El said:
You're welcome, El. Of course, the reply I made was directed more towards the White's MX-7 and White's search coils. Then you go and ask a couple of tougher questions to answer here on this Main Comparison Forum, and that's making me think through my replies.
El said:
Comparing only the Anfibio and the MX7, which do you prefer for urban hunting and with which coil?
To me, 'Urban Hunting' relates to typical Coin Hunting in parks, schools, easement, yards and other common people activity sites. I have enjoyed the MX-7 for 15 months since I got it, and 99% of my 'urban' hunting is with the round, 6½" Concentric coil. It works very well and is actually the coil I used most often. In the more open park or sports field areas, or large years with minimal trash, the standard 950 is 'OK' but I just never really liked that coil on most any model. With the MX-7 I only use the 7" DD made by Detech for White's when working the search coil in water, and that is very seldom. The 950 I have used less than 30 minutes in 15 months. The 6½" Concentric gets virtually full-time use on the MX-7, and I enjoy this model for Coin Hunting most average places. I am, however, slightly limited working close to metal structures such as playground equipment and metal fences or other objects.
With the Anfibio Multi I have three search coils I rely on. The 7" Concentric which is what I keep mounted about full-time because it is an excellent performing coil for general-purpose use. The standard 11" round DD which I seldom use because I don't hunt wide-open / sparse-target areas very much. However, I prefer that coil on the Anfibio over the 950 on the MX-7 so 'Urban Hunting' in open areas I prefer the Anfibio. I also bought the smaller 5" DD coil for the Anfibio and it works well when hunting close to poles and other metal structures, so for those 'Urban Hunting' situations I prefer the Anfibio.
So I guess, in general, if limited to ONLY these two models to choose from, I would take the Anfibio Multi and three coils I have over the MX-7 and the 3 coils for it.
El said:
Again comparing only the Anfibio and the MX7, which do you prefer for your ghost town sites and also with which coil?
Referring to the comments I made in the prior response about the two models and three coils I have for each of them, I would just about never have a use for either larger-size coil because 95+% of my ghost towns and other similar older locations have too much debris, especially nails and other ferrous junk to contend with.
That brings me to the MX-7 first and I really haven't any use for the 7" DD coil because it doesn't discriminate as well as the 6½" Concentric and has more difficulty with iron targets so far as visual display info. The 6½" Concentric works well, handles nails and other iron junk better, so the MX-7, with the 6½" Concentric coil, is the combination I use 95% to 98% of the time. In those old sites that combination performs well for me. Better than most of the competitor's models I own or have tried in ghost town applications ...
with two exceptions.
Next up is the Anfibio Multi where I now have an advantage for tackling those really challenging nail infested sites. The 7" Concentric provides similar behavior in trashy old places like the MX-7 w/6½" Concentric. Slightly different in detector performance but still somewhat similar. But when the trash level gets really dense, the Anfibio Multi can use the smaller 5" DD coil and that, alone, can make a notable difference in the results. As with the MX-7, the Anfibio Multi is better than most of the competing makes and models in the really tough ghost towns and similar sites ...
with two exceptions.
I know, not quite the answer you were hoping for so I'll put it a little differently:
• I like both models.
• Both can hunt urban as well as rough and rugged rural locations.
• Both have different strengths that the other doesn't offer.
If I was pressed for an answer to pick just one of these two to handle both applications, I'd be trying to decide between the 2-Tone and 3-Tone modes of the Anfibio, which are the two modes I use the most, plus the Deep mode, compared against the MX-7 in 2-Tone and 4-Tone. Advantage = Anfibio.
If selecting based upon available, useful search coils? Advantage = Anfibio.
If the determining factor was how well the devices handled a stack of US Silver coins? Advantage = MX-7
Due to my health and limiting mobility and bad back and a need to consider weight and balance? Advantage = MX-7
I know. How about an easy answer?
Okay, that's simple today because I have BOTH a fully outfitted MX-7 and Anfibio Multi so, if I have to pick just ONE of them, I can go alphabetically and take the Anfibio off for some 'Urban Hunting' one day then take a jaunt to a productive ghost town the next.
Then, on the next couple of trips, I'll hit the same locations for the same duration, but take the MX-7, instead.
For me and the Urban places I prefer to hunt, I might grab the MX-7 first, but for the Ghost Town littered sites, it would be the Anfibio Multi ...
IF I were having to select from
only these two models. Fortunately, the two other detectors I hinted to earlier that are my must-haves for any dense iron contaminated site are my Nokta FORS CoRe and Relic units. They handle the toughest iron Test Sample challenges I have better than any competitive make or model I have owned or used. So I don't really need to pick between the two, unless really forced to. Oh, and for those 'Urban' favorite places, I have two favorite Tesoro models and two Target ID models that are all lighter weight than the MX-7.
I have been, and am continuing, trying to thin out some of the 'extra' detectors I have had on hand lately, such as some extra choice older devices I use in my seminars and some duplicate models I have. I'm having to face reality and trim weight. Not just my own, but the heavier detectors as my doctors have encouraged me to look for a different hobby. Thy have been saying that since '91 as I am not supposed to be any repetitive bending, stooping and standing or twisting. As it is I have having to cancel my plans for a detecting jaunt to Portland on the western side of the state due to health. I was going to pull out early tomorrow morning and take 5 days to get in some detecting when they have warmer and huntable weather. Instead, it looks like I'll be visiting the folks in vascular on Friday at the VA Hospital to find out what the issues are with the swelling in my lower left leg.
I sure envy all the folks who enjoy better health than I do, but at least I get to enjoy the memories I have from mall those wonder-years in this great sport. And once we address the cause of my current problem I have a good set of detectors to continue on having fun ... just working to trim down to the lightest ones I can for my betterment. Others can pick an MX-7 or an Anfibio and be assured they have a very good detector in-hand regardless of where they want to hunt.
Monte
and dislikes
, performance
and failure
for different hunting needs when it comes to understanding our metal detectors. It didn't take me long to figure out that none of them are perfect, and that was in the much simpler days back in 1971 and '72.
