at well over a foot, while at the same time having a disc. knob that touts ability to knock out iron. Who can argue with this ??

But like you, he quickly grew to hate it. And wished he'd never switched from his prior machines. So he put it in the back of his pickup camper shell, on his busy residential street, with the camper shell door purposefully left unlocked. Hoping someone would steal it. Within a few weeks, it was stolen. So he could promptly turn it over to his homeowner's insurance to get covered by. Doh!

Why thank you for your understanding Tom I appreciate it. I think that once any detector upsets you ,you then cannot Gel with it ,no matter how much you try. The irritation it causes you ,destroys your ability to like using it ,and hence you might as well get rid of it, because the Idea is to go out have an interesting and fun time ,and not be cursing the detector for any reason constantly. Its a bit akin to living with a hen pecking woman in a way I suppose ,you just get a divorce and end it ..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2019 03:02PM by Bors.

Bors, always remember that there's more than one way to skin a cat or a hen pecking woman for that matter.

I've known some wise old rooster's that were all too happy to sit back and endure the hen's pecking until she established "control" over the entire hen house. At this point in the "game" a wise rooster will give his hen the freedom and rope she needs in order to get herself fully intertwined in the mess of trying to control each and every aspect of running the entire coop and it's inhabitants.

In the end, if you let the game play itself out, once the hen is tangled up in the show, the wise rooster will most likely have a lot more free time to QUIETLY go about his way doing what he wants, when he wants, where he wants and how he wants.

Whether it be lazing around in the shade drinking a cold beer alone or maybe with a few of the younger cockerels dusting themselves off and swapping lies about hens that have come and gone as well as the flock's upcoming talent. Who knows the wise old sage may just ease away from the flock to go metal detecting for a while. Whatever he chooses to do with his new found free time, as long as he makes it home to mama in time to handle a little rooster bidness in the evening or just before bedtime, everything will be just fine in Henpecked Rooster Land so that if he chooses he can wake up the next morning and do it all again.

Sometimes, if you're a wise rooster, being henpecked doesn't seem so bad now does it?

HH,

A happily married "henpecked" old Rooster
I'll let you decide how wise I may or may not be.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2019 09:12AM by Chris Woods.

The 1265x is more stable than the 1266x. If one was to put the older solid 8" coil on the 1266x is may help make it less chirpy. If I remember correctly the 1260x had a Threshold adjustment knob. Thanks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2019 06:15PM by Arkansas.

The 1266x is a legend in my book. The 1270 wasn't as ergo friendly but it was a deep detector when you open it up and adjust the ground balance pot on the disc side to your type of soil. It would hit my 10" dime after doing the adjustment in 3-4 bar dirt.