Hi Outdoorsman, small coils will not only give you an advantage on separation on high and moderate trash areas, but they will give you the ability to pinpoint perfectly, they will also fit tight spaces your bigger coils couldn't go before and the sensitivity for small/thin items increases, you can also work closer to metal structures. Your best bets are either the 5" EXcelerator coil which I own, it's VERY sensitive (which is a big plus) and it goes DEEP and I mean DEEP (I've gotten dimes at 12 inches with a loud solid signal), and pinpointing is a snap. Your other option is the Sunray Stealth X-5 5-inch coil which is better quality than the EXcelerator from Kellyco, although I THINK the performance is the same as the EXcelerator if not better (Sunray has a great reputation for making high quality items). The EXcelerator is this one (it's a picture of my actual coil):
This is the Sunray Stealth X-5:
You can also get the Sunray Stealth X-8 or the Minelab 8" FBS coil. Here's the Sunray:
Here's the Minelab:
All Sunray coils have a 1-Year warranty and coil cover, the EXcelerators don't come with a cover, they do have a 1-year warranty though.
As for the diggers go Lesche all the way and never look back! The digging tools I recommend are the Model 85B OR 85E (Both 85 models are exactly the same, except for the color of the hand grips, I'd go for the 85E, the bright orange-colored would be easier to find if lost, specially at night):
Another tool from Lesche to take into consideration would be the 'Raptor', it comes with the leather or corduroy sheath:
I also use Jimmy Sierras's 'Treasure Scoop' which is made of ABS High Impact plastic (it wears just like iron, so it will LAST), it won't scratch coins unless you are actually trying to scratch the coins on purpose, and even if you're trying it will take some effort. And also since it's plastic your detector won't go off, so you can wave it full of soil to see if the item is in there, here's the treasure scoop (I recommend the Green or Yellow, the black will make it a tad difficult to see your target):
***Take note that the Lesche Model 85 can get only very little amounts of soil so I recommend the treasure scoop or other trowel that will scoop soil as much as you want, I'd go for the treasure scoop if I were you.
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Links:
Lesche Tools: http://www.predatortools.com/
Jimmy Sierra: http://www.jimmysierra.com/
Sunray: http://www.sunraydetector.com/
EXcelerator coils: http://www.kellycodetectors.com/ you can also try eBay: http://www.ebay.com/
Minelab coil: Any minelab dealer, try the banners on top of the Explorer forum.
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Another accessory I highly recommend and which I personally use is the Sunray X-1 Probe for the Minelab Explorer, it's a 1" thick, 9" long pinpointer that attaches to your detector and has a coil/pinpointer switch, well, check it out for yourself @ http://www.sunraydetector.com/ it sells for $179.95+S&H and it's worth its weight in Platinum! I use it 100% of the time, it cuts time of recovery like you couldn't imagine, get one before a smaller coil, you WON'T regret it!
