Thinking about switching to Fisher.... F75 LTD vs CZ-3D vs Coin$trike - depths?

Hey everyone. I've been swinging an Explorer SE for a few years now and even though I've found some good stuff, I'm looking for a deep seeking detector that has a faster recovery speed. I think I am missing a lot of stuff in the trashy areas where my detector nulls out constantly.

I've been hearing great things about the F75 LTD, and I am in a position where I can pre-order one. I'm not sure if I want to spend that much on the detector yet, so I've been looking at other Fishers. The CZ-3D looks like a good relic hunter (I do a lot of relic hunting, but still want to coinshoot from time to time). I'm also drawn to the Coin$trike because of its low price. They used to sell for $1100 now you can get a brand new one for $400. I heard it's quirky like the F75, prone to EMI interference, but it has a lot of raw power to go deep.

I live in Southern California and the ground here is pretty mineralized in places. In the desert, I have no trouble getting down 8-10" and sometimes beyond, but in the city I'm lucky to clear 6-7" on normal sized coins... and that's with an Explorer SE. I really don't know if the Fishers get better depth than the Minelabs, so I'm hoping to find that out. I need depth because I hunt in areas that have been pounded in the past.

Looking forward to hearing your recommendations. Thank you.

Mojave,

I am partial to CZ's, but that is just me. I beach hunt a lot as well as coin hunt, so the CZ does me right. I did have a Coinstrike though, and it's a great land unit. It did not hunt the beaches very well but when I relic hunted, it found some DEEP brass targets. The Coinstrike has a faster recovery speed than the CZ and its handling of iron is better.

It is quirky, and you need to put some time in since the sensitivity and threshold adjustments work in conjunction with each other, and you have to set the machine up right for the ground conditions. It has all metal ID, notching, tone ID, ground tracking and it does have a salt mode, but it got no where as deep or stable running as the CZ's in the wet salt sand.

I found out when relic hunting to dig all plus target ID's. A lot of the deeper brass targets I found were IDing low and jumped around, but never went negative. When I got them of the ground, they ID'd much higher. Found old brass hooks, buttons, buckles at least 12-14 inches, but this is in mild ground and like I said, the ID's were jumpy but once I learned to dig those targets, I found a lot of cool stuff.

The machine does like round objects...lots of times screw caps/bottle caps ring nice and ID solid. One of the bug a boos of the detector.

I liked the machine a lot, but I had too many detectors and since I was hunting the salt beaches 90% of the time and did not use the C$ much, I sold it.

For the price these days, as a relic and coin hunter, its a great value in my opinion.

If you are looking for pure raw depth, the CZ's are one of the best. But the F75 LTD has a much faster recovery speed, uses a DD coil, has a boost mode and lots of hunters love the machine.

BUT...I think there are some like new used Coinstrikes for sale in the $325-$350 range and that's a really good deal. If you can get a new one with the warranty for $400 that's great too.

Depth is not an issue with any of these detectors that you’ve mentioned. They will all go deep enough but it depends.
The real question is how any of these units will react in your hunting environment. This will determine how deep you can go.

I’ve been using a Fisher CZ3D for the past few years.
I like the CZ3D for its depth and coin shooting ability.
I’ve found my deepest coins in many different soil conditions with this unit.
The I.D. is outstanding on coins. I’ve gotten so used to it
I don’t even have to look at the meter most of the time since I can pretty much tell what I’ll be digging based upon tone. You get quickly accustomed to the slight tonal variations when listening to targets.
The discrimination works flawlessly. I rarely get fooled and its easy to learn the threshold for each desc settings regarding its response to targets. I feel that I do not lose as much depth with this detector when setup for mineralized soil along with discrimination to ignore iron as with some other detectors . I don’t get out of Florida much but when I do and I’ve been in tough soil, it always pulls through for me.

The depth meter is accurate.
I think the 3D performs reasonably well in mineralized conditions.
It’s about as sensitive to EMI as anything else out there.
Go ahead, swing it next to the HV transformer and let it wig out on you, you’ll move just as you would with anything else out there. Nothing special there.
I like the super fast analogue interface, twist the knob exactly where you need and no digital menus to slow you down. You can adjust on the fly, its point and shoot.
You can relic hunt with this machine. It will find things so deep you will need a
regular garden shovel. No joke. I like the Minelab Sovereign and a few others that are out there but the 3D is a serious detector that is super effective and easy to use.
The only complaint that I have with this unit is that it is not weather / dust proof.
Curse you FISHER ! You make a machine that I really like and don’t bother to make it weather proof.
That’s really it. I’m very happy with everything else and I believe that you should look closely at the 3D.

Up to my ____ in Pulltabs, Grant

I live in Northern California where the ground is also complex and highly mineralized in most places. I started with a Coin$strike a few years ago, and honestly they just don't do well in CA. Their very sensitive to EMI (most sensitive machine I've used, and I've used a lot), finicky to setup, after putting 100's of hours on mine, I decided to try another machine which ended up being the F70 and I was pleased with it.

