13 inch Detech Ultimate coil review

[Finderskeeper]

I decided that I was going to try the Detech 13 inch Ultimate coil on my Excalibur II 1000, actually an Excalibur II 1500 as I was using the WOT coil on it. I kept reading all the different comments on how well or not how well it works on other detectors. I have had this coil now for two days and have used it for 13 hours total hunting time. All the hunting was done on dry land and in local school yards.

It had rained here lately and the ground was moist, almost perfect for coin hunting. The two schools I hunted this weekend were older schools where one was built in 1920 and the other was built in 1948. In the past I have found silver in these yards and I know that I have hit these two school yards pretty hard with an E-trac, a Fisher F-75 ltd, a White's Eagle Spectrum and my Excalibur II. So picking were going to be few and far between.

I have gridded these yards to make sure I hit almost every square inch and have done that in the past also. I have old photos of those schools and the diamonds were in heavy use when baseball was the sport to play. Now it is soccer.... They do play soccer in these areas that are ball diamonds so there would be modern clad there also.

Let me say first that the 13 inch Ultimate was easy to install. Thank you CritterHunter for posting the wiring list. My Excalibur II is modified with a straight shaft, Mel Parker/Oldbeechnut remote switch and a 1600 MAH battery. I've made my own headphones using the ear muffs that cannot be posted here. The Excalibur has paid for itself and then some over the last few years.

My first thought about this coil after using it for a few minutes was that it is very stable on dry land. It does not warble as much as the WOT and it seems to be more sensitive in the pin point mode than the WOT or the factory 10 inch coil. I have noticed that in pin point, the Ultimate coil really punches down fairly deep as my first find was a 1946 nickle down about 11 inches on edge. But I also noticed that in discriminate, the 13 Ultimate also hit the coin really strong. Now I have hit this area before with the other detectors and other coils on the Excal and I was amazed that I had missed this in the past. As the day went on, I found several other coins and all were more than 9 inches down in areas that were heavily hunted by myself and others before.

I also noticed that in discriminate, junk targets seem to be better ID'd than with the other coils. I was able to pretty much figure out better what the target was. In order to check myself, I dug everything.

None of the coins were silver and found that the coins I did dig were not near any other metal so I cannot say how well the coil separates. I did find a very small silver clasp of a chain and it was down about 8 inches all by itself. I mean it is really tiny. I was amazed at the ability of this coil to even see that little piece of silver.

I have not used it in the water yet. I am looking forward to using it in Florida this winter. I hear it may not be as good as advertised in the wet sand and salt water. We shall see.

My first impression is that this coil works really well on land with an Excalibur II. I am very happy with it so far and it may not be a grand slam against say a WOT coil, it does offer some pretty good performance that is equal to and sometimes surpassed the WOT in my opinion. Target ID is a bit better than the WOT and the factory coil. Coverage is a wee bit less than the WOT but is way better than the factory 10 inch. Depth so far SEEMS to be more than the WOT but that is subjective. There are just too many variables that are present from day to day and location to location to say it is deeper than any other coil. What I can say is that it is deeper than the factory stock coil where and when I was hunting. Pin pointing was easy with this coil. Spot on every time. The back of the coil seems to be less sensitive than the front, at least it seemed that way to me. The coil is pretty light and swings easily. The white color will be hard to keep clean so I will probably hit it with some truck bed spray and dump the coil cover.

I ended up with $12.23 in clad this weekend. Not a lot but I was amazed that I had missed them before. Was it the coil? Not sure....but the depth of my recent finds compared to other coils makes me think it may have been the coil, but then again the wet ground and other variables could have played a part.

I like the coil and it will remain on my Excalibur till something better comes along or if it fails in the salt water and wet sand. That will be the deciding factor.

 

[gear box]

Thanks for the report Finderskeeper. Sounds like a pretty good coil and could be a good alternetive to the 10x12 if that one becomes even harder to get. I've been toying with the idea of getting another coil for my GT but holding off to hear more reports on the Ultimate.
Thanks Gary

 

[Critterhunter]

EXCELLENT Review! Thanks for posting that. I love reading this stuff like field test comparisons of coils. And not only that but you had the WOT to contrast it to along with working some ground other flagship machines and your Excal had worked, so it's a good test in certain ways. Yea, unless two coils are compared head to head on marked undug targets no way of knowing for sure what the results would be between them, but that much clad at a worked out spot says something anyway, and that nickle that deep on edge is OUTSTANDING for any coil or any machine for that matter for sure. You don't hear too many coins on edge at that kind of depth for any machine and coil, and a nickel at that which is a lower conductor. That speaks good for it's gold ring hunting abilities perhaps. That hunt sounds like a good judge of that coil's abilities even if other coils could have got it too. That much change at a hard hit spot by various machines says something anyway, but yea doesn't say for sure other coils couldn't have seen it without head to heads, but it does say the coil can hold it's own I'd say. It still shows what that coil can do.

