Couple first weeks with the Fisher F44, Impressions...

BBsGal

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So I've had the new F44 in hand now for about 2 1/2 weeks, and have put around 20 or so hours on it. I really like this machine... :good: I've only run it so far with the stock coil, but Sunday morning early I'm going to break out the sniper coil and see if the 4th revelers dropped any goodies in the park...

Anyway... At first I thought it had different volumes for deeper vs. shallower targets, but as some of you more technologically advanced than I am type of folks no doubt already know, it does not. What it does have is a lower volume setting you can use for iron targets while everything else comes in higher volume. It took some getting used to but I like it! I finally figured the volume thing out after about a week. Slow learner... but at least I finally got it. :yes:

I'm getting very good depth with this machine, found a 1940 Washington quarter a couple days ago at 10", and the depth reading was pretty much right on too. I've had other targets read deeper and be shallower, so there must be some variation there depending on the dirt and the target.

Most of the time I'm running it in the preset Jewelry mode. I like this since it's just got the iron notched out, and for some reason the tones sound best to me in this mode. I've run it in coin also, and set a custom mode of just the high silvers, but jewelry seems to be my favorite general all purpose setting. Oh, and I love, love, love that it runs on 2 AA batteries! That makes it dirt cheap to run. I haven't had to put new batteries in yet, so the life on them seems pretty darn good. I haven't been using the back light though, haven't needed it, but it's my understanding that can cut down the battery life substantially.

As far as comparing it to the old F2, there's no way to compare. They're completely different animals and share nothing in common but the Fisher name. All I can say is that the F44 found the Washington and an old wheat in an area I have really gridded and hammered, so it's definitely seeing things the F2 missed. The Washington was within inches of where I pulled out my one and only Merc when I first started with the F2. Amazing I missed it then, and more amazing I was able to find it now.

The controls are easy to figure out, nothing too complex, but it gives you tons of options for customization. Once I read and re-read the book on ground balancing I got the hang of that too, which was the only thing I really had any trouble with initially. Now it's no big deal at all.

I have had it out in light rain, and it was awesome not to have to rush back to the truck for a rain hood for the thing. It's really nice not to have to worry about covering it or frying it when a little rain blows through. Overall I'm really very much pleased with this machine and very glad I went ahead and got it. It's opened up a whole new world of detecting for me, not only because it's safe to use in the rain, but because it so much more advanced than the F2. It may not be the fanciest machine out there, but I can see it keeping me busy for a good long time to come.
 
Freakin awesome BB! I would have thought the 44 came with proportional audio (deep targets are whispers, shallow are loud). That seems to me like a feature they could have easily incorporated, but maybe not?

I'm stoked you are getting good depth with it. For a budget machine you usually have to sacrifice in that department. Is the sniper a 4" concentric or is it a different size DD?
Have you changed the tones different than stock settings? For example I would make my nickels come in as a high tone.

I'm glad you like it and I'm even more glad it was worth the wait and is already producing for you. :yes:
 
Sniper is the same as 5" greeks/f5/g2/f19 coil

those all work on it. however you will find screwing them on very difficult. well with my fat fingers anyway. The new F-series coils have plastic on the threads and gives better grip, more torque, and spash protection

For proportional audio fisher/tek leaves that to the f5/omega on this platform
 
Oh I remember what I was going to ask. Like all Fishers, they are chatty. Not a bad thing in my book, but I am curious as to how this reacts compared to your F2?

DMO, 5", that's right. I knew that:p
 
Freakin awesome BB! I would have thought the 44 came with proportional audio (deep targets are whispers, shallow are loud). That seems to me like a feature they could have easily incorporated, but maybe not?

I'm stoked you are getting good depth with it. For a budget machine you usually have to sacrifice in that department. Is the sniper a 4" concentric or is it a different size DD?
Have you changed the tones different than stock settings? For example I would make my nickels come in as a high tone.

I'm glad you like it and I'm even more glad it was worth the wait and is already producing for you. :yes:

I haven't played with the tones just yet, I'll get to that I'm sure though... I'm tickled with it for sure :yes:

Sniper is the same as 5" greeks/f5/g2/f19 coil

those all work on it. however you will find screwing them on very difficult. well with my fat fingers anyway. The new F-series coils have plastic on the threads and gives better grip, more torque, and spash protection

For proportional audio fisher/tek leaves that to the f5/omega on this platform

Thanks for catching the technical question Craig!

Looks like fisher has linked this thread on facebook.

Does that mean we'll be famous? :lol:

Oh I remember what I was going to ask. Like all Fishers, they are chatty. Not a bad thing in my book, but I am curious as to how this reacts compared to your F2?

DMO, 5", that's right. I knew that:p

It's not as quiet as the F2, but it's not annoyingly chatty either. I really am loving the low iron volume vs. the higher volume for the other stuff, it kind of makes it a pleasure to use even in iron heavy sites.
 
