15 replies to this topic

[Chris Coffee]

Hello everyone, I am just a few weeks away from my big purchase and am in need of some hands-on experience testimonials. I am trying to decide between a Coiltek Goldstalker 14"x9" Elliptical or a NuggetFinder 17" Advantage SL. Any opinions/suggestions/experiences would he appreciated.

[goldfind]

Chris, I highly recommend considering the commander 12x15, its been very good to me.

[Chris Coffee]

Chris, I highly recommend considering the commander 12x15, its been very good to me.

Goldfind, thank you for the post. The GPX-5000 comes with two commander coils. I know they are only 11" but since they are the commander coils, I am really looking to get one of the two I mentioned above. Happy Hunting.

[Big Ed]

Hi Chris,
I'd go with coiltec 14 - 9, I like the 17 nuggetfinder real sensitive on edge's but tends to false, when bumping on rocks & stuff.

Ed

[Chris Coffee]

Hi Chris,
I'd go with coiltec 14 - 9, I like the 17 nuggetfinder real sensitive on edge's but tends to false, when bumping on rocks & stuff.

Ed

Ed, thank you for that. I would like to ask, is the Coiltek at least close to being as sensitive on the edges as the NuggetFinder? That is a very important aspect for me because I would like a coil with a hot tip to make pinpointing easier.

[Big Ed]

Hi Chris,

The Coiltec, not as sensitive as the 17 NF, but you can still use the edge to pinpoint. I would still get the NF 17,later on. Just think you would get much more use from the 14x9 coiltec. You will love the GPX 5000, I got mine from Rob, and added Doc's gold screamer pack, best thing I did. Another must have coil, "8in round commander coil". I've found 1-3 grain bits 4-5in. depth.



ED

[adam]

The 11" commander is a deadly coil. If anything, get the bigger 17 x11" Advantage so you have something for deeper areas. I only use 3 coils. 8" commander, 11"x 17" Advantage, and Coiltek 14" DD Pro Elite.

[LuckyLundy]

Chris,

Those Commander coils that come with your detector are very good. In your neck of the woods with open desert the 17" Advantage coil is your choice. It's light weight, sensitive, does not false...simply a great coil to swing if your not fighting tall thick grass. Get one, you won't look back!

LuckyLundy

[Hawkeye]

Chris
I agree with Lucky, the 11 x 17 is a great coil for open ground. Mine does not false either, I wonder if there is a problem with the one Ed has. I've had my 11x17 for 3 or 4 years and its works great. I also have a the 11 inch commander mono, 12 x15 commander elliptical mono, for sale by the way, two 11 DD commanders that come with the detectors. Believe it or not there is a place for everyone of them.
Good luck with your venture back into the hobby.
Take care, Wes

[Reno Chris]

I agree with Adam, Lundy and Hawkeye, I choose the 11 x 17. The 14 x 9 will not give you any great amount of sensetivity over the 11 round, it just covers slightly more ground. The 11 x 17 will give you a bit more depth on targets larger than a few grains. This summer I snagged a nugget that weighed less than 2 grains with an 11 x 17 coil. Admitedly it was right at the surface, but I did dig and recover it.

[DOC]

I would look at a larger coil Chris. I don't know all of the Nugget Finder sizes but you have the choices in Coiltek of the The Wallaby 11 X17, which has sort of been a forgot about coil, but it is a killer performer. Also the GoldStalker 12 X 19, 14 X 24. which found that 5 ouncer out east. Ellipticals give great coverage, easy to maneuver, easy to pinpoint with, and give you the hybrid features of high sensitivity to small gold at the tips, and the middle gives good depth.

First let me say that the Minelab's 12 X 15 is a proven performer, it is a fantastic coil, however I think it is really heavy for it's size. If you are using bungee cord it is a non-issue. While us after market coil reps have enjoyed great success offering different size coils, the fact remains that there is absolutely nothing wrong with Minelab coils, they make tremendous coils that work flawlessly.

The 11 inch round mono from Minelab is the coil I cut my teeth on and it rocked my world. The next greatest coil in my opinion was the 14 inch Coiltek round. Anyone that used that coil will tell you that they found more gold with that coil than anything they had ever used. I still sell a ton of them. I sold 30 of them in February.

But remember the simple math formula to determine whether you are really buying a coil that is significantly different from the coils you already have.

