Bench Tests VS Reality

Why Do I Perform Bench Tests?

First and foremost I perform bench tests to get some insight into the potential performance of the machine, I highlight the word potential because there's no way to emulate how things are under the ground. I've stated this point on a lot of my videos, however, I believe that those machines that perform well above the ground have a tendency to perform well out in the fields. Another reason why I post test videos is due to the fact that many people out there have no idea about Nexus machines and very few know much about the other analog units I choose to use. I'm putting the sort of videos out that I would've liked to of seen when I was considering purchasing any of these detectors. Do I take the results of these tests as gospel? no I don't. Do I find a lot of these types of videos mind-numbing? yes I do, also anyone that uses the results of these types of tests to argue with each other about which machine is best. I suggest they give their heads a shake and grow up. 

Test Gardens & Depth Demonstrations

Depending how you set them up, test gardens can be very useful, it allows you to understand the audio of your unit on various targets at varying depths. Does a test garden demonstrate proper depth capabilities? no I don't believe it does, there are so many factors when it comes to the potential depth of a machine. Firstly nearly all soils are different, some are benign, others mineralised, many are full of iron contamination and trash, all of these elements effect the overall depth of a machine on any given target on any given day. I've noticed that a number of the current tech units appear to perform very well on depth tests in peoples gardens but fall way short out in the fields, the new Xterra Pro is a perfect example of this. Also the Nokta Anfibio was another machine that seemed crazy deep on peoples test gardens but I've never seen it pull a target any deeper than the rest of the machines out there. Hmmmmm ... maybe the companies tune their detectors to perform well in these environments because they know so many people pay close attention to these types of demonstrations. 

In regards to depth capabilities there's just no way to mimic the effects of a coin that has been in the ground for centuries as opposed to months and years. I believe a target needs to be in the ground for decades before you can get a realistic example of how your unit will respond. If you have a machine that is hitting everything in your test garden is it giving you a slightly warped perspective of what your machine is capable of? I think the answer is yes, you can find yourself swinging a detector that just doesn't have the performance you think it does. I've said it before, when you look at the Manticore, Deus 2 and the Nokta Legend, they all exhibit similar traits in most areas. I believe the reason for this is the fact that units built with a digital interface have pretty much reached their limits. If you're looking for something that exhibits performance beyond the "big three" then you're going to have to start looking elsewhere and think outside the 'marketing box'.

Going Back To The Subject Of Depth

I'll use my Equinox 800 as an example, I've seen videos online where people are hitting coins in their test gardens buried at 12' inches, I can say with 100% confidence that I didn't hit on any coins in my fields 12' inches deep. The maximum I seemed to manage was about 10' inches, maybe 11' inches on a good day if it was a larger coin/target but at that depth it was guess work, the audio was all over the place. So how can I back up this statement? easy, when I started using my Nexus MPV2, Credo DDM and my V3 on the same land, I started to dig coins and other similar sized targets in excess of 13' inches. This wasn't a figment of my imagination it was fact, many of the tech machines seem to be tuned to perform well in air tests and test gardens but seem to fall short out in the fields. Taking that statement into account does this obsolete most of these types of test? yes I think it could.

The only way you know what your machine is capable of is by hunting with it in all conditions and putting the hours in, real life situations and experience is how you're going to master your machine and understand its strengths and weaknesses. I've recently purchased the Nokta Legend for hunting on the River Thames and when I messed around with bench tests I was pretty disappointed with what I was seeing. However, when I was out on the foreshore actually hunting with it, it displays exceptional performance pulling targets from iron infested ground, which is pretty much what the whole foreshore is like. If I'd based my opinion of the Legend on the way it performed above ground then my expectations would've been very low. I've just recently purchased a mint condition Laser/Tesoro Rapier 2, Am I Going To Spend Loads Of Time Testing It And Posting Stupid Videos Of The Results? No I'm not, I'm just going to get out into the fields and enjoy using it, it looks awesome, sounds great and feels good to swing, that's really all that matters, it's all about having fun.