Platinum or Gamma?

[wasp]

I am considering buying a BH Platinum or Gamma 6000 (or possibly an Omega 8000). After looking thru the manuals for the Platinum and the Teknetics Gamma 6000, which are similarly priced, they both seem to be very similar machines.

However, I noticed that according to the manuals posted on the BH website the Platinum is claimed to get 9" on a quarter while the Gamma 6000 is claimed to get 11" on a quarter. It appears that both come with an 8" stock coil. Other than the depth claim there seems to be very little difference between the two machines.

It would seem that for the same price the Gamma would win hands down over the Platinum due to the extra depth capability.

Has anyone compared these two detectors? Is there really that much difference in depth? If so, how is that possible when they seem to be the same machine and coil?

 

[reltolbert]

I have a BH Platinum detector and I get 10" on a quarter (discrimination mode) and 14" (all-metal mode); nickel 10" (discrimination mode) and 13" (all-metal mode) and .01 ounce (.3 gram) of gold flake at 3"(discrimination mode) and 4" (all-metal mode).

 

[wasp]

Wow! That's great.....especially the 14" on the quarter in all metals. Are those depths achieved in air testing or in the ground? Is that using the standard coil?

 

[reltolbert]

I've only been able to air test so far because of all the rainy weather we been getting here in North Idaho because my BH Platinum is new and I haven't
had it outside too much. However, I did some testing on coins in our garden and as far as I can tell the ground tests were about the same as the air tests.
I air tested these coins 6 times in my home using a 30" long special foam-core ruler that I made and I know for sure, without a doubt, that these coin tests are accurate.
Tests: .01 ounce(.3 grams) of gold at 4" deep (all-metal), penny-13" deep (all-metal), nickel-13" deep (all-metal, dime-12" deep (all-metal)
quarter-14" deep (all-metal), half-dollar-15" deep (all-metal) and a Tin-Can Lid at 6"diameter at 34" deep (all-metal)

 

[reltolbert]

I just received my 5"DD Teknetics coil for my Bounty Hunter Platinum metal detector and it's almost as
sensitive (depth) as my 8" coil and is better at discrimination in trash areas. The big difference between
the coils is that the 5"DD will detect 1 grain of Gold at 1" and .01 ounce (6 grains) at 4" deep in all-metal
mode. This is an air test only.
The below photo shows a 1 grain of gold on the right and both add up to 6 grains.