Why Buy So Many Analog Units?

 "Variety Is The Spice Of Life"

A question I get asked on a regular basis is - Why am I buying other analog machines when I own the Nexus Units? It's clear they're on another level regarding performance so why use lesser capable machines.  It's really very simple, I like variety, I'm not bothered about what the apparent "best", nothing is the best when it comes to metal detectors, it's about using a set of units that I enjoy swinging. All my analog machines exhibit fantastic performance in certain areas, if they didn't I wouldn't of wasted my money. 

Just because I buy a Golden Mask detector it doesn't suddenly mean all my other machines are redundant, for example, my Laser Rapier 2 isn't a particularly deep machine but it's ability to unmask non-ferrous in close proximity to ferrous with a concentric coil is fantastic so it will be used in certain hunting situations. For instance, on ploughed fields where the targets have come closer to the surface or when heavy iron is present. It's a simple "turn on and go" unit that's really fun to swing, there's literally nothing to setup, no ground balance, there's threshold and sensitivity with a pinpoint button. Because the few permissions I have are long-term I can pick and choose the machines I want to use on any given day because I can hunt the same ground over and over again. It's all about trying to get the maximum performance out of all the machines that I own.

I like to use specific units for certain tasks, in this regard I was the same with my fishing rods. I purchased a huge number of unique hand-built carp rods and each set had their own speciality and personality, for example, some were for distance casting, others were for accuracy when other lighter sets were for the enjoyment of playing fish on, with these kinds of rods you feel every lunge and run from the carp on the other end. Each set of rods were special because they were built by a very talented rod builder who understood how carp rods should react in all situations. The whole experience and approach was very intuitive.

Why use distance rods if I'm fishing short range? 

Why use heavy stiff rods if I'm only fishing for smaller carp? 

Why use a deep seeking unit when I'm on an area of land where I need to clear out loads of shallow trash? 

Why use a shallow seeking unit when I'm on an area of land that I know holds deeper targets?

I don't believe one machine and one coil can do it all, in fact, I know it can't so I'd rather have a selection of units and coils that cover a myriad of situations. I have both small and large low frequency coils for depth and 'general search' and a number of high frequency concentric coils for both separation and unmasking. I don't believe changing a number on a screen to 20KHZ is going to give me a true representation of hunting in that specific frequency as opposed to changing to a coil that's had its windings wound to operate at 20KHZ. The proof in this has been displayed when I would switch to a higher single frequency on my Equinox 800 and no improvement in unmasking was demonstrated. 

Also, why use a really deep seeking unit in heavy iron, there's no point because you can't punch deep in these environments. Yes .. I can use my Nexus V2 or V3 with a higher frequency coil on but sometimes I'll find myself grabbing my Golden Mask 4WD with the 5x7 DD elliptical coil. Why? because the GM 4WD is super light weight, quick to tune and really fast, the 5x7 coil might not punch that deep but it's a dream to use on trashy sites where both shallow targets and trash are present, plus I really love the audio.

I've explained in the past that my Nexus machines are for a thorough search, they inspire me to go slow and steady listening carefully for those potential deep signals, if I'm short on time I don't always feel like I'm doing my Nexus machines justice by swinging faster. I personally believe that it's a good thing to rotate machines, coils and frequencies, in my mind I feel like I'm really working an area with this approach as opposed to just brushing over it with the same detector.

All my machines are different and unique in their own way, I don't compare them to each other, they're entities within themselves and each has its own unique language that is really fun to learn. I love analog machines so why limit myself to just one when I can enjoy using a select few that I really gel with. I don't believe any of my machines offer the same basic framework with a different outer shell. However I do believe that the current high-end tech machines are pretty much the same framework presented in a different casing, hence why they pretty much display similar performance. 

Let's break it down in the simplest way possible, you wouldn't play a game of golf with a club that's be designed to "do it all", a club like that will never exist. Moving over to drums and music, I wouldn't use a set of cymbals that all have the same charactorists and sounds, the same goes for snare drums. In the studio I used a number of different snares because they produced different tones, I used ones with wooden shells for warmth and others with steel shells for attack, there isn't one snare drum that can cover all genres. The same goes for my machines, one day I might want to listen to a different audio or swing something that feels light, another day I might want to go slow and use a swing harness connected to one of my Nexus units to really analyse the ground. 

All the points mentioned above display the beauty of choice, choice outside the heavy marketing campaigns and the dick swinging bullshit that comes with modern day metal detecting. It all boils down to a point I've made many times before, buy what you can afford and what you love swinging, forget the politics of what's the best and just enjoy being out in the fields, if you're lucky you might just find a special treasure. Pretty much all the detectors out there at all price points will find you treasure, it all boils down to the land you're hunting, a cheap machine will find loads on a good site, an expensive machine won't find anything if you're on land that doesn't have anything to find. This is a point that many people still don't seem to take on board.