Hello all,
As my first post here, I'm a long time detectorist (started back in the 80s) who most recently had been using a Tesoro Cortes. Fine machine, but I knew it was time to take the next leap.
I've used the F75, T2, Explorer and E-Trac in the past, as well as the Coinstrike, again all fine machines but also not on a par with the latest technology as they are 10 years old now. I had in mind some machines I'd like to try, but the goal was to get best performance in iron trash which is typical pretty much anywhere you hunt, unless it's a REALLY new tot lot and I seldom hunt those. Ideally the machine should be ergonomic and I can swing it for hours without my arm falling off. It should be pretty easy to use but offer flexibility. It should also get good to outstanding depth in highly mineralized ground.
The Makro (not 2 as it wasn't out yet) caught my eye last year reading good reviews of its performance. I had made a note to keep an eye on that and almost bought one. Now that the weather is summer like, I decided to do it. Life is too short to sit around wishing I had done it or wondering if I should - just do it. So I looked mostly at the XP machine and then noticed this one was out and basically read everything I could find to compare them. Those were the two I was really thinking of. After reading everything I could, it seemed either machine would be a great choice and would do the job. But I chose the Racer 2 because I'd read so many great things about it, and it seemed to have just that slight edge for me personally of what I'm looking for. But it was a tough choice as I'm sure the XP would be a fantastic machine as well.
I bit the bullet and ordered it, and it arrived yesterday. It was like a kid at Christmas to come home and find it. Setting it up was a breeze I didn't need to read the instructions though I had yesterday online. I did notice how thorough these guys are - they include EVERYTHING. (I got the Pro pack). That impressed me as I've never seen that before. Granted I was not overly impressed with the headphones, but I wasn't expecting Killer Bs so I will stick with those. But I was impressed how they included everything you could want. I haven't seen any of the other manufacturers do this. I mean it even had an extra lower rod for the smaller coil.
I took it for a quick spin in the yard just to get a feel for it. Ground balanced easily, and just insanely fast. I mean mind blowing fast. I've had fast machines before but this is kind of in another league. I was identifying targets pretty easy as well as iron stood out as did interesting targets. It made me feel pretty comfortable in the first quick run for fun.
I just wanted to make this post for anyone thinking long and hard about spending their hard earned money on this machine. We've all seen the hype that new machines get so it's not always easy to decide where we put our limited resources. Even after purchasing it, thoughts crept into my mind like should I have gotten the XP. I can't answer that one obviously at this time, but I can say that seeing what Makro is doing has made me a lot more comfortable with my purchase. I have a feeling this is going to be a great machine. I'm just about to head out for the day to put that theory to the test where it should be tested - the real world. I'm taking it to my old spots to see what I can find.
One thing I'd like to mention for Makro - the warranty cards (I have two as I bought the pinpointer as well) are addressed to an address in Turkey. As an American, I'd like to suggest getting a US postal address we can send these to.
Thanks for reading and I hope this makes anyone thinking about this one feel a bit more comfortable. Good hunting!
As my first post here, I'm a long time detectorist (started back in the 80s) who most recently had been using a Tesoro Cortes. Fine machine, but I knew it was time to take the next leap.
I've used the F75, T2, Explorer and E-Trac in the past, as well as the Coinstrike, again all fine machines but also not on a par with the latest technology as they are 10 years old now. I had in mind some machines I'd like to try, but the goal was to get best performance in iron trash which is typical pretty much anywhere you hunt, unless it's a REALLY new tot lot and I seldom hunt those. Ideally the machine should be ergonomic and I can swing it for hours without my arm falling off. It should be pretty easy to use but offer flexibility. It should also get good to outstanding depth in highly mineralized ground.
The Makro (not 2 as it wasn't out yet) caught my eye last year reading good reviews of its performance. I had made a note to keep an eye on that and almost bought one. Now that the weather is summer like, I decided to do it. Life is too short to sit around wishing I had done it or wondering if I should - just do it. So I looked mostly at the XP machine and then noticed this one was out and basically read everything I could find to compare them. Those were the two I was really thinking of. After reading everything I could, it seemed either machine would be a great choice and would do the job. But I chose the Racer 2 because I'd read so many great things about it, and it seemed to have just that slight edge for me personally of what I'm looking for. But it was a tough choice as I'm sure the XP would be a fantastic machine as well.
I bit the bullet and ordered it, and it arrived yesterday. It was like a kid at Christmas to come home and find it. Setting it up was a breeze I didn't need to read the instructions though I had yesterday online. I did notice how thorough these guys are - they include EVERYTHING. (I got the Pro pack). That impressed me as I've never seen that before. Granted I was not overly impressed with the headphones, but I wasn't expecting Killer Bs so I will stick with those. But I was impressed how they included everything you could want. I haven't seen any of the other manufacturers do this. I mean it even had an extra lower rod for the smaller coil.
I took it for a quick spin in the yard just to get a feel for it. Ground balanced easily, and just insanely fast. I mean mind blowing fast. I've had fast machines before but this is kind of in another league. I was identifying targets pretty easy as well as iron stood out as did interesting targets. It made me feel pretty comfortable in the first quick run for fun.
I just wanted to make this post for anyone thinking long and hard about spending their hard earned money on this machine. We've all seen the hype that new machines get so it's not always easy to decide where we put our limited resources. Even after purchasing it, thoughts crept into my mind like should I have gotten the XP. I can't answer that one obviously at this time, but I can say that seeing what Makro is doing has made me a lot more comfortable with my purchase. I have a feeling this is going to be a great machine. I'm just about to head out for the day to put that theory to the test where it should be tested - the real world. I'm taking it to my old spots to see what I can find.
One thing I'd like to mention for Makro - the warranty cards (I have two as I bought the pinpointer as well) are addressed to an address in Turkey. As an American, I'd like to suggest getting a US postal address we can send these to.
Thanks for reading and I hope this makes anyone thinking about this one feel a bit more comfortable. Good hunting!