Not much happening on this forum lately, so I thought I'd share some thoughts. I recently bought a Tek Minuteman (a re-branded, lower priced Eurotek Pro) and it's a better than I expected little detector. And a lot of fun to use.
It won't push either of the higher end detectors I'm currently using into the closet. But I bought it for a family/friends/permission grantor loaner and to keep in the vehicle for just in case use and it's just the ticket for that. I can use this detector without feeling like I'm seriously handicapped compared to my other detectors. I can let someone I'm with use this and even a complete newbie should be able to use it effectively.
First of all, it's super fast and pulls the high tones out amongst the ferrous very well, I dug several coins co-located with nails. The round 8" coil it comes with separates targets with the efficiency of a smaller coil.
It's simple to use and intuitive. Sensitivity, Discrimination Level and Volume are the only controls to set from the menu button. But with the volume you can adjust the iron volume separately from the mid range VCO and the high tones. That's a really nice feature. I can hear all the iron the way I prefer but do it at a lower volume to avoid iron fatigue. I believe when the Eurotek Pro came out it was the first detector to have adjustable iron volume. A power button, pinpoint button and and up and down buttons are the only other controls.
The factory default settings can be changed and the changed settings can be set to stay in memory after the detector is turned off which is a plus. I've run it with sensitivity all the way up at 10 for three short after work hunts, about four hours total, and have had no hint of EMI issues.
Since I like to hear at all, I keep the discrimination at 0. But you can change the various tone break points by adjusting the discrimination.
As expected, depth isn't jaw-dropping but certainly decent for entry level. Air testing a Mercury dime with a moderate swing speed it gives a solid high tone at 8", but gets iffy by 8.5", The audio is not modulated so it drops off fast. The signal starts getting clipped about an inch before the depth drops off.
The deepest coin I found in four hours at two mid-1960s yards was a copper memorial right at a measured 6". Found a lot of coins including 4 wheaties and a '47 Rosie.
It's really lightweight, can't weigh much more than 2 lbs, and ergonomically excellent. Not sure how robust the build quality, but it has a 5 year warranty and I'm confident about First Texas being around that long to honor it.
The lower stem is definitely not long enough for a taller person. I'm 5'11'" and I prefer it on the longest hole and need it on at least the second from longest. Apparently you can order an extended pole as an optional accessory.
Needless to say, like any preset ground balance detector, this is not a unit for anybody with bad ground.
Not that it affects performance one whit, but I don't particularly like the cheesy faceplate. It's not that I'm unpatriotic, the artwork is just too busy and not very good. I much prefer the original Eurotek Pro deep red faceplate, but not enough to pay more money for the otherwise exact same detector.
Comparing performance to price, $149 with a 5 year warranty, I think it's a bargain.
It won't push either of the higher end detectors I'm currently using into the closet. But I bought it for a family/friends/permission grantor loaner and to keep in the vehicle for just in case use and it's just the ticket for that. I can use this detector without feeling like I'm seriously handicapped compared to my other detectors. I can let someone I'm with use this and even a complete newbie should be able to use it effectively.
First of all, it's super fast and pulls the high tones out amongst the ferrous very well, I dug several coins co-located with nails. The round 8" coil it comes with separates targets with the efficiency of a smaller coil.
It's simple to use and intuitive. Sensitivity, Discrimination Level and Volume are the only controls to set from the menu button. But with the volume you can adjust the iron volume separately from the mid range VCO and the high tones. That's a really nice feature. I can hear all the iron the way I prefer but do it at a lower volume to avoid iron fatigue. I believe when the Eurotek Pro came out it was the first detector to have adjustable iron volume. A power button, pinpoint button and and up and down buttons are the only other controls.
The factory default settings can be changed and the changed settings can be set to stay in memory after the detector is turned off which is a plus. I've run it with sensitivity all the way up at 10 for three short after work hunts, about four hours total, and have had no hint of EMI issues.
Since I like to hear at all, I keep the discrimination at 0. But you can change the various tone break points by adjusting the discrimination.
As expected, depth isn't jaw-dropping but certainly decent for entry level. Air testing a Mercury dime with a moderate swing speed it gives a solid high tone at 8", but gets iffy by 8.5", The audio is not modulated so it drops off fast. The signal starts getting clipped about an inch before the depth drops off.
The deepest coin I found in four hours at two mid-1960s yards was a copper memorial right at a measured 6". Found a lot of coins including 4 wheaties and a '47 Rosie.
It's really lightweight, can't weigh much more than 2 lbs, and ergonomically excellent. Not sure how robust the build quality, but it has a 5 year warranty and I'm confident about First Texas being around that long to honor it.
The lower stem is definitely not long enough for a taller person. I'm 5'11'" and I prefer it on the longest hole and need it on at least the second from longest. Apparently you can order an extended pole as an optional accessory.
Needless to say, like any preset ground balance detector, this is not a unit for anybody with bad ground.
Not that it affects performance one whit, but I don't particularly like the cheesy faceplate. It's not that I'm unpatriotic, the artwork is just too busy and not very good. I much prefer the original Eurotek Pro deep red faceplate, but not enough to pay more money for the otherwise exact same detector.
Comparing performance to price, $149 with a 5 year warranty, I think it's a bargain.