Fisher F75 Metal Detector: PROs and Problems, Reviews, Price and Specifications

All-Purpose Land Metal Detector

Retail Price: $489.00

Available Reviews: 1

Avg. Rating (5.0 Stars)

PAGE CONTENTS:

NOTE

18 PROs of Fisher F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited)

21 CONs of Fisher F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited)

Technical Specifications of original F75

Technical Specifications of today’s F75

Reviews

Useful Articles

NOTE:

The original Fisher F75 was released back in 2006 and therefore its specifications are different from the specifications of today’s Fisher F75 metal detector. Due to this, I have listed the specifications of the original F75 first, and then the specifications of today’s F75 (previously called "F75+", "F75 SE" and "F75 Limited") in the "Technical Specifications" section below.

PROs of Fisher F75 (same as F75+ and F75 Limited)

PRO #1: Build quality is high, nothing is loose or breakable in construction.

PRO #2: Perfectly balanced weight - no arm fatigue after a day spent metal detecting, which is rare in modern detectors, especially those with telescopic stems. Correct balancing of the detector weight is only possible with an S-shaped stem, just like the one of the F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited).

PRO #3: Best ergonomics thanks to the perfectly balanced weight of the detector.

PRO #4: Large, easy-to-read display - all visual information can be seen without having to hold the screen close to your eyes or wear glasses specifically to view the smallest graphics.

PRO #5: The entire menu is printed on the detector screen and therefore is always visible. This makes navigation easy and fast.

PRO #6: The simplest and most user-friendly interface allows you to easily switch between operating modes using just one button and rotary knob. Plus, you have a trigger switch for ground balancing and instant target pinpointing. Switching settings and adjusting them will only take a few seconds! This is a very well thought-out interface design that really helps when moving from a trashy area to a less trashy area on the same hunt site, or frequently checking questionable targets!

PRO #7: The MENU button is large enough to feel and press (without looking at it) with a gloved thumb, even through the rain/dust cover. And switching between features and search modes is done using a rotating knob that can be turned with the side of the same thumb - this is a one-finger control operation!

PRO #8: The battery seems to last forever (40 hours on one set of 4 AA batteries!).

PRO #9: Replaceable batteries can be swapped in seconds even in complete darkness thanks to the clever design of the battery compartment! Since you can take as many rechargeable NiMH batteries as you need for a long metal detecting trip, you do not need to take a power bank with you or worry about the limited capacity of your power bank to charge the batteries.

PRO #10: Huge selection of search coils allows me to get the most out of the F75 in regard to any type of targets in absolutely any trash conditions. In addition to the standard 7 x 11-inch DD search coil, there are seven optional search coils, both factory-made and after-market, ranging in size from 5 inches ("sniper") to 15 inches.

MY SUGGESTIONS to Fisher:
The F75 needs a slightly larger elliptical search coil, approximately 9 x 12 inches, for more effective searching in plowed fields with deep furrows. Providing both greater surface coverage and better target separation than the 11-in round coil, the 9 x 12" coil can also be used effectively for deep coin/relic detection in large search areas with low to medium iron trash content.

PRO #11: 2 All-Metal modes ("Motion" and "Static") and a special Discriminate "CL" mode allows you to effectively detect deep, large metal objects and large metal masses. When operating in the Motion All-Metal-CL (activated from the Discriminate "CL" mode), Static All-Metal or Discriminate-CL mode, and equipped with a 13-in or 15-in searchcoil, the F75 (F75+ and F75 Ltd) is unrivaled in detecting deeply buried coin caches, and deep medium- to large-sized WW2 relics (full details will be provided in my article on advantageous features of the F75 (F75+ and F75 Ltd), which is currently under development).

When equipped with a stock 7x11" coil or 11" coil, and operating in the "All-Metal-bP" mode (the "All-Metal"mode activated from the Discriminate "bP" mode), the F75 has no equal among single- and multi-frequency metal detectors in detecting deep and "fringe" coins (coins lying at the fringe of the detection field), as well as in unmasking coins lying right under small nails, using the "See-Thru-Iron" method (will be described in my future article).

PRO #12: Full assortment of search modes for professional treasure hunting: Motion Discriminate, Motion All-Metal and Static All-Metal.

