In the last 6 months or so Fisher and Teknetics have been coming up a lot in conversations and all of them very positive. Most of those conversations have been about detectors in the beginner price range, even ones at or below 200 dollars. Being in this hobby for over twenty years and most of those years using mid to high end detectors my mind hasn’t been on lower price range detectors but after hearing so many great things about fisher/teknetics (some sounding too good to be true) I had to try one out for myself.
A few years back I was a dealer and I made it a point to learn as many detectors as I could or at least the most popular detectors. I never found anything in the lower price ranges that even got me a little excited so I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Fisher f22. As my years as a dealer no one ever asked me about the beginner price range Fisher and Teknetics so I never took the time to learn any of them.
My first time out with the Fisher F22 I took it back to Ohio with me to do some relic hunting. One of the reasons I chose to take it is the ability to turn iron volume low and even off. I’m not going to go into too much detail in the article but you can read about it HERE. I will say I was very impressed with its ability to handle the iron and being able to turn the iron volume down or even off is so impressive and usually only found in much more expensive detectors.
Coming back from Ohio I was feeling a little different. I had a lot of faith in the F22 being a great detector. It takes a lot to impress me and I have to admit I was impressed with its abilities relic hunting in heavy iron. Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to use it much since then because I was showing it to Steph and she fell in love with the weight and balance. What was more exciting is how quick she fell in love with the detector! She has very little experience metal detecting and her first time out with the F22, in a trashy park she was pulling coins out left and right with ease.
Although she has used it more than me I have gotten out with it on a few occasions alone and I am just as impressed as she is. Personally I am a fan of concentric coils and I like the coil that comes on the F22 a lot. Even in some of the trashiest areas the F22 and 9 inch coil handled it with ease. I would like to eventually try an 11 inch coil on it. I think this detector with a bigger coil could go really deep.
If you asked me to pick the best detector in the mid or upper price range of detectors I just couldn’t do it. Competition is fierce and there are some really great metal detectors out there. If you asked me about the lower price range I would easily say Fisher or Teknetics. Although I haven’t used a Teknetics in the lower price range, again, I am hearing great things. What I can say is the Fisher F22 is comfortable in an iron infested field while relic hunting and just as happy in a trashy park looking for coins. The price and the turn on and go capabilities put it in the beginner’s price range but this detector is much more than that.
If you’re looking for an affordable way to get into the hobby, you’re on a tight budget or looking for a really good, lightweight and affordable detector that will work great anywhere, this is the detector I would recommend. In the price range I personally do not feel you could find a better all-around detector and although it works great at trashy parks, schools, houses etc. I think it really shines as a very affordable and capable relic detector. I have used metal detectors that cost much more than this detector that don’t perform as well or have some of the great features the F22 has like weatherproof construction and the ability to turn the Iron volume off or down. From someone like me who hasn’t used a detector in this price range in over twenty years I’m not only impressed with its abilities but it will get used by me… when I can pry it out of Stephs hands!
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