Toms Treasures is posting these as a service to our users, We do not necessarily agree or disagree with any of the reviews.
If you would like to post a review of the detectors you use, email tom@tomstreasures.com and we will post it here giving you full credit for the review.
Reviews can be in your own words, and do not have to be technical in nature, the more info you can provide on your likes and dislikes the better.
So I took it to the field, set up was simple, LCD readout was easy to see, a simple ground balancing could'nt be easier. I began with sensitivity on 7 on a 1-10 scale which was too much and caused excessive chatter and inaccurate results. All metal mode is useless in my area even with sensitivity on 1 due to heavy ground mineralization, so I feel there is a great depth loss in all metal mode since this is the strongest mode,what good is it if you cant use it, although it may work great in other soils.
Pinpointing is simple and easy to use and is pretty precise on giving depth as well as location, pinpointing uses a 0-99 scale, the higher the number the closer your are to the target and when the highest number is found,this number is also a depth reading,99 would be close to the surface and 20 would be 6 inches,which I seldom see 20!!
The 4 tone id discrimination and target read out from -36 to +36 is not so accurate as it is advertised, where +34-+36 is silver readings, Ive dug my share of silver pennies!! Which is dissapointing!!
My finds to date are about 400 newer coins, 3 wheaties, a mercury dime, british farthing and a silver pendent. Most of the sites hunted were old home sites from the early 1900's which were lived in up to the early 90's, if you noticed I found over 400 new coins, it really lacks depth which is a plus for detecting.
I took my CZ-7pro Fisher to an area to perform a test against the ID Excel, with the CZ on a lower sensitivity setting, it was detecting iron at levels of 6-7 inches where the Excel on its highest sens setting could not detect!
Another negative is the LCD, I am careful with my equipment and somehow there is dust particles collecting under the protective outer cover on the control panel, I have heard of similiar problems with dripping sweat near the LCD causing the machine to quit operating,so it has poor sealing around the LCD.
I think its a great machine for beginners at the beach or local park but for serious detecting save your money.
Charles,Wendy Hattaway Mullins,SC
I’ve had my Coin Strike now for most of the summer and probable have about 50+ hours on it.
Pros
Goes very deep, I once dug a hole 9” for a penny.
It does well in trashy areas.
It can be adjusted for just about any type of hunting.
It does a good job at Target ID newer coins.
Excellent pin pointing ability.
Depth indicator is fair.
Cons
It’s heavy.
I feel it’s over priced.
I’ve dug more trash with this machine than any other machine I’ve owned in the 10+ years I’ve been detecting.
I don’t care for the membrane push buttons.
Overall it’s a very good machine for someone that’s serious about the hobby. I had a real love-hate relationship with it at first.If your considering buying one you really need to take one for a test drive before plunking down your hard earned cash.
It does have a long learning curve and it’s not for everyone
Just a few notes on the CZ-20 I'd like you to post on your page. I have got a huge amount of dive time in with the CZ-20 the last few years and have found it to be an excellent performing machine and have found a ton of relics with it. Unfortunately it is very delicate and the worst machine I have ever owned as far as reliablity is concerned. If you are a serious diver/treasure hunter you will need one CZ to hunt with and another for backup. Principle faults noted are as follows:
1:The headpbone arrangement is flimsy and will not stand up to hard use.
2:Pinpoint button is awkward while wearing dive gloves and the damn thing sticks in sometimes.
3: Changing batteries is tedious and you'll break something if you are not careful, a recharge arrangement is needed.
4: The lower stem fits tightly in the upper stem and once you get sand or grit in the joint the the stem length is a bear to adjust.
5: Machine has entirely too much positive buoyancy. It floats off constantly while you are digging. This is a real problem if you are wearing a dive hood because it floats away and will pull the headphones off your head, add a moderate to strong current to this and you will lose the machine as I very nearly have on two occasions. This is a serious problem because if you are diggng with both your hands you are not holding the machine; it's only attachment to you is the headphones stuck on your head. The phones easily slip off a divers hooded head without him noticing it if he's otherwise distracted by digging.
6: Having owned two CZ-20's I can say that factory service is slow and occasionally sloppy. I recently had a machine come back from service {which they frequently need} that was DOA when I took it out of the box. Sent machine back, took many phone calls and much bitching to get it fixed.