PRO #13: A wide variety of audio modes can satisfy any personal preference and suit any metal detection task in terms of audio target identification.

PRO #14: L-type handle - this type of handle prevents wrist damage in the long run.

PRO #15: Digital Shield Technology (DST) eliminates or reduces the strongest electromagnetic interference (EMI) and maintains stable detector operation even at high Sensitivity settings which usually cause many false signals, which leads to rapid ear fatigue!

PRO #16: 2 Types of Ground Balancing Procedure: the FastGrab function allows for quick, semi-automatic ground balancing, while the Manual GB allows for fine adjustments and Advanced Manual Ground Balancing.

PRO #17: Automatic display/interface lock prevents accidental changes to key settings during the process of searching and recovering targets.

PRO #18: The user manual is comprehensive and can be compared to a small guide to metal detecting as it contains a lot of useful information; however, it is not without some flaws (see CON #15 below).

Useful information about the Fisher F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited) metal detector, practical tips and expert advice, as well as descriptions of the secret F75 settings for those challenging coin hunting tasks that other single-frequency metal detectors fail to handle, will be given in my article - "Advantageous Features & Modes of Fisher F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited)", which is currently under development.

21 CONs of Fisher F75:

CON #1: Headphones are not included in the standard package and must be purchased separately or as part of the Pro package which will cost more. With the standard package, your first experience with the Fisher F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited) will be without headphones which are primarily required to hear the faint responses from desired targets.

MY SOLUTION:
Since the F75 has a standard 1/4-inch stereo jack, I could use any headphones with a stereo jack that are suitable for metal detecting. But I decided to "fill two needs with one deed" by employing universal wireless headphones designed for metal detecting, which, together with the wireless transmitter, are included in the Garrett Z-Lynk wireless headphones system kit. Now I have maximum comfort when detecting and recovering targets, as well as the most informative audio provided by the professional wireless headphones included in the kit. Unless Fisher releases their own wireless headphone system, I will continue to use the effective Garrett Z-Lynk system.

I did a little modification to the upper shaft of the detector to attach a dust/weatherproof case for the wireless transmitter - see details in my tutorial: The Best Way to Mount a Wireless Headphone Transmitter onto Your Metal Detector

MY SUGGESTIONS to Fisher:
1. Include specially designed headphones for the F75 in the basic package so that the user 1) does not resort to using unsuitable headphones that will not allow him to hear and learn all the subtleties of the detector sounds, and 2) does not conduct metal detecting without headphones at all, so as not to miss many desired targets.
2. Design wireless headphones for use with a transmitter that is either built into the detector or is part of a wireless headphones kit similar to the Garrett Z-Lynk kit.

CON #2: "Face" and "Elbow" rain/dust covers are not included in the basic package and must be purchased separately. Although two rain/dust covers (one for the control box and another for the battery compartment) provide only minimum protection (from weather and dust), they should still be used from the very beginning, especially in rainy or muddy conditions, to avoid problems with the electronics or rotary control knobs (mechanical potentiometers). The rotary knob failure will be discussed in CON #17.

Of course, there are F75 users who do not bother with the "Face" rain/dust cover for the reason discussed in CON #20, or simply do not bother to get one, and therefore expose a detector that is not waterproof to a high risk of damage from water or dirt ingress. A specially designed detector stand could reduce the risk, but Fisher does not manufacture such stands.

MY SOLUTION:
Suitable clear plastic bags can be placed over the control box and battery-compartment module of the detector when detecting in rain or muddy conditions; however, they can easily tear when in contact with sharp objects on the ground surface, exposing vital parts of the detector to water and dirt. This is why in rainy weather it is best to use rain/dust covers together with plastic bags.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
"Face" and "Elbow" rain/dust covers should be included in the standard detector package!

CON #3: The lack of wireless headphones, which have long been a standard accessory on modern metal detectors, puts F75 users at a disadvantage compared to users of other mid-range metal detectors with wireless headphones or wireless headphones systems. Wireless headphones provide freedom from the headphones cord, meaning greater maneuverability and comfort for the user. But wired headphones not only significantly reduce comfort and maneuverability when detecting and recovering targets, but also fail over time due to damage to the wires inside the cable at stress points - this is the main potential problem with all wired headphones.

