Steve Herschbach Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I decided to help Rob out here because I probably know as much about these detectors as anybody in the United States. A company few of us have heard of, Nokta Detectors, had a couple new models out, the Nokta FORS CoRe and FORS Gold. They are nearly the same detector, but the CoRe is aimed at Coin and Relic (CoRe, get it?) and the Gold is aimed at, well, you probably guessed it - gold.I had no idea it was being discussed on the TreasureNet forum and that my name had been tossed out as a potential tester until I was contacted by the Nokta representative, Dilek Gonulay. She told me what the deal was, and I said ok as long as I could report free of restrictions. She agreed and sent me a FORS Gold to evaluate.To be perfectly frank, I had little expectations of the machine itself. My main concern was in trying to get a handle on this company from Turkey I had never heard of. Did they make quality product? Did they stand behind the product? I can now answer both these questions in the affirmative. But much to my surprise, I also found out these detectors are about as good as a VLF prospecting detector can be. They are hot 15 khz units with ground grab, manual ground balance, and automatic ground tracking plus a good selection of very high quality lightweight coils. However, I also had quite a few issues with the actual physical design of the FORS models. The design is an under arm slung box much like a Minelab, with the main control panel on the side of the box next to your leg. I found the handle to be less than comfortable. The actual weight at 4.3 lbs is higher than the published weight. The balance is superb, but it is a bit heavier than I like in a VLF these days. You can read all about the machines in detail with photos here Detailed Review of the Nokta FORS Gold DetectorIt is very long but I can sum it up with this excerpt from an email I sent Dilek back on October 13th:"I do not heap praise on detectors if they do not merit it. The FORS Gold is a very good detector. The physical layout is a bit awkward due to the location of the side panel but in actual use it works well. I consider the Fisher F75/Teknetics T2 to be a near perfect physical design, with controls up front and batteries under arm for balance. It would be a good design to emulate in a future version of the FORS Gold. I say this not to criticize but to offer constructive feedback."The T2/F75 was one of the few detectors ever designed where ergonomics was one of the most important factors. It is not all about weight. Balance is every bit as important. That shows in the FORS Gold. There are also lighter detectors that have no counterbalance under the arm. The effect is like swinging a 2 lb weight on a broomstick and is actually more strain than swinging more weight properly balanced. The T2/F75 is a very good design from an ergonomics standpoint, and that is not just my opinion, there is considerable science to back it up. I was therefore stunned to find exactly what I had asked for announced in December!! The company issued this press release (emphasis added):"There are two professional companies in Turkey serving and offering products to the detector industry: Nokta Detectors and Makro Detectors. In the past, these companies - whose owners are 2 brothers - have operated as independent manufacturers in the world market. In the midst of our growth in 2011, we made a strategic move and took the initial step in acquiring Makro Detectors who has been growing in parallel to Nokta. As a result of deliberations and under trade and confidentiality agreements, we bought some shares of Makro Detectors the same year. By combining our technology and expertise in the detector sector with Makros, we developed important projects. We developed and manufactured Golden Sense, Velox One, RS Pinpointer, Ultra Scanner hand-held detector and finally the FORS Gold and CoRe models under Nokta brand name and Deephunter, CF77 and finally the Makro Pointer, under the Makro brand name. All were introduced and are presently sold in the market successfully. In addition, we developed a new Makro branded coin & relic detector called RACER and a gold detector Gold RACER which will enter the market very aggressively with its performance, design and price very soon!Nokta Detectors developing and manufacturing the Makro branded products along with Nokta products and the fast increasing brand awareness of both brands in the world market opened the door for these two companies to unite their forces and after long deliberations, Nokta Detectors completely bought out Makro Detectors in December 2014."The new Makro Racer models are promised to have features and performance as good as or better than the Nokta FORS models, but in the lighter weight package I was craving. The units have a bold, in your face display and have a perfectly balanced weight of only 3 lbs! The Racer will be running at 14 kHz and come stock with an 11" x 7" DD coil. It will be shipping in late February. The Gold Racer will ship with a traditional nugget coil, the 10" x 5.5" DD and will probably