Hope you don't mind but I'm linking your field report in the coil sticky for the Ultimate, because this coil is so new there are almost no field reports for it even on other machines, and even less on the BBS units since the Ultimate versions for them didn't come to Kellyco until just a few weeks ago while the versions for other machines came a bit sooner than that.

I've got to get more testing of my loaner Ultimate in. I've just been busy trying to catch up on my late start water/beach hunting this year before the weather gets too cold for me to go in the water. But just the same I think I'll shoot for Tuesday to do some more target marking at a deep known coin spot and then compare it and the 12x10 on more like I did a few weeks ago. I've got to get these tests done before the owner asks for it back here.

Interesting that you say it nailed that tiny silver clasp that deep. That speaks good for it's small target sensitivity. I'm planning to test the 12x10 against it on some small gold earings and perhaps a somewhat thinner gold chain or two and see how they pan out against each other and will post results on that when I do.

I haven't tested it's separation abilities yet against the excellent 12x10 in that respect left/right width wise. I ain't going to lay my money on the Ultimate doing as well in that respect left/right wise just due to it's larger size, but I do hear some FBS guys say it separates pretty good for a round coil of it's size. I've also read some say it seems to have unique abilites to sound off on coins in iron not seen on other round conventional DD coils. Remember I think Bryce saying that if it hit good from 3 or 4 angles it was going to be a coin in iron, but if it hit at only 1 or 2 angles it was going to be junk, and that he hadn't seen that "sure thing" (almost) on other round coils (I think he said), so it makes the "iffy" stuff less of a gamble if you know what you are looking for that is worth taking a chance on.

Did you notice how loud it makes stuff sound? I'm not sure but it seems the volume is almost twice as loud on deeper targets than my 12x10, but just the same I can hear stuff deep with the 12x10 just fine. It's just that the Ultimate makes you think you cranked up the volume more. The 12x10 is louder at depth for me than the stock 10" Tornado, but that Ultimate is like you cranked the volume even higher. That has me wondering if it will bang deeper and I want to test that more to see. All I can say thus far is that I turned the sensitivity down on the 12x10 until I could just barely not hear a 7" dime anymore, and then I didn't touch the dial and threw the Ultimate on and it couldn't hear it at all either, and seemed like I had to raise the dial a good bit before it started to make any kind of response to it, so that has me suspecting the Ultimate is not as deep as the 12x10 at the same low sensitivity setting. But, could be at higher sensitivity settings maybe the Ultimate is more "in tune" with it's self and takes the lead? Don't know yet which way that will go. Still testing...

Hey, please post some more field reports of your impressions in the future of it and also your thoughts on it to the WOT and the 10" Tornado. I bet you really notice the light weight compared to your WOT? Because the WOT is the heaviest coil ever made for the BBS machines that I know of, with probably the 16 or 18" Excelerator being the exception.

PS- Remember that coil ain't waterproof! So if you are using it in water I'd seal under the coil cable nut and threads with Shoe Gooe or something. Gum the stuff right into the hole and under the nut cap and on the threads. I'd also put it on the cable where the rubber coil sleeve slides down with the nut. I do that with all my coils. Added insurance it won't leak, but one tiny hole in that coil anywhere and it might be lights out since it sounds like they aren't filled with epoxy only being rated water resistant.

Again, thanks for the report and please do more! If you do do more try if you can to post them in this thread, because I'm posting a link to this thread for the Ultimate in the coil sticky so that way people will find all of your reviews of it without chasing links.

 

[Critterhunter]

Forgot to ask...Was that the 10" Tornado you are referencing in comparison or the old heavy BBS version? As most say the old BBS version of the 8 and 10" coils are not as good as the newer Tornado versions.

 

[Finderskeeper]

The 10 inch is the factory 10 inch coil from Minelab. I'm not sure of the pedigree of the factory coils.

 

[Finderskeeper]

Here is a photo of the little clasp that I found down about 8 inches. Also is a photo of my Excalibur II 1300.

 

[Tin Fin]

Finderskeeper,

Nice review - well thought out, excellent comparing and contrasting and realistic caveats. The fact that you and other hit this area over time, and that you have worked with a variety of other machines in the area speaks well of the review as well. Thanks very much.

 

[stumppass]

Hello Findskeeper!

I did the same modes about 4 or 5 months ago. It is fantastic in the dry sand and very unstable in or near the salt water however, I do not believe this coil was really designed for use in or around salt water.

Since I do hunt the Florida beaches I will be replacing this coil and trying the 12/10 SEF, which by the way is in route from Bulgaria!

HH

 

[Finderskeeper]

Thanks for the info Stumppass. For two months I spend on the beaches in Florida I think I'll keep the Excalibur 1300 here up north and use the White's Dual field in the salt water.

I do a lot of dry land hunting with my Excalibur and so I think it will be a keeper for that. I probably will be ordering from Bulgaria the 12 x 10 SEF as it seems that a certain company refuses to carry it any more.

Oh well, as long as I can get it is all that matters.