MY SOLUTION:
See my solution in CON #1 above.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Develop a built-in wireless module and wireless headphones to ensure that F75 users have the best experience with the detector and are not at a disadvantage compared to users of mid-range detectors equipped with wireless headphones.

CON #4: The detector is NOT waterproof, only its search coil is, which makes its electronics vulnerable to moisture. If metal detecting is carried out in heavy rain, both the control box and battery-compartment module must be wrapped in plastic bags since the dust/rain covers will not protect against water ingress. Since the detector cannot be completely submerged underwater, its use should be avoided even in the shallow water of a stream, river or pond due to the risk of accidentally dropping it into water.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
It is time to upgrade the F75 to waterproof technology so the detector can safely compete with mid-range waterproof metal detectors in wet conditions.

CON #5: The detector falls on its side when placed in upright position on slightly sloped or uneven ground. This is due to two reasons. The first reason is the location of the control box high above the ground due to its positioning on top of the long handle, which upsets the vertical balance of the detector. The second reason is the narrow stand at the bottom of the battery-compartment module under the armrest, which does not provide vertical balance of the detector when placed on an uneven surface. And the stock and optional search coils do not have "triangular cuts" on their "heels" or flat "heels" to help maintain the upright position of the detector.

For those users who do not place the detector on the ground during target recovery, this inconvenience may not be a big deal, but for me, this detector-tipping-over issue has been a major annoyance since the first day of using the F75. Normally, after finishing or during the target recovery procedure, I quickly grab the detector by the handle without looking at it. Then, if I have acquired the target, I get up from my knees, and resume the search. With the F75, every other time I reach out to grab the detector handle, the unit is not where I placed it on the ground! This is very annoying because I have to halt the search process and either locate the detector by moving my hand around, or turn around and look where it is to grab it!

The detector-tipping-over not only disrupts the search process flow, but also causes the following: 1) unnecessary jarring of electronics in the control box upon impacts against hard surface objects (the rain/dust cover cannot fully absorb the impact), and 2) accidental damaging of the phone jack and headphone cable, at the point where it enters the jack, when the cable is strained and bent by surface objects or bumps after the detector has fallen on its side.

MY SOLUTION:
To prevent my F75 from falling on its side and to keep it out of the mud and dirt, I use the Nokta Impact detector stand which fits the 7/8-in (22mm) tubular three-section stem of my F75 perfectly. The Nokta Impact stand weighs just a few ounces, keeps the detector 5 inches above the ground, and its "legs" are spaced 7-1/4-in apart, which is wide enough to maintain stable vertical balance of the detector.

MY SUGGESTIONS to Fisher:
Design a detector stand that 1) ensures that the Fisher F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited) remains upright on a slightly sloped or uneven surface, and 2) keep the battery-compartment module with a loudspeaker on its bottom above the ground, i.e. off the mud, sand, dirt and water. And 3) include this stand in the standard detector package!

CON #6: The stock coil is a "mud collector" (very critical in extreme mud conditions) The stock 7 x 11-inch DD search coil has the most impractical open design ever created: there are 6 "spokes" placed diagonally; thus, forming 15 ACUTE-ANGLE corners (an acute angle is an angle measuring from 0 and 90 degrees) in the pattern! I do not know what the FTP designers were thinking when they were devising this frustrating coil design.

If you do not clean the coil frequently, it gains extra weight (it may double or triple within a few minutes!) that 1) hinders your fast sweeping of the coil, and 2) will eventually cause significant fatigue in your arm, shoulder, and back. The former is critical when I operate my T2+ (T2 Ltd) in certain Discriminate modes that require fast coil-sweeping for maximum detection depth and Target-ID accuracy.

A good example of the most practical and convenient coil design is a 13-inch DD coil made by MARS-MD for the F75. Despite its large size, the Mars coil has the simplest cross-type open design with only 2 sharp corners! Cleaning this coil takes just a few seconds!

