MuddyMo: said:
I like the multi freq of the Impact but the lighter weight of the R2.
Due to age and impaired health I have to be cautious of the weight and balance of my detectors and I still find the Impact to b at the fringe of 'comfortable' along with the Racer 2. I have found through the years that a lot of people have considered a detector to be too heavy, when in reality it really wasn't.
The cause was due to them sometimes selecting a larger and heavier-size search coil, but more often than not was because they used a too-long rod extension and had the search coil way out in front of them. That caused the imbalance, but with a proper rod-length the detector became very comfortable.
I had a Racer 2 from prototype-stage to production, and the same with the Impact, Multi-Kruzer and Anfibio. I seldom used their stock coils because I spent the bulk of my hunt-time working extremely trashy ghost towns with abundant iron debris. The 5" coils were my main pick, and in slightly more open areas it was a mid-size coil, such as the round 7" Concentric or 5X9½ DD elliptical. Using similar coils, I find the Racer 2 to be just marginally better-balanced than the Impact.
MuddyMo: said:
Miss my Fors Relic (& may buy another), didn't like using the Kruser.
The Multi-Kruzer was 'OK' but the weight distribution made it a heavier-feeling model than either the Racer 2 or Impact. And for hunting a more open and relatively flat area, none of those balanced as well as my Nokta FORS CoRe or FORS Relic do. Those two models look heavier, but their weight distribution and comfort are really good. My CoRe and Relic keep their smaller coils mounted as they are my 'Special-Use' units to tackle the very challenging older sites I like to hunt. Excellent unmasking in dense iron nails and other debris.
MuddyMo: said:
I would like to hear thoughts on the R2 and the Impact Has anyone used both and can maybe even compare them to the kruzer and Relic? Thanks
I don't get out into the water much on any beach hunts, and my beach hunting is mainly freshwater sites with a rocky or firm ground make-up. I've been getting around with a cane for 27½ years now and canes, or my impaired mobility, do not get along very well with loose beach sand. Plus I don't swim, so on freshwater sites I only wade out on firm ground in very shallow places. However, for that I have my waterproof Simplex + .... just in case I experience another trip-and-fall moment. Besides, I like the Simplex + better than the Multi-Kruzer.
Due to the fact I can't get around like I used to, or handle heavy or awkward detectors, I have been trimming my detector outfit down this year. Other than 5 older models I have on-hand to use in my seminars, I am down to 13 detectors, but that includes 2-each of my Bandido II µMAX, Simplex + and Apex devices. So I only have 10 different models right now, and I am planning on thinning out 2 to 4 of those in the next couple of weeks.
I am working on doing a multi-unit product review of currently made detectors that are in the under-$550 price range, and one new model I just bought about a week ago is a Racer 2. I have owned and used over half-a-dozen of them so far and it is a very competitive model in the way of features and performance.
I have one detector due to be delivered today, and I ordered three other new models yesterday and should hopefully have them all by the end of next week. Then I'll start my product review, and I know that of them all, the Racer 2 is going to be a tough competitor. I know because I have owned and used a Racer 2 since January of 2016, in a wide-range of site environments, and with the excellent search coil selection it has proven to be a very good general-purpose performer.
I had some success using the optional selectable frequencies on the Impact, but the bulk of my hunting was in the default 14 kHz. The balance wan't an issue for me, but where I did notice a difference was in the audio response. Especially with different brands of headphone I favor. The Impact had a slightly muffled sort of audio report whereas the Racer 2 was a cleaner, more pronounced audio.
To be fair, I have to clarify that I was determined to be deaf every year when tested at US Hill Field AFB and didn't qualify for full-time civilian employment. There are different pitches or frequency ranges I struggle to hear well, and that might also be part of the cause .... but
for me there is a slight difference in audio behavior.
I have always pampered my detectors so I know that in just a couple of weeks some of these new detectors that I'll be selling are not going to last for long. They will all be 'as new' and some with accessory coils. No doubt in my mind the Racer 2 will be one of the first to go simply because it has a very good track record for performance.
The Impact is good, but I think you're making a good decision to select a Racer 2.
Monte