Fisher is bought by First Texas

[coindetector]

Yup, the makers of Bounty hunters and Teknetics have bought up Fishers. Here is more info.

[NB Digger]

I am glad I got my Fisher a few years ago while they were still able to put out quality detectors. I have never heard anything good about a Bounty Hunter detector. Sort of an odd deal for Fisher Research Labs to make but business is business. I supppose my next purchase will be that Nautilus I have been eyeing, instead of another Fisher.
Travis

[John S]

Originally Posted by NB Digger

I am glad I got my Fisher a few years ago while they were still able to put out quality detectors. I have never heard anything good about a Bounty Hunter detector. Sort of an odd deal for Fisher Research Labs to make but business is business. I supppose my next purchase will be that Nautilus I have been eyeing, instead of another Fisher.
Travis

I agree with you , i'm glad i got mine a few yrs a go , too. I have hunted with CZ for 11 yrs. and love them. I have hunted behind people with bounty hunter and they leave alot and they are not deep detectors.

[bsbowles]

At first I wasn't concerned about the buyout by 1st Texas. After contacting Fisher about the 1236X2 model I found out that Fisher no longer has a lifetime warranty on their products. The warranty is now 5 years just like the Bounty Hunters and other related models. This may be just a corporate decision to get Fisher products inline with the other products, but it sure ends a long standing reputation that Fisher has within the metal detecting community. The Fisher 1236X2 and the Tesoro Cibola was on my short list for a new toy but I am leaning more towards the Tesoro products with a better warranty.

[Hightone]

First Texas is pulling some fast one's with the buyout. The new Fisher F-75 is the Teknetics T2. They say it's different inside, but we will see. The new Fisher F4 is the Discovery3300/Titan3000 with a DD coil and a few hundred dollars over it's cousins. Not a great move for people who know Fisher's. Unsuspecting buyers may be happy with them though.

[TonyinCT]

I cannot agree with you here. I have not seen any "fast ones" by First Texas. I haven't always enjoyed the way they have treated dealers in the past and they have a long way to go to get the "knowing" publics support , but , with Dave Johnson at the helm I think things will change. The F75 , although it looks like a T2 should be a Fisher design. This was in the works before the buyout as was the F4. In todays corporate world you have to save money to compete. They are using existing housings , controls etc but new electronics. Don't forget , Fisher was bought out or they were just plain OUT PERIOD !! Many people like the 3300 , I am not one of them and will say the same thing about the F4 if it doesn't perform. The 3300's went on sale cheap because Radio Shack was restructuring and got rid of slow moving items . Are they worth 299.95 ? In my opinion NO. Will the F4 be worth its selling price? I don't know but we will find out soon enough.Give the detectors a chance once they come to market. Speculation is the only thing most of us have right now. This and other forums will tell the tale for sure once they are out there.
Sorry for the rant. "Any day you can go metal detecting , is a GOOD day !!"

[DiggerJohnPA]

I was a little sad to hear this news. I am one of many many people who started out with an entry level Bounty Hunter detector. I know that many people say they are junk, I certainly wouldn't go that far. I have a Discovery3300 and it is a decent machine for beginners. I would have to say that I like some BH models due to their simplicty, price and accessibility, but I think if you are going to spend $300 or more, there are so many better choices out there than a BH. A few of those choices used to include Fisher, but now who knows what you will be getting when you buy a Fisher. There are many people who start out with a BH and within a year or 2 they look to upgrade. But now if your "upgrade" machine is a Fisher, you might just be buying the same old thing that you already had. I can't speak for the F75, but I know without a doubt that the F4 is a Discovery3300/Titan3000. I am curious to see how well it performs with a double-D coil, but not $400+ curious. I guess my point is that I think BH (First Texas) is actually doing themselves harm by continually repackaging the same detectors and giving them different names. If they would stick to a few models, make some improvements in build quality and keep the price low, they wouldn't be bad machines.

[TonyinCT]

DiggerJohnPA... What facts are you basing your comment on that the F4 is a 3300 with a DD coil ? Have you been told by Fisher / BH ? Have you used one of the prototypes ?

[rip]

I for one am not happy about this buy out ! I have a cz-20 and have heard that they will no longer be making them.That means no parts and my lifetime warrenty is no good. I am now thinking of getting a minelab.Been looking at the xterra -70,would like one of the se's but I cant afford that much right now and i like what i see in the exterra !

[bill(de)]

hi rip,

From all accounts i've read it's probably a good thing FRL was sold and if First Texas doesn't get the F75 to operate as a topline fairly stable detector it won't take long for the Crap to Hit the Fan and will be tough to sell Fisher label detectors .I sure hope it works because we need all the manufacturer competition as possible so technology has a chance to evolve.
You should be able to have repair work on your cz20 if needed for a long time and also read rumors on Fisher forums of a possible revamp of the CZ20 or something similar and lighter. Not my words just what i've read, so there is hope but it's all vague speculation right now and time will tell. HH Bill