This or that?

[roastedtoe]

Hey lads

Trying to decide on a new machine for the Thames. The 305 has done me great service down there and would keep doing it I'm sure, but I just feel I'm not getting the most out of my favourtie patches. There are some zones that are just so ffffing noisy I can't make sense of them and have to move on, or dig empty holes, even after a couple of years now of absorbing the barrage of digital mayhem that the foreshore is. But I know stuff is in those zones and I'm sure more in the areas I hook a lot of stuff out of. So a new machine it has to be.

I can't lump out thousands so I'm thinking about getting an xterra 705 as everyone who has one seems to rate it highly. Also, if I can do as well as I do with the 305 I figure the 705 can only be better.

But (now here's blasphemy as it's not a minelab, )...I'm also considering trying the one below:

http://www.joanallen.co.uk/LASER-SCO...EL-p/10510.htm

Does anyone have or know anyone with a laser scout Thames model? I'm not phased by the analogue controls. I never even look at the display of the 305, just use my ear, and I really like the thought of have a 4" coil for the foreshore (getting the 6" coil for the 305 meant I suddenly started finding a lot of rings that I wasn't finding with the 9", shame I can't get a 4" for the xterra series).

I pretty much just use the 305 to do what this laser machine will do, ie, all metal, dig anything that doesn't sound like iron. If the laser does what it says on the tin and I really just want it for the Thames, maybe that's a better bet?

Anyone have any experience with this one or know anything about it from people actually using it?

Cheers!

[shep]

Big advantage of the 705 is that by changing coil you can change machine frequency high, medium and low essentially giving you three machines to cover each patch.
You'll know yourself mate that Nuke em rates his 705 as the best on pebbly type beach so could be a great upgrade for you and also remove the need tomlearn a new machine!
Wish I could advise on the scout but only had one laser, a rapier which was great on fluffy soil but not so on pasture.
Good luck whatever you chose, your finds are worthy of the upgrade for sure

[roastedtoe]

Thanks elshepio

More food for thought and a nudge back to the 705. I do occasionally get to go other areas than the Thames so that's a big push to the 705. Also the 305 does so well on the foreshore seems logical that the 705 will do better. It's mostly the 4" coil that is making the scout seem worth a go to try on the areas that are just large webs of junk and bs. If so much junk has been deposited it stands to reason goodies have to. Every now and then I hook something nice out of a really high trash patch and I often can't work out if it was luck or skill. Lol.

I guess the scout is so cheap, if it does what it says on the tin with that tiny coil it will pay for itself quick enough and I can roll the cash back into a more advanced Minelab for other adventures.

Cheers!

[buzzerman]

the laser scout is supplied by treasure world. london who are the uk importer of yjis simple but effective switch on and go machine which nomally is supplied with a 7" coil but an additional 4" coil is available if required also an additional machine that you might consider is a tesoro compadre again comes supplied with a 7"coil but an additional 4" coil is also available.it's been a few years now {20] since i last worked the foreshore of the thames and and then we used the tesoro silver sabre again with a 4" coil which was one of the best configarated and proved machines in it's time and the scout or compadre are just updated models based on the silver sabre.

[roastedtoe]

Thanks buzzerman. I think I will give the scout thames ed. a go purely because it's updated based on the use of other machines on the foreshore and that all important 4" coil. The older hands I run into on the river always have analogue machines with the smallest coils they can get. Cheers!

[roastedtoe]

Hey

I spoke to the people at Joan Allen this morning and said...705 (ie more powerful xterra) for the foreshore or Laser Scout Thames Ed...they said to be honest, if it's just for the Thames, spend half the money and get the Scout. So I did. Which was a wrench and a blasphemy. . But if a salesman tells you to part with half the money you're prepared to then it seems sensible to follow that advice. We shall see...I hope it lives up to the billing as I can't just buy a more powerful minelab till I mine the gold up for it!

[roastedtoe]

It is here...it is here for all the awful high high trash ground on the foreshore that I just know is hiding goodies but I can't find them with the 305 because I can't get a small enough coil. I'm sure the 305 will still be being used for the more expansive less trashy areas...and I got to admit that the Scout (Thames Ed.) is dispiritingly ancient looking and the one tone is going to royally p*ss me off at first...but, it's the 4" coil that I wanted...so we shall see...got to be a reason all the old hands you see on the foreshore have analogues with tiny coils...pretty obvious one I guess. And it's so light I can easily take both machines out.