A few thoughts on metal detector depth and sensitivity

When I try a new metal detector, I am always asked if it is deeper than the metal detector I normally use.
Is the Excalibur deeper than the Sovereign, is the CTX 3030 deeper than an Excalibur, is my SDC 2300 deeper than my CTX 3030, and so on.
I rarely try or buy a new metal detector with depth in mind,  unless it is my GPX 5000 and the answer is hell yes!
Being able to tune my metal detector's to enhance their sensitivity to small shallow targets is always more important to me than being able to detect large targets deeper. 
Using my preferred metal detectors, I know I do not have to trade small targets over large deeper targets, they have a happy medium for jewelry and coin hunter's.
I recently had a chance to test a metal detector I wanted to buy for the longest time, but I was very disappointed after testing it on a variety of small size targets.
I am a jewelry and coin hunter, so it is very important for me to be able to detect a thin gold wedding band, or a small silver coin within the first 6 to 8 inches of sand.
Using a metal detector that could not detect small gold and silver targets is not going to happen for me, no matter how deep that same metal detector can detect larger targets.
The metal detector I tried is no longer on my wish list, luckily I was in a position to try one out instead of finding out the hard way after buying one.
The large majority of jewelry and coins I consider to be my best finds, were all recovered within the first 6 to 8 inches of sand.
Having the ability to detect a wide variety of relatively shallow jewelry and coins on the beach, is much more important to me than worrying if I have the deepest metal detector.
If you cannot find jewelry and coins within the first 6 to 8 inches of sand, forget about finding deeper targets.
Metal detector that are hot on small shallow finds, are normally just as hot on deeper targets.
I spend a lot of my metal detecting time searching tourist beaches, literally trying to find treasure in amongst the trash.
If I get skunked, I never walk off a beach thinking gold or silver jewelry must be deeper and I need a deeper metal detector or larger search coil.
I would be more inclined to question my metal detecting pace and sweep speed, than metal detector depth as the reason why I did not find anything.