You already have an 11 inch round. So what if you purchased a 9 X 13 Gold Stalker Blitz coil??? Great coil, but not significantly different from an 11 inch. The formula 9 + 13 = 22 divided by 2 = 11 inches. So a 9 X 13 is basically an 11 inch round formed into an egg shape. I personally think the Blitz coil does outperform the 11 inch, it's response is sharp, it is really sensitive to little goid, and great depth. But it is essentially an 11 inch round. Enough of a difference from your 11 inch to make this your next coil? I don't think so.

12 X 19 = 31 divided 2 = 15.5 round - Significant difference over an 11 inch round. 11 X 17 = 28 inches / 2 = 14 round another good choice.

Here's my conventional wisdom. Get as big a coil as you can swing comfortably all day long, The bigger the better. Job 1 is to be able to cover enough ground to find a patch. Once you found a patch now you can settle down, go slow, use different coils, use different settings. When I find a patch I will probably cover it a minimum of 7 times, with different coils, and in most instances I will find gold each and every time.

So regardless of the brand you select, get a BIG light coil. And while ellipticals are all the rage, there is something unmistakable about the pure penetration and power of a round that can't be ignored.

Doc

[Chris Coffee]

Thank you all for the responses. I was actually trying to get a detector package without the 2 stock coils, but was told that they could not be removed from the package by the dealer, but I would be able to sell them on my own if I chose to do so. However, I am actually glad that is the case because after reading these responses, and other info on the net, I will be keeping the 2 stock coils and just adding more coils over time. I honestly don't have a problem with round coils at all. I purchased a 11" Round Commander Mono for my GP3000, and even though I never found gold with it, I did indeed like the coil itself. My main reason for wanting an elliptical is simply to have that egg shape so I can pinpoint a target without always having to dig a 24" round hole.

Unfortunately I will be limited on what I can spend because we need a new vehicle before anything else, but I will be able to get the stock package with the bonus items plus an extra coil (but it wont be a $700+ coil). The area I hunt has very highly mineralization and is bombarded with hot rocks so I need a coil that will work well under those soil conditions. I know the 5000 is suppose to be a great performer in those conditions as well, but any extra help in a coil would be nice. Another reason I like the elliptical is because with the elongated shape it is easier to get the tip back in under bushes. The other Minelab coil I will end up with in the future is the 8" Commander Mono. I have heard great praise about that coil and figure it will be an excellent addition to the collection.

[LuckyLundy]

Chris,

If you look at my last post about "can't beat a DD coil" you'll notice the 11" is and old stock Commander DD. Commander makes a superb coil...that 17" Advantage, should be the only other coil you will need. Find gold with those 3 coils...they work!

LuckyLundy

[Crazy Pete]

Great thread and some great advice given by all...

Pete

[GREENBOX]

Hi Chris,

I have a 14x9 n.f. xp and the coiltec 14x9 blitz. The n.f. i've used for 5 years and done very well with,last november I bought my coiltec from Rob.The next 2 days I worked out a patch that I had been over several times with all my other
coils.All total for those 2 days I found 8.3 dwt.which I figured payed for the new coiltec.They are a very sensative coil and for the size very light.The nose pinpoint is awesome even better than my little Joey.Mine does false but not all the time it seems like it has it's days it's almost like it's weather related I haven't fully figured it out yet.Overall it is the the best coil I have ever put to the ground,it's quiet,stable and very sensative.I also hunt mineralized hot rock areas which in the past I went to a smaller coil and the Blitz works just fine and the best part it"s a Mono.Sometimes because of the size you will be over 2or3 hot rocks at the same time but thats where that awesome nose pinpoint comes in and it covers a lot of ground.I'm sold on Coiltec.Congratulations on your 5k,Rob will get you going He knows that machine.
Good luck in the gold patch.

Mike

[Rob Allison]

Hey Chris,

I know we have briefly talked about this before. Everyone tossed in some great advice. I'm not sure there is one perfect or magic wand coil, but different coils for different areas, depths, sizes of gold ... ect.

I have used the Goldstalker Blitz 14x9 Mono with unbelievable success in the last year or so. For the size, it gets great depth, great sensitivity and easy to pinpoint with. That being said, I would give a larger ellipitcal the advantage on depth a bit, but not too much. Going from a 14x9 to 17-inch elliptical will give you small gains, not 3-4 inches in depth difference. My guess would be somewhere around 1/2 - 2 inches max on larger targets, but even a 1/4 inch can be enough in some areas from missing or finding a nugget.

I'm playing around with a NF 17-inch Advantage now, but haven't found a nugget with it yet. I really can't get out and hunt like I want, have to wait until my wrist fully heals before I start detecting.

Shoot me over a phone call or email when you're ready to purchase that GPX-5000 and whatever coils!

Talk with you soon,

Rob Allison