JW Fishers vs Fisher vs Garrett vs Whites vs ?????

[blueisland949]

First, like all newbies, I'm evaluating "what to buy" and the number of metal detector choices are enough to make one dizzy.? Is there a magazine or interest group somewhere that performs good, objective testing of various makes and models running them through the same tests under the same conditions and environments?? Perhaps a large club has performed shootouts and published the performance results of the units used?? I don't know the best sources for reviews and head-to-head comparisons.? Some of the stuff I've found they sound more like ad writers for the product.? Any info on sources to help clear the fog would be greatly appreciated.

Second, I was considering the JW Fishers Pulse 8X but I notice JWF doesn't get much press in this forum.? It is pretty pricey and they do hype their stuff a lot, is it just hot air?? Ignoring the warranty and focusing just on performance, is the Pulse 8X better than other waterproof units like CZ 20 or Infinium?

My primary interests are salt water surf zones and wet/dry beaches in CA and the gold coast of FL.? Secondary interests are nugget hunting in streams in Sonora County CA (ankle deep to underwater) and hunting in the CA/AZ desert.? No park or historical site hunts (yet).

I would appreciate any insights you have

 

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[gmv99_99]

I have a CZ-20 and love it, with exception it doesn't see my gold necklace. So I considered a JW Fishers and requested the Pulse 8X's manual. After going thru the manual, I was not swayed. They report depth of only 9 inches for a penny.
with my CZ-20 I've extracted pennies in the wet sand down to 20 inches and quarters to 24 inches. Of course these are coins and I find much more of them here on the Outer Banks of NC than the gold, so far. However, I have pulled a couple gold plated rings and a 14K one. Silver rings, coins and brass seem to be the major items it reals squeals at.

I informed FisherLab of my situation on my unit not detecting my gold chain and sent the unit back. They said it was within specs.
In reply to my pulling coins at the greater depth they said I was at it's outer limits. They report only around 12 inches of depth.
Another issue I reported was that I could get a signal using Zero Discrimination, but with I tried to Pinpoint or use Auto Tune on the target it would not register. They didn't have an answer. I believe that I've reached the Pinpoint and AutoTune's LIMIT, but for some reason the Zero Discrimination still reported. I dug a penny out at 20 inches in beach sand.

If you do get the Pulse 8X let me know how it works for you. Good Luck!

 

[Smitty in Atlanta GA]

Oh, to be young again with all that energy.

I'd break my detector over my knee if it gave me a reading for a penny and I had to dig 2 feet down for it.

9 inches is pushing what I'll dig for infact. This is supposed to be a hobby not hard labor. Maybe a gold bar I'd go down 1 foot for but even then I'd probably have to think about it a minute or two before I did.

Smitty

 

[Bob B.]

In keywords on your main screen type in" metal detector reviews", you'll find some sites where people evaluate different units. HH Bob.B