1st Run With The Xceed 12x7 Mono

[Aureous]

Had a quick run of 3.5 hours this afternoon with the new Xceed 12x7. Right away it was obvious just how much quieter this coil makes the 6000. Y axis noise was still there, but mainly when the coil is tilted at more than 40 degrees. Below that, it was far more pleasant than the stock 11" mono. Sensitivity was still great and I couldn't detect any loss or difference from the stock coil. I found that with the overall increase in stability, I used it the whole time in Auto 1 and swapped between normal and difficult when the ground dictated. I found that the coil windings appear to be dual layer flat-wound as I could get a signal 5cm in from the edge of the coil. There also wasn't the sharpness of signal that indicates a bundle-wound coil. The color is a light pale grey and not exactly white. Looks nice! Only minor downside that I could find was that coz its a narrow coil, the detector falls over a lot easier now  Pinpointing was easy and the 'NF' label acts as a good guide. I got 6 little bits on a flogged spot for .5gm which was a decent result. This was all mainly due to the detector being 50% quieter and the softer signals becoming audible. End of the story: this coil will stay on my 6000 for 90% of its time on the dirt. I will probably only change when I need a DD coil for around powerlines. Its now my 'GO-TO' coil for sure. 

I will be cross testing this coil with a friend soon with the stock 11" and a Coiltek Goldhawk 10x5. So, more to come..... 

[afreakofnature]

Looking forward to the 3 coil comparison!  I am curious about the thickness of the different coils too.

[PhaseTech]

Excellent report, pretty much mirrors my testing and feedback I've been getting from customers. 

The winding is a flattened bundle. So somewhere between a bundle wind and a flat wind. I think this gives the best compromise between sensitivity and ground handling, and being an elliptical coil that will be used in scrub, you don't want the pin-pointing to be too far in from the edge like is the case with a full spiral coil. 

One thing I really like about it which follows on from the design of the Evo coils is the chamfered bottom edge. The stock 11" coil has a very square edge, so the Xceed glides along the ground with less restriction. 

[Goldseeker5000]

Aureous and Nenod, great reports of the 12x7. Mine will be here in the morning and I will be taking it to my area I found the crystalline nugget. I got 10 from there so far with the 11". This area had been pounded with a couple 7000's. I got one today. Maybe . 3 or . 4 g. The 12x7 should be very interesting in my area. 

[phrunt]

Well that answers my questions, now I must order one again.  Thanks.

-- update, delayed my order again for now until I know more about the coils performance over the stock in regards to small gold sensitivity.

[Goldseeker5000]

Hey phrunt the next few days of hunting with the 12x7 I will show performance on the videos. If it can hit on these nuggets at the depth the caliche is at,  of a foot to 14" then I will be very impressed. Im talking 3/4 gram to 1 gram at 14" .

[Goldseeker5000]

I got three small nuggets today for the first outing swinging the 12x7 coil. They were all shallow. Loud signal. Very rich and smooth in sound. I knew they were going to be gold. Four targets. First Three were gold, fourth was a tiny bit of iron. All were very shallow. I will get pictures tomorrow night. Two are still sitting in CLR. I like it so far. 

[Aureous]

OK, Ive had 3 full days with the 12x7 (23 bits for 2.1gm) and yesterday I got a chance to look at the Coiltek Goldhawk 10x5 on a friends 6000. We marked some targets and cross tested both coils. My take on the 3 coils (11" stock, 12x7 and 10x5) are as follows. 11" stock ML mono now stays in the cupboard unless I need a backup coil. The 12x7 NF mono is now my new standard coil for most outings, it can cover the tasks for going over old workings/tailings and slopes/hillsides and its benefits are amazing quietness and improved sensitivity over the stock coil. I was hitting bits of gold so tiny that it often took 5 minutes to find the specks! 1/2 pinhead sized wasn't uncommon. BUT, the 10x5 Goldhawk was a BIG surprise.... it had ZERO Y axis noise, nuthin at all.... It had the same incredible sensitivity as the 12x7 but a much louder and obvious response. The smaller size and bundle-wound design improved the tiny gold response significantly. My friend is getting C. 10 tiny bits per hour on most flogged old diggings and I can believe it... One of the signals we cross tested with the 12x7, I couldn't hear. It was a flat bit of birdshot but my 6000 with the 12x7 couldn't hear it at Auto 1, and he was hearing it easily with the 10x5 on only manual 4!  A couple meters away he got another clear zap (that I didn't detect) and pulled a micro bit of gold from about 4". 

So, my future sees the 12x7 on my 6000 most of the time, BUT I'll be saving for a 10x5 now in order to hit all the old workings that I know has a sh*tload of tiny gold still present. TBH, I wasn't expecting this, but the Coiltek Goldhawk 10x5  is a killer coil for the tiny shallow gold and its perfectly quiet no matter what angle you use it. No doubt the Xceed 8.5x6 will be similar to the Goldhawk 10x5 in performance but we're gonna have to wait a few months for that. Hope my report helps some people to choose...

[Northeast]

27 minutes ago, Aureous said:

its perfectly quiet no matter what angle you use it

You mentioned that your friend was in manual 4.  Was the quietness still evident in manual 10 and/or Auto +? 

Got a mate who was keen on the NF but that might change his mind  👍

[Aureous]

2 minutes ago, Northeast said:

You mentioned that your friend was in manual 4.  Was the quietness still evident in manual 10 and/or Auto +? 

Got a mate who was keen on the NF but that might change his mind  👍

Nah made no difference.....he ran it up to Auto 1 and it was slightly more chirpy on the hot clay but the Y axis noise was still not present. I was very impressed. No doubt the small diameter of the coil has a big influence on this...