Coil Covers (are they really necessary) ?

Reef Runner · Oct 20, 2016

I've got a question, that I'm sure has been thrown around several times, but I really can't seem to find a good discussion.

I've currently got 4 different coils (2 Garrett, 2 Fisher), and no matter what - when I go out metal detecting, I seem to constantly accumulate trash between the face of the coil and the coil cover, and it doesn't usually take but one afternoon. I also hear that this trash build-up should be cleaned out often, and that it may even cause interference or false readings.

My questions are: Why do we use these coil covers? Do you use them? Do you have an alternative? Is this just a cosmetic thing, or does the coil really need a cover to protect it, and if so, why haven't the coil manufacturers figured out how to make a product that can stand up to the riggers of metal detecting, the intended purpose of their coils? Plus, removing coil covers is a real pain in the butt, not to mention being rough on the fingers !

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

NCtoad · Oct 20, 2016

I'm a newbie, but let me put in my two cents. I recently bought a used F70 with the 10" concentric coil. Since I bought it from a dealer he also threw in a coil cover which I requested. I just assumed that after a long period of use with out a coil cover the coil itself is going to wear through from repeated swinging over rock, sand and other abrasive types of soil. So I use my cover, but like you said it accumulates dirt between it and the coil. I'm thinking of getting some clear silicone caulk and smearing a bead of it around the top edge of the cover when it's on the coil. It'll take some time because it's just not the outer perimeter that will need caulked, but also all the open sections on the coil. Hopefully this will stop the ingress of dirt and sand between the coil and cover.

rreahard · Oct 20, 2016

Are they necessary? No.

Do I use them? Yes. I believe that they help prolong the life of the coil. They can also help retain resale value, if one is interested in that sort of thing.

NectarDetector · Oct 20, 2016

I put coil covers on all of my coils all of the time every time all day everyday!

RockCore · Oct 20, 2016

I hunt old fields and homesites a lot and without a coil cover I think my coils would take a serious beating. A cover is cheap insurance. I posted on another similar thread the other day of putting silicone in your cover then snapping it in place and wiping off the excess. Should keep dirt out and the cover can still be removed with no harm to the coil.

Martin_V3i · Oct 20, 2016

Not where I live and the way I hunt. Many of my coils came with a cover though. Over 6 years of swinging coils, I've hardly put even a scratch on them nor the covers either. I'll use them on the SEFS because the raw coil is thin. Covers costs me confidence since they get dirty inside.

Reef Runner · Oct 20, 2016

NectarDetector said:
I put coil covers on all of my coils all of the time every time all day everyday!

ND....just a quick question, since you are a dealer.

Suppose someone used the silicone method (put a bead inside the coil cover, put the cover onto the coil, then cleaned off the excess that oozes around the edges), and then something happened to the coil, and they needed to return the coil to either you, or the manufacturer. What then ? Just curious, because that seems like a great way to permanently keep out the trash & debris, but :?:

Reef Runner · Oct 20, 2016

RockCore said:
I hunt old fields and homesites a lot and without a coil cover I think my coils would take a serious beating. A cover is cheap insurance. I posted on another similar thread the other day of putting silicone in your cover then snapping it in place and wiping off the excess. Should keep dirt out and the cover can still be removed with no harm to the coil.

Just wondering if you have been doing this long? As hard as the coil covers are to remove, as is, I just can't imagine trying to remove one that has been siliconed in place. I'm assuming that if necessary to remove such, you will likely have destroy the cover (?). Have you ever had to remove one that you siliconed?

DIGGER27 · Oct 20, 2016

I have very few coils with covers, just one actually and that one came with it.
I don't ever scrub the ground either and never had a problem and never worry about it but for some it is definitely needed and for others it is just a piece of mind sorta thing.

Reef Runner · Oct 20, 2016

DIGGER27 said:
I have very few coils with covers, just one actually and that one came with it.
I don't ever scrub the ground either and never had a problem and never worry about it but for some it is definitely needed and for others it is just a piece of mind sorta thing.

Understood, but again, looks like the coil manufacturer could figure out how to make the coil, so it would stand up to the riggers of metal detecting. I mean, that's what they are for - right ?

DIGGER27 · Oct 20, 2016

Reef Runner said:
Understood, but again, looks like the coil manufacturer could figure out how to make the coil, so it would stand up to the riggers of metal detecting. I mean, that's what they are for - right ?

I think they do, if you lightly hover over the top of the soil or even if you want to put it down and move it around soft grass which is what the manufacturers recommend you do.
The problem is many don't do this.
They scrub the ground hard, go over rocks in parking lots and the beach, go way above and beyond what every manual says to do or shows you in diagrams.
Some go way beyond even that kind of abuse.
This is a coil used by Capt. Silver who graciously sent it to me after he got rid of his F75.
He hunted beaches on the east coast with it, winter summer spring and fall.
He had rocks all over the beach, tons of them and he is a scrubber from heck.
If he had a cover on this thing I am sure it didn't last more than one or two hunts.
Then it got chipped and cracked with every hunt so he just kept putting JB Weld on it.
It now has about 1/2" or more of that stuff layered on the bottom...at least.
Looks wrecked but it still works fine.
Nothing could have stood up to this abuse for long, no company would spend two seconds worrying about or planning for anyone that would do this.
They make their products for normal use.
I have had this coil for about 3 seasons now, used it many, many hours and it still works fine, has no extra added chips, cracks or damage and will probably work fine for several years as long as I own it because I hunt differently than the original owner.
Even if they figured out how to make coils out of some super hard miracle plastic or other substance somebody will figure out how to destroy it.
Treat them rough then use covers and maybe save your coil or at least give you more time with it, treat them nice and covers aren't all that necessary but accidents happen so for some a good choice.