MY SOLUTION:
To avoid wasting time on frequent cleaning of the search coil from dirt/mud/snow, wrap the stock coil in three or four plastic bags and secure them with duct tape, covering the entire bottom of the coil to ensure durability of your coil-wrap. Just keep the duct tape off the coil cable to avoid having to spend a lot of time removing the disposable coil wrap later.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Change the complex open design of the stock 6-spoke search coil to a simple 2-spoke pattern with rounded corners, allowing for quick and easy cleaning both during and after the search. This is especially critical during metal detecting on plowed fields in rainy weather or when the surface is covered with wet snow, which causes the coil to quickly collect a heavy weight of mud and/or wet snow.

CON #7: Closed-design search coils are not filled with epoxy resin. This makes any closed design search coil (such as a 5" DD Sniper coil or a 10" DD Elliptical coil) susceptible to damage of internal wiring and solder joints due to the coil accidentally or frequently bumping into hard surface obstacles (rocks, tree roots, hummocks, etc.) during the search. The 5" coil of my F75 became unusable after a small metal part inside it broke off or became dislodged and then moved around inside the coil every time I moved it, producing false signals.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Make the closed-design search coils epoxy filled.

CON #8: The loudspeaker is positioned in the wrong place - on the bottom of the battery-compartment/loudspeaker/on-off-volume-control module (under the armrest), making it vulnerable to dirt and water ingress, as well as to being punctured by stubble (in a harvested field) when placed on the ground and without the protection of a neoprene rain/dust cover (not supplied with the detector).

MY SOLUTION:
If you do not use the loudspeaker at all, cover its grill with duct tape to keep dirt, sand or water out of it.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Reposition the loudspeaker on the armrest module so that the loudspeaker would be less susceptible to damage caused by external hazards.

CON #9: The battery compartment lid is not airtight or weather resistant, allowing dust, small dirt particles, sand and moisture to enter the battery compartment and reach the batteries. To avoid trouble, I have to regularly remove dirt and/or moisture (condensation) from the battery compartment.

MY SOLUTION:
The best solution is to use the "Elbow" rain/dust cover. When metal detecting in rainy weather, I recommend using the dust/rain cover along with a suitable plastic bag placed over the battery compartment module.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
The battery-compartment lid should be made thicker and at least airtight, and have a small synthetic fabric-screen behind the ventilation hole.

CON #10: Small coil-cable connector with flimsy retaining ring does not allow me to quickly plug the coil cable into the socket in the control box. It gets worse when my fingers are wet or cold, or when I am connecting the searchcoil in dim light, total darkness or during heavy rain. In such situations, fiddling with the connector requires a lot of patience! The small diameter and long thread of the locking ring are what make the cable connection procedure challenging. The best connector for the coil cable is one that allows you to plug the cable into the control box without looking at the connector while plugging it in.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Design a coil-cable connector similar to the standard coil-cable connector of the 2000s. Such a connector is larger in diameter, has a shorter length, larger pins, a flat guiding notch, and a wide, grippy locking ring for quickly connecting the coil cable to the control box.

CON #11: The mounting plate of the control box is too flexible, The mounting plate of the control box is too flexible, which is evident when connecting/disconnecting the searchcoil cable to/from the control box. The box rotates slightly to the right or left when connecting or disconnecting the cable, respectively. Perhaps, the flexible mounting plate is intentionally used to absorb the impact of the control box on the ground in case the detector, placed on an uneven surface, loses its vertical balance and falls over on its side (as described in CON #5 above).

However, the inconvenience of this design is that you have to hold the control box tightly when plugging the coil cable into the socket or pulling it out of it. If you hold the detector by the handle with one hand while connecting/disconnecting the coil cable with the other hand, completing this procedure will be problematic, or even worse - will lead to damage to the plug or socket. And how long will the mounting plate last if you continue to connect/disconnect the coil cable this way?

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Make the control box mounting plate rigid to prevent the control box from turning left or right when connecting/disconnecting the coil-cable plug.

CON #12: The display backlight is not adjustable and cannot be turned off. This becomes a problem when metal detecting in complete darkness because the screen backlight is so bright that it blinds the user who cannot see the search coil and the ground surface. This increases the risk of accidental damage to the coil if it hits a hard surface obstacle that is not visible to the user. A built-in flashlight could solve this problem, but the F75 does not have one.