Batteries ?

So I've had the new F44 in hand now for about 2 1/2 weeks, and have put around 20 or so hours on it. I really like this machine... :good: I've only run it so far with the stock coil, but Sunday morning early I'm going to break out the sniper coil and see if the 4th revelers dropped any goodies in the park...

Anyway... At first I thought it had different volumes for deeper vs. shallower targets, but as some of you more technologically advanced than I am type of folks no doubt already know, it does not. What it does have is a lower volume setting you can use for iron targets while everything else comes in higher volume. It took some getting used to but I like it! I finally figured the volume thing out after about a week. Slow learner... but at least I finally got it. :yes:

I'm getting very good depth with this machine, found a 1940 Washington quarter a couple days ago at 10", and the depth reading was pretty much right on too. I've had other targets read deeper and be shallower, so there must be some variation there depending on the dirt and the target.

Most of the time I'm running it in the preset Jewelry mode. I like this since it's just got the iron notched out, and for some reason the tones sound best to me in this mode. I've run it in coin also, and set a custom mode of just the high silvers, but jewelry seems to be my favorite general all purpose setting. Oh, and I love, love, love that it runs on 2 AA batteries! That makes it dirt cheap to run. I haven't had to put new batteries in yet, so the life on them seems pretty darn good. I haven't been using the back light though, haven't needed it, but it's my understanding that can cut down the battery life substantially.

As far as comparing it to the old F2, there's no way to compare. They're completely different animals and share nothing in common but the Fisher name. All I can say is that the F44 found the Washington and an old wheat in an area I have really gridded and hammered, so it's definitely seeing things the F2 missed. The Washington was within inches of where I pulled out my one and only Merc when I first started with the F2. Amazing I missed it then, and more amazing I was able to find it now.

The controls are easy to figure out, nothing too complex, but it gives you tons of options for customization. Once I read and re-read the book on ground balancing I got the hang of that too, which was the only thing I really had any trouble with initially. Now it's no big deal at all.

I have had it out in light rain, and it was awesome not to have to rush back to the truck for a rain hood for the thing. It's really nice not to have to worry about covering it or frying it when a little rain blows through. Overall I'm really very much pleased with this machine and very glad I went ahead and got it. It's opened up a whole new world of detecting for me, not only because it's safe to use in the rain, but because it so much more advanced than the F2. It may not be the fanciest machine out there, but I can see it keeping me busy for a good long time to come.

Following your review I felt absolutely compelled to write a reply to it as I am quite honestly astonished .
First of all lets deal with the issue of weight, batteries , wires.
The fisher is nearly double the weight of the XP Deus
The fisher requires you to replace batteries - XP Deus has a built in battery you charge and done have to worry about batteries running out oh and the Deus battery only needs changing about once every 5 years.
programs The XP Deus has 10 built in programs and slots for several more.
The XP Deus has wireless head phones.
The XP Deus has interchangeable coils which can be changed within seconds rather than minutes.

Finally lets talk about the wire which wraps itself around the stem
This is old tech
Have a look at the XP Deus there are no wires

When compared to the XP Deus the Fisher F44 is not worth spending the money on.
You can buy much better cheaper machines have a look online for a shop in England called Regtons and have a look at them metal detectors.
I dont think they would stock the fisher F44 I would be surprised if they did

Whilst I realise you have run out and bought yourself a fisher if you had really had wanted that tech you could have got a very similar machine from china or Japan at least than half the price .

I really do not want to dampen your enthusiasm but be realistic in life we all have choices and given the extra money I would have bought the xp deus every time .
Perhaps I am slightly biased as I have tried both machines I can tell you now with the deus I have found coins at well over 12 inches deep and we are not talking coins that are a 100 years old we are talking coins that are 100's of years old.

I would love to bring my xp deus and go over the ground which you have cleared with your fisher where you think it has now cleared I know I would find something

It has to be a case of you get what you pay for and whilst I agree that your machine may be nice . I would not give it shelf space sorry
 
Wikidee, I hope that your post is tongue in cheek. Your reply to the OP really comes off like, "Why on earth would you ever buy an ounce of silver when you can buy an ounce of gold? Gold is worth more and is more desirable!" While true on all counts, gold also cost more... a lot more.

F44- $349
XP Deus- $1500 (even the starter/lite pack without the remote is $800).

Why you chose to compare the two is what is astonishing, not the OP's personal experience and decision to go with the F44. I guarantee that the OP is familiar with the Deus and it's tech, and that she had perfectly sound reasons for opting for a machine that is 1/4 the cost. I'll back up that guarantee with a shiny 100 year old (not hundreds of years old) dime if I'm wrong.

