CZ7 to F5 or F70...Worth the upgrade?

[mmolnar]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum and have been THing since the late 90's when I bought my CZ7. I've found a lot of coins with it but am wondering if the new machines have advantages worthy of an upgrade. Going from a CZ7 to, say, an F5. What advances have been made over the years?

I appreciate your opinions

Matt
Upstate NY

 

[Steve O]

Mmolnar, welcome to the forum. Upgrade is a vague word in this hobby. What I mean by that is; It's unclear what you would call upgrading - is it going to a unit that has more options,... or is it upgrading - going to a unit that specializes.

As you probably know, a person who has an older unit and knows all the language of that unit, can and often out hunts a person with a high price bells and charms unit. That person learned all the nuances of his unit so he really upgraded his knowledge, the machine was always the same.

You have faster machines that will find targets in iron better than others but out in the open trash free areas may fall short.

I strictly hunt for old coins so I use a cz for open, low trash old farm fields because it's deep and quiet. For high iron/trash I use the faster response f-75ltd because it gets between the junk better.

The best way to match a unit to yourself is to classify your type of hunting. The more diverse, the more tools you may want/need.

The scuttlebutt is that the CTX is now the best 'all around' unit out there. I personally, am happy using a couple units for different types and areas of detecting.

My answer to you would be keep the cz and get a unit that will preform better in other areas. You will be covered and a change of pace is nice.

 

[mmolnar]

Steve,

Thanks for the words of wisdom. I think you explained the situation very well. I will keep my CZ7 and look for a detector to supplement it, rather than replace it. I would also like another detector to help introduce my son-in-law and grandkids into the sport. Keeping around the $500 mark, the F5 looks attractive. Any opinion on that machine versus say, the F 70?

Thanks again,

Matt

 

[Steve O]

My pleasure Matt. Both the f-5 and the f-70 are fantastic units. You might want to also check out the AT Pro by Garrett, big bang for dollars spent. Most big name mfg's have fine detectors, so don't rule them out....research them and you will become familiar with their products....good knowledge.

 

[mudpuppy]

Welcome, mmolnar! I'll just jump in here for a moment...I have the F70 and the AtPro...I use the F70 on the dirt, and the Pro in the water. They use the same batteries. New batteries start in the Pro, when it says they are "finished", I put those batteries in the 70 and get another 10 hrs out of them, so in this regard (and many others) they are a great team. I LOVE the DP tones of the 70! It is one quick broom for sweeping large expanses of ground...the Pro shines in the water of course...both have found me a lot of gold and silver...

I agree 100% with SteveO...it depends on how and what you like to hunt, your personality, location, and style..The F70 with the 11"dd, super light, fast and powerful..the Pro, well, its waterproof and will not miss gold...

Both would be considered "midrange" units, both great customer service ...excellent finds and posts on both forums...not gonna argue with results...I think this coming year I will default to gold and jewelry hunting, not so much for relics or deep silver, so again, its depending upon how and what you like to hunt..read a bunch of the Forums..you may have to go back a ways when we were all out hunting hard and not snowed in...both units are simple "turn on and go"...technical drawbacks to both, but acceptable...TID screen on the Pro is too small to see, and the 70 is not waterproof...they each have strengths that surpass the other, and keep a guy afield for the majority of the year. Good Luck!
Mud

 

[mmolnar]

I will indeed keep an open mind to the other models out there. I would love to spring for the CTX. It looks like an awesome unit. Unfortunately, our season in northern NY is shorter than most of the country, so the economics are difficult to reconcile, for me anyway.

I'll keep reading and researching. Part of the fun is the hunt, right?

 

[mmolnar]

Mud,

Good points to consider. I'm over 50 and ergonomics are getting more important to me (larger LCD display, dials, etc.). I also want to pack a detector in a backpack to take on my dual sport bike on adventure hunts in the woods. I'm sure they are all fairly equal in this regard. Anyway, I am hoping for good depth and discrimination in the trash. Those are priorities.

On another note: I recently regained an interest in river snorkeling. The Garrett is the obvious choice for that. Decisions...

 

[mmolnar]

I ordered an Omega 8000 from Bart at BigBoyhobbies. Got it with the 11" and 5" DD coils, along with a Pro pointer.

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice.

Matt

 

[Dan-Pa.]

F5 is not the deepest and Omega you bought is similar and both have large screens, good ID and really light...That large coil is a rusty crown cap magnet and kills the ergonomics....Used an early F70 and EMI was terrible if you tried to get decent depth....Yep that CZ7 is really a workhorse and depth demon but Omega offers excellent ID and of course much lighter so should make a good duo...

 

[mmolnar]

Yeah, we'll see how it all works out. I'm hoping it compliments my CZ7 well. Working on headphones now. Trying to find my best option there.

Thanks for the comments

 

[mmolnar]

Received the Omega today and put it together. Nice and light, but also feels more fragile than my CZ. I know lighter items tend to "feel" more fragile. Time will tell the story on how durable this machine is.

Anyway, I like the ergonomics. I like the interface. I don't like not having a volume control. It limits me to using only headphones and earbuds that have a volume control (my iPhone buds volume controls "do not" work with this). These are workable limitations, though.

Unfortunately, I cannot properly test the machine until the snow is gone. Predictably, it goes kind of crazy in the house with all the EMI. Only had a short time with it when I came home for lunch. I will do some more air tests this evening.