GroundSweeper · Oct 20, 2016

I bought one with my Compadre and wouldn't hunt without it! Used my detector everywhere even in shallow rivers etc. Cover was really hard to get off, it was a snug fit. It significantly changed the balance of the 8" coil Compadre, making it coil heavy!

Then one day decided to take the cover off and clean... and there was no cover! It had come off unnoticed somewhere (think river but never saw it happen which is super weird!)

So I got pissed and bummed and just went bareback or naked :lol:

Been doing fine since.

detectingMO · Oct 20, 2016

I use them if they come with a coil but dont bother if they dont. Just preference i dont have terrain or hunting time to wear out a coil. Plus a coil cover is a guaranteed 1/8" less depth if you are a scrubber!

jonnied1 · Oct 21, 2016

DIGGER27 said:
I think they do, if you lightly hover over the top of the soil or even if you want to put it down and move it around soft grass which is what the manufacturers recommend you do.
The problem is many don't do this.
They scrub the ground hard, go over rocks in parking lots and the beach, go way above and beyond what every manual says to do or shows you in diagrams.
Some go way beyond even that kind of abuse.
This is a coil used by Capt. Silver who graciously sent it to me after he got rid of his F75.
He hunted beaches on the east coast with it, winter summer spring and fall.
He had rocks all over the beach, tons of them and he is a scrubber from heck.
If he had a cover on this thing I am sure it didn't last more than one or two hunts.
Then it got chipped and cracked with every hunt so he just kept putting JB Weld on it.
It now has about 1/2" or more of that stuff layered on the bottom...at least.
Looks wrecked but it still works fine.
Nothing could have stood up to this abuse for long, no company would spend two seconds worrying about or planning for anyone that would do this.
They make their products for normal use.
I have had this coil for about 3 seasons now, used it many, many hours and it still works fine, has no extra added chips, cracks or damage and will probably work fine for several years as long as I own it because I hunt differently than the original owner.
Even if they figured out how to make coils out of some super hard miracle plastic or other substance somebody will figure out how to destroy it.
Treat them rough then use covers and maybe save your coil or at least give you more time with it, treat them nice and covers aren't all that necessary but accidents happen so for some a good choice.

That coil looks like it would feel like swinging a bucket of concrete around. :jawdrop:

RockCore · Oct 21, 2016

Reef Runner said:
Just wondering if you have been doing this long? As hard as the coil covers are to remove, as is, I just can't imagine trying to remove one that has been siliconed in place. I'm assuming that if necessary to remove such, you will likely have destroy the cover (?). Have you ever had to remove one that you siliconed?

I've not siliconed one yet but have read of others doing it. I imagine it would be pretty hard to get off but if you're going to be wanting to take it off regularly then there'd be no need to seal it.

I'm a "scrubber" and my covers take a beating. I can imagine what the coil would look like without one. A lot of rock piles, foundations, and rocky ground where I hunt. But cover or no cover, to each his own.

Reef Runner · Oct 21, 2016

RockCore said:
I've not siliconed one yet but have read of others doing it. I imagine it would be pretty hard to get off but if you're going to be wanting to take it off regularly then there'd be no need to seal it.

I'm a "scrubber" and my covers take a beating. I can imagine what the coil would look like without one. A lot of rock piles, foundations, and rocky ground where I hunt. But cover or no cover, to each his own.

I may try to silicone one, sometime soon. I don't think that I will be able to remove the Fisher 11" coil cover many times, before it breaks. That is the hardest cover to remove, that I have ever seen

Also, if that works, I may try one of my AT Pro coils. They are a real pain on the beach

hunter1 · Oct 24, 2016

Coil covers

Wouldn't leave home with out one. :detector:

T-Man · Oct 24, 2016

I don't use one but I probably should. That said I always hear what a pain they are getting on and off and they are always cracking and splitting. Here's an idea for any entrepreneurs out there. Make one of those things out of some type of durabe elastic rubber, One size fits most, like a giant condom or something that completely encases the coil so you only need to rinse it off and don't need to worry about taking it off to clean. May be a nitch market out there for them.

Reef Runner · Oct 24, 2016

Well, I just received my brand new, replacement coil (11" DD), for my new Fisher F75, and it sure is tempting to just, NOT put the cover back on. Life would be so much simpler

I don't know, maybe there is something I can do to the cover itself, to make it easier to remove. Only problem, that will probably allow even more trash to enter.... This should not be so complicated. Somebody has got to have a good solution

daddyflea · Oct 24, 2016

Coiltek puts Cloth Tape around their Coils which keeps the dirt out of the Cover

Coil Covers (are they really necessary) ?

Reef Runner

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