The Chinese/Japanese machines you mention lack the reputation of Fisher and other manufacturers. People are more comfortable purchasing from an established and reputable manufacturer. I have no experience, but I'm guessing that getting one of the Chinese/Japanese machines serviced would be an exercise in futility as often as not, probably more often than not.



Following your review I felt absolutely compelled to write a reply to it as I am quite honestly astonished .
First of all lets deal with the issue of weight, batteries , wires.
The fisher is nearly double the weight of the XP Deus
The fisher requires you to replace batteries - XP Deus has a built in battery you charge and done have to worry about batteries running out oh and the Deus battery only needs changing about once every 5 years.
programs The XP Deus has 10 built in programs and slots for several more.
The XP Deus has wireless head phones.
The XP Deus has interchangeable coils which can be changed within seconds rather than minutes.

Finally lets talk about the wire which wraps itself around the stem
This is old tech
Have a look at the XP Deus there are no wires

When compared to the XP Deus the Fisher F44 is not worth spending the money on.
You can buy much better cheaper machines have a look online for a shop in England called Regtons and have a look at them metal detectors.
I dont think they would stock the fisher F44 I would be surprised if they did

Whilst I realise you have run out and bought yourself a fisher if you had really had wanted that tech you could have got a very similar machine from china or Japan at least than half the price .

I really do not want to dampen your enthusiasm but be realistic in life we all have choices and given the extra money I would have bought the xp deus every time .
Perhaps I am slightly biased as I have tried both machines I can tell you now with the deus I have found coins at well over 12 inches deep and we are not talking coins that are a 100 years old we are talking coins that are 100's of years old.

I would love to bring my xp deus and go over the ground which you have cleared with your fisher where you think it has now cleared I know I would find something

It has to be a case of you get what you pay for and whilst I agree that your machine may be nice . I would not give it shelf space sorry
 
Wikidee, your post has nothing to do with the subject that the OP posted about. Further, as mentioned, you are comparing apples to oranges. Someone shopping for a $20,000 car will not be looking at a $70,000 car. Get real. You are not adding anything constructive to this thread. I suspect you have some connection to the shop you mentioned, and believe me, you are not doing them any favors with your post.

Please go back under the bridge you came from.
 
Wikidee, A lemon is bitter whilst an orange is sweet. Yet, they are both fruits and both have their place in the pantry even though they are closely matched in price, unlike the two detectors contrasted.


By the way, those rechargeable batteries in the Deus coil will eventually need replacing. It's not a do it yourself job and the coil has to go back for servicing with consequential downtime. Do you know how much replacing the battery will cost?
 
Anyone who can't handle the 2.3 lbs of The Fisher needs to see a doctor! 1 can buy 15 pairs of cheap headphones for the price of 1 pair of Deus. Do many of us need 10+ programs?

If we have to replace inexpensive batteries every couple weeks, it amounts to 3 cents per hour of detecting & it is hard to find that little.

If we need a minute or two to change coils, what does that matter if we don't consider our time worth $50+ per hour, which few jobs pay?

You most know most of us can't afford a Deus. What are these wonderful Chinese & Japanese detectors that equal the Fisher F44 for 1/2 price? I'd rather look at those than the Deus that costs double my monthly income.

I do have the Makro Racer, bought used, even though I will rarely need it. Maybe for beaches & volleyball pits. It is the deepest detector I've seen for anywhere near the price & does good in high minerals.

If we all needed/wanted the same thing, might there be only 1 detector on the market? Best wishes, George (MN)





The fisher is nearly double the weight of the XP Deus The fisher requires you to replace batteries.
programs The XP Deus has 10 built in programs and slots for several more.

the Fisher F44 is not worth spending the money on.
You can buy much better cheaper machines have a look online for a shop in England called Regtons and have a look at them metal detectors.
I dont think they would stock the fisher F44.

Whilst I realise you have run out and bought yourself a fisher if you had really had wanted that tech you could have got a very similar machine from china or Japan at least than half the price .

given the extra money I would have bought the xp deus every time .
Perhaps I am slightly biased as I have tried both machines I can tell you now with the deus I have found coins at well over 12 inches deep and we are not talking coins that are a 100 years old we are talking coins that are 100's of years old.

It has to be a case of you get what you pay for and whilst I agree that your machine may be nice . I would not give it shelf space sorry
 
Following your review I felt absolutely compelled to write a reply to it as I am quite honestly astonished .
First of all lets deal with the issue of weight, batteries , wires.
The fisher is nearly double the weight of the XP Deus
The fisher requires you to replace batteries - XP Deus has a built in battery you charge and done have to worry about batteries running out oh and the Deus battery only needs changing about once every 5 years.
programs The XP Deus has 10 built in programs and slots for several more.
The XP Deus has wireless head phones.
The XP Deus has interchangeable coils which can be changed within seconds rather than minutes.

