The best CZ

[Neil]

Which CZ do you guys all prefer of all the models made?

Im looking to get another CZ as backup to the CZ5 I just bought and am trying to figure out which one to get. Thanks to a few PMs with Harold he informed me about this 1021 number that is brought up from time to time.
So for me, primarily interested in chest mounting a CZ, would you recommend a new CZ3D, another CZ5, one of the Dankowski certified ones, what would you go with if you were willing to spend about $800 which seems to be the going rate for a new one.
The weight/balance of my Etrac is making it less appealing and Ive been grabbing my Shadow more and more but the Shadow doesn't do well in wet salt sand so Im figuring the CZ chestmounted is a good alternative. I tried that swingy thing for the etrac and and just do not like that setup. I chestmounted a Sov for years and am comfortable with that setup.
So what CZ should I be looking for? And is there anything I should pay close attention to when buying a used one?
Thank you,
Neil

 

[Frank in NH]

Neil I prefer 3 CZ70 CZ3D and Z21.

 

[therover]

I can give my 2 cents. Since the cost ceiling is $800 I would think a new CZ21 is out. If you can find one of those at that price get it. If not look for either a CZ6a or CZ70.

Both are considered splash proof and less prone to the salt air getting in them.

The CZ70 doesn't have the knobs ( other than the gb knob) so when set up and chest mounted, less likely to have the settings changed due to a knob being bumped as opposed to the 6a.

Problem is, both are getting harder to find.

I love my 6a on the NJ beaches.

 

[silverseeker 2]

Neil,
The CZ3D was made for specific hunting. To find Older coins on Older sites!!!
If used in modern areas (trashy) in Enhanced mode get ready to dig heavy.In Enhanced
mode you will dig can slaw, aluminum bits and so on when on a fairly modern site.
Still will do well as an all around detector.Next my preference for most sites as far
as using a CZ would be the CZ 70 Pro. Can't go wrong with this unit as far as performance
on any site goes. Just a great unit but digital. I like analogue though when it comes to the CZ's.
One of my best gold finds was with the CZ3D as it rang a 7 gram 14 karat ring w/small jewels
in a HIGH tone and I was ecstatic when I learned this. So my opinion is if you hunt a lot of
pre 1950's sites more so than more modern sites I'd choose the CZ3D.If you more modern sites
I would seriously choose the CZ70 Pro but with that machine you need to see if they are still
repairable should the Digital platform fail in any way or take a chance. Both great machines though.
Another CZ that performs well is the CZ6A. My buddy kills it with this unit and will not up-grade to anything
new. Why, because he's been Swinging it since it came out and he knows this machine better than his
wife. Me though as far as CZ's go I pick the 3D because at the flick of a switch I have 2 DIFFERENT DETECTORS!!! JMHO...
silverseeker 2

P.S. Forget about the CZ 20 or 21 unless you plan on being in the water mostly. That things built like a tank and heavy...

 

[cadman_us]

CZ-6a is my preferred CZ, I have a Tom tuned CZ-5 and a regular CZ-5, also a couple of the CZ-70 pro. CZ-6a is the one I have the most confidence in, the others are all good machines, but with the CZ-6a I just feel lucky...

 

[Neil]

Does anyone know if theres a page or website dedicated to CZs?

I am trying to figure out which ones came first, what order they were released and what each model looks like.

Someone today offered me a CZ6a that has been converted. What gets converted? Sorry just confused and wanna get another one but want to see the models.

 

[wade tx]

The 6a was the same as the cz6 with upgraded connectors for the coil and hdphones.

 

[HaroldILL.]

I must be used to My CZ-3D as I leave it in enhanced mode since day one and 0 Disc. And don't dig that much modern trash.I think a CZ-3D is a regular CZ on steroids if tuned properly. Some say it just pushed targets into a higher tone,But I have owned every CZ model made and the Hotest ones were CZ-3Ds. JMHO.

 

[mike from Illinois]

Neil. Dan-Pa gave me this info 7-8 yrs. ago. cz6 1991 analog no -external speaker.
cz5-1992 analog had external speaker.
cz7- fall of 1996-digital- had battery drain problem.
cz7a- spring of 1998. digital
cz7a pro- summer of 1998- digital.
cz70- sept. 2001. digital.
cz-3d- feb. 2004- analog- external speaker.
Don't have release date for cz6a.
Hope this helps. Mike

 

[Neil]

So the CZ6 models are both analog. When you say upgraded connectors do you mean the CZ6a had those special pigtail connectors for the headphones(saw a pic of that) and the CZ6 is the same but with standard headphone connector, like the CZ5, but water resistant? Is that correct? So the conversion people get done is swapping out those pigtail connectors?
Thank you Wade.
Neil

The 6a was the same as the cz6 with upgraded connectors for the coil and hdphones.

