Why are some detectors better than others??

[Keith67]

Or are they?

Why are machines like Deeptech so often referred to as "deep macines"?  I'm not contesting this, merely trying to understand why manufacturers can't replicate each others performance if the machines "all work the same way" as many say they do.

When I first looked at machines I heard the same thing time and again, Deus for speed, ctx for depth.  Ok so the ctx is FBS, but even between VLF machines there is a lot of variance.  Or is it sales hype?

It seems to me that speed is all about the quality of processors, and depth is down to the coil, that's my uneducated take on it. 

If machines really do vary in depth and speed, then surely that's proof that they are not "all the same" or "simple machines" after all, because if they were, surely all manufacturers would find it easy to make them all perform the same.  There must be some companies who are smarter than others and it must be more complicated than some think if the machines really do vary in performance?

Interested to hear peoples thoughts.

[Andyc]

I think it's a bit like Dyson hoovers! Each new one is better than its predecessor so they all probably do have the technology to make the best possible units at this present time but if everyone made the best metal detector now you would only have to buy once and that wouldn't make for good business so it pays for company's to hold back a little each time to keep us buying the newer better machines.

[nailman]

Doesn’t matter what machine you’ve got if the find is not in the ground or you don’t walk over it

[kris milner]

You can find good items with a aldi 2 bob detector if your in the right place but its hit and miss the more expensive the detector gives you a choice to dig good stuff or iron a cheap detector does not give you the choice but you will get fitter with all the iron you dig up

[JBM]

Doesn’t matter what machine you’ve got if the find is not in the ground or you don’t walk over it

You have nailed it in one.   

Happy Hunting,

Jerry.

[mayhem147]

Doesn’t matter what machine you’ve got if the find is not in the ground or you don’t walk over it

However, depending on the machine and the user's ability to get the best out of it, there may well be masses of finds present, as the operator walks right over them, blissfully unaware that he's missed the whole lot.

I'm presently covering an area with my Deus that I've been over and over with the CTX, and it's amazing how much I'm finding every time. Six months from purchase, I'm still very much in the learning phase with the CTX, so I'm not blaming the machine at all, but if I didn't have my trusty Deus to confirm what I'd missed I might well be moving on to pastures new, assuming I'd found everything that was there to be found.

[Keith67]

The thread was aimed solely at the detectors folks, and the question of performance and technology.

I think we all realise that certain elements are uniform across all machines, you have to walk over it, user error, etc

This was posted in reference to the often heard phrase "they're all the same" and just how much can machines differ, when you consider their fairly uniform design parameters.  Regardless of what's in the ground or how well you can detect, if machines are "all the same" why are some more renowned in certain scenarios than others?

I guess I set out to dispel the often heard myth "they are all the same" or "they all work the same way"

While they may all work within the same basic tech, and they may all look very similar (shaft, control, coil) I don't believe detectors are all the same, far from it, but I do think they are starting to head that way.  Everyone seems to be catching everyone else up, at the top end of the market anyway.

[Nigel at Regtons]

Maybe I can put some spin on this.

What is it that makes one detector better than another ?

Most people would say depth, then hesitate & mention recovery speed, think a little longer & weight will creep into the equation & so on. So what I'm trying to get across is that we would all like to 'pigeonhole' detectors as mentioned above but in reality the differences between detectors is very subtle, what I have noticed over the years working with some excellent engineers, excellent designers & also being at the sharp end of sales there has been progress over the years but not in leaps & bounds or has there ?  1999 we were offered a new multi-frequency detector that seemed at the time to be deeper than equivalent machines on the market, 2003 saw a new kid on the block, whilst not as deep the general consensus was that seemed to find more so our perception of detectors was starting to change, depth was only one part of what made a good detector.

What I see now is detectors becoming more refined in many aspects, wireless headphones were something we'd always needed/wanted, wireless coil has so many advantages we didn't know we needed till we got them, these advances make for a lighter, faster more efficient detector that we are seeing today & it's this word 'efficient' that gives us more finds in our pouch, modern pinpoint probes have added to the equation.

So to answer Keith's opening question, it's not always a case of pinpointing the exact reason some are better than others, if you could then manufacturers would sit up & take notice more often to threads like this, they may know the theories & marketing reasons but again we are at the sharp end, we hear what customers say, we take onboard what comments are made, sure you can dismiss some of the comments but we also get a good feel for what 'detectorists' need, like & more importantly dislike. 

[Keith67]

An interesting read, many thanks Nigel.

[JBM]

Good post Nigel, for detectorists at all levels of experience.

Happy Hunting,

Jerry.