Explorer Se Pro Coil Upgrade???

[MHirschmann]

If you could get one coil, which would it be? I know there are many sides to this question but I have tried a few coils and for those that are new and wanting to try something new/different, which coil would you experienced users choose? I like the stock coil but I have met so many other Se Pro owners that disagree with me that I thought I would open this up for discussion for those that are wondering. -Marc

 

[dewcon4414]

To answer this question obviously it depends on what, where and size of targets you are looking for. Upgrade.... honestly i dont think there is a coil right now any BETTER than the Pro as an all round coil. If you didnt have the Pro... id say the SEF just because its cheaper and as good... but not better per sa. In trash a small coil like an 8 inch one might be considered an upgrade. We all have our Christmas list, but the bottom line is we are finding targets at depths other detectors arent with better TID and less effect from EMI. Ive used the slim line recently and posted some finds... its a smaller coil, it NOT better than the pro... but in some situations you have to change it up or use a small coil.

Dew

 

[Ray-Mo.]

n/t

 

[Hotcz70]

the 10 x 12 SEF coil is a definite upgrade over the pro coil...but that is my personal opinion.

I get asked often in private messages about how I feel and as many of you know I will not sway you to buy one coil ovet the other or put my neck on the line and tell you one is "better" than the other. The reason is simple...because we all have different things we listen for that tell us to "dig".

Is the pro coil a good coil....YES...and I now feel it's 10 times better than I felt it was a year ago...and I use it often now.

However the 10 x 12 is 100% better for me and my hunting style. I hunt with maxed gain and run the SE hot while iron mask is set at -22. For those reasons I hear some falsing and chirping and it's my job to be able to "pick" out good sounds from bad ones.

Why do I feel the 10 x 12 SEF is an upgrade over the pro coil for me?? Simple..It's hands down more stable and it's quieter than the pro coil in my IL sites....therefor it opens new doors to being able to better hear and discern deep silver hits from iron falses.

Am I goin to tell you to spend another $150+ for what I personally feel is a coil "upgrade" when in fact the pro coil is a SUPER coil?...no way because again...someone else might not be listening for what I do when searching for deep silver...therefor the 10 x 12 might not be as effective for them as it is for me.

All this being said..if I was to offer an opinion as to an additional coil to compliment the pro coil...it would be to suggest you get a small coil because a good small coil WILL find good targets that both the pro coil and 10 x 12 SEF won't IF you are patient and willing to sift through trash sites.

 

[Larry (IL)]

I guess I would have to know what you mean by upgrading to answer your question. Upgrade for more depth, coverage or separation?

My guess is you are talking about the commonly used coils like the Pro, SEF 10X12 and SunRay S-12, all three are about the same with small differences and I would not consider a change from one of them to the other to be an upgrade, more of a lateral move. I have been using all three of those coils lately and the Pro is a very good coil, the S-12 is slightly deeper but a bit noisier. I have settled on the SEF 10X12 as my coil of choice because I get the coverage of the S-12 but it is a little bit better on ground noise rejection due primarily to the design of the coil. Separation is also slightly better and the depth seems to be the same as the Pro, at least in my ground.

If I were to upgrade with one more coil, it would have to be a smaller coil for working the trash a bit better while others might go to the SEF 12x15 for more coverage and depth in the fields. I suppose an upgrade would depend on your needs.

 

[Dave-IL]

just about every time he goes. I guess it depends on how your detector is set up and what you listen for. He tutored me from the start and I will never take off the 10 x 12 sef unless I put on a small coil. We compared over signals at least 500 times already this summer and the sound and signal I get with the sef is just much more stable and steady than what the pro coil gives me especially if there is iron anywhere near the target.
He speaks 100% the truth when he says he does not "push" one coil over the other even though he prefers the 10 x 12 because he actually tried to talk me out of spending the $160 for the 10 x 12 sef and told me the pro coil would be okay and instead told me to get a small coil as an upgrade.
That was HARD for me to do though especially when he did NOT use the pro coil and instead used the sef coil alll the time so I knew which one was "better" to him so I bought BOTH the 10 x 12 and a small coil. The sef coil is an upgrade to me and a good one but a small coil is a must too.

