Differences I have noticed on the CZ-21 Compared to The CZ-20.......

[Goldiver]

Some of you may have seen these differences posted elsewhere but for those who don't already know I am posting the differences I have seen on the CZ-21 compared to the CZ-20.

On a previous post I mentioned the pinpoint button was changed from a rubberized button to a metal pad that you tap on to activat or de-activate it. If you are used to the rubberized button this one takes a little bit to get used to, if you don't hit it right the first time you have to continue tapping it until you hit it with the right amount of force (see picture of face plate).

I can run the sensitivity a bit higher on the 21. On the 20 I ran it around 5.5, the 21 I can run at least 6 to 7 both results are from the same beach.

If you have or have owned the 20 see the side view of the faceplate. You can see the old style gasket was replaced by a heavy duty grey gasket on the 21.

The knobs on the coil attachment screw are different, nice for gloved hands.

I added the armstrap. This one came from a Whites Surfmaster and fits perfectly, a nice heavy duty one.

The battery door gasket was changed as you can see by the photos of the owners manual.

That is all I have seen different so far, and so far I love it like I have all of the CZ's I have owned.

I hope this is a little bit of help to anyone looking to buy one.

Good Hunting!
Steve

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[JOe L]

Steve, great review. I have been checking out the 21 and any info you come up with and want to add, I know I would greatly appreciate it. Joe

 

[makahaman]

Goldiver I was wondering how could you compare this machine with the Minelab Excalibur? Have you ever used the Minelab or not? How is machine compared to the Surfmaster PI? Is this machine easy to set up and use? I am seriously thinking about getting this machine, I have heard that a guy on Kauai uses this machine and finds tons of rings!! What kind of depth are you getting with the CZ-21? Thanks & Aloha

 

[Goldiver]

Goldiver I was wondering how could you compare this machine with the Minelab Excalibur? Have you ever used the Minelab or not? How is machine compared to the Surfmaster PI? Is this machine easy to set up and use? I am seriously thinking about getting this machine, I have heard that a guy on Kauai uses this machine and finds tons of rings!! What kind of depth are you getting with the CZ-21? Thanks & Aloha

Actually I have never owned the Excalibur but I did consider getting the Excalibur II. After much careful consideration I decided on the CZ. The major reason was I know the CZ very well, and I really didn't want to relearn a new detector language for no real benefits. Many people who have owned both Excal and CZ say they are pretty much even. Some complain about the slow recovery speed of the Excal. I always keep an open mind regarding detectors but I couldn't see any real benefit of switching detectors and stayed with the CZ.

I have owned the Surfmaster PI, and was constantly amazed at the depth I got with it, especially on the Florida saltwater beaches. I loved it, but the areas I hunt now are loaded with iron trash, mostly nails. I don't believe it would be fair to compare any VLF detector to a PI, normally the PI take the cake on depth every time, but how many bobby pins and nails do you want to dig?

The CZ is very simple to set up and use, and is very rugged. Some people complain about nails with the CZ, when in fact they are very simple to avoid. Most round nails give a low tone, square nails usually give a high-low bounce, when you get the bounce you have to check out the profile. I check the profile by engaging the pinpoint and check for a "round" profile, the round profile will many times be a coin or ring, if it is elongated or gives a double beep 9.8 times out of 10 it is a nail.

The bottom line is I believe the CZ and Excalibur are about equal, they are both awesome detectors and produce amazing results in the right hands. You just have to look at the little details that would suit your personal taste or needs. I hope I was at least a little bit helpful.

Good Luck,
Steve

 

[makahaman]

Thanks Goldiver for all of your help explaining this machine to me!! I am really thinking about getting this detector because I said earlier that a guy on Kauai is kicking butt with this machine. Again thanks for replying to all of my post!! Aloha

 

[Silver Dollar]

Hi Goldiver I just purchased a CZ21 recently. The first time in the water it died on me. I sent it back to Fisher and they repaired it. My friend and I have been hunting this one area and have had good luck there. Before I got the CZ21 I found a 1945 Walking half there with my Fisher 1280. I've went back to this spot the other day with my CZ21 and found some coins and a small 14k wedding band. My friend went there today and found a silver half. He has a cz5 built into a water machine. I don't know how I could have missed it. My question to you is does your CZ21 ring on a half, mine does when I'm like a inch or two away from it but any further it gives a coin tone. So I'm dot sure if my machine is working correctly or not.

