Tested out a Minelab CTX 3030...awesome detector!

[lost items recovery]

And then Minelab made the CTX 3030
And all others were obsolete.
What a perfect machine that needs nothing but a charge to go hunting...no modifications needed, it already has it's own straight from the factory.
Interchangeable coil connectors, pin point button, headphone connectors, excellent performance, stability, depth, depth readings, GPS, numerical target display, collapsable straight shaft, adjustable arm cuff, back packable breakdown, customizable programming.

What more could you want?!
The CTX 3030 was very well planned out and far surpasses my expectations!

I had a chance to test one out and I can honestly say that I am blown away.

Great job Minelab and all your technitions who designed this work of art!!!

I have owned many different brands, models, types of detectors for different
Hunting environments and must say you ladies and gentleman have managed to produce the best metaldetector I have ever used!!!

Hats off to all of you at Minelab..... You have certainly outdone yourselfs!you are definitely the worlds greatest in metal detector technology!

To those who are unfamiliar with the CTX 3030.....my advise is don't by anything but one of these!
Save yourself, the time and money of going from machine to machine and get out and dig those precious metals that the other machines leave behind.
Don't waste another day or dollar and I can guarantee you'll be glad you bought one!

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

TH.... cleaning isnt going to really help that cam lock issue of wear....just put it off a bit. My problem has aways been with the issue of .....we dont care we arent going to fix obvious issues. Those gaskets r an easy fix. People love this machine.....but they would sell a ton more if they had more confidence in them. All that said its got some outstanding upgrades.....but we still havent seen that watermachine that blow us away in depth. All the companies seem to be following suit..... reduce the number of machines and concentrate on one do it all......that gets in our pocket not theirs.

I get all the depth I can handle with my excal and 15 inch coils hunting in reverse discrimination....I have dug many targets 15-20 inches with it.....

Cam lock is simple and very cheap repair as in just a couple dollars...

 

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[mnruxpin]

had one, hated it, sold it

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

I can understand you!

Each time I hate it, I take my Excalibut back ....and find that the CTX is a good machine

It's like having a wife, one day you love it, the other you hate it

 

[mnruxpin]

I can understand you!




Each time I hate it, I take my Excalibut back ....and find that the CTX is a good machine

It's like having a wife, one day you love it, the other you hate it

well yea, and when you look at it that way, the ctx is a heck of a lot cheaper and quieter then a wife : ) easier to carry around and throw in the trunk too : )

 

[MrMikeJackie]

In all fairness...
I am a MineLab lover... I make love to mine all the time :P (jK)
heh
Anyway... I like the concept / design of the 3030... and the features... minus the GPS... which for me is overkill...
but I look at the Excals Price point and its features...

Then I look at the 3030... for 1000 more...
And I just don't see the thousand there.

NOW... IF they had built the 3030 with FULL deep submersion like Excal BUT with the 3030 design and features...

They would have developed the best ALL AROUND detector in the world.

PS> ^NOTE TO MINELAB --- Maybe next wave MineLab ... but please be realistic on pricing.

$1000 diff? Not really. By the time your done making the Excal feel and perform like a CTX, your way over a grand. Straight shaft, diff coils, pinpoint, headphones, are not cheap mods if paying to have them done. Yes you can use an Excal in stock form, but would you?

 

[jeepGold]

Owning a highly mod'd excal and a stock 3030 I can tell you that the 3030 wins. For a rock solid, hassle free water machine I'd do the excal. For an everything machine, hands down to the ctx.
Here's an example: You take the excal beach hunting. How many pennies do you dig? I dig TONS. You might lock in that tone in your ear the best you can but it's just to dang close to a gold signal. So you dig it. Penny... #%@#%.

