Hi Del, I bought one with the ears broken off and repaired it, so far, so good. I have used it a few times as I am learning the Relic. I used it in Ripville and ended up with a couple nice finds but I have used the smaller round coil much more, and this one seems clunky and awkward to me. One thing I am considering is cutting off a couple inches of the lower rod. The ear placement makes the coil stick out farther to the front than the back. Even though I am over 6' it seems I can't get the rod short enough, and I can't find a case the Relic will fit in with this coil installed.

So in conclusion, I am still learning it, and I have mostly used it in areas that were NOT loaded with tin and nails. All that said, it seems to work to find stuff and the white coil is visible in the brush and grass. Not very technical but I hope this helps some.

P.S. Is there still a lot of snow above Sumpter?