MY SOLUTION:
A simple solution is to put a black nylon stocking in two layers on the control box and thus dim the too bright backlight of the screen.

MY SUGGESTIONS to Fisher:
Make the backlight adjustable with an on/off switch and/or add a flashlight to the back of the control box.

CON #13: The lack of an adjustable "Recovery Speed" (Speed of Response) setting makes it impossible to fine-tune the detector to suit current trash conditions. As a result, the factory preset "Recovery Speed" levels in the Discriminate and Motion All-Metal search modes available in the detector are sometimes not appropriate for the trash conditions encountered at the hunt site. This increases the number of missed targets, even when using a relatively narrow stock 7 x 11" elliptical search coil. And unfortunately, the user manual does not specify the factory preset "Recovery Speed" levels for the search modes, which makes it difficult for an inexperienced user to choose the most suitable search mode.

MY SOLUTION:
If you suspect that the search coil you are currently using is not providing sufficient target separation when metal detecting in a given trashy area (e.g. you start to hear more iron grunt and falsing when good signals suddenly disappear), there are 3 ways to improve target separation. The first one is to switch to the "FA" search mode which has the fastest Recovery Speed (the "Recovery Speed" levels of all audio-discriminate modes will be specified in my future article on the F75’s advantageous features and modes, which is currently under development).

However, the higher the "Recovery Speed", the lesser the detection depth. The super fast "Recovery Speed" of the "FA" mode is factory set to handle the most extreme trash situations and therefore may be inappropriate for a search area with less trash. Using the "FA" mode in such an area where the coins/relics lying 5-6 inches deep between iron junk can be detected may cause missing these desired targets because they will be "out of reach" in the "FA" mode.

In this situation, you can use the second way to improve target separation. Select a Discriminate mode with a Recovery Speed that is lower than the "FA" mode but higher than the Recovery Speeds of the other modes. If the area is not extremely littered with iron, but its density is still high, unfortunately you will not be able to use the "bP" mode (BOOST mode) like with the Teknetics T2 Ltd, since the "bP" mode of the F75 is much slower than the T2 Ltd.

The F75’s "bP" mode only "shines" in search areas with low to moderate iron junk content, and in trashy areas - only when the "See-Thru-Iron" method is used (all details will be given in my future article). When you encounter an area with a lower density of iron rubbish, you select a mode with a slower Recovery Speed to avoid missing the desired targets.

The third way to improve target separation is to change the search coil, following a simple rule: if there are two or more targets under the coil any way you move it, replace the current coil with a smaller one. For example, replacing the stock 7 x 11" coil with an aftermarket Mars-MD 6 x 10" search coil will improve target separation without significantly losing detection depth. The following smaller sized "sniper" search coils are also available for the Fisher F75 and F75 Ltd metal detectors: 5 x 10", 7", and 5".

MY SUGGESTIONS to Fisher:
1) Specify the "Recovery Speed" level for each Discriminate search mode of the F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited) in the user manual.
2) Add an adjustable "Recovery Speed" feature to the detector settings if possible.

CON #14: The inconvenient listing order of selections in the DISCRIM and ALL METAL menus, as well as the inability to move up the menu, increases the time it takes to return to the top of the menu or to move to a menu selection that precedes the selection whose value you just adjusted. To complete either of this two actions, the user can only step down through the menu selections, thus scrolling through the entire menu.

This is not a big deal when you do not frequently adjust more than one setting during your search. For example, you may need to frequently re-adjust only the Ground Balance setting in a search area with varying ground mineralization. In this case, you can use the RECALL function by pushing the MENU button to recall the last adjusted setting. But this function only applies to one setting at a time.

Navigating through menus without the "move-up" option requires more button presses and therefore significantly slows down the search process when using the "Search-and-Investigate" search style. This style requires frequent switching between certain settings and/or search modes and/or activating/deactivating more than one feature that must be frequently re-adjusted to check questionable targets. Time spent scrolling through menu options frequently can eventually add up to a significant amount of time that could have been used for metal detecting instead.

