It can also be a challenge for folks who read some posts to formulate a good answer because of the 'unknowns' associated with a simple 'this-or-that' type post. You have only posted the general question here, and only 27 total posts on Findmall so far. That means most readers just clicking on this question about the Racer 2 and Gold Racer don't know if, or how much, detecting experience you have, ir what makes/model detector(s) you currently own.
So I did a quick check on the few posts you've made and with that information I'll add my two-in-the-morning comments.
To start, here is a cut from a former post you made:
"
Howdy folks new to this forum,been detecting since 1974.now i been watching the racer 2 vids,what is the differences in the small coils you have a Nel snake coil, a 5.5 black racer coil the oor coil .any differences in depth with the different types of coil.i know they work great in trash. i currently use a AT PRO with big coil and small coil.i like the small one better.i hunt camps,old home sites lakes when water down,water hunt. live in TEXAS. need reviews on RACER 2. the DEUS i would love but big money.get what you pay for and what you can afford."
Let me pick it apart with some comments and/or questions [size=small]
(for me and other readers)[/size], then I'll give an answer that will likely be quite similar to what I give people when I am engaged in some conversations about detectors and taking on different types of hunting challenges. Here we go .....:
been detecting since 1974... That's good because you could have had experience since then with BFO's, TR's, TR-Discriminators, VLT/TR-Disc. models, three mode units with VLF/VLF-Disc./TR-Disc. and just the current types of motion-based VLF-Disc. detector designs. Since then we have enjoyed detectors with analog circuitry, analog/digital blended circuitry, and the mostly current digitally designed circuitry types.
What is unknown to me is what varieties of detectors have you owned and used in the past 42 years? Which have you preferred? Have you been very active in the detecting hobby since 1974, or is that just the date you started using a metal detector, but it has been off-and-on during that period of time which could leave you not up-to-date on detector designs and performance potential?
been watching the racer 2 vids... That can be good, if it is a good vieo to start with, and if the film makers isn't too vague, or seems to slant their demonstrations toward a favorite make or model. Look for the content and also know what it is you are looking to find out before watching a video. They can be helpful, but they can also be misleading. Often I have seen videos where the operator didn't have proper control settings to provide much useful information.
any differences in depth with the different types of coil... Here you were referring to smaller-size search coils, naming the NEL Snake, and the Makro/Nokta round 5½" and
'OOR' [size=small]
(out-of-round)[/size] search coils specifically. I will just add here that all of these coils are of the Double-D internal winding design, and also you asked about achievable 'depth' between them. I can tell you that I have used them all, and on a Makro Racer series or Nokta FORS series model, there is no worry about attaining very good 'functional' depth. However, I will remind you and readers that most desired targets are not all that deep in most situations, and that the benefit of smaller coils is to handle tight or confined environments, and especially to work in and amongst a lot of unwanted trash. The presence of trash causes good target masking and will hamper getting any decent depth anyway in those conditions.
i currently use a AT PRO with big coil and small coil. i like the small one better... So the questions here would be:
Do you have ONLY a Garrett AT Pro?
How long and often have you used it and are you familiar with it and comfortable with how it handles and performs?
Since you have an AT Pro, why are you looking at competitive models? What is it that you want to be able to do differently or what performance change are you looking for?
i hunt camps,old home sites lakes when water down... That lets us know you do more Relic Hunting and Fresh Water Hunting. I mostly Relic Hunt, but I do
occasionally hunt some freshwater lake or river beaches which I prefer to saltwater environments. Besides, I live a healthy drive away from a wet and salty coast.
live in TEXAS... I have hunted several areas in Texas in years past and every time I have envied those who live and hunt there for the rather mild mineralization they get to enjoy. Where I live and hunt, or travel and hunt, the magnetic mineral indication is rather high with a lot of iron mineral contamination in the mix. It can be quite a challenge for may makes and models I have evaluated with some just not doing very well at all. Your hunting ground is very inviting, in my opinion.
Now we get to your current post here:
RANDY CONNELL said:
For lake hunting and old home sites,camp sites.what is the pros and cons.
Pros - and - Cons between the Racer 2 and Gold Racer for these applications? Well, the generally acknowledged "Pro" or "Con" differences between these detectors are the Racer 2 operates at 14 kHz while the Gold Racer is at 56 kHz. Historically, the detectors that operate in the LF [size=small]
(Low Frequency)[/size] range, like the Gold Racer, have been best suited for Gold Nugget Hunting applications due to the increased sensitivity to smaller-size and/or lower-conductive targets they are used for.
That said, none of them provide the search modes, adjustments and other features provided with the Gold Racer. It is primarily designed as a Gold Nugget Hunting detector , but with the 2-Tone motion-based Discriminate mode with full range control, it can also work as an Urban Coin & Jewelry Hunting unit [size=small]
(especially good for small, thin gold jewelry)[/size] and I have also used mine for some Relic Hunting in very iron littered old sites. So a 'Pro' for the Gold Racer is that it can be somewhat versatile and not isolated to only one type of application. The 'Con' is that it might be a little zippy in heavier trash and it does sacrifice a little bit of depth and responsiveness to higher-conductive targets such as silver dimes, etc.