 

[sgoss66]

Dave/Bryce --

This is interesting to me, as I am not a big fan of the Pro coil. I bought the 6x8 SEF recently, but haven't been able to use it much yet. I like it so far; I may have to spring for the 10x12 eventually. If it gave added depth, it would be a no-brainer, but neither of you say it does. Nonetheless, more quiet/stable and maybe a bit better separation is certainly a good thing. Do either of you feel it pinpoints any better? The Pro coil takes some getting used to in that regard (pinpoint mode).

Steve

 

[MNCoinhunter]

I am really enjoying my new 10X12 SEF....it's quieter and more stable. Is it finding more than my stock pro-coil did? Not neccesarily.. My stock coil is fantastic even if it is a little bit noisy. At this point I feel like I really did'nt need to buy the SEF, but I'm glad I did. It's nice to have options. In retrospect, I could have bought a smaller coil for trashy sites and stuck with the Pro-coil.

Steve, in an earlier post I mentioned gaining an inch or so in depth with the 10X12. I was incorrect. To me it seems to have the same depth as the stock coil....but it is considerably quieter.

 

[Hotcz70]

that is if one coil will hit that same dime with iron around it for me while the other coil falses off of it at times...causing me to mis that same dime.....well that speaks for itself.

The pro coil is very sensitive to tiny items but the 10 x 12 SEF LOVES dimes...AND it loves them just as much with iron around for me. It's that simple.

Am I telling you to buy one...NO...because again...our ears are obviously trained to listen for things each of us has learned...and my preference of coil choice has come with 1000"s upon 1000's of hours on the explorers listening solely for the sound of deep silver and injuns'. Not jewelry...not relics...and not even nickel hits most of the time. I concentrate on deep coins in iron and trash. Anybody is capable of being able to hit an 11" dime with either the pro or SEF coils...but most of the good hits left like that have long disappeared. The key is to be able to pick out that same 11" deep dime when it's hiding in iron or trash...and for me the 10 x 12 SEF does a much better job of that. Time to start mowing now.

 

[sgoss66]

Makes sense, Bryce. Thanks for that.

Given that most of the "easy" targets are indeed gone, what I wouldn't give to have a couple of hours to hunt with you, at the old "hunted out" park here in my town, with a headphone splitter attached to your machine. Then, when you hit one of these deep targets, the ability to stick in my headphones on the other side of the splitter and hear what you are hearing sure would cut down on the learning curve! This park is 120 years old, and I have never pulled a SINGLE silver coin, and only a handful of wheats, from this place. I KNOW they are there, just waiting for someone who has your experience to find them! If you are ever passing through central Oklahoma with a few hours of hunting time on your hands, let me know! Lunch is on me, of course...

Take care,

Steve

 

[Larry (IL)]

The SunRay coil is the X-12, not the S-12 which is for the Sovereign. My bad.

 

[MHirschmann]

Thanks for all your replies guys. I just thought I would post up here as there have been quite a lot of coil questions and so I wanted to get a discussion going. I have tried a few coils and personally like the stock one best, for the type of hunting I do anyway. Thank you for your help and I hope this helped someone else out there with making a new coil/no new coil decision. HH -Marc

 

[Markdb61]

I was just curious as to what made you like the stock coil over the sef coil since you have stated you always had problems and erratic behavior with the stock one?

 

[stasys]

I prefer old 1050-only. all my best finds in iron. But the same coils can be a bit different, so if you not happy with Pro try another Pro, the same with all the rest coils. small coils never worked for me and remember coil cables with age starts to deteriorate and coil performance can drop.

 

[SAGITTARIUS]

I think there is a significant difference in the same make of coils. I have owned 4 Pro coils, 3 SEF 10X12" coils and 3 1050 coils. On my first Explorer II, I liked the Pro coil over the 1050 coil. Then I tried a SEF coil and preferred the Pro coil. I bought a second SEF coil and never took it off. It was that good. On the recently purchased Explorer II with the stock 1050 coil with Bryce's setup, this Explorer is very smooth, quiet and I have found a many of deep coins with it. So I bought a new SEF 10X12" to see if it would do better. In my opinion after several hunts I decided for my conditions and with this particular SEF coil this particular 1050 coil is better. In a short 30 minute hunt today with the 1050 I found a clipped deep1934 Washington quarter.

 

[TheOtherLeggoHead]

I like the 8" Sunray coil alot. Works well in or out of trash.