Technology Forum

How good is the JW Fisher Pulse 8X detector? They carry a high price and many PRO Departments and treasure hunters seem to purchase them. Yet others tell me that this pulse machine is no good!?

So, is this a good machine? Does it have to be worked real slow? Is it a stable unit in salt, or in need of constant adjustment? How well does it pinpoint? Is it any better than say a Whites PI Pro?

I would think one would get something special for $1,700.00+ ?

Thanks in advance, CC.

are you working the beach or diving? Don

CC,

The JW Fisher detector is far more suited to diving than beach/shallow water...the pulse delay (even at it's fastest) won't be sensitive (fast enough) for rings, etc. The pulse delay (not sure, but I think it starts at about 25uS ??) is designed for a large volume of salt water...that is diving. You may pick up these rings at these settings but probably only at a few inches...that's how my PI behaves when I've tinkered with the delay settings of around 30uS.

Regards,
Tony,
The original Goldquest SS

Thanks for your help. I find what you say very interesting, because it makes sense yet seems to contradict JW Fishers brochure and treasure newsletter? Their brochure shows a tiny gold nugget on top of their 5 inch coil- implying the 8X would detect such a small nugget?

Also in their treasure newsletter sent to me, they tell the story of a guy in Aruba and show all the wonderful gold rings he finds in shallow water with his pulse 8X at the beach?

I do not doubt what you say, but how can Fisher make such claims?

A little bit of both. Thanks, CC.

Interesting claims by Fisher....if it's true then I'd be thrilled.

Best thing is to maybe contact their technical department and ask them what the minumum pulse delay is on the machine. I've looked on their site but the technical details don't mention this all important area.

I have tried an Aquapulse (AQ1B) PI detector....a very well made/designed detector but it's primary purpose is for diving applications (and hence larger objects, ferrous and non-ferrous). The factory preset pulse delay was about 30uS....it could only detect my gold wedding band at about 4 ", whereas my Goldquest SS running at 10uS will detect the same ring at about 14".

Please keep us posted if you get any further details from them as I'm very interested. There is always the chance that they have reduced the pulse delay since I last emailed them a few years ago now. Bottom line is the the pulse delay (uS) is directly linked to a detector's ability to hit a nice gold ring at depth. The bigger gold rings are still strongly detected up to about 20uS as this is roughly where I set my PI up when I'm detecting in saltwater at eye-level depths (I use a snorkel and walk along the seabed with weights). As I get shallower then I reduce my delay accordingly.

Good luck with the detective work,
Tony

Tony, thanks again for your info. And, what you say about pulse delay is right. Last week when I requested Pulse 8X info, I asked how well their detector worked for rings in shallow water. They said "Great"!

Fisher has a newsletter called Search Team News. In Issue 9-1 there are articles about 2 Caribbean shallow water treasure hunters, both using the 8X. Both love the detector for this purpose and one has photo of over 40 gold, diamond and platinum rings! Ok, many other detectors can do that too, but these 2 guys would not be using the 8X if they were not happy with them... at least I think?

I too would like to know if they have changed the pulse delay and will flat-out ask them what it is. CC

I agree with Tony, I would like to know the Usec rating on the machines, I think it is higher and will not find smaller gold. Marketing takes alot of liberties to sell things!!!It has not been used to my knowledge much at the beach. You need 10Usec on the sand to find small gold up and 15Usec in the water. You need adjustable Pulse Delay. That means Infinium, Goldquest SS, or HH. Sand Shark and White's are fixed. Don

Don, in response to my request Fisher will not tell me the pulse delay setting. I asked them why and am waiting for a response to that. I also asked them flat-out how well their 8X worked for shallow water jewelry hunting. As mentioned earlier, their newsletter shows many rings found with an 8X. I told Fisher I was in the market for 2 units, but I will not buy from a manufacturer who spins my questions about their products. I hope they will answer my questions fully- we shall see? CC

I doubt they will, I think there are alot of good units that will do the job better for less money! If you are going underwater, the Infinium, White's Surfmaster Pro, HH and Sand Shark will do the job for shallow diving and beach. For the money a used White's Surfmaster Pro can't be beat. The White's SM Pro while fixed Pulse Delay runs at 15Usec, which is what you need in the water, not quite as good on beach, there the Goldquest SS is best. Good Luck....Don

I have overlooked the Garrett Sea Hunter Mk2, I have never used one, but in feedback I have read, it seems to do a good job. Good price and ability in both dry, wet sand and underwater, might be worth checking out further. Don

JW Fisher will simply not answer my questions via e-mail. They want me to call and speak with Mr. Fisher. As a potential customer I see absolutely no reason to do this. I asked simple and straight forward questions. They must have something to hide... my guess is that as mentioned here, the 8X does not work good on jewelry. I was going to purchase 2 from them. I guess I'll spend my money elsewhere and not with JW Fisher, nor any other manufacturer who keeps basic info on their detectors from customers. CC.

Gents,

I doubt whether any of you will read this, since these comments are three years old... I am in the market for a Fishers 8x and I saw your highly insightful comments. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER FISHERS ANSWERED YOUR INQUIRY ABOUT THE "PULSE DELAY". If they haven't I could possibly find the answer for you. I live in Taxachusetts and I can drive down to Taunton and flatly ask them about it. Although I intend to do some underwater metal detecting, 95% of the time, it will be on the beach and within city limits (i.e. electrical interference by power lines, etc.) If you have any questions, please reply to this posting or email me directly to "kmantzouranis@gmail.com"

These threads are always interesting !

I don't doubt that the JW Fisher unit can detect an average gold ring but how deep into the sand will it do it ?

At 25-30uS, you will have a nice quiet detector when shallow water hunting but you are really limiting your finds....

1. Small/fine gold rings will be generally missed, even if they are sitting on the sea floor
2. Bigger gold rings will be detected but maybe to 30% the depth of a PI running at 15uS
3. If I'm after a nice diamond ring then I would rather swing a golf club than a detector running at 30uS

However, if I'm diving and after large iron items or big gold bullion bars then give me a JW Fisher or Aquapulse AQ1B anyday.....this is where they were designed for.

Please keep this thread alive if you get more news,

Thanks,
Tony

Tony Hi,

Well, I emailed Fisher and I got the following response:
"Attached are the technical data and option sheets for our top-performing Pulse 6X and 8X detectors. Also attached is a current price list. In answer to your questions; The Pulse Delay on our detectors is not user adjustable. The delay time is considered proprietary information and not given out."

I am including the text of the data sheet:

SENSITIVITY ( with 7 1/2" coil )
You can expect the following detection ranges whether in air or buriedin mud, coral, sand, dry or wet, fresh or salt water.
==============================================
PULSE 6X - Small ring ........ 2 1/2 in
Penny ...................................... 4 1/2 in
Quarter .....................................5 in.
4" x 4" x 1/8" Alum .................. 9 in
1gallon can.............................22 in.
Larger targets to a max ........... 3 1/2 ft
==============================================
PULSE 8X - Small ring ........ 5 in.
Penny ...................................... 9 in
Quarter ................................... 9 1/2 in
4" x 4" x 1/8" Alum ................. 15 in
1gallon can.............................. 30 in
Larger targets to a max ........... 6 feet
==============================================