An In-Depth Comparison and Review of the Fisher F2 and Teketics Eurotek Pro Metal Detectors
When I was looking for my first metal detector I wanted something that was easy to use, yet able to find just about all types of metal. I read user reviews, forum posts, blogs, customer reviews, youtube videos and anything else I could about metal detectors that were in the range of $300 or less. Luckily for me there was enough information out there that I was able to make an informed decision on what detector would be best for me and the type of metal detecting I would be doing.
After doing research on most of the detectors in my price range I decided on the Fisher F2.
The F2 is feature rich and here is a simple review of those features.
Ease Of Use
The F2 is a FAST machine, which means that if you are prone to a faster type of swing, the processor can keep up and locate targets with pinpoint accuracy. It really is a turn on and go machine that can be used by beginners and veterans alike.
Depth Meter
There is also a depth meter on the right side of the screen. The detector manual states that each section of depth bar equals 2 inches. In the field this usually rings true and makes for fast target recovery since it tells you just how deep to dig!
Pinpointing
The pinpoint feature on the F2 is very helpful, once you locate the target that you wish to dig, press the pinpoint button while slowly moving the coil towards the target. When the number is closest to Zero, the target will be in the center of your coil at that depth. So if the number stops at 4, then your target is 4 inches deep at the center of your coil.
Coil
The stock 8 inch coil works great for almost every detecting situation. If you are in a trashy area, you might want to invest in the 4 inch sniper coil since makes it easier to separate targets. A smaller coil allows you to get closer to metal playground equipment or fences.
Tones
This detector uses a 4 tone audio response to detected targets. Iron is given a low tone, foil a low-mid tone, tabs or zinc a mid tone, and dimes and quarters a high tone. The 4 tone audio makes it easy to train your ears to various targets before digging.
Weight
The F2 is a very light weight machine at only 2.6 lbs, which allows for hours of swinging without tiring your arm or shoulder! Even though it is light weight, the F2 is not a flimsy or fragile machine. I’ve actually dropped mine once or twice without any issues at all. The Arm cuff is also very comfortable and creates a very balanced detector.
Batteries
The battery life is outstanding. On average I get around 5 hunts in before losing one bar on the battery meter. The battery power is indicated with an icon on the bottom right of the screen so you can easily see when you need to change the batteries. I’ve ran the batteries down to one bar with no noticeable depth loss. It uses two 9v batteries which are included with the machine and give the detector a battery life of about 20-25 hours depending on your settings.
Faceplate
The F2 features an easy to view digital read out on the screen. Each target has a notch range with 99 points of discrimination. Likewise each range has a number assigned to it of 1-99.
The F2 also features a customizable Sensitivity setting that allows you to adjust the sensitivity up or down depending on the area that you are detecting. The Notch feature makes it possible to notch out or notch in individual target ranges to limit or maximize the number of targets that will be detected. The Discrimination feature allows you to Discriminate out unwanted targets so you can search for desired targets exclusively.
Final Thoughts
If you are in the market for a great metal detector that can run with the big boys, consider the Fisher F2. It’s a great metal detector that can be used by beginners as well as detecting veterans.
After using the F2 for close to 4 years it’s found everything from Gold, Silver, Platinum, Civil War relics and many other neat finds it was time to try out a new detector.
That detector is the Teknetics Eurotek Pro with the 11 inch DD coil. Teknetics is made by the same company as the F2 so the tones and overall setup are very similar. That was a plus because it made the progression to the Eurotek Pro go more smoothly.
Within minutes of turning the detector on for it’s first playground hunt, it was finding coins consistently. The 3 tone audio made interpreting the tones of targets very easy and I was finding coins all over the playground that day.
The Eurotek Pro has many great features and here I’ll outline each one:
This machine has many unique features you won’t see anywhere else at any price. Features that make this detector ideal for hunting in iron infested locations.
Ease Of Use
This is truly a “turn on and go” metal detector and couldn’t be easier to use! Since it has an factory-set ground balance you don’t have to worry about ground balancing and can just turn it on and start swinging. The set up menus are straight forward and you will be off and swinging in a matter of seconds.
Depth Meter
The Depth Meter on the left side of the screen indicated how deep a detected target is. There are 5 segments to the depth bar with each indicating approximately 2 inches of depth. Coin sized targets can be detected up to 10 inches deep and larger targets even deeper. In Pinpoint Mode the detector shows depth in Inches or Centimeters which is unique to this machine. It is a truly universal machine designed for detecting in Europe and the USA. It is very easy to change from centimeters to inches if you want to.
