Fisher F22 Review – Buyer Guide Ratings And Price

fisher f22 reviewThe Fisher F22 is what the company used to upgrade from the F2.

The F2 experienced a great deal of popularity for being a truly remarkable entry level metal detector.

The F22 boasts lots of new features that helps it move away from being entry level and firmly place it in the mid-range.

So, when critiqued in its own right, does the F22 prove to be a formidable machine?

Keep reading to find out:

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Design and Appearance of Fisher F22

When being compared to the F2, the F22 has undergone a serious makeover.

It is very easy to tell, from the control housing alone, that the F22 is more technologically advanced.

The other difference that you are most like to notice is regarding the coil. It has a nine inch, triangulated elliptical concentric coil.

The narrow coil can be utilized to make greater distinctions in areas where good targets mingle with trash. The coil is completely waterproof and can be submersed.

Now, one of the calling cards of the F22 is that it claims to be completely weatherproof.

While the coil and the bottom-most portion of the stem can be submerged, the same cannot be done with the rest of the detector, including the control housing.

The control box and the detector is made to withstand less than perfect weather but cannot be wholly placed in water for long periods of time.

There are many aspects of the detector that make it well-suited to different types of weather.

For instance, the headphone jack comes with a rubber jack cover to prevent and water or debris from getting in.

The F22 comes disassembled and must be put together before you can use it.

All of the pieces are included as well as step by step instructions. Unlike with Garrett or Bounty Hunter, however, the F22 comes in several more components. Therefore, it may take a little longer than usual to set up.

The F22 is quite comfortable to use, weighing in at around 3lbs. This combined with the cushioned armrest and grip mean that it is quite easy to carry around and use the detector for hours on end.

Buttons and Modes of Fisher F22

fisher f22 priceThe buttons on the Fisher F22 are fairly minimalistic. You only have to contend with Power, Menu, Pinpoint, Mode, and buttons to help select settings.

The Menu allows you to access Sensitivity, Notch, and Volume settings. The Mode helps you to scroll through and select your desired mode.

There are four preset modes on this metal detector. They are:

  • Jewelry Mode: This mode allows you to ignore objects that are largely constructed from iron.
  • Coin Mode: In addition to the iron, this mode also rejects items that are constructed from aluminum or foil.
  • Artifact Mode: the metal detector does not reject anything, instead all of the target categories present in this model are enabled.
  • Custom Mode: this is a mode where the user can choose the precise tone settings that they would like to use. Depending on which material you wish to seek out, you can assign any tone accordingly.

The target categories are indicated at the top of the display screen.

They are separated into FE and numbers from 2 to 9.

These are highlighted or “vanished” depending on whether the material is chosen or has been notched. Each of the categories are indicative of a different range of metals.

The Sensitivity on the Fisher F22 can be regulated between 1 and 10.

The Pinpoint capability on the F22 gives you a greater amount of information on the position as well as the size of the target.

The center of the object is indicated when the highest and loudest pitch is sounded. This makes for a more accurate discovery.

Features and Performance of the Fisher F22

fisher f22 image

the fisher f22 is weatherproof

There is no denying that F22 is miles ahead of the F2.

The only real metal detector that can outshine it is the F44 from the Fisher brand.

Even when compared to the Garrett Ace 250, the F22 actually comes out on top.

This is not just because the Fisher model is weatherproof but also because it has an improved processing time as well.

As mentioned, there are nine target ID categories.

Altogether, however, they are able to identify 99 different types of target. 1 to 19 are all ferrous objects, 20 to 29 are aluminum, 30 to 39 indicates US nickels, etc. This allows for a more precise identification of targets. This is not just regarding materials but also in terms of size.

This is further improved by the accurate identification of objects made from gold, silver, and iron. When these are detected, the border surrounding these categories flashes.

This is a great tool for treasure hunters.

Rounding out the visual output, there is also audio feedback with the F22.

There are four tones – bass, low, medium, and high.

When used in conjunction with the display, there is a greater understanding of precisely what it is you are detecting.

There is minimal ground balance with the F22. Therefore, if you are hunting in soils with high levels of mineralization, there is bound to be some interference. You may have trouble detecting in salt water beaches and soils with iron oxides.

Pros and Cons of Fisher F22

Pros:

  • Good processing speed
  • Lightweight
  • 0 – 99 Target ID
  • Weatherproof
  • Mid-range price

Cons:

  • Minimal ground balance

The Final Verdict

The Fisher F22 performs much better than you may expect it to, especially for its price category.

