Well here's something I just found out today when I called to get an update on my cz20 repair..

[Mark ( ohio )]

Called fisher about 20 minutes ago to talk with felix on how the repair on the cz20 was going.. The receptionist tells me felix is no longer with fisher !! Now I'm baffled/worried on how long its gonna take to get my detector back in my hands . Its been there about 2 weeks now, hopefully shipping out pretty darn soon.

Will update as time progresses. Mark (ohio )

 

[Hank68]

Hope you get it soon

 

[C.J.M.]

Felix was the only guy I trusted the rest could care less especially the Teknetic group that sent me the wrong part # after I had paid for it.They never sent the right part and never got a refund!!I sent the part back with all the tickets and still I never got nothing.Stay away from Juan if you call!!

 

[Tony-Ok]

I gotta feeling it won’t be long before Fisher phases out the complete hobby division of the company. The parent company is into more commercial products, night vision , etc. What do the rest you guys think ……. No new hobby detectors in years …. Just my thoughts

 

[Flydo]

If I'm not mistaken Felix is more of a supervisor right? Felix is not rolling up his sleeves and repairing everyone's detector. So unless all the skilled techs also left, in the end it will be repaired just as well as pre-Felix.
Myself, I was communicating with him via email and it was quite apparent he had NO COMPREHENSION of written English! Well just a tiny bit, but not enough to be dealing with customers. Perhaps he comprehends English fine via phone?
But I'm not here to bash him, in the end I got my detector repaired in a timely fashion even though they trashed the screen, OK maybe I should reconsider that "skilled techs part"

 

[Mark ( ohio )]

If I'm not mistaken Felix is more of a supervisor right? Felix is not rolling up his sleeves and repairing everyone's detector. So unless all the skilled techs also left, in the end it will be repaired just as well as pre-Felix.
Myself, I was communicating with him via email and it was quite apparent he had NO COMPREHENSION of written English! Well just a tiny bit, but not enough to be dealing with customers. Perhaps he comprehends English fine via phone?
But I'm not here to bash him, in the end I got my detector repaired in a timely fashion even though they trashed the screen, OK maybe I should reconsider that "skilled techs part"

I totally DISAGREE on your assessment of Felixes comprehension of written english. I had numerous phone conversations and written emails back-and-forth with him and he seemed to speak very well and very knowledgeable on what needed done and how to go about it. I hope second in command is just as good as the first was.

JMHO Mark ( ohio )

 

[Tony-Ok]

If I'm not mistaken Felix is more of a supervisor right? Felix is not rolling up his sleeves and repairing everyone's detector. So unless all the skilled techs also left, in the end it will be repaired just as well as pre-Felix.
Myself, I was communicating with him via email and it was quite apparent he had NO COMPREHENSION of written English! Well just a tiny bit, but not enough to be dealing with customers. Perhaps he comprehends English fine via phone?
But I'm not here to bash him, in the end I got my detector repaired in a timely fashion even though they trashed the screen, OK maybe I should reconsider that "skilled techs part"

If your detector came back with a damaged screen, you need to send it back …… I have have several detectors worked on and not once did it come back damaged…. Maybe it was damaged by shipper ????

 

[Flydo]

Tony, it wasn't damaged in shipping, someone used 2 inch packing tape as a screen protector(?) what you see is the adhesive that remained after removing the tape. I know not to use any solvents on plastic so rubbed it off with my thumb, only took about 45 minutes to get it all off...except for a couple blemishes that I suspect is damage from a solder splash/ball hitting it. Bummer cause it was only about 5 months old and went in as new condition, not a mark on it.
So I email Felix to let him know about this, and that the disc/all metal knob now doesn't turn, the tech had installed it wrong but I fixed that too. Wasn't looking for him to make it right, just letting him know so it wont happen to the next repair customer and he replies something along the lines of " don't do anything, I will send a replacement"...... uhh, OK, I just told you its been fixed and cleaned right? I receive the replacement detector and its used,(someone else's detector that must have been replaced and they sent me his repaired unit), do some side by side comparisons and find the replacement is noisy/chattery and the ID is not stable. Email Felix to let him know I will return the replacement (and why) and reiterated that I am fine keeping my original. He replies sorrta snarly "wish you had let me know that before I sent it",
....uhh, I did!
That is just one example of several miscommunications by him. I will air no more dirty laundry. Now... in all fairness, is it possible Felix was away on vacation and someone else was dealin with customers using his email address? But again I'm really not here to bash him, I've read many posts about excellent customer service from Fisher and I don't doubt it, but as with any business ..sometimes they blow it.

 

[virginia digger]

Maybe Felix went to Garrett......their in the same state. It seems Garrett is the only detector company that still has outstanding customer support.

 

[autopilot42]

I gotta feeling it won’t be long before Fisher phases out the complete hobby division of the company. The parent company is into more commercial products, night vision , etc. What do the rest you guys think ……. No new hobby detectors in years …. Just my thoughts

 

[autopilot42]

Is Dave j still their he was the lead I am sure .