Finally lets talk about the wire which wraps itself around the stem
This is old tech
Have a look at the XP Deus there are no wires

When compared to the XP Deus the Fisher F44 is not worth spending the money on.
You can buy much better cheaper machines have a look online for a shop in England called Regtons and have a look at them metal detectors.
I dont think they would stock the fisher F44 I would be surprised if they did

Whilst I realise you have run out and bought yourself a fisher if you had really had wanted that tech you could have got a very similar machine from china or Japan at least than half the price .

I really do not want to dampen your enthusiasm but be realistic in life we all have choices and given the extra money I would have bought the xp deus every time .
Perhaps I am slightly biased as I have tried both machines I can tell you now with the deus I have found coins at well over 12 inches deep and we are not talking coins that are a 100 years old we are talking coins that are 100's of years old.

I would love to bring my xp deus and go over the ground which you have cleared with your fisher where you think it has now cleared I know I would find something

It has to be a case of you get what you pay for and whilst I agree that your machine may be nice . I would not give it shelf space sorry
Lol nice first post. Not biased at all.. :laughing:
 
Anyone who can't handle the 2.3 lbs of The Fisher needs to see a doctor! 1 can buy 15 pairs of cheap headphones for the price of 1 pair of Deus. Do many of us need 10+ programs?

If we have to replace inexpensive batteries every couple weeks, it amounts to 3 cents per hour of detecting & it is hard to find that little.

If we need a minute or two to change coils, what does that matter if we don't consider our time worth $50+ per hour, which few jobs pay?

You most know most of us can't afford a Deus. What are these wonderful Chinese & Japanese detectors that equal the Fisher F44 for 1/2 price? I'd rather look at those than the Deus that costs double my monthly income.

I do have the Makro Racer, bought used, even though I will rarely need it. Maybe for beaches & volleyball pits. It is the deepest detector I've seen for anywhere near the price & does good in high minerals.

If we all needed/wanted the same thing, might there be only 1 detector on the market? Best wishes, George (MN)


If you could afford a Deus, I wonder what your stance would be then?:lol:
 
Wikidee,

There is no doubt some detectors perform overall better than others. And some detectors do have features that others don't.

Not all detectors cost the same either.

Anyone can go onto a thread while one detector is being talked of/discussed, and talk about a totally different detector.

But if everyone does/done this, metal detecting forums would be like banana republics. And doing so short circuits the communicative process.

I mean, would I want to go into a thread talking of an economy cheaper vehicle and talk about my Rolls-Royce??

In all, these actions would be NOT Value added here or anywhere.

ps: I don't own a Rolls-Royce and I don't infer by using it as an example the Xp Deus is Rolls-Royce of detectors either.
 
It is interesting to note that wikidee has not logged on since his one post from 07/06/15 which was incidentally the date he registered here.
 
Following your review I felt absolutely compelled to write a reply to it as I am quite honestly astonished .
First of all lets deal with the issue of weight, batteries , wires.
The fisher is nearly double the weight of the XP Deus
The fisher requires you to replace batteries - XP Deus has a built in battery you charge and done have to worry about batteries running out oh and the Deus battery only needs changing about once every 5 years.
programs The XP Deus has 10 built in programs and slots for several more.
The XP Deus has wireless head phones.
The XP Deus has interchangeable coils which can be changed within seconds rather than minutes.

Finally lets talk about the wire which wraps itself around the stem
This is old tech
Have a look at the XP Deus there are no wires

When compared to the XP Deus the Fisher F44 is not worth spending the money on.
You can buy much better cheaper machines have a look online for a shop in England called Regtons and have a look at them metal detectors.
I dont think they would stock the fisher F44 I would be surprised if they did

Whilst I realise you have run out and bought yourself a fisher if you had really had wanted that tech you could have got a very similar machine from china or Japan at least than half the price .

I really do not want to dampen your enthusiasm but be realistic in life we all have choices and given the extra money I would have bought the xp deus every time .
Perhaps I am slightly biased as I have tried both machines I can tell you now with the deus I have found coins at well over 12 inches deep and we are not talking coins that are a 100 years old we are talking coins that are 100's of years old.

I would love to bring my xp deus and go over the ground which you have cleared with your fisher where you think it has now cleared I know I would find something

It has to be a case of you get what you pay for and whilst I agree that your machine may be nice . I would not give it shelf space sorry


Now I see what others mentioned, so here's my reply to you... I'm glad you have such a high opinion of your own opinion, that's nice for you.

As to your opinion of the fisher, since you don't use one, who cares? Seriously, :roll::roll: :lol::lol:

And many thanks to the rest of you, I've been busy lately and hadn't seen this, I like and appreciate it that so many here "have my back!" :yes:
 
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