Thanks Jim

 

[Goldiver]

Hi Goldiver I just purchased a CZ21 recently. The first time in the water it died on me. I sent it back to Fisher and they repaired it. My friend and I have been hunting this one area and have had good luck there. Before I got the CZ21 I found a 1945 Walking half there with my Fisher 1280. I've went back to this spot the other day with my CZ21 and found some coins and a small 14k wedding band. My friend went there today and found a silver half. He has a cz5 built into a water machine. I don't know how I could have missed it. My question to you is does your CZ21 ring on a half, mine does when I'm like a inch or two away from it but any further it gives a coin tone. So I'm dot sure if my machine is working correctly or not.

Thanks Jim

Jim, when you ask me if it rings on a half dollar do you mean the ringing overload tone? If so this is the same thing I get. Whenever I get the ringing overload tone I will lift up the coil so I can identify the target. This can happen on smaller rings and coins to. Also if really shallow you can get the double beep on coins and rings, again lifting the coil when you hear it will properly identify it. Often I am working clay or gravel where this stuff is shallow and have to use these methods.I hope this helps a little.

Steve

 

[Silver Dollar]

Thanks Steve, yes I meet the over load ringtone. I'll try what you said. I guess I just am not sure of the machine now after I had to send it back. Also I never owned a CZ before so I'm not sure how they performed.

Thanks Jim

 

[Goldiver]

Thanks Steve, yes I meet the over load ringtone. I'll try what you said. I guess I just am not sure of the machine now after I had to send it back. Also I never owned a CZ before so I'm not sure how they performed.

Thanks Jim

Jim, Since you already own the 1280x, if you like that I believe you will really like the CZ. I started using Fishers with the 1200x series. I bought my first CZ in the late 1990's and the CZ series quickly became my favorite. My CZ-70 has found enough stuff to pay for itself many times over, and I have only had that one for 4-5 years. Your CZ wil take a short time to learn but once you learn it you will see it is a blast to use.

Good luck on the Gold!
Steve

 

[Silver Dollar]

Hi Steve,

I've been using my 21 know for awhile and I'm still not convinced that it is working like it should. I was just in the back yard and dug a hole about 6 inches. I ground set my 21 and couldn't pick up a quarter in it. Couldn't even pick up a Buffalo nickel at four inches but my 1280 could. I had the sensitivity at 7 on both. I surely thought that the 21 would pickup a quarter at 6 inches. What do you think? Any feed back would be greatfull.

Thanks Jim

 

[Sandman]

Jim, I can help with the answer to this one. The reason the CZ21 could not pick up the buried coins and the 1280 could is because the CZ21 is set on a permenant saltwater mode which makes it less sensitive. The 1280 now has a harder time in the saltwater because it is more sensitive and no way to switch to a saltwater mode like you can do with a Tiger Shark. Most fresh buried coins don't make any detector respond well, including the $$$ ones.

A word of warning on the CZ20's or 21's, don't tighten down the screws to the battery door to much as you can pull the metal thingies out of the door itself.

 

[Goldiver]

Hi Steve,

I've been using my 21 know for awhile and I'm still not convinced that it is working like it should. I was just in the back yard and dug a hole about 6 inches. I ground set my 21 and couldn't pick up a quarter in it. Couldn't even pick up a Buffalo nickel at four inches but my 1280 could. I had the sensitivity at 7 on both. I surely thought that the 21 would pickup a quarter at 6 inches. What do you think? Any feed back would be greatfull.

Thanks Jim

Hi Jim, I believe you may have something wrong there. That is some pretty sorry depth for a CZ set at a sensitivity of 7. There are of course a number of variables that could cause this. I would try to replicate the test elsewhere, of course making double sure there is no other metals or forms of electrical interference nearby. If you can set it at 7 with no falsing from the soil it is probably not too mineralized. Also try an airtest, even though it may not be a true indication of how it will perform in the ground, it will give you an indication if something is wrong or not. I set mine up inside my house at 7 sensitivity, ground at 3 and I can easily pick up a wheat penny at the 10 to 12 inch range, keep in mind that is with the large coil. Also if you accidently set up your ground near metal it may be overcompensating and giving poor depth. I usually run the detector at sensitivity 5.5 to 6.5, ground at 3 to 4 with nice results on depth. Steve

 

[Silver Dollar]

Thanks Steve,
I spoke to Fisher today and the 21 is once again on its way back to them. I told them that I would really like this one to be replaced, we'll see what happens. Thanks for all your help.

Jim