Goldpick
Chris Johnson
My new Racer 2 arrived today from Phasetech, just in time for the Easter long weekend, so thanks Nenad for getting it out to me so promptly.
This is just a bit of an unboxing with a few pics and thoughts, no doubt my partner and I will give the Racer a thorough workout over the weekend to see how it handles and performs on familiar territory.
First impressions upon assembly is that it is well balanced and lightweight, the S-bend grip is comfortable in hand, and the arm rest is of decent size and well padded (I've got pretty thick forearms).
The 11" DD coil comes across as having a lower profile than say the similarly sized DD coil on my G2 (G2 feels a tad front end heavy), and as a result appears smaller than its actual size - a coil cover is also included. Definitely liking the headphone positioning at the rear vs on the control box, and the volume control is a real plus, negating the requirement for headphone volume controls. The 6.35mm headphone socket is also protected by a rubber boot for when not in use, and a 3.5mm adapter is also supplied for various headphone choices.
The included headphones are Koss branded KPH7's, they have a nice firm fit so are unlikely to slip off when retrieving targets (unlike some other well known Koss headphones). Will see what the audio is like once out in the field.
The detector shaft is supplied with two twist locks to help prevent any free play in the assembly, and the coil cabling is surprisingly thick and is quite stiff compared to that as seen on other detectors. A spare coil bolt/nut & pair of rubber washers is included.
The screen is the real centre piece of this detector, and as expected is very large, easy to read and navigate through, plus the backlighting is also excellent. First thing I will be doing is making up a screen protector to suit, followed by some aftermarket covers for both the control box and rear battery compartment. I'm not too keen on Makro's factory cover set, as the control box cover looks to have quite a loose fit.
What is a nice touch is the backlit control buttons, something that is all too often overlooked by other brands, and the LED light on the rear of the control box will prove handy for night detecting.
Whilst there is concern that the speaker mounted under the armrest could be damaged or fouled up with soil, an aftermarket cover will be purchased to help prevent such issues. A mid mounted stand would be a good idea to keep the battery compartment and speaker away from the elements, I know of a similar aftermarket stand produced for the Deus which both improves stability and helps to keep things clean.
I did have concerns that the control buttons being mounted on the left might prove awkward to access being left handed. After having a play around with the controls, I found it quite acceptable to just use my forefinger for any adjustments. My partner will be mainly using this detector, and being right-handed it shouldn't be an issue
.
The most commonly accessed controls for both the ground balance and pinpointing are carried out via the toggle switch under the control box vs the directional control buttons. The toggle switch is also covered with a rubber boot to help protect it from the elements.
The plastics all look to be of good quality. Not sure what they were like on the original Red Racer, considering there were some initial concerns on the quality of the plastics when that detector was first introduced to the market. Will report further down the track on the durability.
All up, a very nice looking unit with a great feature set, especially considering the asking price for the Racer 2. Hopefully we can get a few finds with it over the weekend, and report on how it performed.
Please note that this detector was purchased with my own funds, and I am in no way affiliated with Makro nor its dealers.
This is just a bit of an unboxing with a few pics and thoughts, no doubt my partner and I will give the Racer a thorough workout over the weekend to see how it handles and performs on familiar territory.
First impressions upon assembly is that it is well balanced and lightweight, the S-bend grip is comfortable in hand, and the arm rest is of decent size and well padded (I've got pretty thick forearms).
The 11" DD coil comes across as having a lower profile than say the similarly sized DD coil on my G2 (G2 feels a tad front end heavy), and as a result appears smaller than its actual size - a coil cover is also included. Definitely liking the headphone positioning at the rear vs on the control box, and the volume control is a real plus, negating the requirement for headphone volume controls. The 6.35mm headphone socket is also protected by a rubber boot for when not in use, and a 3.5mm adapter is also supplied for various headphone choices.
The included headphones are Koss branded KPH7's, they have a nice firm fit so are unlikely to slip off when retrieving targets (unlike some other well known Koss headphones). Will see what the audio is like once out in the field.
The detector shaft is supplied with two twist locks to help prevent any free play in the assembly, and the coil cabling is surprisingly thick and is quite stiff compared to that as seen on other detectors. A spare coil bolt/nut & pair of rubber washers is included.
The screen is the real centre piece of this detector, and as expected is very large, easy to read and navigate through, plus the backlighting is also excellent. First thing I will be doing is making up a screen protector to suit, followed by some aftermarket covers for both the control box and rear battery compartment. I'm not too keen on Makro's factory cover set, as the control box cover looks to have quite a loose fit.
What is a nice touch is the backlit control buttons, something that is all too often overlooked by other brands, and the LED light on the rear of the control box will prove handy for night detecting.
Whilst there is concern that the speaker mounted under the armrest could be damaged or fouled up with soil, an aftermarket cover will be purchased to help prevent such issues. A mid mounted stand would be a good idea to keep the battery compartment and speaker away from the elements, I know of a similar aftermarket stand produced for the Deus which both improves stability and helps to keep things clean.
I did have concerns that the control buttons being mounted on the left might prove awkward to access being left handed. After having a play around with the controls, I found it quite acceptable to just use my forefinger for any adjustments. My partner will be mainly using this detector, and being right-handed it shouldn't be an issue
.
The most commonly accessed controls for both the ground balance and pinpointing are carried out via the toggle switch under the control box vs the directional control buttons. The toggle switch is also covered with a rubber boot to help protect it from the elements.
The plastics all look to be of good quality. Not sure what they were like on the original Red Racer, considering there were some initial concerns on the quality of the plastics when that detector was first introduced to the market. Will report further down the track on the durability.
All up, a very nice looking unit with a great feature set, especially considering the asking price for the Racer 2. Hopefully we can get a few finds with it over the weekend, and report on how it performed.
Please note that this detector was purchased with my own funds, and I am in no way affiliated with Makro nor its dealers.
