Delta vs. Gamma - price difference worth it?

[MickTwin]

I'm wondering if any Teknetics forum members have any opinions on whether the Gamma's $499.00 price is worth the almost twice the cost of the $279.00 Delta. From what I can tell, the coil, shaft and arm rest are the same. Is an adjustable ground balance that important? I live in Westchester County New York and want to get back into this hobby. I bought a Fisher 1260 a year before joining the Marines back in 1982, but didn't get past the front yard with it. I see metal detectors have gotten a whole lot better and I'm itch'in to get into this hobby. Need a good starter machine.. Any opinions?

Thanks,
MickTwin

 

[Dave J.]

MickTwin,

If you do your searching in discrimination mode, the basic performance of the Delta is just about the same as the Gamma and Omega. And it's pick-up-and-go easy to use. Priced like a beginner machine (and an excellent beginner machine) but there are guys who have a whole arsenal of expensive machines who still like the Delta as a backup or loaner. Hard to find anyone with a Delta who wants to let go of it.

The Gamma is functionally almost the same thing as the Omega, but by the time you're in that price range, most folks would rather pay a little more and get the Omega because it's slightly more ergonomic and most people like the user interface a lot better.

You probably see where I'm headed with this. For someone just getting back into the hobby, the Delta is a lot more bang for the buck. And, even if you later want to get a fancier machine, you'll probably still want to keep the Delta. And if you get a DD accessory coil for the Delta, it'll be compatible with the Omega, Gold Bug Pro, or Tek G2 if one of those is the fancier machine you move up to.

BTW, the 1260-X was introduced in April 1982 (I was the engineer), so you must have got darn near the first one off the production line. Thanks for buying it, the 1260-X was Fisher's clean slate fresh start and you helped bring Fisher back from the edge of bankruptcy.

--Dave J.
Chief Designer, FTP-Fisher

 

[Monte]

Let me assure you that regardless of their retail price, neither falls short of performance in their class! They share the same rod configuration, come with the same 8" coil, same arm cup, and like the other Greek detectors and the coming G2 they all use a single 9V battery. Both can use the stock 8" coils or you can select from the round 5" DD, elliptical 10" concentric, or go to the 11" BiAxial DD coil. They have ample, easy-to-read visual information for most typical coin hunting tasks, and better yet, their quick-response/fast-recovery performance is complemented with very good depth and performance.

I'm wondering if any Teknetics forum members have any opinions on whether the Gamma's $499.00 price is worth the almost twice the cost of the $279.00 Delta.

Having stated what I did, and noting Dave J.'s reply as well, the difference in their price is more of a personal thing. The Gamma retails for 78.9% more than the Delta, or you could say the Delta retails for only 43.9% less than the Gamma. See, math is as goofy as trying to figure out which model to buy. The Delta is designed to handle challenging ground mineralization better than any competitors model in its class and I have see great performance from the Delta in a variety of ground environments. Compare what the Delta provides the user in the way of quick response complimented with a good array of visual information and you will see it is a heck of a value. So good that I have told people and posted before, just as Dave J. stated, that if you move up to a more featured model in the future, the Delta is one to keep around as a 'back-up' unit or as a 'loaner' for friends, family or a property owner to join the fun when you get access to private property.

To you question, however, about asking if the Gamma is 'worth' the difference in coast, keep in mind you are paying for several features. Don't think the Delta is simply a stripped-down Gamma or Omega because it offers an adjustment function the two up-line models don't. But when you consider what gains you get with the Gamma, then yes, there is a difference, and yes, to some the differences are worth it.

With the Gamma you have a couple of things to consider, such as more fine-tune adjustment of the Discrimination range and Ground balance. The Gamma is designed to 'turn on" and be ready to hunt most sites, but avid detectorists prefer to use the automated Ground Grab to get a quick GB setting. In addition, the Gamma lets you make a manual Ground Balance adjustment, if desired. There are some other differences, such as providing a Ground Phase read-out to reflect the GB achieved or set, and some ferrous ground identification, to name two.

