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Choosing a large NEL coil. More models than I realized!

k2gleaner

Elite Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2019
Messages
519
Location
NC
I have been interested in buying another coil and have been reading as much as I can find. I was surprised to find there are maybe 4 (?) large NEL coils!

I saw their website and the comparison chart and wondered if there really is that much difference. Maybe you can position them better for me.

I've read some opinions that say, they give you extra depth but only at a very small spot so it's easy to miss.

I've read you can cover more area but also that you shouldn't.

Personally, I probably will continue to do more rural hunts, including farm fields. I'm thinking of the field where I found the two cut reales...

I'm interested in:

- Coins of any metal - of course gold and silver - but also large coppers!
- Buttons
- Relics, especially Civil War.

Will hunt some school fields and parks, including junky areas but will look at a smaller coil next.

Here's the link to the comparison: (I guess it's just their main page, with each coil rated on depth, separation, etc...

I AM USING AN AT PRO!

https://nel-coils.com/index.php/en/


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I got a cousin, a Cors Cannon coil for my F70, very similar to the Nel Thunder even though I already had a Fisher 11" DD.
Heavier than the big Fisher a little, knocked my very ergonomic detector out of whack a bit but nothing like the big 15" Fisher coil that is way heavier, way expensive and very few buy.
They had to get rid of some of those by giving them away for free in a package deal with a new F75 a few years ago.
I assume a whole lot of them are taking up valuable space in a warehouse somewhere.
Even some that got them free complained they were unwieldy and bent their lower rod when mounted.

My Cannon coil is doable, don't really use it all that much because where I hunt depth isn't as important as unmasking abilities so snipers are usually my go-to coil of choice.

Think about all that, if the Thunder is that big and I can definitely notice it on the almost perfectly balanced F70 what would it do to an AT Pro which isn't quite as ergonomic or what would the even bigger coils feel like when you are swinging it for hours.
Those way bigger coils they make, I am in no mood to swing one of those around on a hunt but like I said, I am not looking for shocking depth where I hunt.
If you are lugging those huge coils around could be a wash if your body can handle it and it actually could help you find the deeper targets you are looking for.
In farm fields I would think you would be looking for great maneuverability but in corn stalks and other vegetation hovering over areas with bigger coils might make up for the space you would lose from ground level searching.
Fishers have a boost feature to deal with that stuff using all coils, nothing like that on the AT Pro.

I hunt parks mostly, or course those very huge coils would be way overkill in those kind of sites.

The actual reason why I got the Cors coil is because my F70 is majorly powerful and real sparky so chatter is just expected on higher power settings...which I mostly use.
The Nel and Cors coils are much better shielded than any factory coil put out by FTP so much quieter and more stable...noticeably.
I was most impressed with that as it proved true on mine using both that Cannon and a Nel Sharpshooter.
Still boggles my mind that if a foreign company can do this surely American factories could too but in the case of Fisher...they don't.

As far as targets bigger coils can get deeper than smaller coils, maybe, but a lot of that depends on site conditions like soil types, moisture levels, EMI interference and more.
Measure any gains in inches, sometimes just one or two if it works well so don't expect miracles but sometimes just one of two inches might be the difference between noticing great targets at depth or not.
Also if you are looking for tiny things the bigger the coils the less ability they have to do that and separation could get a little less sharp so if you have major masking issues a way big coil might not work as well as you would like.
A button next to decent sized iron get lost compared to smaller coils in the right situation.

The good news is my Sharpshooter scores high in depth, separation and noticing really tiny targets but it should being a sniper coil and all.
The better news is the bigger Cannon coil matches it in all those areas, I was surprised on how small the targets it could notice and the separation was extremely good for such a big coil.
Depth was probably a bit better than my 11" Fisher DD too according to some readings I got using pinpoint especially when I tried it in good, dark soil.
Didn't check a whole ton of them out, however, because digging 12" holes in public parks just isn't a good idea.

Weigh your options, consider the weight, maneuverability and everything else I mentioned and use common sense if you are going to spend the money on one of these things because they ain't exactly cheap.
Hopefully you will choose well and it will do what you need as you are expecting it will.

Good luck!

Oh yea, PS....
Search through some of the Hoover Boys vids on youtube.
There are a couple where they are using some pretty huge coils on their AT Pros in farm fields so if you can find them that might give you an idea on how well they work.
 
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Why go big? I got the snake for my AT . It’s light. Great in trashy areas. For some reason, it really nails dimes.
I’ve had the best summer ever and all with the snake. So, give it some thought. Maybe get two !!!
 
I really like the NEL Hunter so far. It's not among the biggest ones but seems well thought out.
 
I love the NEL Thunder coil on an AtPro! I will say why:
Its oblong as opposed to round...This makes it perfect for walking in one furrow and sort of dragging in along in the furrow off to the side at an angle ...or at the surf edge, or along a sidewalk etc.

A guy can 'hop coil' to pinpoint with it, its got a longer cable than the standard 8x11"DD Garrett so a guy can extend the shaft to full length and really pull a huge arc over a wide flat expanse...like a field or a beach, a guy can pull a comfortable 10' swath on a swing....Its balanced and stable on an AtPro as if they were made for each other.

I researched and bought the first Thunder that hit the States a few years ago...from a Forum sponsor I might add, then I went right out and paid for it first day! Wrote a post about it even...titled: "Paid for it!"

Check out the NEL Thunder...
 
Thanks so much for the responses so far! I can't respond fully at this time but will when I can go over your responses a little more thoroughly. A lot to digest!

k2gleaner
 
I will say that I did try in my local town yesterday. The town was established in the late 1700s I believe and I detected immediately behind the front row of stores on the main Street. Talk about junk! $0.11 to show for my efforts. I have the sensitivity turned down because my ears were hurting with all the beeping and bleeping.

So yeah, maybe a smaller coil would be good.

I don't relish the thought of digging deeper, anyway, but the idea of catching another piece of a reale or a Confederate buckle is so tempting.

There's also so much I could spend my money on that I want. I have to pick and choose.

I believe there's a nail sharpshooter or similar small coil for sale here somewhere I think.

k2gleaner
 
@DIGGER27 mentioned corn stalks. You are so right. My reale field was in standing cotton stubble. Talk about a pain. I covered maybe 60% of the ground. This year, it's in peanuts and should be left quite flat when I'm done.

k2gleaner
 
I recently bought a Tornado 12x13 inch coil from a dealer in Minsk,Belarus of all places.Also in the market for a Racer 2 or Anfibio 19 as I left my Impact back home and left in 2018 well before covid- 19.Anfibio 19 selling here in Belarus 30% cheaper than back home and a 2 day courier delivery.
I can see I will be buying more Nel coils-the Attack for extreme depth,the Thunder for general use in clean virgin ground and the Snake for very small nuggets, but only after putting the Tornado through extensive tests.
The Tornado is a go between and the gold standard for coins incorporating good depth and sensitivity to small targets and also excellent separation.I expect the Thunder with it,s 14 inch height would give excellent ground coverage and give the ability to cover large areas quicker.
I was interested in the Hispania Black Dog coils and possibly Karma but gave them the shove as they are not listed for online trading possibly due to the pandemic.
 
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