MY SUGGESTIONS to Fisher:
1) List the menu selections in the following order:
• in Discriminate mode: Process #, # Of Tones, Sensitivity, Disc. Level, and Notch
• in All-Metal mode: Manual G.B., Sensitivity, Threshold, Audio Pitch, and Stat/Motion
• Menu selections should be in capital letters or larger!
2) Make the MENU button also function as a switch between the Discriminate and All-Metal search modes. The best way to switch back and forth between these two modes could be to press the MENU button 2 times within 2 seconds. And recalling the last adjusted setting using the original RECALL function could be done by pressing the MENU button once within 3 seconds.

CON #15: The user manual is not well organized, with pieces of important information regarding specific key functions scattered throughout the booklet. The F75 has a few hidden Easter eggs, but the instruction manual does not do full justice to its amazing capabilities which should be described clearly and in detail.

MY SUGGESTIONS to Fisher:
The user manual needs to be completely revised! The manual should specify the capabilities of the F75 so that users are aware of them and can use the detector to its full potential! The user manual should also list the factory-preset value of "Recovery Speed" for each Discriminate search mode (Process #) and each All-Metal mode variant activated from the "bP", "CL" or other Discriminate mode, in relation to known "Recovery Speed" values used in high-end detectors.

CON #16: The On/Off/Volume control is installed in the wrong place on the battery-compartment module. 90% of the time after placing the upper shaft of the F75 in a carry/transport bag with other metal detectors, search coils and gear, I later find that the detector is on! The On/Off/Volume control - the rotary knob (potentiometer), is prone to be accidentally turned by objects in the bag when carrying/transporting the detector in it.

MY SOLUTION:
Use a suitable plastic cap that is slightly larger in height and diameter than the rotary knob. Before putting the F75 in a bag with metal detecting gear, place this cap over the On/Off/Volume rotary knob and under the "Elbow" rain/dust cover which will press down on the cap, thus keeping it in one place. The cap, in turn, will prevent the knob from coming into contact with objects.

MY SUGGESTIONS to Fisher:
1) Move the rotary knob to a different location on the battery compartment module, or 2) recess the rotary knob below the surface so it is less exposed to contact, or 3) position the rotary knob on the back of the main control unit.

CON #17: The "Settings" rotary knob stopped working after only 2 seasons of use!!! This certainly happened because the rotary knob is an archaic mechanical potentiometer that is prone to rapid wear, especially in adverse outdoor conditions (dust, dirt, sand and moisture), and therefore should be excluded from the user interface. The "Face" rain/dust cover has a special hole for this potentiometer but apparently it could not protect the knob from dirt and water ingress, if this was the cause. Now it takes me forever to change any setting or search mode while endlessly turning the knob, but to no avail.

The Fisher F75 (F75+ and F75 Limited) metal detector has two control potentiometers: the rotary "Settings" knob on the control panel, and the rotary On/Off/Volume knob on the elbow module under the arm-rest, where the battery compartment, loudspeaker and headphones jack are located. The "Settings" knob is likely to fail first as it is used to adjust the detector settings and is turned frequently by the user during metal detecting in the "Search and Investigation" style.

The On/Off/Volume knob is not used as much as the "Settings" knob, but it is located very close to the ground surface and therefore is more exposed to dust, dirt, sand and moisture. An "Elbow" dust/rain cover is used to protect the battery-compartment module from weather, but, just like the "Face" rain/dust cover, it has a special hole for the rotary On/Off/Volume knob. Unfortunately, sand and abrasive particles of dirt can easily work their way into the potentiometer through this hole, and eventually can impair or end its ability to regulate electronically.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Replace the archaic rotary knobs in the F75 user interface with modern touchpad controls ("UP" and "DOWN" buttons) to ensure a long service life of the controls!

CON #18: The foam coating on the detector handle easily absorbs liquid mud from gloves (when they are covered in it), which then dries and hardens, making the handle very difficult to clean. Cleaning the dirty handle of the F75 often becomes a laborious task, even if you do it under running water using a sponge or soft brush.

MY SOLUTION:
You can make the handle easy to clean by tightly wrapping it along its entire length with a rubber strip made from an old bicycle inner tube (made of butyl rubber).

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Replace the high-friction foam elastomer coating on the handle with a coating made of hard rubber for fast and easy cleaning.