Pinpointing
When pinpointing, this machine will show the depth of targets in inches with a number readout on the screen. If it shows a 06 then your target is 6 inches deep. Very easy to understand and makes retrieving targets both fast and efficient. The pinpoint mode is a non motion mode which means that you don’t have to be swinging the coil to get an accurate read out. Very Cool!
Coil
Like the F2, the Eurotek Pro can be purchased with a few different coil options – the 8″ concentric coil or the 11″ DD coil. What’s the difference between concentric coils and DD? Check out this post to learn more.
Both coils are very effective and both have their uses. The stock 8″ concentric coil is very useful for hobby detecting and coin shooting and gets respectable depth on deeper targets.
The 11″ DD Coil is a very deep seeking coil and I have personally dug a silver dime at 7 inches plus in dry soil. Quarters and larger targets can be found at depths between 8 inches to a foot on larger targets with the 11″ DD Coil.
Likewise, the 11 inch DD coil is great for field hunting because it allows you to cover more ground with each sweep. The larger coil makes for an awesome relic machine based on it’s ability to go very deep. If you like to hunt for relics or Civil War items, then the DD coil package is exactly what you need.
Tones
This detector uses a 3 tone audio target response. Low tones indicate iron targets with mid and high tone audio responses for everything else. Dimes, Quarters and silver will respond with a high tone while gold and other items giving a mid tone. The tones are very easy to learn and pleasing to the ears.
One of the coolest features to the Audio tones is the Iron Audio feature which sets this machine apart from the F2. This feature allows you to set the iron tone volume independent of other tones making it so much easier to identify iron.
Iron audio can be set at three different levels with the ability to either make iron silent, make iron audio tones lower than other targets, or to make iron targets more audible. The ability to silence iron without discriminating iron is useful to avoid using too much discrimination and masking good targets.
Likewise, being able to turn the volume of iron down while having the volume of other targets enhanced is a useful tool that allows you to hear everything while still being able to stand all of the audio responses of the metal detector. In other words being able to turn the iron volume down helps keep you from becoming overwhelmed from hearing too much chatter.
Weight
At just 2.4 lbs (compared to 2.6 lbs of the F2) with the stock coil it is light enough that you can swing it all day without becoming heavy or cumbersome. With the 11 inch DD coil, the detector still only weights 2 lbs 10 ounces – that’s under 3 pounds! The balance of the detector makes it a very comfortable machine to swing for long periods of time.
Batteries
Unlike the F2, the Eurotek Pro only uses one 9 volt battery. Inserting and removing the battery is fast and simple and the battery life is great. I’ve used this detector on a few hunts and have yet to lose one bar on the meter! That’s great because it means you can go on multiple detecting outings without having to replace the battery every time. Teknetics says the battery life should be about 20-25 hours depending on your settings which is the same as the F2..
Faceplate
The Faceplate is both simple and straight forward. Everything is right there in front of you and easy to understand. The sensitivity setting allows you to adjust the sensitivity from 1 to 10 with 10 being maximum sensitivity.
The Discrimination setting allows you to discriminate or eliminate unwanted metal targets. The discrimination setting can be adjusted from 1 to 99. As a general rule, Iron will be indicated from 1 through 39 and the detector manual will indicate other target values.
The IRON ID icon on the left is a non-audio indicator and will flash the word IRON any time the machine goes over iron regardless of where the Discrimination is set.
Final thoughts
As stated above, this detector uses a very unique audio or volume feature that allows you to not only change the volume of the audio but also adjust the volume of individual targets. The detector assigns a numerical ID to targets that range from 1 to 99. Such as, iron will be assigned numbers between 1 and 39 depending on the size and shape of the iron target. Silver targets will have a target ID between 80 and 99 and the number is displayed prominently right on the screen indicating the machines best guess interpretation of the detected target.
The headphone jack accepts a 1/4 inch headphone jack making it very universal for many types of headphones. Likewise the jack location features a cover to keep dust and dirt out when not using headphones. Very cool!
Other useful features include a removable center shaft for easy use on vertical surfaces or for youth and smaller users. That makes it a perfect machine for kids and women making it possible for the whole family to detect together!
So, there you have it, a comparison of the Teknetics Eurotek Pro and The Fisher F2 Metal Detectors. Both machines are very capable detectors and both are very easy to use! Both have their place in your arsenal and will provide hours of fun for both the beginner and veteran metal detectorists.
For more information on the features and uses of these metal detectors, give Hollands Brook a call at 888-896-4660.
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