The Racer has a lot of top-end, top-quality, in-the-field performance and I don't want to see any of than hampered with. The Racer is the Racer, it is what it is and for the suggested retail price it is easily best all of the competition in a similar price bracket to even two-hundred dollars more with a comparable-size standard search coil. Honestly, I don't even use the 'standard' 7X11 DD coil for the Racer because:
1.. The 7X11 DD on the Nokta balances much better and is easier for me and my bad health to use.
2.. The 5½X10 DD provided close-to-the-same performance and balanced a bit better.
3.. Neither of the above would see much use anyway, although the 5½X10 would get some open-area/sparse-target work in, because the little 4.[size=small]7[/size]X5.[size=small]2[/size] 'OOR' coil is almost a perfect match for the Racer's performance and the terribly iron littered sites I most often hunt. That coil stays mounted virtually full-time on a Racer!
I am especially impressed with how well the Racer handles some of the trashiest ferrous and non-ferrous sites you could imagine and is able to provide good to better responses on good targets in that masking trash. Superior to any other TID or Tone ID detector I have ever used in those conditions.
Is the racer 'perfect?' No, no detector is 'perfect,' but the Racer comes very close for many people and applications. What is close to 'perfect,' however, is how well the Nokta/Makro companies have listened to consumers in developing what they have given us, and equally how well they have been addressing any questions folks have or production issues that have resulted. Coil mounting bolts and standard search coil ear breakage? Yes, that's happened, even to me, but it was no cause for alarm of starting a flurry of complaint discussions of the Forum because the manufacturer was well aware of it and addressed the breakage with a new coil!
Actually, I haven't even notified them about my standard coil ear breakage because I seldom use it, preferring the 'OOR' coil, but a couple of weeks back a good friend went to mount my standard coil, which was already on its own lower rod, and went to snug up the coil bolt and
a.. the hollow bolt broke, and
b.. the coil ears were also broken.
Well, I had an extra Nokta FORS bolt & nut, and they don't break, but could just use the 5½X10 instead of the now ear-broken 7X11.
As for the Racer's adjustment features in detection performance, I have no desire to see anything changed. It works and it works quite well.
I can only think of three things, physically, that I would like to see improved upon with the Racer.
1.. The coil mounting bolt, but that's an easy one to take care of and get away from the hollow, brittle bolt and I think they have.
2.. The 7X11 standard coil rod-mount 'ears' and rod mount position/location. Makro has already addressed the 7X11 'ear' issue with the new and improved thicker ears. I need to get one now to replace my original 7X11 that has ear breakage after sitting unused [size=small](I put in less than 30 minutes hunt time with it because the 'OOR' coil and 5½X10 got most of the service)[/size].
My main issue with the 'standard' coil from the get-go was the coil design with the rod-mount being positioned closer to the rear of the coil. That tends to make a coil feel more 'nose heavy' and balance is not very good. For comparison, I swapped my Makro 7X11 and lower rod with my Nokta FORS 7X11 w/lower rod and noted the Racer felt much better, for me, with the different 7X11 coil and improved rod mounting point [size=small](Note: while they do not interchange and work, I only wanted to compare balance and feel of 7X11's)[/size].
Three fixes to this issue in my opinion would be:
--- A.. To redesign the Marko 7X11, which is a slightly different shape, so the rod-mount is closer to the center of the coil.
--- B.. To simply use the Nokta FORS' 7X11 DD coil, but have it work at the Marko frequency and connection. They already use the same smaller 'OOR' coil housing, and the larger 13.[size=small]3[/size]X15.[size=small]5[/size] coils are also very similar with better rod-mount locations, so just use the Nokta coil housing.
--- C.. Honestly, with the way the Racer performs, I wish they would have just dropped the 7X11 DD early on and made the 'standard' coil the 5½X 10 DD
That's maybe what I would do with a future Racer.
3.. Other than take care of the breaking bolt and breaking coil ears, I have only one personal complaint that I really wish Makro would address with the Racer, or with models to come in the future, and that is with the upper rod. The grip angle bends are way too abrupt. The Nokta FORS grip is almost perfect, and the CF-77 has a more 'traditional' type of 'S' curve rod bend for the grip that makes it more comfortable.
The Racer feels 'OK' with the 'OOR' coil for me, but for me and at least a half-dozen friends I have who have also gone to the Racer, they find it very uncomfortable and quickly fatiguing using the standard 7X11 DD, and their hunt times with the 5½X10, which has a better rod-mount point, is still only half of what they would normally do before having some arm or shoulder discomfort. The reason? The too abrupt grip angle.
So I am totally satisfied with the Makro Racer electronic design. Excellent features and adjustability, great in-the-field performance, and quite a value for what it sells for. I wouldn't change any of that to try and make a Racer II or Racer Pro or Racer Deluxe or whatever. Just enjoy the Racer as the Racer for what it provides us. The only changes, mainly already addressed, are the standard coil ear breakage and bolt breakage, so the only 'fix' I can see would be the physical reshaping of the upper rod to provide a more comfortable grip angle.
In a different model in the future, it might be nice to see some other modern adjustment functions, such as an Iron Audio Volume adjustment to reduce the ferrous target loudness while still hearing all targets. Personally, I would like to see a nice Concentric coil or two in the accessory arsenal, such as something about 6" to 7" diameter, no more, in a round shape. Reshape the rod grip angle and I would be fine with Makro continuing to use the Racer physical package. It was well thought out, very rigid, and would be hard to try and improve upon. Just do something a little different, and if it means increasing the MSRP a small but reasonable amount with some different features, that would also be fine. But ...... keep the Racer the Racer.