be running at a higher frequency, but the Gold Racer is still under development and so the exact frequency has not been set at this time. I suspect it will be running higher than the 14 kHz or 15 khz units.The pricing on these units is very, very attractive, and in fact is going to shake the industry up a bit. MSRP on the Racer is $649 and a Pro Package with two coils, rechargeable batteries, carry bag, etc. is only $849.00.So let me sum this up for you. Nokta makes the FORS CoRe and FORS Gold, and they are only available from Kellyco. Makro however is distributed by the same people that distribute the XP metal detectors, and they support a dealer network, now including Rob. My recommendation is this. I truly think the Nokta FORS models have superb performance as gold prospecting VLF detectors and they also excel at coin, jewelry, and relic detecting. However, you will be able to get the same or better performance in a less expensive, lighter weight package by getting a Makro Racer or Gold Racer from Rob instead. The key thing here is that the Racer at 14 kHz will be a bit better all around unit, able to actually work on salt water beaches. It will also do well as a nugget hunting detector. That said, if you are looking for a killer VLF gold prospecting detector wait for the Gold Racer. It will have the better coil for the task out of box and likely be a hotter unit on small gold nuggets. It also is also likely to lose that ability to play well with wet salt sand.I will have perhaps the first Makro Racer in the US in my hands soon and will be reporting on it. I am not just a nugget hunter but an avid coin and jewelry hunter, so this model does interest me. But you can also bet I am first in line to get a Gold Racer as soon as they are available. It combines a feature set in a package that is almost exactly what I have been looking for my whole life in a VLF detector.That's it. That is the last sales pitch you will get from me. Not my job actually so contact Rob if you want to buy a Racer or a Gold Racer. The Racer will be available in a few weeks; may be mid summer before we see the Gold Racer. However, I am willing to answer any and all questions from people truly interested in the product. The thing is, it is what it is and if it lacks features you want or is not your cup of tea in any way, I am not going to try and convince you otherwise. But I consider Rob a good friend and would like to help him out if I can, and the fact is I am personally very excited by these detectors. The company communications and responses are out of this world. They are very, very interested in serving the prospecting market and are looking to give people what they want. I think they are going places, and soon.www.makrodetector.comOwners Manual http://www.makrodedektor.com/files/racer/Racer_Kullanim_Kilavuzu_EN.pdfProduct Brochure http://www.makrodedektor.com/files/racer/Racer_Brosur_EN.pdfMore information on the Makro Racer and Makro Gold RacerSTANDARD PACKAGE - MSRP $649Includes:29cm x 18.5cm (11" x 7") DD Search CoilSearch Coil CoverHeadphones4 x AA Alkaline BatteriesPRO PACKAGE - MSRP $849Includes:11" x 7" DD Search Coil5.5" x 4.7" DD Search CoilCovers For Both Search CoilsHeadphonesAC & Car Charger4 x AA Rechargeable BatteriesCarrying BagTreasure PouchRain CoversCap with Official Makro LogoT-Shirt with Official Makro LogoBluetooth headphones as well as all accessories can be purchased separately.Racer Metal Detector AccessoriesRC13 - DD Search Coil - (13cmx12cm - 5''X4.5'')RC26 - DD Search Coil - (26cmx14cm - 10''x5.5'')RC29 - DD Search Coil - (29cmx18.5cm - 11''x7'')RC40 - DD Search Coil - (40cmx33.5cm - 15.5''X13'')RC13 - Search Coil CoverRC26 - Search Coil CoverRC29 - Search Coil CoverRC40 - Search Coil CoverCarrying BagRain Covers (Set of 2)Treasure PouchCharging Kit (AC & Car Charger 4 x AA Rechargeable Batteries)Cap with Official Makro LogoT-Shirt with Official Makro LogoKoss Headphone - KPH7Philips SHB7000 Bluetooth Headphones and DongleBluetooth Dongle Only (BT module)Middle RodLower RodArmrest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausome Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Rob: any field testing w/racer yet?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted January 30, 2015 Admin Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hey Ausome1, No, I haven't field tested one or see this unit in person yet. That being said, Steve H. probably knows more about this unit than anyone at this point in time. Steve is a personal friend and I would probably take what he says about this unit as Gospel. Makro will have some amazing stuff in the very near future, including this new Racer and Gold Racer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks Rob, I look forward to seeing you next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted November 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Watch for the latest on the Makro Gold Racer at Rob's store at http://www.robsdetectors.com/makro-gold-racer-metal-detector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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