Ml X-Terra Pro Vs Fisher F19 On Gold

[Jeffrla]

Hello,

I live in New Mexico and wanted to get other folks thoughts on a couple metal detector/coil matchups.  What would be the pros/cons of the following; ML X-Terra Pro w/EQX6 coil running at 15khz or Fisher F19 w/5"Gold Bug DD coil running at 19khz for gold prospecting?

Thank you in advance.

Jeff

[wltdwiz]

my vote fisher f19

[Jeff McClendon]

That’s a great question. If you were asking about a Minelab Equinox 700 vs Fisher F19 I would say the Minelab Equinox 700.

The X Terra Pro is very close to having the same features as a Nox 700 but without the Multi IQ simultaneous multi frequency choice.  So you get the beneficial features of DP tones which are 2 tone VCO audio, iron volume level choices, some just okay accept/reject functions, good recovery speed functions and excellent ground balancing along with a great shaft system, great coil choices and expensive and hard to find wireless headphone capability. Running Park or Field in 15 kHz, DP tones would be my choice along with the 6” or Coiltek 10X5” coil using nothing rejected if possible.

The F19 has just wide open VCO audio and a great ground balancing system and some good coil choices. 

I have compared the Equinox 800 in single frequency 20 kHz Gold 1  to the F19 at 19 kHz using its all metal mode. They were very close in performance.

X-Terra Pro at 15 kHz with DP tones may also be very comparable to the F19. I just don’t know.

[phrunt]

15kHz the X-Terra tops out at for me has never been a good one for EMI, whereas the F19 19kHz is great for EMI. being slighter higher too is likely to be more sensitive on small gold.  The F19 has great coil options available although when you start spending money on aftermarket coils especially the Nel snake I'd be chasing for it then you may as well look into higher priced detectors.  If you can find an F19 with the 10x5" as part of the deal that would do the trick.

The F19 would either need the 10x5" or 5" round to be any good, and the X-Terra Pro would need the 6" round or 10x5" Coiltek to be any good so some working out needs done about costing vs buying another detector more suitable by spending money on the detector and not needing to buy the coils.  

I have the V12 on my Vanquish, and in jewellery mode (the most sensitive) it's not a real good performer on gold nuggets compared the F19 (GBP) with the 10x5" coil.   It's not overly known what frequencies the Vanquish uses for its multi-IQ but I would guess 20kHz would be its top out frequency on the Jewellery mode and I'm not happy using it with the V12 for gold and would prefer the F19 10x5" combo......

Either way, if it was me, I would lean towards the F19, as long as smaller coils were involved, otherwise I'd go for a different detector entirely.

[Jeffrla]

Hello...Thank you to everyone for their insight.  When I asked about gold, I am referring to small raw gold.  I have other higher khz detectors and was just wondering about the 15-20khz range detector combinations I mentioned.

Jeff

[Jeff McClendon]

Phrunt and I were describing small gold nugget prospecting experiences using the detectors mentioned

[Jeffrla]

Agreed...me to.

[Steve Herschbach]

This question leaves out vital information. What type of ground and hot rocks are you talking about? And exactly what size and type of gold? Solid or specimen? 1/4 oz nugget or 0.2 gram nugget? I can envision circumstances where either machine might be the better choice depending on the answers to those questions. Metal detecting is not the this versus that proposition that it is constantly made out to be. It is about picking the appropriate tool for the task at hand. The smaller the gold and the lower the ground mineralization, the more I might favor the F19. The higher the ground mineralization and larger the gold, the more I might favor the X-Terra. In general I would lean towards the F19 due to it's superb all metal mode combined with parallel on screen target id, in effect a mixed mode setup that gives you the best of both worlds.

[Jeffrla]

Steve, et al...Points taken.  Than k you.  I see what you mean by the number of variables that must be taken into account.  I can see now that both combinations have their place under different circumstances.