Lost... Confused...and still wondering. Fisher F5?

[Digger92]

Ok it's been a few weeks now and I am still trying to decide on a detector for myself. I will make a purchase when I can but getting a price and decision laid out before hand is what I was hoping for. I really like the Fisher F5 for its layout, real time ground info, its 5 year warranty, and the price....

However it seems every time I look for a Fisher f5 review, video, etc.. Opinions are flying every which way and a vast majority of them say get nothing but an AT Pro!

Its a great detector also and the full waterproofing to me is a perk but not a need as I like park hunting and maybe shallow water but submersion won't happen and I don't hunt in the rain. I like the Garrett but its 100$ more than the F5. So if I buy the Garrett, I can't buy the Garrett Pinpointer I also had planned as I am on a very strict budget for the detector.

So... Fisher F5 and Garrett Pinpointer?
Or... Garrett AT Pro and no Pinpointer?

Remember I don't want to set off which is better, just if the Fisher F5 and Pinpointer will be a better choice for a novice over just a detector. I heard these pointers help immensely!

Thanks in advance

 

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[Sandman]

Your better off with the F5 and pinpointer. I have had 3 ATP's and the last one works as advertised. The AT Pro is a fair machine but if you aren't going to play in the rain or drop it in the water, what's the use. I've always had good luck with Fisher Lab products.

 

[Digger92]

Your better off with the F5 and pinpointer. I have had 3 ATP's and the last one works as advertised. The AT Pro is a fair machine but if you aren't going to play in the rain or drop it in the water, what's the use. I've always had good luck with Fisher Lab products.

Great answer, thanks for the info. I'm never around water with detectors and the Pinpointer seems it is a huge timesaver!

 

[treasure dog]

Fisher F5

That's my set up Fisher F5 and Garrett Pinpointer.Makes me a happy hunter!

Great answer, thanks for the info. I'm never around water with detectors and the Pinpointer seems it is a huge timesaver!

 

[fishstick]

I've went behind AT's with my F5 and found plenty of things.. You won't be dissapointed with the F5 and PP set-up... HH

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

They are both great detectors. My brother has both, but he likes the F5 a little better for park hunting because of it's light weight and big numbers on the LCD.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com

 

[snokid]

I have the f5 and no pointer...
it's really not hard to pinpoint your target...
pinpoint then dig check to see if you have it out of the hole, repeat till it's out then take a handful of dirt and wave it over the coil till you find the target then sift the handful of dirt threw your fingers presto...
I have used a pinpointer also it does speed things up a bit but it's not life ending without one...
on a side note the f5 is a great machine, it does take a little to figure out how to set it. The atpro might be a little easier to use for a novice, but I would still pick the f5 over the atpro...

 

[sqwaby]

I have both, the F5 has a shorter learning curve than the ATP. They are both excellent machines, but for what you want to do, the F5 will shine. For park or home site hunting it is hard to beat, very tunable to any hunting situation. Read up on Mike Hillis postings on the "other" forums.

 

[Newfiehunter]

I watched a Youtube video on the Fisher F5 which I considered purchasing myself because it seemed so user friendly. The commentator stated that the F5 will id a bottlecap as a quarter with 100% confidence on the meter. If that is true, you'll be doing a heck a lot of digging. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[fishstick]

I watched a Youtube video on the Fisher F5 which I considered purchasing myself because it seemed so user friendly. The commentator stated that the F5 will id a bottlecap as a quarter with 100% confidence on the meter. If that is true, you'll be doing a heck a lot of digging. Can anyone confirm this?

The numbers will tell you what you need to know, not the confidence meter. Quart's and cap's will have diff #.... HH

 

[bluescruise]

the numbers on steel bottle caps will tend to bounce around a lot. also, if you lift coil above the ground a little, the tones will tend to break up more than a coin will. I can generally tell the difference first by tone, and THEN by VDI. VDI is just a tool, and never 100% correct on any machine. When they make a VDI that is always right, I'm sure we'll all trade in our current VDI machines, then the choice would be simple! :-)

Ron

 

[foiled_again]

I've found that the F5 will pass right over a crown cap without a sound, depending on how the disc is set.

My current array of equipment is an F5 and ProPointer and it's a very potent combo. When I was deciding on a new detector it came down to the F5 vs. ATP Pro and the final decision was very close. But I got a good deal on the F5 and never looked back. It's a great machine, just complex enough to be challenging but still usable from day one. One big selling point for me was the confidence meter but I find I don't use it much...as to the VDI, I really don't care too much what the number is, only that it be reasonably consistent and that the tone sounds good. I'll dig a solid 50 over a 24-55-32-45 any time.

I'm still on the learning curve for the machine...problem I have some places is EMI. You can threshold out some of it...or lower the gain...or discriminate it out...some sacrifice has to be made and the trick is to decide what to give in on. Since two of the worst EMI spots are my favorite beach location and the nearest productive school, there's no one answer. I've read several times where the FREQ control is used to eliminate EMI but not for me...the first push speeds up the chatter and the second one slows it down, but neither seem to affect the volume or severity at all.

The ProPointer revolutionized my detecting methods; don't leave home without it. I always cordially detested grass hunting because my recovery methods sucked. Very often I'd hit a target with my probe and STILL not be able to recover it. Now my recoveries are maybe 90% (I'll give up if I think I'm causing a mess I can't clean up) and every target is like unwrapping a Christmas present (my parents often gave me pulltabs for Christmas...bad kid...horrifying abuse...repressed memories...don't want to talk about it)

 

[Digger92]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I believe I have settled on the Fisher and Propointer. I will be ordering in a few weeks and hopefully get the deal I was hoping for. Any suggestions on a dealer who maybe able to package these two together for as close to 600$ as possible?

 

[fishstick]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I believe I have settled on the Fisher and Propointer. I will be ordering in a few weeks and hopefully get the deal I was hoping for. Any suggestions on a dealer who maybe able to package these two together for as close to 600$ as possible?

Talk to ANY of the dealer's on here. They would be more than happy to help. DEF go with the 11"dd.. HH

 

[Talon]

Good call on the Propointer. I would never detect on land without one. It makes it so much faster, often you can detect the shallow targets through the ground before you even dig a plug.

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

Digger92, Give us a call and we will work you our best deal on your purchase.

Wayne

(832) 928-9135

www.metaldetectingstuff.com