7: NOT HAPPY WITH FISHER SERVICE. LIFETIME WARRANTY IS ONLY AS GOOD AS SERVICE DEPT. NEXT DIVE DETECTOR WILL BE A GARRETT. MUCH MORE RELIABLE.
The Fisher detector is very poorly made.The shaft is of light grade aluminium alloy,painted gold in colour. The lower shaft is made of moulded black plastic ,of a poor finish.The securing wing nut is white nylon. The coil is black and heavy. The control box situated on top of the shaft is constructed of very light grade black plastic material,and flimsy to the touch.There are gaps all round the rectangular control panel,and a large gap betweenthe bottom of the control panel and the bottom of the casing. The discriminator knob and the sensitivity knob are made of black ribbed plastic material with a small white mark for indexing,and the pinpoint button is made of black plastic material. The numbers around the knobs and the lettering are painted on in gold colour.The Fisher name is stuck on each side of the control box with a transfer tape. Also,the battery compartments are labelled with + and - signs with a black tape with gold signs.
The balance of the detector is not good,and it is bottom heavy.The heavy coil puts most of the wright of the detector on to the wrist,making it hard and uncomfortable to hold this detctor for long periods. Overall,the detector is poorly constructed,and uses lightweight cheap material. This detector is not suited to,or made for,serious long term use in the field. The poor quality of materials and construction make it unsuitable for the serious hobbyist and metal detectorist,and it is not suitable for hard work.The detector is cheaply made,and it would not be suitable for long term hard work in the field.
Tests using 10p,5p,1p, and alloy screw,and a nail,showed up deficiencies
in this detector. When set to 4 on the discriminator,the detector rejected the alloy screw and the nail. It gave a loud sounding for the 10p and 5p coins. However,the 1p coin was also tuned out by the discriminator,and only gave a very low sound when swept over by the detector. The screw and nail,gave a pfft,pfft, sound,and also for the 1p piece,with a very low sound.
The detector finds it hard to differentiate between a alloy screw,a
nail,and a 1p coin. When using the pin point button to locate,the detector makes a high-pitched screammand this is disturbing to the ears.
overall,the performance of the Fisher is somewhat disappointing.
The Coinstrike is Fisher's first fully digital offering and it represents a departure from the CZ-series of detectors. If you've used a CZ and liked them, you need to be aware that this isn't a souped-up CZ and know that you've got a learning curve ahead of you. If you've used a CZ and hated it, maybe you should take a peek at the Coinstrike - it is quite different from any of Fisher's previous detectors.
The Coinstrike is very, very good in trashy environments. It has a very fast response speed and can sniff out coins that are really socked into iron trash. It also handles iron cinder better than any machine I've used and it can make recoveries in environments were other detectors would be effectively blind.
A feature unique to the Coinstrike is it's THRESHOLD setting which is entirely different from the way thresholds are used on other detectors. Basically, the threshold on the Coinstrike controls how much of return signal it takes to produce an response from the detector. You can quite effectively tune out .22 calibre casings if you need to do it. Yes, depth is compromised, but not as much as you might think. This makes the Coinstrike very capable in areas were troublesome small trash makes hunting a nightmare with other machines.
The Coinstrike has a lengthy learning curve. You can expect to put in 50 hours of time before you are comfortable with the machine. I have over 300 hours of experience and I am still learning subtle tricks. This is not a beep-dig style detector - this machine provides very informative audio cues that take a while to master. But once you do learn what the machine is trying to tell you, you'll discover that there are plenty of rewards right beneath your feet for having invested the time.
The Coinstrike is also somewhat prone to encounter RF noise from high voltage lines, cable leaks, etc. Most of the time you can simply reduce sensitivity slightly and decrease the threshold, but it seems like a lot of folks bulk at the prospect of not running full bore. Anyhow, if you are principally an urban hunter, you should be aware of this problem and how to solve it.
The Coinstrike is an excellent metal detector if you are willing to invest the time it takes to learn how to use it. I've been detecting for 25 years and my level of satisfaction is higher with this detector than any other I have used.
I sent this to a guy that wanted info comparing the 1236 to the 1270.
Question: I need info on which machine to get. I am considering the Fisher 1236 and 1270 for hunting ghost towns for relics and coins. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? of the machines?
ANSWER: It would depend on how deep the stuff is at the sites you are hunting. My first Fisher was the 1236 and I made many good finds with it. The audio is very easy to learn and it hunts extremely well in iron and trash. It's probably one of the best in picking up targets that other machines can't see due to masking.
