Let me start out by saying that I've owned several detectors from White's, Minelab and Fisher/FTP and that if I were to rate the overall build quality of these brands based on my personal experience from using them (White's: CoinMaster, M6, DFX and V3i; Minelab: Excal II, X-Terra 705, E-Trac and CTX3030; Fisher/FTP: F2, Omega, CZ21, CZ70 Pro, CZ3D) I would place them in the following order from best to least best in terms of build quality: White's, Minelab, Fisher/FTP. Having said that, I consider all three of these brands high quality and they have proven themselves to be. Now on to the Deeptech SMART.
Arm strap: It's decent, but I'd prefer one with a 'stop' so that you don't pull it through the armrest holes. This is the first arm strap I've owned without that feature.
Arm cuff: Flexible and not brittle. Gives the impression that it's going to last.
Battery Box: Solid, strong and rigid plastic. What I don't like about it is that you need a screwdriver to open the battery door to replace the batteries.
Grip: The grip is made of foam rubber like a lot of detectors, but the rubber is too flexible and flexes on you when you swing the detector. It doesn't twist around on the shaft, just flexes. This is something that can be easily remedied yourself by wrapping it tight with a quality weatherproof tape. Not a biggie.
Control Box: It's solid and the fit and finish is excellent. Very nice seems. It appears like it could be smaller, but who am I to say?
Knobs: The knobs feel solid and give excellent resistance. No worries about them moving around on you out in the field.
Pinpoint Button: It's okay but it reminds me of what you'd find on a toy. It's obviously spring-loaded and it's noisy when you push it. It's got me thinking 'I hope it actually does something'.
Boost and Tone ID Switches: The control box has a Boost toggle switch on the left bottom and a three-position Tone Mode switch on the right bottom. They are very solid and I like how they are positioned so that they can't be bumped when setting the detector down or letting it rest on its side.
Headphone Port: It's solid and the headphone jack stays snug when you plug in your headphones.
Cable Connector: I like how the thumb nut tightens all the way down and leaves no threads showing.
Cable and Connectors: The cable seems like it is made well and both the coil and the control box connectors seem like they were built to take stress.
Metal Shaft and Cam locks : The rods, push adjustment and cam locks work great. Nice and solid with no wobble.
Plastic Lower Shaft: There is a 5-inch plastic lower rod permanently attached to the lower, adjustable metal rod. It flexes easily and makes me wonder how easily it could break. It may be fine, but I'm not going to do anything to test it because I might be looking for a new one if I do!
Coil Mounting Hardware: The hardware consists of the two typical rubber bushings which is nice. What's different is the threaded rod is open on both ends requiring a separate nut on each end unlike other detectors which take one nut because the other end has a fixed 'cap' on it.
Coil and Coil Cover: The detector came with a coil cover, which is great. Both items seem to be very well built.
The detector also came with a rain cover - nice! I tested it by running water over the outside of it and checking for leaks. There were no leaks, so the cover will probably do its job during a light rain.
I'd like to hear what other owners are saying, so don't be shy. Overall, I am very happy with the build quality of this machine. Thanks for reading.
Oh one more thing: I was looking for a light, well-balance machine due to a shoulder problem I have and after putting this detector together, I was very pleasantly surprised with the weight and balance. The battery box under the arm cuff really helps keep the detector balanced. It's just slightly nose heavy. Very, very nice!
Arm strap: It's decent, but I'd prefer one with a 'stop' so that you don't pull it through the armrest holes. This is the first arm strap I've owned without that feature.
Arm cuff: Flexible and not brittle. Gives the impression that it's going to last.
Battery Box: Solid, strong and rigid plastic. What I don't like about it is that you need a screwdriver to open the battery door to replace the batteries.
Grip: The grip is made of foam rubber like a lot of detectors, but the rubber is too flexible and flexes on you when you swing the detector. It doesn't twist around on the shaft, just flexes. This is something that can be easily remedied yourself by wrapping it tight with a quality weatherproof tape. Not a biggie.
Control Box: It's solid and the fit and finish is excellent. Very nice seems. It appears like it could be smaller, but who am I to say?
Knobs: The knobs feel solid and give excellent resistance. No worries about them moving around on you out in the field.
Pinpoint Button: It's okay but it reminds me of what you'd find on a toy. It's obviously spring-loaded and it's noisy when you push it. It's got me thinking 'I hope it actually does something'.
Boost and Tone ID Switches: The control box has a Boost toggle switch on the left bottom and a three-position Tone Mode switch on the right bottom. They are very solid and I like how they are positioned so that they can't be bumped when setting the detector down or letting it rest on its side.
Headphone Port: It's solid and the headphone jack stays snug when you plug in your headphones.
Cable Connector: I like how the thumb nut tightens all the way down and leaves no threads showing.
Cable and Connectors: The cable seems like it is made well and both the coil and the control box connectors seem like they were built to take stress.
Metal Shaft and Cam locks : The rods, push adjustment and cam locks work great. Nice and solid with no wobble.
Plastic Lower Shaft: There is a 5-inch plastic lower rod permanently attached to the lower, adjustable metal rod. It flexes easily and makes me wonder how easily it could break. It may be fine, but I'm not going to do anything to test it because I might be looking for a new one if I do!
Coil Mounting Hardware: The hardware consists of the two typical rubber bushings which is nice. What's different is the threaded rod is open on both ends requiring a separate nut on each end unlike other detectors which take one nut because the other end has a fixed 'cap' on it.
Coil and Coil Cover: The detector came with a coil cover, which is great. Both items seem to be very well built.
The detector also came with a rain cover - nice! I tested it by running water over the outside of it and checking for leaks. There were no leaks, so the cover will probably do its job during a light rain.
I'd like to hear what other owners are saying, so don't be shy. Overall, I am very happy with the build quality of this machine. Thanks for reading.
Oh one more thing: I was looking for a light, well-balance machine due to a shoulder problem I have and after putting this detector together, I was very pleasantly surprised with the weight and balance. The battery box under the arm cuff really helps keep the detector balanced. It's just slightly nose heavy. Very, very nice!