The Racer 2, working in the VLF range, has some added adjustment functions, such as Tone Break, Iron Audio Volume, Notch Discrimination and a 3-Tone search mode as well as the 2-Tone modes, that give it the 'Pro' advantages for more Coin & Jewelry Hunting as well as Relic Hunting uses than the Gold Racer. It can still be used for Gold Nugget Hunting, losing some edge on the smaller and lower-conductive targets to the Gold Racer, but you didn't list that as one of the regular uses you would have for a detector.
So there are some Pro and Con comments, just generalized.
RANDY CONNELL said:
Good! Having a new detector that can serve your wants and needs is great. Just be sure you get one of the smaller-size search coils to complement what the detector can do.
RANDY CONNELL said:
how would the racers stack up to the Aka sorex pro
Never used the Aka Sorex Pro, and also haven't see all that much about it, or any interaction between the manufacturer and the consumer that we all see from Dilek at Nokta/Makro. To me, that means a lot.
RANDY CONNELL said:
just like to get some opinions before I make a final move
There are a lotp of opinions out there, some good and some bad, some biased and some tainted either way. Maybe you could consider mine biased, but if you look at my Signature below you can see that I rely heavily on the Nokta and Makro detectors in my arsenal, but they are these having bumped a lot of former favorites out of their main use spots. I have sold off almost every other detector I have simply due to the excellent build quality, features, and performance of these detector models.
Therefore, my opinions are reflected in my suggestions to you simply based on the fact that I like and use these detectors full-time.
RANDY CONNELL said:
wish the impact was out for comparison.
The pending Nokta Impact is certainly a model that had piqued the interest of many avid detectorists, but I do add a caution to many detecting enthusiasts, and especially to newcomers or beginners in this great sport. That is this: The Impact, from what has been leaked or viewed so far suggests it will be a rather full-featured detector. Dilek has only let out a little 'official' information so far to folks about the use of 3 optional search frequencies you can select, that it isn't a waterproof design, and photos of a prototype displayed at a show let us see the different physical package they used as well as Dilek confirming it has the coil cable enclosed within the rod system
I will guarantee you that the coming Nokta Impact will have/be just that, an 'impact' on the detecting community providing many features and some versatility many 'avid detectorists' crave having inn their arsenal. I am certain the Impact will be one of my main-use detectors, but that is because I know how the Racer series and FORS series models perform, and the Impact will likely add more to that. But I also know it is going to me more detector, so-to-speak, than many newcomers can handle or understand. It will be more detector than many current detecting hobbyists might want to try and learn, and 'learning' is an important element in being more successful in this great sport.
Also, the Impact is logically going to be priced higher than the current popular Makro Racer 2 and Gold Racer or Nokta FORS CoRe and Relic models, so that alone is going to make it a model than most average hobbyists can't afford to own in the first place. This brings me back to voicing my 'opinions' and doing that I am going to add a couple more 'opinions' that I have related to your search for a new-to-you detector.
For your needs, and based on what you have said in previous posts, using a smaller-size search coil is very important. I rely on smaller coils for 90% of all my detecting, and have for 99% of the fifty-two years I have been detecting. I have ONLY 6" Concentric coils on the Tesoro's in my arsenal. I use mainly the
'OOR' or 5½" coils on my Makro and Nokta models for 85% to 90% of all my detecting needs, and the rest of the hunting is almost all handled with one of the 5½X10 elliptical coils. I very seldom use the 7X11 standard DD coils, although the past ten days I have been working my Racer 2 exclusively with some 7X11 DD coils in a variety of sites.
When I have opted for a 7X11 or other 'standard' size coil on a detector, it is because I have been hunting a plowed field, a large open wasteland area, a big sports field, or a beach. I am not a water/beach hunter so I don't hunt them often, but hunting them does provide a good excuse to mount a larger-size 7X11 standard search coil. That bring s me to my final 'opinion' about your detector considerations, and that relates to Beach Hunting. If you do a lot of Beach Hunting, be it a freshwater lake or a saltwater ocean beach, you might be out there for an ample amount of time working a larger-size coil such as the 7X11 DD. If you plan to hunt with that size coil a lot, then I'll add one or two more detectors here for your consideration that ...
in my opinion ...are also excellent performers for all-around detecting and also use a 7X11 DD coil, and those are the Nokta FORS CoRe or Relic.
Why do I suggest these two models? Because they are also excellent performing units, with the Relic being my #1 all-purpose detector, with the CoRe and racer 2 sharing a very close #2 spot in my arsenal. As I stated, I use the smaller-size coils most often, but when I grab a detector to work a 7X11 in an open area such as those I mentioned, it will be a Relic or CoRe because they have much better balance with that size search coil, especially for prolonged searches.
You already mentioned the Impact and that's a Nokta 'brand' model so I don't hesitate to suggest you add the CoRe and Relic to your studying of detectors that might interest you. The 15 kHz CoRe is a reliable performer with all the basic adjustment functions needed to get most people by for all types of hunting. The newer Relic is a step up for some because it has a broader range of non-ferrous TID numbers with the Discrimination change, it features the iron Audio Volume control like the Racer 2 as well as a Tone Break adjustment, and it works at 19 kHz which could be a little advantage to you, if Beach Hunting for lower-conductive gold jewelry is higher on your list.
I'll close my run of 'opinions' and wish you the best in selecting a detector for your wants and needs.
Monte
