The F-4 is a new metal detector for Fisher Metal Detectors. It has a high quality gold anodized (adjustable height) shaft with a comfortable arm cup which reduces fatigue and lets you hunt longer. F-4 comes with 2 outstanding search coils, the brand new 11” Double DD deep searching coil and an 8” concentric search coil for general treasure hunting.

The LCD screen has all the information to identify your targets. It has target ID numbers from 0-99 to help you recognize many different types of targets. With a little practice in the field, you will learn to associate target values with the ID numbers as well as the 11 Icons on the top of the screen. Example: Silver objects will have a greater value while iron and pull tabs will have a lower value.

Ground balancing (to search on any type of soil) is fairly easy to do. Press the All Metal/Auto Tune touch pad, raise and lower the coil near the ground then adjust the ground knob until you no longer have any sound.

You can discriminate out iron signals by simply pressing the PreSet DISC mode and also reject pull tabs and screw caps by using Notch Touch Pad. When used in All-Metal search mode and Target Discriminate search mode you will get both audio and visual target identification.

I took the F-4 and searched my test ground in one very clean location and found a nickel at 5 inches, a penny at 3 inches and another at 1 inch. I was pleased with these finds considering how many other detectors were also tested in this area.

The power source is only 2-9 volt batteries that can give you approximately 20 to 25 hours of detecting. The F-4 has a single 6.8 KHZ frequency that will give you good depth up to 12 inches on a quarter with the 11” DD search coil and up to 9.5” with the 8” coil.

Also available to use on the F-4 are the optional 4” Gold Nugget coil for gold nuggets and smaller gold and silver coins and jewelry as well as the 10” Magnum coil.

I would rate this detector 4 Stars.

Roger Bellow Kellyco Test Team Member

The more I use it, the more I like it.

I’m going from the threshold hunting analogs to a newer machine w/digital target ID and silent search took a big leap of faith. I've had a lot of luck with my old analog White's but wanted to try a new machine and I'm happy to report, I'm NOT disappointed!

It's been years since I've plucked nickels out of the ground as commonly as I do other clads. The ID on this detector is very reliable. Showing #32 on the digital display while knocking out the old style removable pull tabs. Pennies read a reliable #67-70 on the display and I choose to ignore those. Dimes are generally 70-73. I run it mostly in all metal discriminate modes with the 4" coil. Awesome!

The detector is well built, lightweight and appears to be good on battery life. This is a great value.

My only complaints are:

There is a lack of a smooth finish on the bottom of the coil. The coarse texture (believe it or not) sticks to grass, especially the dry, freshly cut stuff. They should smooth out the bottom of the coil.

Pressing the pinpoint button a second time (to exit from all metal pinpoint mode) doesn't return you to the previous hunting mode.

The inability to save a custom notched mode. This is okay, because it probably kept the price of the detector within reason, so you have to press a few buttons. No big deal.

I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for these minor little annoyances.

Pinpoint is excellent, with a little practice. Read the manual, it's very helpful by describing how to detune the detector to maximize pinpoint accuracy.

Overall, I am very happy. Haven tried other new machines in the F4's price range, I can say it's the best, most bang for buck I have seen so far.

I HAVE BEEN METAL DETECTING FOR ALMOST EIGHTEEN YEARS AND HAVE SEEN A LOT OF GROWTH IN THIS HOBBY: I have had 8 different machines and have only had the F4 Fisher for several months. I have already found several nice rings and many coins. Some were of value but most are just new quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies.

THIS NEW METAL DETECTOR HAS VERY GOOD ELECTRONICS AND THEY ARE VERY ACCURATE: I would highly recommend this machine to the novice as well as the everyday detectorist. It is very easy to use and the screen is very easy to read and also see. It is very easy to use the discrimination to help know which segment you are looking for from pull tabs which are like rings to nickel, pennies, and so forth. The sensitivity control is easy to adjust and it is very easy to understand how to use it and when to change it for deeper targets.

The machine is also easy to ground balance and if you are hunting in a area that has a lot of trash you may have manual balance it but it is very simple all you have to do is find a area that there is no junk and just pump and adjust the detector until it’s balanced. Also, this is important to do in heavy mineralized soils.

I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF COINS AND A NUMBER OF RINGS AS WELL AS OTHER JEWELERY AND ANTIQUES ALONG WITH AN OLD GUN AND SOME OLD HORSE SHOES: I have also noticed with this machine that the notch touch pad has helped me from digging up unwanted thing such as nails, cans , and other trash. I would like to say one more thing about this detector and that is if the machine says theirs a target and its 2 to 10 inches deep that you will find it at the level you are told to expect to find it at.

I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT SOMEONE LOOKING TO BUY A NEW DETECTOR WOULD BE WISE TO PURCHASE A F4 FISHER THEY ARE VERY USER FRIENDLY AND MOST EVERYONE WELL BE HAPPY WITH IT: As I said at the first of this entry I have been doing this for a number of years and have had many different detectors from the gold machines to the coin hunters and this one has to rate at the very top of the and as one of the finest machines out there at this time. I would even say that the younger detectorist can use this machine and that it would be a great one to learn with.

The Fisher F4 is an intermediate level detector that usually sells for around $500. The F4 is the higher end F2. The control panel of the F4 is very large and easy on the eyes. It has a pretty big LCD screen that displays a depth chart, battery meter, and visual display. The F4 also features all metal auto tunes, pinpointing and ground balance. My F4 came with two coils, a huge 11" elliptical coil and an 8" round coil.

What I like about the F4 is that it is a very well built machine. The poles that the F4 is made of are very strong and do not bend like other detectors. Also, the F4 can take a beating. After 3 days of usage the battery was still strong. Another thing I like about the F4 is that it has great discrimination and notching systems. The F4 is spot on with its visual ID. Most of the time when the F4 showed, say a quarter, I dug a quarter. Also, the depth chart is very accurate and was usually accurate. The F4 comes with two different coils. An 11" elliptical coil and a 8" round coil. These two coils give the F4 added hunting capability and definitely adds to the depth range. There is not much to say about the F4 that I don’t like. It really is a great detector.

With my F4, I found about 4 dollars in clad coins over about an 8 day period. I also found a pretty cool relic.

Overall, the F4 is a great detector. Its all metal auto tune, pinpointing and ground balance are three great features that really add to the detector. The F4 has really no learning curve and it is easy to get the hang of. Even beginners could get the hang of it easily. It’s great on the wallet and performs great. There really is no downside to the F4. I give the F4 5 stars for being an overall great detector!

I have been metal detecting now for about 15 years and have found many different things from gold nuggets to rings and other jewelry.

I find that metal detecting is very good therapy for me. I have two artificial knees and have had to stop hunting the gold fields and just hunt mostly parks so I have changed to the Fisher F4 and have found it to be a great detector and hope to be able get either the F5 or F70 and use my other machines to teach others how to detect and hunt for treasures.

I have already started teaching friends how to metal detect and how to be responsible and cover their hole and pack the trash out that they may find. My grandson is going on eight years old and he has already learned how to uncover his find with out damaging it and to cover his hole and make sure the area is clean when we leave.

I have found that the F4 is a very good detector and that if the meter says dime, quarter, or nickel that is what you will find also if it say the object is 2in to 6in deep that’s where it will be and that you just have to use the machine to learn its sounds and what each one means.

The Fisher 4 is good. I’ve had it for two days and already found a silver sixpence in my back garden and new pennies. It’s a good value for money.