I replied just two days ago, but that afternoon I was out doing some comparisons, then spent that evening and most of yesterday [size=small]
(since it snowed yesterday)[/size] doing some test comparisons indoors. I've been cleaning house, reorganizing my seminar tote and test samples, and also
"cleaning house" when it comes to thinning out some of my detector outfit. Every detector I own and use are models I like and have enjoyed what they provide me now or in the past. But I have too many detectors considering my cruddy health and impaired mobility. I can't get out as often or for as long as I like, and I definitely can't take on some of the challenging site terrain I used to maneuver across. So it has been a really tough year for me, not just physically, but trying to wrestle with even the idea of letting some favorites go.
I can take any of the units I have and,
knowing their strengths and weaknesses, demonstrate to anyone why each is such a very good detector and one they ought to consider. I've taken some of the Test Samples I use for any detector evaluation and, one-by-one, I have had to single out those that provided me the BETTER performance for different applications as I have been establishing a few units as dedicated Relic Hunting use and a few assigned for urban Coin & Jewelry Hunting use. No such thing as a 'perfect' detector, and all of mine are very good units. I just had to trim them to the
best of what I have for different challenges and let others go. Even newer models that I have used for less than an hour afield and are still pristine are being trimmed.
I parted with a nice Fisher F75 and extra coils just a few months ago, preferring my T2+ that I even ordered an extra coil for .... but it is going to be thinned out with a few others as I try to get things organized by the end of the year. I already trimmed my outfit down to 2 White's models, but one of those is also going to be let go. I've had 7 White's models this year, but only want to keep the 1 White's that best handles most of the tougher challenges I encounter, and that's dealing with dense iron in the ghost towns and similar places I like to Relic Hunt. I am keeping my two favorite Tesoro models because they do what their intended use is better and handier than the rest.
As I mentioned, I like to devote the bulk of my hunting to places that are terrible-bad-nasty iron contaminated challenges, and that means using a smaller-size coil and providing the best unmasking capability I can get. Unmatched for that task, by any make or model I have tried or others have tried, are the Nokta FORS CoRe and FORS Relic with their smaller coils. There are two very simple tests I use that are based on actual in-the-field type encounters, and I challenge any other detector to match the performance I get from my CoRe or Relic. In low-to-modest iron debris, especially when the main annoyance is iron nails but a site more open, I like the mid-size 5X9½ DD coils on both the CoRe and Relic. I actually favor these coils to their stock 7X11 DD's for comfort and performance ...
for me.
So, what about the Racer 2? I was impressed with the prototype Racer 2 and right up to the new Racer 2 I just acquired a couple of months ago. I have put it up against a friend's Equinox 800, and another friend and his EQ-600 in three different ghost town hunts. They used their stock 11" DD coils and one also has the 6" DD he likes for trashier sites. We compared responses we had on several targets we located before they were recovered and, overall, both the other guys and I were impressed with the Racer 2's audio response, sweep speed allowed [size=small]
(enough w/o being too fast)[/size], and depth of detection. I also compared it with other makes and models I own or have used and those others use. The Racer 2 is staying put in my Detector Outfit and keeps the 7" Concentric coil mounted for full-time/regular use. I have a 5" DD on a spare lower rod for a quick-change incase it is needed. In dense target applications I like to use 3-Tone mode, but otherwise prefer 2-Tone and sometimes Deep mode. I have compared the Racer 2 in Deep mode with the bP [size=small]
(Boost Process)[/size] on the F75 I had and also my T2+, and they didn't match the audio clarity and VDI response provided by my Racer 2.
MrDirtyHands said:
I've seen every test, depth and other wise, on the internet on the R2 and honestly haven't been that impressed
with the apparent depth of the machine. I LOVE the features but "depth" IS a concern. What are you guy's experiencing?
Dan
I enjoy a lot of the videos we see on the Internet, but I also know they might not use the settings or coils I use, and some of those 'reviewers' might have a bias towards a different brand or model that taints their results. There are so many variables that can hamper detector performance so I look at what I see, but I don't always rank it high until I give it a try myself. And in many cases, I have. I don't think you've seen ALL the available examples, and if you lived nearby I'd gladly get together with you and we could do some side-by-side comparisons. That would let YOU then know what these detectors can do.
I live in a more mineralized region, and most of the old town sites, homesteads and other places I search are in very iron mineralized ground so I need to be prepared to best handle those challenges. Also, in your initial post you asked:
"I'd appreciate any response esp about depth & seperation etc..."
Okay, but remember, as 'dfmike' related below, you can have very good separation and unmasking potential, or you might get very good detection depth, but you are not going to get them both at the same time. You can't get deep targets well when you have shallower targets masking and interrupting. And separation is really not a 'depth' achievement but something that is handled at a shallower depth between two or more targets very closely oriented. Some detectors can do well at one task but a different make or model will excel at the other task. Some are more versatile. My FORS CoRe and then FORS Relic are the absolute best at the unmasking part, yet still can provide very functional depth-of-detection. The Racer 2 doesn't match the unmasking but comes very close and also holds its own on detection depth.
And like 'Bigtom123,' I also had the Multi-Kruzer and generally like it, but by far preferred the Racer 2 for more comfortable weight and balance, and I also prefer the audio tone response of the Racer 2. It provides all I need in adjustments and performance in a handy physical package.
Is it 'perfect' for all my needs? Not quite, and that's why I have a few other detectors which I also like. If I were limited to ONLY a Racer 2 and two search coils to use for a season could I do it? Yes, and without too much of a fuss.
Monte