The 1270 is way deeper than the 1236. I believe it is even deeper than the CZ' s on lead and brass, especially the smaller stuff. Is it better than the 1236 in heavy trash? probably not, but with the 5" coil it will pick up deep targets in trash that none of my other machines would even give a signal on. So I guess in a way it is better. Except in open fields and woods I never set the sensitivity above 7 and with the 5" coil I normally set it between 4 and 5, sometimes lower.
I know a few coin hunters that tried the 1270 hoping to make use of the increased depth and were very unhappy with it. It's a relic machine and was designed as such to be as deep as possible on small lead and brass. In typical coin shooting situations with the sensitivity set too high all the small bits are picked up and it drove them nuts. What they didn't realize is this machine has to be kept under a tight rein, just like a thorobred or a race car. It has more power than can be used at a lot of sites. I found stuff at amazing depths with the sensitivity set between 4 & 5 with the stock 8" coil.
I guess it all boils down to a couple of things on which machine is "better". I like the 1236 because it is light weight, it can be hunted fairly fast or super slow, has great audio and will probably pickup 90% of what the 1270 will. It is comfortable to use and inspires a lot of confidence which is very important.
The 1270 is a very versatile machine. It does take a little longer to get comfortable with it and you have to keep in mind that deeper is not always better in many situations. Basically I look at the machine this way. If I want it to perform and act similar to the 1236 I turn the sensitivity to 4 or lower (as a side note, the silencer circuit does work well at lower settings)
If I want to work a site quickly I set the disc up a little higher (just below nickels) put the 8" coil on, set the sensitivity as high as possible without overloading the machine due to the amount of trash present and have it. In fields and woods where trash is not a problem you can run it just like a CZ. Crank it up to 8, put on a big coil and go cover some ground.
I like them both and having both, I usually use the 1236 at a site first and then go back with the 1270 and small coil to get the deeper targets next to junk.
Tom NW MI
After two months of extensively using my new Fisher CZ-70 metal detector, I can say I am VERY PLEASED! Upon receiving the detector, I found it hard to believe there was a detector in the little box, but there was, and an excellent detector it turned out to be.
This detector has better depth detection than any other detector I have used. I have been to a building dated 1780, and have extensively worked the entrance area with my Minelab Explorer XS, to the point of NO further signals, meaning I removed all the trash, and I receive no signals, at all. Upon powering up the Fisher the day I received it, I though that was about the best place for me to compare it. In a couple hours, I found the following: 1854 large cent, 1863 Indian head cent, 1883 Indian head cent, 1875 seated liberty dime, 1917 mercury dime, 1883 V nickel, 1857 flying eagle cent, and the best of all... an 1878 Silver dollar! This was my first day out with this detector, in an area that I had NO existing signals with my Minelab Explorer Xs. I am only talking an area of about 14 square feet! I was SHOCKED to say the least!
2. Very sensitive, easy to notice fluctuations in auto mode.
3. Very rugged, well made detector, commercial in nature.
4. Very comfortable, excellent balance- makes it feel lighter than it is.
5. Excellent LCD display, easy to see in sun, back lit for night detecting.
6. Very easy to understand, easy to use, and use well.
2. Did not come with a coil cover, I had to buy one separate
3. Hard to get coil cover off to clean from those sandy beach trips. Hmmm... thats about all I can say negative!
To sum it up, I personally think this is one of the best detectors money can buy, if not the best. I would definitely say it is better than the Minelab Explorer Xs,as I proved to myself. It is a well made detector, durable, well thought out by the folks at Fisher. It is light weight, and can easily be used all day without any problem, especially if you use the belt mount or chest mount for the control box. It has a wet sand feature for beach goers, can handle highly mineralized soils, hot rocks, and most of all those trashy areas. Mine came with a 9 inch submersible concentric spider coil, very well made. The belt holder for the control box, but not a chest mount.
It should have come with a coil cover, however they are inexpensive. I think it should be named the Fisher CZ-70 SD (the SD standing for SUPER DEPTH!). I like it better than the CZ-7, although it is similar, it does have a fourth tone on it which is nice. I also like the bell tone for large items.
The Fisher CZ-70 is DEFINITELY a detector I would HIGHLY recommend to any and all of my friends! If anyone has ANY questions, please feel free to contact me at: Treasurequest360@aol.com, I am always there to help out! Good luck and may that next BIG find be yours!
