Coilteks New SDC Coil

[Norvic]

Yes with the new Coiltek coils looking like they have a normal hinge/mount point, I`ll have a shot at just a standard stem. But saying that whilst the square stem looks heavy it isn`t. Most of the weight is in the convenient fold up case which is the go for a lot of users, just not my thing, plus the C cell battery holders are weighty. Swing it all day without bungee etc easy as now.

[Coiltek]

Hello all and there are some good points and discussion in this thread and I thought I'd jump in for a chat...

Feel free to ask questions as the more you know the better you can make your own decision whether you think the new GOLD EXTREME coils are for you.

from this thread the main queries are:

Why aren't the new coils water-proof?  We thought long and hard about this and decided to not epoxy fill the 10x5" coil due to extra time and weight from this and essentially if you wish to keep the unit water-proof then keep the 8" coil on or revert back to this. (time and more materials mean more $$$) For those that hunt the water this (8") is all you need. But you never know what the future holds...

Warranty - is it voided? the short answer is no but as Gerry stated in a previous reply as long as there is no misuse or damage made during the conversion. Like any product under warranty - if it is deemed a fault of the user then it will not be covered. our coils come with a 2 year warranty - if you have an issue with our product we deal with that separately - if you have a warranty issue with the SDC unit itself revert the unit back to standard and send it back to Minelab - simple.

Does the conversion require any hard modification to the unit? NO. there is no cutting, slicing, cracking or any type of firm modification required. Just undo two hex screws, undo two flat head screws, help the plug around the corner in the shaft and drop the coil away - then attach our shaft piece using the clamp and screws we supply, wrap the cable around the shaft like a GPX unit or any other treasure detector, plug in and screw up the plug collar, install the Coiltek cover over this area and use the hex screws you took out before to tighten up the cover over the plug area. turn on and go!

Why does the cable wrap around the shaft and not go in the middle? We didn't want to complicate the install. I am sure even Minelab would say that getting the cable up the shaft and around the elbow of the unit is tricky and requires a cap and ball chain to pull it around. We supply a cap and ball chain in our attachment kit so you can get the unit back to standard whenever you want. Essentially we didn't want to have a user make the cable go up the shaft every time they want to change a coil, its far easier to interchange coils like we have made it.

How does the shaft work? It has been designed to fit straight in to the carbon shaft once the standard coil is removed. the holes line up and the clamp we supply fits to help keep it in place. one of the main benefits of this shaft attachment is it now makes the unit around 4-5 inches longer so if you are 6'2" or there abouts the unit is now extended and when I hunt with it I no longer feel like i am stooping or at risk of stepping on the coil (figure of speech!) We will have a full attachment video coming out soon which will help guide you through the fitment process.

So in short we have thought long and hard about this set up and certainly spent a lot of effort creating the right shaft attachment. Of course no one is forcing anyone to buy the coils and if you think they are not for you then this is perfectly fine. Coiltek is all about providing more options for the Minelab Detectors as this is what we do and I for one am excited to see these coils get out into the market and start to provide the user with more coverage, more depth, more opportunity and hopefully more gold!

Trevor.

[Gerry in Idaho]

Trevor,  It was very kind of you to take the time away from CoilTek and clear up some of the questions from everyone on this fine forum.  There are so many people who have purchased SDC-2300's from me and other dealers.  The #1 complaint was the lack of coil options, but the amount of gold we find made up for it, which was a win win.  Now we get the opportunity to have more gold finding coils to make the SDC and our experience even better.

I look forward to seeing keeping my customers happy and also look forward to even more CoilTek options down the road.

[Steve Herschbach]

On 3/11/2019 at 3:36 PM, Coiltek said:

Hello all and there are some good points and discussion in this thread and I thought I'd jump in for a chat...

Feel free to ask questions as the more you know the better you can make your own decision whether you think the new GOLD EXTREME coils are for you.

Trevor.

It’s always nice when manufacturers pay direct attention to their customers. Good job Trevor and thanks! 

[vanursepaul]

On 3/10/2019 at 4:32 PM, Hard Prospector said:

Any pics of this mod would be much appreciated..............

