If you want a great detector for the money, the Fisher F22 is probably your best bet. Hunting for metals is a great way to get some exercise done.
With a waterproof metal detector like this one, you will be separating the trash from the treasure in no time while spending some quality time outdoors. In this Fisher F22 metal detector review, I’ll be showing you just how good this rugged metal detector is.
This detector is brought to you by Fisher Research Labs. A leading innovator in the metal detecting industry since 1931. The predecessor of the F22 was a great hit back in 2007.
Back then, the F2 (the older model) was considered as a good entry-level metal detector and was used by a lot of novice and veteran hunters. After a couple of years, the F22 metal detector came along and took the market by storm.
In this review, I’ll go through some of the key features of this outdoor detection tool and see if this is worth your money.
Summary
It’s a lightweight yet rugged device that’s perfect for outdoor use. You can swing it for hours without feeling any strain on your arms. Furthermore, the detection capacity is spot on and will hardly give you any false signals.
Now, keep in mind that this is an entry-level detector and will have some drawbacks. I will talk about this later in this review. For now, keep in mind that the pros far outweigh the cons.
Fisher F22 Metal Detector Hands-on Review
With any metal detectors, the ability to identify your target before you dig is a must-have feature. To achieve this, this tool has a couple of different features that work in combination to give you the best possible outcome.
The ability to hit on target accurately is a key feature of this tool. In addition to that, the display is also quite accurate. It can read metals at an impressive depth and also works quite well in wet sand.
If you are a beach hunter and want to avoid lower-end detectors, this one is a good entry-level detector for the money. The review ends here. If you want to save yourself some time, don’t read any further.
It’s a good detector that works as advertised. Now, if you want to go more in-depth, the following section is for you. Let’s take a look at some of the special features of this machine.
Coil
Alright, so we will start with the coil first. The base model comes with a 9-inch triangulated Concentric Elliptical search coil. You can also mount 7” Concentric Elliptical & 11” DD Elliptical open search coil.
Having a smaller coil has some perks. A lot of people call them the teardrop-shaped coil because of the design. The design is great, especially when you get into an area where there are a lot of irons and a lot of targets. That small coil can really help make a difference here.
Design
The control box is probably the most important part of any metal detector. Before I talk about the box, I just want to touch on a couple of things first. Keep in mind that this machine is weatherproof.
It’s also rated as waterproof. This means you can easily use it when it’s raining outside. The battery compartment is on the right side of the box. It takes two AA batteries to power this detector. You can use it up to 8 hours with just two alkaline batteries in high sensitivity settings.
On the other side, you have a headphone jack, and if you don’t want to use a headphone, it has a rubber stopper to close up the hole. One the back of the box, there is the connector that connects the coil to the control box.
Control Box
Now for the main part of this machine, which is the central control box, you will need to press the red button to turn the F22 on. After that, you will see random numbers being shown on display.
It will cycle through the serial number for this machine. A little beep will play to tell you that it’s ready to use. The F22 is a beginner-friendly machine that’s really easy to use.
It’s really almost a “turn-on-and-go” type detector. This detector comes with one custom mode and three preset modes. With the custom mode, you can set this machine up any way you want to.
First Time Using Experience
When you turn on the machine for the first time, it will be in jewelry mode. In this mode, the detector will knock out all the iron and let in all the other material signals in.
You can also set it in coin mode and artifact mode for easy on the go experience. Keep in mind that the artifact mode will let everything in. When you set this mode, you will have to rely on the tone and the target ID to guess what’s beneath the soil.
Volume
Let’s go through the menus first. When you press the menu button, the first thing that will highlight is the volume setting. The F22 features Fe-Tone Adjustable Iron Audio. This fancy name means that the machine allows you to set the ferrous and non-ferrous target volumes at different levels.
Sensitivity
This detector will save you a lot of wasted dig time. Thanks to its highly accurate reading capability, you can quickly filter through objects. Anything that reads below 30 out of 100 will be displayed as junk.
You will be locating things that others have missed if you crank up the sensitivity settings. The F22 features ten sensitivity modes. When you set it to 8, which is the jewelry model, you can greatly reduce false readings.
If you are hunting for metals on the beach, wet sand might mess with the device’s sensitivity. In this case, turning it down to 5 can eliminate nearly all false readings.
Sensitivity runs from 1 to 10. You really have to wait until you get into the field to see what kind of ground mineralization are there to perfectly adjust the sensitivity. The goal is to get the machine running as stable as you can.
Notch
Lastly, we have the notch. This allows you to knock out certain targets in the ID line. For example, if you go back into the coin mode, you will see that the 2 and 4 ID will be turned off.
This means the coil won’t pick signals from certain materials. The notch allows you to adjust that; however, you see fit.
Pinpoint Mode
This mode allows you to do two things — one is to get an approximate depth and the other one is to help you really pinpoint or locate the actual position of the item that you have identified.
To do that, all you need to do is hold down the PP button, and the machine will give you a depth reading on the ID screen, and then it will also going to give you a constant tone. This allows you to really focus on exactly where that target is.
Weatherproof
I’ve already mentioned that this machine is weatherproof. However, I would also like to share something extra. Now, just because it is weatherproof, it doesn’t mean that you can take it and toss it underwater.
It’s not completely water resistant. However, it is waterproof. What this means is that you don’t have to panic if you get caught out in a rainstorm. When you come home from a long day of digging, you can clean this machine with a hose and wash away all the dirt.
Pros
Cons
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Fisher F22 water-resistant?
No, it’s not. However, it is waterproof. You can even hose it after a long day of digging. However, for safety purposes, don’t put too much water on top of the control box.
What is the maximum depth of this detector?
In dry sand, this detector should be able to pick up a dime or a quarter about 8-9” deep.
What accessories are available for this machine?
You can change the search coil. Fresh Labs actually offers multiple search coils for different types of locations. Regardless of whether you are a coin hunter, beach hunter, or a relic hunter, you will surely find the right add on for this device.
You can also buy search coil cover, protective cover for the control box, and arm straps.
Final Verdict
It’s true that if you spend more dollars, you will no doubt get a much better metal detector. However, if you know your tools, you will know this is one of the best budget-friendly metal detectors on the market.
In short, there is hardly anything negative to say about the F22 from Fisher. For the price to performance ratio of this metal detector, I would say this one sits pretty high up in the leader board.
And that concludes this Fisher F22 metal detector review. Stay tuned for more.
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