Hi Mud you cannot go wrong with the Fisher F2 for a backup. I have one and it has become my backup since purchasing a new F70. The F2 is very good at Disc and the screen is easy to read and the pinpoint feature is spot on, but once you know the center point of the coil you are using you won't need it that much. I bought my F2 as a package deal for $200 and it came with three coils, a dig tool, and a pin-pointer (these are cheap little devices that work and I would not be without one). The F2, in my opinion is a serious backup machine and not such a bad main liner either, but still, it did not cost $600 or $800. My partner's DFX ($1100) seems to find the silver (?) but my F2 stays with him in the coin finds. Now I have the F70 and love it and it loves bottle caps, a lot -- still, I am finding things in areas once thought over searched. Back to the Backup options -- For a pure backup machine in a light weight travel type that is truly amazing for its size and its continuing efforts at mocking high priced machines. I am talking about the first machine I invested in, my Treasure Pro Bounty Hunter. It has a vid screen and Disc very well, and reads its target accurately. It has a depth feature and if it says it is 3" or 4" that is exactly what it is. It does not have the pinpoint feature but is so good at centering that you don't really need it with this little guy. This detector is so light and compact you could easily carry it along if you are on a deep field foray and you would hardly know you have it. Love this little guy -- my wife is using it now, so, no, it is not for sale. The F70 has a wider search area and speeds up the searching -- this was the main advantage my search partner with his DFX had over me, he could cover more ground. The F70 is very well balanced and has found a happy weight to swing ratio, very easy to swing. The pinpointing of this machine is excellent making target location a snap. I have found the depth measure to be spot on and so far I have yet to run the 4 AA batteries dead -- unbelievable battery life for such a powerful machine,and yes, I use ear buds always -- it does have a speaker but this speaker is mounted on the underside of the battery compartment which is on the butt end of the armrest and makes it a bit hard to hear clearly so head phones or ear buds are a must on this machine. The F2 uses 2 9volt batteries and uses more juice in a shorter period of time, like many other Detectors. The F70 read outs are easy and straight forward. The design and set up for this machine is truly fantastic and it appears to be a sister version of the F75. If I was a wealthy person I would own the F75 too, just to get the Bottle Cap elimination feature this pr icy machine has. I have only had the F70 for a little over 4 weeks and we all know how it is with new love but if I can figure out a consist ant method to tune out those bottle caps, maybe this will be a marriage that will last "until death do us part" or some such nonsense as that.