It has a number of modes, high levels of discrimination, and increased sensitivity.

When added to its pinpointing capabilities as well as the audio and visual feedback, the F22 proves to be quite potent indeed.

That is not to say that it is not without its faults. One of the main hindrances of the F22 is its diminished ground balancing abilities. As this is something that many detectors in this price range carry, it can be a bit of a turn-off.

However, if you tend to spend most of your time on normal soils, this will not prove to be an issue. One of the best parts of the F22, conversely, is the weatherproof characteristics.

This will allow you to go out hunting regardless of what the weather is like outside.

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Steve

I’m one of the founders of this blog. A 32 yr old from Lincolnshire & proud father of 3 beautiful children. My first metal detector was a garret ace 150 but I am currently using the Garrett ace 400i. My best find was a roman coin. Feel free to ask me any questions.

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Michael - February 11, 2018

Hi Steve

Im new to detecting and looking at buying the F22 I know its hard to suggest one or the other between the F22 & the Garrett Ace 250 which one is best.

Will be using mainly on beach and fields

Rgds
Mike

Reply
    Steve - February 11, 2018

    Hi Mike, indeed it’s hard to pick one from those two detectors. I spent the past hour analyzing ups and downs and then I really was able to find an answer. Just by comparing those two I’ll go with the Garrett Ace 250 because it is capable of lower frequencies and it is a little more powerful when it comes to detection which can result in better findings over the long run.

    Reply
Phil - May 17, 2018

Hi Steve,
Posted yesterday that I had just ordered the F44 well my mate has ordered the F22 so we will be out together in the near future, so I should be able to give a good newbies insight between the two. It won’t be in depth like your reviews but could be good for 1st timers like us to make the comparison of these two Fisher machines from a newbie perspective.
Keep up the good work!!

Reply
    Steve - May 17, 2018

    Hi Phil,
    Thank you for the nice comeback, I really appreciate it and I can tell you that our small community will love to hear what you have to say about the F22 when you get it. Can’t wait to get a review from you! It’s always nice to have real feedback from a user, it’s nothing that can beat it.

    Reply
Philip Mabe - May 29, 2018

Hi Steve, well I said we’d be taking the Fisher f22 out along with my f44. We had a few hours with them yesterday and with my limited newbie knowledge i have a few observations.
The f22 was a very good experience indeed, did what it says on the tin as they say, my 1st thought to any new buyer would be buy one and take it out and you will be impressed as it’s easy to learn, I believe that now we have been out searching i probably did too much reading and research which addled my brain and I probably learned more in 3 hours out searching than the weeks of research.
My Mate who owns the f22 believes he bought the right machine for him and loves it.
So onto my f44, I am glad I paid the extra money (perhaps the research did pay off) I loved the bigger coil and had a quieter time because I used the ground balance so less false signals than the f22 also I had more finds i believe this was due to the all metal mode, yes most of what we dug was rubbish but we are learning and had great fun a find is a find even though my best was a one penny coin at 6 inches!!
In a nutshell my belief is if you can stretch the budget Get the f44 but don’t despair if you can’t, just get the f22 it is not the poor relation it is a very good machine with less frills.
Sorry this is not an in depth review but more of a newbies take on a new hobby.
Keep up the good work!
Phil.

Reply
    Steve - May 30, 2018

    Thank you, Phil, for adding such a detailed comparison between both of the metal detectors. I think that the future viewers will be grateful as well for your comment, so a big thank you!

    Reply
Philipo - November 20, 2018

I purchased an F22 and used it well . I’m in the UK where soil mineral effects are minimal . Ground balancing is nt as important for many detectorist’s .
The F22 is excellent , unfortunately mine was stolen,leaving me the stem and coil but luckily the F series models have compatible coils and . i’m going to purchase a F11 with the 7 ” coil and use my f22 9″ oval coil with it leaving me a spare stem .
A minor fustration with the F 22 display and features is too much information . I figure a F11 with a F22 coil will be as good as a F22 and much simpler to use with the display .The fisher f 11 / f22 are very weatherproof . i used one in damp and steady light rain for 5 hours.It disassembles easily and is compact , important when camping,hiking or travelling round the world.
The F 22 goes a bit dizzy on the beach with the wet sand but goes deep on drier sand and is good on small circular objects at depth ,like small musket balls and loom weights ,as well as buttons . Its light enough for longer periods of use and has fantastic battery life . My only negative with Fisher brand is that replacement head units are not available.

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