Last summer I picked up a CZ70 and it has been one of the best detectors I've EVER used period. Rainproof, EMI resistant, great beach or turf hunter, has the 4th tone similar to the CZ3D, has a night light for night hunting, easy to learn, and it gets great depth. I also picked up the F75 LTD when it came out last fall and IMHO it's another great machine. If you're a relic hunter, I think the F75 LTD (or T2 LTD) would be your best choice, the CZ is a great machine, but the LTD excels at relic hunting over any CZ. Turf hunting for old coins/silver, now their more equal from my experience, although I'd still give an edge to the LTD due to it's newer technology (batteries that last 45 hours, light weight, selection of coils, etc), BUT I do at times enjoy hunting with the CZ70 over the F75 LTD due to the massive amount of audio the LTD puts out when it's run hot. The CZ70 gives you a nice quite ride, yet lets you know when there's something good under your coil.

Personally I can't think of a better combination of machines to have in your arsenal then the CZ70 AND the F75 LTD

Thank you for the replies.

You say the Coin$trike was too sensitive to EMI, but I've heard the same thing about the F-75. Have you had any EMI problems with the F75/F75 LTD? There's a video on Youtube called "F75 EMI" that shows the thing just going nuts... absolutely unusable. I'd hate to show up to a site and have that happen.

That's too bad about the Coin$trike being too finicky. It sounded like an amazing detector for the price.

I would say the Coinstrike may be a good backup detector, but personal opinion...it is nowhere near the f75

I never had the F75 legacy model, just the F75 LTD, but have hunted with some friends in the past that had EMI issues on the original F75 in areas that I've rehunted with my F75 LTD and did not have a problem. I've do a lot of intercity hunting (Oakland, San Francisco) and EMI doesn't get much worse then these places, and haven't had any issues hunting them.

The only two places I got blown out by EMI was a rural site where someone fired up a generator on site that shut down the LTD (which was running exceedingly well before the flunky generator started up, so I have to assume there was something funky with the generator). Interestingly I hunted this same site with my C$ and it couldn't handle the mineralization, but the LTD did it with flying colors.

The second place was at an old school, again in a rural area where there were large above ground transformers. I moved to another area away from the transformers and the unit ran perfectly.

I agree the C$ for the price seems like a great deal, but IMHO there are far better more recent detectors, especially if you go for the second hand market from a reputable seller.

Good luck on your quest for the "perfect" detector....I've yet to find one

Is the depth really as good as some people report? My Explorer SE can't even get a Mercury dime at 8" in my ground. I'm looking for a detector that can accomplish what I would assume is a realistic goal. I've been told the Sovereign GT is a depth monster, but if I went that route, I would have to deal with the slow recovery speed again, and a heavy detector.

The Explorer has slightly greater/better depth over the Sov. ..... due to the way it processes the dirt.

The Coin$trike is on the bottom of your list.

The CZ is VERY good.

The F75 is the flagship/industry-lead for relic hunting.......especially in trashy areas..........and (secondarily) a premium coin hunter.

BUT, BUT........it is your dirt mineralization that will dictate 'depth'. Bad ground......and (usually) the Explorer.....most of the time..... will take the lead. I'm not sure S. Calif dirt is as bad as TN/GA/VA/NC/SC red lateritic, iron oxide dirt.

In any case..........ALL of these detectors have..........within reason.......... the similar depth performance. IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, try to borrow a F75......or know of someone who owns one...and is fairly good with it.......... and do some head-to-head comparisons. This should save money and time. -- My choice would be to own both the F75 LTD and Minelab Explorer.........with the dirt you are representing.

In most cases..........the F75 LTD.........by far..........is the worlds trump-card for relic hunting.

Tom

In my red dirt in the Upstate of SC, my F75 LTD trumped my Explorer II fitted with the newer Minelab Pro Coil when testing silver dimes buried in my test bed at 6-8" depth. During this test I ran the LTD under BP mode and sensitivies that were very moderate... say 50-60, so as to try to give a near silent background (no excessive chirping).

I extensively tested both machines using the 5" Fisher DD and 6" eXcellerator coil and found both machines to be equal. I figure the 6" DD had a slight edge in depth due to it's size.

Thanks for the reply Tom, and everyone. I am now thoroughly confused. I've been told the Sovereign can beat the Explorers at depth. An admin at a metal detecting forum just PM'ed me saying to get the Sov if I want depth, as it has been a deeper detector than an E-trac for him.

People have told me the ground is heavily mineralized out here, but I really have no way of knowing. I've just gone by what they've told me. I do know that I can't get the 10-11" on coins that many people claim with an Explorer, so mineralization probably has something to do with it.