Naturally, a lot depends on what types of detecting you plan to do, the site environments you'll hunt, and really just how often you plan to get out and enjoy the sport. I'll be out the door in about 15 minutes for the day and working some park playgrounds and looking for renovation work. I might use my Omega or the Gamma or the Delta. All of them will work, some will provide a little different audio or visual information. The Gamma, for example, gives you four (4) Audio Tone ID options in the Discriminate mode while the Delta is designed with a 3-tone audio ID system.

Is an adjustable ground balance that important?

For me and many out there, Yes, it is because we like to have more operator control, and we like to have the GB set as close as possible to the site we're hunting for the coil in use. For many, and perhaps most 'average' coin hunting hobbyists, it is not important to have manual or automated GB .... as long as the detector is designed with a good, functional "turn-on-and-go" GB. The Delta is just such a great performer!

So, it's really a personal thing and with the Teknetics models you can always work you way up, and keep in mind that the Gamma and Omega share the same coils as the Delta, should you decide to start with the $279 model.

I live in Westchester County New York and want to get back into this hobby. I bought a Fisher 1260 a year before joining the Marines back in 1982, but didn't get past the front yard with it. I see metal detectors have gotten a whole lot better and I'm itch'in to get into this hobby. Need a good starter machine.. Any opinions?

The 1260-X was a wonderful start to a new adventure of detecting compared to what we had been used to, and really started a trend toward many of our current offerings. It was good, 28 years ago, but we have progressed a good deal. let us know what types of hunting you plan to do and you can get a little better help. Quite frankly, though, get either of the models you've asked about and get out there! The more active you are in the detecting world the better you'll learn and master the detector and, down the road, know if you really need to 'move up' or if you're comfortable with where you started.

My oldest son is going to part with his White's and get a delta because it does all he needs it to. A good friend is going to get the Gamma because it provides what he wants, and he likes the GB adjustment and Tone ID options. I like them both, and I'm sure you'll be satisfied with your investment either way.

Monte

 

[BuckeyeBrad]

I have all three of the Teks (Delta, Gamma, and Omega) and you can take what Dave and Monte said to the bank. These three detectors are all exceptional. Each has something the others don't and you will need to decide which, if any of those included/omitted features holds a priority to you personally. If you don't have enough personal experience to feel confident in making a choice all by yourself, it might be as simple as just deciding to shoot at the middle (Gamma) and learn from there. One thing besides their relative level of performance that doesn't seem to get mentioned a lot is ramifications around the owners (if less than ideal) hearing coupled with their headphones of choice. Either the Gamma or Delta would address that probably better than the Omega. You just can't go wrong with any of them and whichever you choose, if down the road you develope any nagging regrets of said choice, chances are they will be based (unecessarily) in your head and not from the ground. LEARN (and that won't come "quickly" or without a lot of actual field time) your detector, relax, and have a blast!!

 

[MickTwin]

Well, I'm very appreciative of the responses that you gents have provided... I certainly am flattered. Thanks, Dave J., Monte and Buckeye for sharing your insights, knowledge and honesty in your suggestions. This is really a great forum! I'll start with the Delta and as I gain experience with it and my pockets start to jingle (like back when I was single), I'll pass that on to my boy and give some
heavier artillery a try (perhaps a complimentary G2 for saving the company, huh Dave - ). I'll remember to take pictures and make a video or two to share finds and experience.

Thanks again,

Mick Twin

Port Chester, NY

 

[AndyNM]

The Gamma not only offers the ground balance feature over the Delta, it has the very important Mineralisation readout.

On heavy mineralised soil all detectors lose depth in disc mode. That holds true for the Gamma too, but you can get the lost depth back by switching to the All Metal Mode.

How do you know on other detectors ( without mineralisation readout ) in disc mode that the bad soil is killing your depth ? You just don't. On the Gamma (or T2 or Omega) the Fe3O4 readout is an indicator when to switch to All Metal to get very good depth even in bad soil. In bad soil the depth difference on a coin sized target can be as much as 4 inches between Disc and All Metal.

Andy,NM