 

[Neil]

Thank you Harold and Mike.
I have someone who offered me a CZ3D with the dankowski calibration, a 1021 model, so I might grab that one.
I guess the calibration lasts forever since its internal?

 

[HaroldILL.]

As far as weight and balance of Etrac you might want to try a Sunray X 8" coil as alot easier to swing then Pro coil and a full 8" and lighter than Minelab 8" coil. It's almost as deep as Pro coil and better separation. I use it on My Etrac about 80% of the time.

 

[Neil]

As far as weight and balance of Etrac you might want to try a Sunray X 8" coil as alot easier to swing then Pro coil and a full 8" and lighter than Minelab 8" coil. It's almost as deep as Pro coil and better separation. I use it on My Etrac about 80% of the time.

I know about that coil, its truly a good one. Weight is an issue with an Etrac but its more about balance, the design of the overall machine. Its just like swinging a lead pipe, there is no balance point at the handgrip like say a F75 or T2. I might grab an X8 if one were to pop up on the forums reasonably priced.

 

[therover]

The CZ6 had the special connectors and coils. The CZ6a is just like the CZ5 but without a speaker and water resistant.

The CZ5, 6a, 7, 7a, 70 and 3D can all use the same coils.

The CZ6 was the odd one out.

 

[therover]

Neil,

The converted 6a may be a Tom D conversion where he makes it function similar to a 3D. Mind you, there are still only 3 tones...not 4 like a 3D. He adjusts with target window ranges and the conversion makes some older coins hit in the high tone area. He may also be able to tweak it to get a bit more depth. But he can't add the 4th tone.

Or it could be a CZ6 converted to a 6a in the fact that the unit can now use the stock CZ coils without the special connector.

 

[UtahRich]

Neil,

The CZ-6 and the CZ-6a have different coil connections both on the coil cable and the housing. Also, the CZ-6 had a water resistant pigtail for the headphones. I had both, first the CZ-6 and then the 6a. There was a period of time after the 6a came out that Fisher converted the older CZ-6's to the new connectors on the CZ-6a. I believe now they will do it for a price.

As for the BEST CZ? There are 2 different procedures Tom does on the CZ's. One is a standard calibration to factory specs of the detector settings and each of the TARGET ID segments so that targets fall into the appropriate category . The second is a CONVERSION from CZ-5/6 factory specs to the CZ-3D factory spec's. At least for categories. Bear in mind that a CZ-3D has an additional audio tone that the CZ-5/6 doesn't. Tom will basically fine tune the CZ for best possible performance and will provide you a copy of his test result data and suggestions for operation. One of his 'test' results is the maximum depth the detector can reliably detect a clad dime. I believe he does this in his test garden. CZ's that hit that 11" mark, or deeper, on the clad dime are highly prized by CZ aficionados. But regardless of the depth your CZ is able to detect once it is fine tuned, you come away knowing that your CZ is accurately sorting targets.


Hope that helps.

Rich -

 

[Happy_Hour]

The CZ6 had the special connectors and coils. The CZ6a is just like the CZ5 but without a speaker and water resistant.

The CZ5, 6a, 7, 7a, 70 and 3D can all use the same coils.

The CZ6 was the odd one out.

cz6a is just like the cz5....Why do most people prefer the 6a over the 5, because of the external speaker on the 5.

 

[The Contrarian]

I guess the calibration lasts forever since its internal?

No, it is an analog unit so it is susceptible to drift over time.

 

[Blissterd1]

... the CZ6 is the same but with standard headphone connector, like the CZ5, but water resistant? Is that correct?

You're close, the CZ6 had the wacky connectors on both the search coil and the headphones. if there is on the face of the unit a 1/4" jack for headphones with a rubber seal of sorts and a rubber boot over the salt/normal mode switch then it is a CZ6A. Note: Not all converted CZ6A's were marked as such. My CZ6A just says CZ6 Quicksilver on the housing. Later ones say CZ6A, so there is obviously no conversion needed. I can only assume that they can be truly converted to CZ3D by NASA Tom, which gives them a tune-up to max depth and widens the ID to include nickels and older, deeper coins in the high beep or "coin" range.

 

[Blissterd1]

Actually I don't think that there is a preference in the CZ6A over the CZ5. The only difference is the CZ6A has no speaker. They made an add-on for it that attaches with the battery screws and has a little speaker box built onto it. I just use headphones on mine but I may build my own, they don't look so difficult as to bodge one together and I can use the speaker of my choice. I do like the option of a speaker so I don't have to wrestle with the headphones but there is a definite advantage to stealth detecting and I have wondered if a tiny audio pre-amp might help me with hearing the modulated audio (by keeping volume set to 5 or less) so that deeper targets are quieter. I hate rousing attention to my target beeps. I also think it takes less battery power to feed the tiny speakers in headphones vs. the built in speaker. Maybe minimal but every battery MAh minute counts!