There's a detector club where I live, I'll ask if anyone has an F75 I can see in action. I would hate to spend $1249 only to find out the Explorer works better in my ground.

Thanks again.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2010 08:37PM by Mojave.

Unless there's a problem, the Explorer SE with the Pro coil should have no problem with an 8" silver dime in any kind of soil (remember it was made to excel in mineralized soil), BUT more operator skill is required when you start getting those 10-11" deep silvers, but with patience it's possible to learn how.

It's possible for a Sovereign to be deeper then an Explorer/Etrac, BUT you would need to have fairly clean ground (no iron) a large coil (Coinsearach 11", Sunray 12.5" or even a 15" WOT) and you would need to creep along ultra snail pace slow analyzing every threshold change. Yes it may produce coins, but not really the way I'd prefer to hunt.

California soil can be as bad, or worse then TN/GA/VA/NC/SC red lateritic, iron oxide dirt, just depends on where your at, we have an ultra complex geography and soil structure here. Some areas also have an ultra fast sink rate, making deep seeking machines a necessity.

Probably a great idea to see if you can hunt with someone in your club that has the F75 LTD (don't just check out the legacy F75, their really night and day machines). Surely someone in the club also has a CZ their a popular machine with a big following, someone may even have a C$, but honestly I wouldn't even put the C$ on the interest list unless you're just curious about it. If so, buy one for $300 see if it works for you (it does have a large learning curve) and if so great, if not, you can resell it and get your $300 back.

Called the club, none of their members have bought Fisher since the "Bounty Hunter takeover" because they are worried about the reliability and warranties.

I'm still really interested in the F75 LTD, but it's a pretty big gamble. Maybe I would be better off going with an E-trac, due to my ground conditions.

Life is too short do what your gut tells you if you are wrong it is not the end of the world. We have all tried a lot of detectors to find what works and we all want the next best thing. So just try the one that makes the most sense to you. Your town club seems kind of closed minded about fisher.

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

Mojave - As you can see, different people have different preferences. Like Low Boy said, sometimes you just gotta go with your gut and pull the trigger.

If you buy a detector that you don't click with, it's not the end of the world. Keep it in nice condition and you'll get most of what you paid back when you resell it.

The members of your area's club condescendingly referring to First Texas buying Fisher as the "Bounty Hunter takeover" makes them sound like a snobby and closed-minded clique.

And I'm surprised the members of that club aren't more knowledgeable when it comes to manufacturer warranties. Fisher warranties new units for 5 years. Only Tesoro with its' lifetime warranty can trump that. Minelab, Whites and Garrett are all 2 years.

Troy's X-5 with stock coil....weather resistant...well built...light.user friendly
if your not the first owner repaired by Troy not the new Fisher...depthwise 12-13 inches on a silver dime, 14-15inches on a quarter or nickle which really surprised me as even the depth demon CZ's and Explorers are much weaker in the nickle zone...certainly not trying to start a detector war just entering a sleeper of sorts into the fray. Lets face it different detectors just work better in certain areas and all have plus and minus features and all of the aforementioned units serve many well once well learned. So once the weather breaks grab your favorite and hit the fields...

I had the troy X5 in calif and the CZ3 was way deeper and hit on nickels way harder...That is in calif gournd

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

Mojave said: "Called the club, none of their members have bought Fisher since the "Bounty Hunter takeover" because they are worried about the reliability and warranties."


That's irresponsible of that club member. There was no Bounty Hunter takeover - the hobby divisions appear to have not been changed much at all. I can't imagine FTP aquired these companies because of their hobby divisions anyway. It doesn't seem like there'd be much money in selling hobby detectors. The money would be on the commercial side. Tom's been in the industry and it would be nice to see him chime in on that comment.

I'll be honest - which detecting sites seem to hate. I've looked closely at the LTD and I'd buy one to use where I use my F75, but some of the things I've seen posted by the VP of Hobby Sales has me so turned off for the company, I'm having a hard time "pulling the trigger".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2010 06:59PM by Shambler.

when it comes to finding history don't let a few people get you upset. The LTD is a great next step in uncovering history.

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

All good points. Understand all.

There are 'rotten apples' in any company......or any group of people. Welcome to life! Welcome to the real world!

Now........how I seek to find "The Bottom Line" is: What about the FINAL product that is in your hands. How does it perform......what is it's reliability factor. Putting any company/personalities/differences/attitudes aside.....what matters is; The Bottom Line. Fortunately; the F75 LTD......and many other detectors ..... are very solid units. If any failures/problems were to arise......usually, it's early in the game.....and warranty will cover. Most of the time, you will get a good one.......and it'll last a lifetime without any problems.

Forget personalities. People are "different". I have had many fights with 'personalities'...........and..........in the long run...........blessings/inventions/cool-stuff would nearly always ensue. Yes, a hidden blessing.

Tom