 

[tvr]

Is Dave j still their he was the lead I am sure .

From about a year ago on a different forum "David is in poor health and is mostly retired, though he continues to dabble as he can."

 

[autopilot42]

My best wishes and prayers

 

[vlad]

The CZ went into testing around '89 or '90 as I recall and when some prototypes were sent to dealers to test some of the responses to Dave Johnson were, 'you need to lose this machine.' Ever since
the 1260 came out there were rumors a Fisher I.D. unit was coming and would be brought out at a major Civil War show, and would be 1266 ish: it was just rumor. Fisher
came out with multifrequency in the '70's but there was no advantage then because of technology and it was not patented. ML first applied it to the Sovereign in the late '80's and Fisher was grandfathered in and the CZ-6 hit in 1991 at $600. It was faster than the ML and had a no motion pinpoint and I liked it much more than the Sovereign. It is still one of the deepest detectors out.. My favorite loop was the 10.5" as I could turn down the sens. in trashier areas. Bill Ladd recommended the Sunray 12" but I saw no added depth to go with the extra weight, and ground balance was extremely critical to not pick up hot rocks and I sold it but I kept the Sunray pinpointer on my CZ 70 Pro. It and a 3D are still my primary units and Nasa Tom still uses one and I highly recommend his site. (Its not well known but Troy Galloway used a CZ before designing his own unit.) Dave J is still active (as is George Payne) but Troy is retired, and Charles Garrett and many others are gone but the industry is still strong. (Richard at Backwoods tells me the EQ-800 with its much newer technology is a really GOOD unit.) Look for a new CZ sometimes soon. (there may be stores with new stock left too)

Question and Answer Session with FT-Fisher Engineers David Johnson and John Gardiner

 

[tvr]

Bill Ladd recommended the Sunray 12" but I saw no added depth to go with the extra weight

The FZ12 is actually slightly lighter than the 10.5 inch Fisher coil. I don't recall the actual weights but I have weighed them in the past to verify. It is a couple grams difference, not a lot.

 

[vlad]

The FZ12 is actually slightly lighter than the 10.5 inch Fisher coil. I don't recall the actual weights but I have weighed them in the past to verify. It is a couple grams difference, not a lot.

I guess it is having part of the loop further out past the rod that accentuates the heavier feel: others have mentioned it too.

 

[tvr]

I guess it is having part of the loop further out past the rod that accentuates the heavier feel: others have mentioned it too.

The FZ-12 rod mount is closer to center of the coil than the mount on the 10.5 inch Fisher coil by about 5/8 of an inch. That puts the front part of the loop of the two coils at the same point with respect to the center of the rod. I seem to have misplaced my camera or I'd put a picture up with the two coils and a tape rule showing that. Something else is going on like perhaps subconscious bias?

I can't speak to the hot rock comment between the two as I've not done a comparison with the two against hot rocks.

 

[vlad]

The FZ-12 rod mount is closer to center of the coil than the mount on the 10.5 inch Fisher coil by about 5/8 of an inch. That puts the front part of the loop of the two coils at the same point with respect to the center of the rod. I seem to have misplaced my camera or I'd put a picture up with the two coils and a tape rule showing that. Something else is going on like perhaps subconscious bias?

I can't speak to the hot rock comment between the two as I've not done a comparison with the two against hot rocks.

The hot rock was not a test, but an actual field result with my 70Pro: my friend's CZ-6 with 8" loop did not detect it. As to size the 10.5" the circumference is 32.99", the 12" is 39.7" That is empirical data not psychological bias (I felt it in the elbow too.) Numbers do not lie, nor my pain threshold. The simple facts are I like the 10.5 more as does NASA Tom, even if by your assessment it is in theory heavier. Maybe my rod is adjusted out longer?

 

[vlad]

Maybe Felix went to Garrett......their in the same state. It seems Garrett is the only detector company that still has outstanding customer support.

Fisher has always been great with customer service, even in Los Banos: llewellyn with customer service there was great. I'd love to hear how you came up with the conclusion someone went from one detector company to another because both are in the same state, 640 miles apart. Its more likely he got a higher paying job locally.

 

[vlad]

If I'm not mistaken Felix is more of a supervisor right? Felix is not rolling up his sleeves and repairing everyone's detector. So unless all the skilled techs also left, in the end it will be repaired just as well as pre-Felix.
Myself, I was communicating with him via email and it was quite apparent he had NO COMPREHENSION of written English! Well just a tiny bit, but not enough to be dealing with customers. Perhaps he comprehends English fine via phone?
But I'm not here to bash him, in the end I got my detector repaired in a timely fashion even though they trashed the screen, OK maybe I should reconsider that "skilled techs part"

To quote Dave Johnson, "The person I talked to on the phone had a Mexican accent, must be stupid." .....(smarter than you think, and speaks better Spanish than you do, too,) I know personally that people who answer the phone or emails are not the people you think you are talking to. Sure glad you did not bash him, though. At least you did not say "They cut costs by hiring a bunch of illegal aliens." (and Felix is one)