CON #19: The plastic window of the "Face" rain/dust cover is so soft that it is always curved. In bright daylight, the not flat surface of the window causes constant light-reflecting glares that obscure visibility of the display. The display backlight should help, but on a bright sunny day it does not.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
The window of the "Face" rain/dust cover should be made of thicker and harder plastic to stay flat all the time and allow you to see visual information on the screen through it.

CON #20: The "Elbow" dust/rain cover must be completely removed off the battery-compartment module to swap batteries. When changing batteries in the rain, you are likely to expose the battery compartment and the On/Off/Volume knob to direct water ingress when you remove the "Elbow" dust/rain cover. To prevent water from entering the battery compartment, which is not even weather-resistant, the cover must be removed in a dry place (inside the car or under tree canopies). Such a dry place is not always available, as is the case when you are in the middle of a large field. In this case, a way to protect the battery-compartment module from water ingress when changing batteries in the rain is to cover the module with a plastic bag or hold it under your rain jacket.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
The "Elbow" water/dust cover needs to be redesigned to allow for easy battery replacement without completely removing the cover from the battery-compartment module. Perhaps a Velcro cover for the battery compartment lid similar to the headphone jack cover could be added to the dust/rain cover.

CON #21: The design of the "Face" rain/dust cover makes it difficult to connect the coil cable to the control box because the unfastened sheath that envelopes the cable connector nevertheless gets in the way. To gain easy access to the socket, you must not only unfasten the protective sheath of the cable connector, but also unfasten the rain/dust cover and slide it slightly upward on the control box.

This manipulation is not a big deal since it is usually not often done during metal detecting. However, this becomes an annoying inconvenience when trash conditions require changing search coils back and forth several times during a hunt. Also, neoprene rain/dust covers of this type are prone to rapid wear and tear. If you frequently fasten/unfasten the rain/dust cover, its Velcro fasteners will not last long. To ensure that the rain cover is intact and performs its function when you need it, and to extend its life, as well as to avoid irritation when installing/removing the rain cover, it is best not to use it if you primarily detect in dry conditions and swap search coils frequently.

MY SUGGESTION to Fisher:
Redesign the "Face" rain/dust cover to allow easy and quick connection of the coil cable to the control box.

Technical Specifications of Original F75:

• Best ergonomics in the industry
• Phenomenal target separation and "see through"
• Large LCD Screen
• Target Identification Discrimination modes for searching in trashy areas
• Ground Cancellation Trigger-Actuated FASTGRAB
• Magnetic Mineralization Bar Graph Read Out
• Trigger-actuated target pinpointing with variable audio pitch
• Non-volatile memory saves settings
• Superior Electrical Interference Rejection
• Backlight
• More than 30 hrs with 4-AA Batteries

Technical Specifications of today’s F75:

