The Detech 13' Ultimate search coil for Whites MXT

[Deft Tones]

I use the ultimate 13 coil on my V3i and frankly the target masking by the coil is terrible. ..if you are hunting wide open fields then maybe it would be good, but trashy parks and yards are no bueno

That's odd because I do not have the 13" but own a 15x12 sef and that coil can still do pretty darn well in the trashy parks I use it at. You know the spots where 5-10 non-ferrous items are under the coil at the same time. Sure it takes working from several angles while investigating but it isn't really bad at all if you're not looking for a clean textbook signal.

I'd be surprised if the Ultimate 13 coil performs worse than the 15x12 sef at the same sites.

 

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[Echoplex]

I got a great deal on a barely used U13 and will report performance on my MXT (as compared to the D2) in a few weeks. I love my D2 but wanted something different for backup so I figured I'd give the U13 a chance. I do frequent big open fields, so at the very least the added coverage will be a plus for me. While my MXT/D2 can theoretically get dimes at 10", I find the 8-10" range VERY difficult for them with this setup and I run the MXT on the edge of chaos. My experience has been that dimes have to be perfectly oriented (parallel) in the ground in relation to your coil for that depth. There are lots of other factors, but if the U13 can make the 8-10" range a little easier, then I'd be very happy. Will report back later...

 

[Echoplex]

Got the U13 this morning and have been doing ground tests with 8 and 10 inch average circulated barber dimes in my test bed. Both dimes were buried two years ago, so the ground has had some time to compress and normalize. I use relic "secret mode" (relic with multi tones) exclusively on my MXT, so no disc, and threshold set to barely audible.

Cutting to the chase, the U13 offers *slightly* improved depth and VDI accuracy at the 8-10 inch range over the D2. I would say that an increase of 1" depth in general is a fair statement. I could get a high tone on a 10" barber on the U13 vs. just a break in threshold on the D2. Neither coil could go deeper than 10" on the barber in my test bed.

VDI accuracy on all coins was improved with the U13 at 8-10" vs. D2.

Ground coverage on the U13 is amazing and you get accurate VDI over all but the last 2 inches of radius on the coil vs. the D2 where you have to be more centered to get accurate VDI or tones.

Both coils have a hard time with dimes on edge. I don't have a buried dime on edge, so had to do air tests: With an average circulated merc perfectly vertical, the D2 has a tough time finding it above 5 inches. The U13, 6 inches.

I really like the weight and balance of the U13. It's only 0.1 ounces heavier than the D2.

Just based on these quick observations, I would say that if you already have a D2, there's really no need to go for the U13, unless you are hunting open fields and need ground coverage. It's too damn hot, but as soon as this weather cools down I'll put the U13 to test in some real unknown ground.

Edit: forgot to mention that I run my MXT at max gain.

 

[wingmaster]

I have found about the same depth of the D2 coil as well, it will cover more ground but it also hits better on coins setting on edge at depth and gives just enough better signal over the D2 coil to make you dig. I have pulled 3 extra silver dimes and one silver quarter at one old baseball diamond the dimes were at about the 10" mark and the quarter being at 12", they were on edge and passed over with the D2 coil because they sounded like deep junk. HH

 

[Echoplex]

I had a chance to put the U13 to work in real environments and am really happy with it. I took it to a grassy knoll that is above an old elementary school that I routinely hunt. It has a good mix of modern/old targets with the oldest targets being 7+ inches deep. There's not a ton of trash here, maybe trash/targets every 15 inches of swing or so on average. I have hunted this spot THOROUGHLY with the D2 and haven't pulled a silver out of this spot in many months, so I felt it was a good spot to test the U13.

The U13 had no problem hunting this spot and that extra 3" of coverage really made swinging a breeze. I immediately noticed that I was getting a significant number of deeper targets. Ignoring all shallow targets, the first deep target was 8" VDI 76-77. It was a warped copper button top from a two-piece button. Second target was 9" really faint high tone whose VDI bounced around, but the tone stayed high. This turned out to be a wheatie.

Pinpointing on the U13 is better than the D2. The D2 is not the best at pinpointing to begin with. I still occasionally have a target in the side of the hold with it. The U13, surprisingly was spot on and I felt like I could dig smaller diameter plugs.

I ran into a few spots where the U13 could not separate and I had to change my angles. Those spots had targets that were approx. 3-5 inches apart. Two of those target clusters were crap-shoots and I could not get a reliable read on them. It makes sense that a 13" coil would have trouble with 3" separation though...

I spent a couple hours here digging various deep targets, mostly relic/trash. No silvers, but I am not disappointed because that tells me that the D2 got most or all of them!

Summary: In my opinion, the U13 is a great coil, slightly better than the D2 when used in non-trashy areas. I really look forward to re-hunting some other locations with it. This review is also a testament to the D2! The D2, imo, is the best all around coil for the MXT for those who seek old silvers. I'll say it again that if you already own the D2, there's very little reason to get the U13 unless you hunt a lot of open/non trashy space. I wish I had the U13 when I hunted Germany last year and you can be sure it will go to Europe with me in the fall, along with the D2!

 

[mntnflyr4fun]

I sold my U13 after only a few days, just made my MXT to nose heavy and wore out my arm in no time. You can't find anything with any coil if you can't keep swinging it. Also the coil cover did not cover the whole bottom of the coil allowing lots of sand/dirt to get between the coil and the cover and the big open "spider" shape made it difficult for me in non-uniform grassy areas where the tufts kept grabbing the coil and disrupting my swing pattern. I went back to the 10" DD as I am a fan of smaller coils in general, but felt I had to give the U13 a try.

 

[T.C.]

I sold my U13 after only a few days, just made my MXT to nose heavy and wore out my arm in no time. You can't find anything with any coil if you can't keep swinging it. Also the coil cover did not cover the whole bottom of the coil allowing lots of sand/dirt to get between the coil and the cover and the big open "spider" shape made it difficult for me in non-uniform grassy areas where the tufts kept grabbing the coil and disrupting my swing pattern. I went back to the 10" DD as I am a fan of smaller coils in general, but felt I had to give the U13 a try.

I sold mine as well, DT 13", I ran into the same problems. The 6 x 10 DD is a perfect match for me.