I have and use a Fisher Model 1210-X Metal detector, which has been replaced by the 1212-X. It is the best detector for the money. I find coins and treasures consistently and it has never failed me in 20 years.
I can recommend this detector to both the advanced user and the beginner. The single 9 volt battery lasts for many hours and cheap to replace. The waterproof coil, ease of use, loud sounding speaker, comfortable arm rest and trash rejection are just a few of it's qualities. Only one knob to turn on and set. Great Detector!
Dave Leahy
I first started treasure hunting in 1978, with a Gold Mountain detector that I bought used. I then moved up to the Garrett Master Hunter, sold that unit because it was too heavy and got a Garrett Groundhog. I continued with that unit making many finds until about 1985, when finances caused me to have to sell it. I got a better job but I ended up spending the extra money on other hobbies. Looking back I should have stayed in treasure hunting, after all it’s the only hobby that pays for itself.
I finally decided in July of 2000 to get back into the hobby of metal detecting and treasure hunting. Being careful with my budget I got a Radio Shack Discovery 2000, which is produced by Bounty Hunter. This unit is roughly equivalent to the Bounty Hunter Q D. 2. It proved to be a good machine for coins and jewelry in parks, playgrounds, and yards. One day I decided to take the unit to the beach in October of 2000, while it did work well in dry sand it did not work in wet salt sand very well, the capacity effect really caused me problems.
That's when I decided to move up to a detector that could handle the beach's wet salt sand, and find coins and relics in regular soil as well. Also I wanted it to competition hunt. I still did not have a lot of money to spend. I started doing research talking to various dealers like Lucky Dan and Al, they gave me recommendations and users to contact over the phone or through the Internet. After about five weeks of research I elected to purchase the Fisher 1236-X2. It has proved to be everything it was advertised to be and a little more.
Since this review is primarily for the beginner looking for a detector, or for someone looking for a medium priced machine. I will not get into much in the way of technical information. Technically speaking the units frequency shift (between 5.5 kHz and 5.9 kHz) comes in very handy, its ability to belt mount makes it a light unit to use for extended period of time. Also its third derivative silence is an excellent addition and the battery test feature is another handy thing to have.
I had a chance to use the unit at the competition hunt in Texas, at the Texas Treasure Show in Abilene. Performance was excellent, there were about 130 competitors using different detectors and I experienced crosstalk only one time. I found over 80 silver coins, one of which was a 1921 silver dollar (my first). In both relic and coin shooting in neutral to medium mineralized ground the 1236-X2 works very well. Finding nickels, dimes, and pennies at six to eight inches. In the relic category my finds were a 50/70 cartridge from 1868 (3 inches) and a 58 caliber round ball (4 inches) probably from the 1840's. I finally had an opportunity to try it out on South Padre Island, in dry and wet salt sand. The capacity effect was very minimal, though no jewelry was found I did find several clad coins. Depth from one inch to almost nine inches in wet and dry sand.
In conclusion I would say this is a very good all around detector for anyone that does not want to spend over $500. The only thing I did not like about the unit was its VCO pinpoint--that's just my personal preference. So if you can only afford one detector in your budget, I would definitely recommend the Fisher 1236-X2. For those of you who can afford an extra unit or already have one of the higher priced units, you may want to add this to your arsenal as a backup detector or to keep on hand for a friend.
Frank McKinley
I have owned the CZ7a Pro for about a year now,and so far this is what I can say about it.
On the plus side,it is very deep seeking. I have found small very deep targets at incredible depths with this machine. When it locks on a target you can bet it's a keeper. I have owned many machines in 15 years of treasure hunting and although years ago I thought that Fisher machines were too complicated to use, I'd never give up this one.
There are a few down side items that I will also address.
First of all, the battery life of the 2 9volt batteries is short compared to other machines. They say 15-20 hours,but I don't even think it's that long. I don't like to let my batteries get way low,so I probably change them too often if you go by the book. Next,the machine is rather heavy and very much so if you hunt with the 10.5 inch coil. The CZ 7 a Pro also is very fond of deep iron targets. I am finding however that if I watch the readout and listen to the tones, I can usually tell an iron target. Another thing that I found is that you can't rush this machine. The sweep speed is definitely slower than other machines I've used. That is not actually a bad thing,just an observation.
All in all, I would rate this machine as the best one I've ever owned as far as raw power and performance goes. A high priced machine with high end results.Hope this helps, Bob Green Ohio