Thanks again and hope you find everything I leave behind!!!!

 

[Critterhunter]

I'm hoping they are just waiting for more stock and somebody got confused and thought they meant they weren't going to carry it anymore, as that rumor was floating around last time while more 12x10s were waiting to come in.

Hey Stumppass, nice looking machine there.

 

[stumppass]

I've got the MOD bug for sure! [size=large][/size]

 

[sovereignelite]

SEF coil for the Sovereign models. I do believe other versions are available from this seller as well(this may be directly from the Detech company:located in Bulgaria). Will ship to USA total cost with shipping=US $219.90....of course I don't know how much custom fees etc. might be.


SEF 12x10 coil available here

 

[hydraglide]

Hi, old thread I know, but I'm interested in it being said the 13 ultimate is not fully waterproof, as I've been told by a dealer that it is. Have they now upgraded them to full waterproofness (is that a word ?) I wanted one for my GT but do some shallow water searching, what do you reckon ? Also I like the idea it's lighter than the Tornado. Happy New Year to all.

 

[GeorgeinSC]

The 13" Ultimate is my favorite coil on my Sovereign GT of the five coils that I have. I use it at the beach and in open areas. I find it to be very stable on the wet sand at the beach and not so stable on the dry sand. When I transition from the wet to the dry sand I have to turn the sensitivity down a bit in order to keep it from falsing. I like the amount of area that one can cover with the coil. I dig coins that are Deep. It appears that I get more volume in my headphones with the Ultimate than I do with other coils. I have to turn the volume down when I change to the Ultimate. I have had some EMI problems but I was directly under a power line. Didn't try another coil in that area so not sure how they would have reacted to the EMI. Those power lines had been there for over 50 years and that may have been part of the problem. The Ultimate does not like to get close to things like metal bleachers, chain link fences, cars, trucks and other large metal objects. One of my Cousins sold me a S-12 and I have tried it and cant see that it is any better than the Ultimate. It took me a little time to gain proficiency with the Ultimate as far as pinpointing. But with practice I have been able to do quite well with it.

 

[Critterhunter]

The evaluation that Bryce was told of this coil by Coiltek (not the makers of the coil), is that it shouldn't be considered waterproof. I don't think Detech states it is either, but rather is classified as water resistent. Reasoning? Either it's not filled with anything inside to insure no water can get to the vitals should it get a hole in the casing, or they did fill it with some kind of resin but it's more pourous perhaps than the standard epoxy other coils use to fill them and thus be classified as water proof. Some though are using it in the water with no issues, but I'd make sure to seal under the coil cable nut with Shoe Goo and tighten it just a hair past finger tight. That might void the warranty though.

I was loaned one and I loved the coil, as it's so different than any around DD coil I ever used, and feels great on the shaft. I loved the faster coverage, and to me it had a better feel (though less stable) than the 15x12 I used to own. The 15x12 was too much like my 12x10 though, so I'd rather have a 13" Ultimate for a large open area coil and not be duplicating my existing 12x10 which I use as my every day land coil. In my comparisons on marked undug targets the Ultimate appeared to match the 12x10 in depth, but I never ran across a fringe depth target where the difference in depth, if any, would show between them.

Going to get my hands on one sooner or later here to add to my line up. I'm looking to work out some kind of trade for my S-5 Sun Ray coil. If anybody is interested shoot me a PM.

 

[Finderskeeper]

I used to own the Ultimate 13 inch until I got a hold of the 12 x 10 SEF. The 12 x 10 is in my opinion superior to the 13 ultimate that I had. I did some side by side comparisons and found the 13 was not as stable and so not as deep as the 12 x 10 in areas where EMI was present which was a whole lot of places.

I did some depth testing and found that because the 12 x 10 was stable and quiet, where the 13 was not, and so the 12 x 10 was easier to use, more stable and deeper for me. I also found that the 13 was lacking in detectability in the back of the coil nearest to me. The forward area was fairly strong but the back end was almost non existent. Maybe it was a faulty coil but that is what I found.

I have heard rumors that the 13 is not a good coil for wet salt sand and salt water. I cannot say if that is true or not as I have not been to a salt water beach as of yet. I cannot waste time finding out. The biggest reason why I got the Excalibur is that it can be used in so many places. With the 13, it became an issue as poor reports about EMI were verified by my experiences. I learn from others and with so many reports of poor performance in the salt, and the great reports about the 12 x 10 in the salt and its stability around EMI, that I bit the bullet and bought a 12 x 10 and sold the 13 at a pretty big loss.

Previous to the SEF and the 13, I was running a WOT. It was a good coil but I actually prefer the 12 x 10 over it. The WOT was not quite as stable as the 12 x 10 around EMI and it was a big coil. Almost too big. Great for vast expanses of beach but was a pain in the water. I have done some fresh water hunting with the SEF and found it to be better for me.

Your experience may be different from mine, but I prefer the 12 x 10 by a huge margin after doing a side by side comparison with my two Excaliburs.