Its an ongoing project........ i can hear the 3d printer  humming now.....lol

 

[Norvic]

2 hours ago, vanursepaul said:

Its an ongoing project........ i can hear the 3d printer  humming now.....lol

 

Nah, printed an arm cuff for it awhile back and put temporary one back on the Monster, now am waiting for a 11" Coiltek to complement it. Made a new year resolution to use it more but so far this year no score, time for the big gun Z.

[afreakofnature]

On March 9, 2019 at 9:08 AM, Lunk said:

Ask, and ye shall receive:

ctmenquiry@coiltek.com.au

I asked and received!

but you all got the same answer here first 

So you can put the 8 back on and have the same original waterproof detector.

no waterproof coils coming  Sorry beach hunters.

[Gerry in Idaho]

Now Minelab comes out with a statement saying how precise their detectors and coils are made for certain machines (SDC-2300).  I agree with some of what they are saying.  At the same time, other coil options will find me more gold.  Just like with the new Flat wound coils of NuggetFinder and Coiltek, they perform better in many situations to allow the end users more gold. 

Just like the very popular Coiltek 15" WOT coil for 15+ years, which is still popular today, it will allow your detector to do more things.

I'm not going to get into a Yes or No, Right or Wrong here as I just try to give detector and coil options to my customers.  Here is what I would do.  Those who use their SDC-2300's on land for Prospecting, I would not hesitate 1 bit of getting an accessory coil to allow for more options, terrains, depths of different sizes of gold, ground coverage and overall value.

If you are one of the few who do hunt in the water?  Keep on swinging and having fun/success with the machine they way it is.

Minelab did the same thing to Doc years ago with his aftermarket battery system, which is very popular and both parties are still here with thousands of happy customers.

[Steve Herschbach]

On 3/13/2019 at 7:14 AM, Gerry in Idaho said:

Now Minelab comes out with a statement saying how precise their detectors and coils are made for certain machines (SDC-2300).

Hi Gerry,

Do you have a link to the statement? Or was this something sent only to dealers?

Personally I have no doubt the SDC was very finely tuned to the 8” mono coil. Some loss of small gold sensitivity may occur with other coils. But if you believe ground coverage matters, and I do, giving up a little to get more coverage.... well, we have been making that trade off for as long as there have been detectors.

Edit: found it https://www.minelab.com/usa/customer-care/product-notices?article=353456.....

SDC 2300 PRODUCT NOTICE & WARRANTY STATEMENT

Recently, Coiltek has introduced aftermarket coils that can be retrofitted to the SDC 2300. These have been developed independently of Minelab and Minelab has not had any involvement with these coils. Minelab cannot and does not provide any information or support regarding the use of these coils. Minelab does not guarantee the SDC 2300’s performance when used in conjunction with these coils.

The SDC is manufactured by Minelab in a standard configuration designed to be robust and offering easy to use high performance; any changes to the product may alter its performance. Further, such modifications may materially impact the ability of Minelab to support and warrant your SDC 2300. The SDC 2300 is not designed for changing coils nor for use with other coil sizes and specifically any damage which is assessed by Minelab or its Authorised Service Centres (ASCs) as having resulted from such modification will not be covered by the Minelab warranty.

All Minelab detectors are engineered in Australia, manufactured to exacting standards in ISO 9001/2000 quality accredited facilities, and backed by up to defined transferable warranties. Review the full Minelab warranty period, terms and conditions on our website.

[Norvic]

For me MLs basically saying the SDC is unique and the first of its kind, being made "tuned" to one coil, but is that going to hold water if as we`ve found with MLs PI range from the SD to the GPX, aftermarket coils rule. Will the Coiltek SDC coils prove MLs "tuned" SDC is no different to its other PIs? Look at the new flat wound coils and how they`ve narrowed the difference between the Xs and the Z. Warranty concerns?

I think a lot of us go for performance first and if these aftermarket coils prove successful, market force will rule, as it will with the Zs aftermarket coils. For me ML rules no doubt with gold detector tech. but not so with coils.