Monte
1.. The 7X11 DD on the Nokta balances much better and is easier for me and my bad health to use.
2.. The 5½X10 DD provided close-to-the-same performance and balanced a bit better.
3.. Neither of the above would see much use anyway, although the 5½X10 would get some open-area/sparse-target work in, because the little 4.[size=small]7[/size]X5.[size=small]2[/size] 'OOR' coil is almost a perfect match for the Racer's performance and the terribly iron littered sites I most often hunt. That coil stays mounted virtually full-time on a Racer!
I am especially impressed with how well the Racer handles some of the trashiest ferrous and non-ferrous sites you could imagine and is able to provide good to better responses on good targets in that masking trash. Superior to any other TID or Tone ID detector I have ever used in those conditions.
Is the racer 'perfect?' No, no detector is 'perfect,' but the Racer comes very close for many people and applications. What is close to 'perfect,' however, is how well the Nokta/Makro companies have listened to consumers in developing what they have given us, and equally how well they have been addressing any questions folks have or production issues that have resulted. Coil mounting bolts and standard search coil ear breakage? Yes, that's happened, even to me, but it was no cause for alarm of starting a flurry of complaint discussions of the Forum because the manufacturer was well aware of it and addressed the breakage with a new coil!
Actually, I haven't even notified them about my standard coil ear breakage because I seldom use it, preferring the 'OOR' coil, but a couple of weeks back a good friend went to mount my standard coil, which was already on its own lower rod, and went to snug up the coil bolt and
a.. the hollow bolt broke, and
b.. the coil ears were also broken.
Well, I had an extra Nokta FORS bolt & nut, and they don't break, but could just use the 5½X10 instead of the now ear-broken 7X11.
As for the Racer's adjustment features in detection performance, I have no desire to see anything changed. It works and it works quite well.
I can only think of three things, physically, that I would like to see improved upon with the Racer.
1.. The coil mounting bolt, but that's an easy one to take care of and get away from the hollow, brittle bolt and I think they have.
2.. The 7X11 standard coil rod-mount 'ears' and rod mount position/location. Makro has already addressed the 7X11 'ear' issue with the new and improved thicker ears. I need to get one now to replace my original 7X11 that has ear breakage after sitting unused [size=small](I put in less than 30 minutes hunt time with it because the 'OOR' coil and 5½X10 got most of the service)[/size].
My main issue with the 'standard' coil from the get-go was the coil design with the rod-mount being positioned closer to the rear of the coil. That tends to make a coil feel more 'nose heavy' and balance is not very good. For comparison, I swapped my Makro 7X11 and lower rod with my Nokta FORS 7X11 w/lower rod and noted the Racer felt much better, for me, with the different 7X11 coil and improved rod mounting point [size=small](Note: while they do not interchange and work, I only wanted to compare balance and feel of 7X11's)[/size].
Three fixes to this issue in my opinion would be:
--- A.. To redesign the Marko 7X11, which is a slightly different shape, so the rod-mount is closer to the center of the coil.
--- B.. To simply use the Nokta FORS' 7X11 DD coil, but have it work at the Marko frequency and connection. They already use the same smaller 'OOR' coil housing, and the larger 13.[size=small]3[/size]X15.[size=small]5[/size] coils are also very similar with better rod-mount locations, so just use the Nokta coil housing.
--- C.. Honestly, with the way the Racer performs, I wish they would have just dropped the 7X11 DD early on and made the 'standard' coil the 5½X 10 DD
That's maybe what I would do with a future Racer.3.. Other than take care of the breaking bolt and breaking coil ears, I have only one personal complaint that I really wish Makro would address with the Racer, or with models to come in the future, and that is with the upper rod. The grip angle bends are way too abrupt. The Nokta FORS grip is almost perfect, and the CF-77 has a more 'traditional' type of 'S' curve rod bend for the grip that makes it more comfortable.
The Racer feels 'OK' with the 'OOR' coil for me, but for me and at least a half-dozen friends I have who have also gone to the Racer, they find it very uncomfortable and quickly fatiguing using the standard 7X11 DD, and their hunt times with the 5½X10, which has a better rod-mount point, is still only half of what they would normally do before having some arm or shoulder discomfort. The reason? The too abrupt grip angle.
So I am totally satisfied with the Makro Racer electronic design. Excellent features and adjustability, great in-the-field performance, and quite a value for what it sells for. I wouldn't change any of that to try and make a Racer II or Racer Pro or Racer Deluxe or whatever. Just enjoy the Racer as the Racer for what it provides us. The only changes, mainly already addressed, are the standard coil ear breakage and bolt breakage, so the only 'fix' I can see would be the physical reshaping of the upper rod to provide a more comfortable grip angle.
In a different model in the future, it might be nice to see some other modern adjustment functions, such as an Iron Audio Volume adjustment to reduce the ferrous target loudness while still hearing all targets. Personally, I would like to see a nice Concentric coil or two in the accessory arsenal, such as something about 6" to 7" diameter, no more, in a round shape. Reshape the rod grip angle and I would be fine with Makro continuing to use the Racer physical package. It was well thought out, very rigid, and would be hard to try and improve upon. Just do something a little different, and if it means increasing the MSRP a small but reasonable amount with some different features, that would also be fine. But ...... keep the Racer the Racer.
Monte