Tom Slick

I think the F5 is the better park and school detector. The features make it a really good coin and jewelry machine and with the 10" concentric coil it pin points better than the Simplex. This is important when detecting nice lawns and being able to pop coins without doing damage to the grass. The Simplex lacks some of the "Coin Shooting" features of the F5 but is probably the better all around detector. Not up to par with the F5 for coin shooting but still a good performer for that task, but a better detector for hunting relics and using for old home sites, ghost towns etc. The Factory is currently producing two additional smaller coils for the Simplex which will expand the Simplex's versatility. Both are very nice detectors. Just decide wher or what type detecting you'll be doing the most of and go from there. 

I'll second the Minelab Vanquish series. For the money, They would be my first choice if spending around $300.   

I used to keep boxes of stuff like that. After getting tired of storing them, I finally just tossed most of it out. Now when I get home, I just sort through it,  save the good stuff, and pitch the rest. With garage space always being a premium at my house, I'd rather collect detectors and accessories than miscellaneous scraps of metal.😁

PS. My wife does like to use some of my junk for craft projects.

I hunt in Arizona where 90 degrees would be a nice cool day here in the summer. I've never had a problem with heat either with my Nox 800. 

Did you ever check to make sure the coil cable was tightened?

That's a really clean, collapsible shaft! Nicely done!

I have the Nox 800 and ORX team. I have others also but I usually have the Nox and ORX with me when I go detecting. 

Per the Manual:

What is an X19 coil?

Excellent Video! I really appreciate you sharing it with us. I'm looking forward to your next video. 

Abenson -  Next time don't bother digging the coin purse hardware. Just dig the leather pouch with the silver and gold coins still in it. 😁

I'll guess the token. I would think the ring would be a 27 or more. 

Rich - Great to hear you had a good outing. Wish I could have made it this year. Looking forward to the next WTHO.

You can lead a horse to water;

Just trying to help out. 

Very unique and cool find. My favorite Cracker Jack toy was a mini catapult. I remember flinging spit wads in class with it.  Can you even say Cracker anymore? I mean with all the political correctness now a days.  

I think Skullgolddiver means FE or F2?

I wonder if Fisher would sell just the upper and middle rod with the battery pod to replace the one you ran over. 

Steve - I disagree 😁

"I don't understand the statement that the straight shaft needs a counterbalance vs. the S-shaft that doesn't."

     For me, with the S shaft, I don't feel the need for a counter balance, some folks might. I have the 6" coil in the photo but I use the 11" 95% of the time. Is it front heavy? Yes, but the way it swings for me with the S shaft, I don't bother with using the counter balance because the added weight doesn't do anything to improve the swing. With the added counter balance weight it puts a little more strain on the fingers. Lets face it, you still having to hold weight weather it be balanced or not. I just don't like making it heavier. I have an XP ORX also. It has an S shaft, it's front end heavy but nobody is adding weight to make it balance better. If it's light enough and swings well, you don't need a counter balance. 

   I changed mine to an S rod. Having been a White's dealer in the past and using White's detectors for about 20 years, I had lots of White's parts laying around so that's how i went. I used the S rod from a MXT or DFX $19.50 if you buy new from White's. White's lower rods for my Nox coils $19.50 each. The Lower rods are required because the Nox rods are a little larger in diameter than the Whit'e Rod. It takes a little work but simple to do.
The white's S rod has two spring buttons on either side of the upper end. The Nox upper rod has a single hole on the bottom. You must drill a 1/4" hole on the bottom of the White's rod to match. Remove the spring clip from the White's rod, cut off one of the buttons and reinstall so it protrudes thru the new hole you drilled. The S rod is smaller in Diameter so you need to shim it. I cut a small piece from a plastic Folgers Coffee can LID that would make 1 layer around the S rod and you need to drill a hole in the shim for the spring button to go thru. Only thing else you need to do is mount the Nox coil to a White's lower rod.
I've been using this setup about 3 times a week for over two years and it's still rock solid. I think it swings much better as the detector doesn't try to twist at the end of each swing, and I don't thing it needs to be counter balanced like the straight shaft does. Folks buy a 3 pound detector and then add a one pound weight to hang off the back, just so it swings better. Crazy IMHO. Some photos. Last photo shows Fisher Arm cuff with Sheep Skin Cuff Muff, cool in the summer, warm in the winter. 1/2" ratchet extension for attaching large socket for counter balance (I don't use). I decided to try the counter weight idea as many folks like it. I had a hard time wanting to add weight to the detector. These pictures show the 1/2" ratchet extension and a large 16 oz socket as that's what most folks need to balance it out. With the S rod, I don't think it needs the counter weight at all.

When I sent mine in for the V3i update, I thought they would change out the decal to the newer version. Nope. I think it may have hurt me a bit when I sold it as some folks didn't know about the name change and were probably a little Leary of bidding on it. 

I was one of the first in 2009 to get the V3i. Mine was actually a "Vision" model. About 2017 I thought "I should probably sell my V3i while it's still White's Top of the Line. Surely White's has got to be coming out with a new model shortly". Since then I've bought the Makro/Nokta Impact, Anfibio Multi, Multi Kruzer, Nox 800, and ORX. Still no new Top of the Line White's. Glad I kept my DFX for my BigFoot coil. 

PS - I'm no longer waiting for anything from White's.   

My best gold detector to date would have to be a White's Surf PI from about 1990. I found more Gold and Platinum with that detector than any other. 

Johnedoe - The BigFoot designed for the Eagle Spectrum will not work on the V3i, Sorry. 😟

Steve - I found that the trick to Running the BigFoot on the V3i was to only use it in all three frequencies. Everyone's soil is different but I found that running in three freq. the pull tabs would all read much higher on the VDI scale than the Gold rings. This allowed setting up disc programs or patterns that would eliminate most of the tabs while still getting most gold rings. For some reason only the aluminum targets jumped up the VDI scale and not gold items. I did eventually sell my V3i because I found myself only using it for hunting shallow clad and jewelry occasionally and for most all my detecting I was using different detectors. I sold two BigFoot coils (my spares) but have kept one that is mounted on one of three DFX's I have. The other two DFX's are used by my son and wife but only for competition hunts using HotFoot coils. When it comes to pulling clad and Jewelry, there's nothing like a BigFoot on a White's. 

Chase shouldn't it be "I know that is pretty subjective, but that's the truth. I think." 😁