• New features make the Fisher F75 more versatile with greater depth, better target separation and audio features that will open up your iron-infested sites:
  • Ability to activate and deactivate DST Mode (Digital Shielding Technology) for EMI Suppression
  • FA (Fast Process) - Improved Target Separation
  • Three new levels of FeTone: Iron Audio Off, Low or Medium (complements existing "High" setting)
  • Adjustable Audio Pitch now in the Discrimination Mode
  • Embedded Serial Number: Serialization now stored electronically
• Main Features:
  • Boost Process substantially increases depth up to approx. 4 inches under most conditions
  • Lightest and best balanced of all high-performance metal detectors; Best Ergonomics in the Industry
  • Powerful Performance Trigger-Actuated Target Pinpointing with Variable Audio Pitch
  • Large LCD Screen with 0-99 Numeric Target Identification Display
  • Double-Filter Discrimination Modes for Searching in Trashy Areas
  • Magnetic Mineralization Bar Graph and Readout
  • Trigger-Actuated FASTGRAB Ground Balance
  • Manual Ground Cancellation Option
  • Non-Volatile Memory Saves Settings
  • Backlight - For night and low-light conditions
  • Low Operating Cost - Typically 40+ Hours with 4-AA Alkaline batteries or NiMH rechargeables
• TECH SPECS:
• Technology: VLF induction balance
• Operating Frequency: 13 kHz, quartz crystal timing reference
• Standard Searchcoil: 7 x 11-in (18 x 28 cm) open-frame elliptical BiAxial (Double-D), waterproof
• Interchangeable Search Coil: Yes
• Optional Searchcoils: 5-in (12.7cm) DD, 13-in (33cm) DD
• Body: S-rod with electronics housing mounted on handgrip, 3-piece breakdown, batteries under elbow
• Armrest: 2-way armrest adjustment (forward, backward and around forearm)
• Adjustable Shaft: Yes
• Display Type: LCD
• Backlit Display: Yes
• Audio Tones: 10 Tone Modes (1, 1F, 1n, 2F, 2H, 2L, 3, 3H, 4, and dP (Delta Pitch) - Multi-Tones (99))
• Modes of Audio Discrimination: 8 (FA - Fast, dE - Default, JE - Jewelry, bc - Bottle Cap, PF - Plowed Field, bP - Boost, CL - Cache Locating, and Audio Pitch)
• FeTone feature: activated using 2F, 2H or 2L modes
• Target Id: 99 Numeric Values and 7 Categories on Display
• Visual indicators: Target Identification (VDIs), Target Confidence, Target Depth (both running-depth and pinpoint-depth), Soil Fe Content, Ground Mineralization
• Multiple Search Modes: Discrimination, Static All Metal, Motion All Metal
• Discrimination: adjustable from 0 to 65
• Iron Range on Disc scale: 1 - 15
• Notch Discrimination: yes
• Threshold: Yes
• Sensitivity: 99 Levels of Sensitivity Adjustment
• Frequency Shift: yes, 7 positions
• Pinpoint Mode: Trigger-Activated Target Pinpointing with Variable Audio Pitch
• Ground Balance: Trigger-actuated FASTGRAB and Manual
• Ground Balancing Range: From ferrite to salt, inclusive
• Volume Control: Yes
• Headphone Jack: 1/4 Inch (6.3 mm)
• Interchangeable Headphones: Yes
• Static Balance: force in vertical plane normal to elbow 0.47 pounds (0.22 kg).Varies with adjustment and users stance and arm/hand physiology.
• Dynamic Balance: axial moment, 0.29 foot-pounds (0.39 newton-meters). Varies with adjustment and user stance and arm/hand physiology.
• Rain Covers: yes, for Both the Control Housing and Battery Box
• Batteries: 4 x AA Alkaline or NiMH rechargeables (not included)
• Battery Life: Typically 40 hours with high quality Alkaline, 25 hours with rechargeable NiMH batteries, 80 hours with nickel oxyhydroxide batteries, and 65 hours with lithium iron disulfide batteries
• Battery Condition Indicator: Yes
• Operating Temp Range: -4 to +122 degrees F (-20 to +50 degrees C)
• Operating Humidity Range: 0-90% non-condensing
• Waterproof/Water-Resistant: only search coils
• Weight: 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) with batteries installed
• Warranty: 2 years
• Made in USA
• The Fisher F75 metal detector is recommended for:
  • Detecting deep and "fringe" coins, as well as coins lying right under small nails (the "See-Thru-Iron" method)
  • Deep coin cache hunting (with a large 13-in or 15-in search coil)
  • Beach Hunting (jewelry and coins on dry sand only)
  • Gold prospecting (large gold nuggets only)

Reviews:

Lucked Out

by Steve O in Perkasie PA USA -

Of all the detectors to choose from, & being a beginner at MDing, I lucked out on getting the F-75. It's like a buddy, believe it or not. I have hundreds of items I've found from the surface down to 12 inches on the default mode. If you use the All Metal mode, this machine will detect much deeper. The oldest coin I found so far was a 1841 Russian Kopek, found in the soil under a 70 pound rock in Pennsylvania. I can swing F-75 for 8 hrs because its so light. Some people say its not very durable but I've accidently hit it with my shovel several times, moved sticks & branches with it, banged it, bumped it... the detector still works. Once you get to know what its telling you, and it will take using it, you will be glad you bought it. When it says "pull tab," 98% of the time ...it's a pull tab in the ground. It has just the right amount of usefull bells & whistles to keep it interesting to me. I could go on & on but I won't. Hope I was a help :)

Sep 24, 2008