Now take the 3030 beach hunting. You'll see that a penny is 12.36 or 12.37... what are the odds that it's a wedding band compared to a penny? 100 to 1? 1000 to 1? More? My time is valuable. I hit a penny with the 3030, I choose the option to discrim JUST that number and move on. I wont be digging pennies for the rest of the day.
Recently I went to the Carribean. The beach was infested with pull tabs. I mean 2 per swing EVERY swing. It was down right frustrating. The excal would of had me just walk away frowning. The 3030 I discrim'd 12.15. That was the pull tab number. Again that could be very fine gold but I'm talking THOUSANDS of pull tabs several inches deep. Time is valuable. Then when I get to a cleaner beach I can un-discrim those numbers again. .
Water proof? Nothing is salt water proof. Salt water will eat ANYTHING after awhile. Every time I take ANY machine water hunting I hose it down and then take it in the shower and clean it.
Excal used: 900. Straight carbon shaft (3 piece travel) 150.00. remote pp, 125.00 15" coil 350.00. better headphones 150.00. wires going all over the place asking to get messed up? All the time. Thats right about 1700 bucks for a USED, moded excal with NO warranty.

A little over 2k for a NEW 3030, no need to mod ( maybe 30.00) and your DONE with WARRANTY. No wires all over, straight shaft (carbon), has a pp function, gps, tracking, clock, multiple programs, user set tones, wireless..
I had a hard time mustarding 2500 for the dual coil set up I have but after going on hunts with my buddy who had a 3030 and I had the excal and constantly getting owned by him, I stepped up. The 1st two weeks I HATED it. It was SO different, but after learning it (still am) and tweaking the settings to make it act like an excal with the threshold options and being able to go deeper, see numbers, and make it how I want, my pennies turned into quarters and my finds have risen drastically.

Issues: cuff cam lock has a hard time fully locking in the arm cuff and you'll need to get a 10.00 o ring mod. BIG DEAL.

Another huge perk is the option to use most any headphone on the dry.

 

[Captain Caveman]

This is a good thread and has been a great read. Thanks for all the input from everyone including the review from the OP.

 

[ARC]

$1000 diff? Not really. By the time your done making the Excal feel and perform like a CTX, your way over a grand. Straight shaft, diff coils, pinpoint, headphones, are not cheap mods if paying to have them done. Yes you can use an Excal in stock form, but would you?

I do... heh.. always have...
I tweek em in other ways :P

By the way... I own /run Excal2 #3...
Owned pretty much every decent detector that minelab has produced...
MINUS the gold high enders.
Along with Garrett...
Whites...
And Fisher... JW Fisher...
Bounty hunter... etc etc etc... Sheesh I could do thi all day...
I have owned TONS of detectors and tested or played with /used/ mega over my life..
Never owned a. Tesoro but have looked at a few lately for my girl...
I bought her an X2 (bought a pair upon release) and she did not like it due to issues with weight etc.
She still uses one of my old Whites IDX's... and also an ACE.

Depth... I run my tweaked pulse ;P...
Which wil blow ALL of em away on depth...
Sorry guys :P

 

[Fletch88]

Buy her a Vaquero and she'll love you forever!

 

[ARC]

Buy her a Vaquero and she'll love you forever!

IS it water proof ?
She does not even hunt in water... she is a "dirty girl" ... she likes to dig...
BUT even with that said...
I will not buy a detector for her that is not waterproof.
Again... my money... stays my money.

Besides...
I want to watch her and the detector wash off in the shower together at the beach. (metal detectorist dream) :P

 

[Fletch88]

Not waterproof but light as a feather for dirty fishing and dry sand beach detecting!

 

[ARC]

Not waterproof but light as a feather for dirty fishing and dry sand beach detecting!

She already has "light as a feather" Whites and even lighter ACE...
Waterproof is issue...
And the deal killer for any "new" detectors in her future from me...
Her Whites was my old "trunk" detector that rolled around in the trunk for those "quick picks"...
I only owned it because at the time I bought it... it was 100 bucks helping a guy I know out...
That detector has been rolling around for at least 10 years... and not would buy another just because it IS a good detector and well built IMO...
BUT... would not pay much for any or one that is not WP... and used.
Most of the detectors that I have owned over the years that are NOT WP were used good deal purchases.
The ACE was gift. (not from me)

She did not like the Excal for the weight... I fixed that... but she did not like being "tied up" with the wiring etc...
She likes to just set it down quickly and being free of it... without the hassle.

 

[Fletch88]

Well AARC, that only leaves the almighty ATPro unless she would swing a PI? I doubt she's that hardcore though, you must have a weak mind and very strong back to run a PI LOL!

 

[ARC]

She has used my pulse ... with my custom box belt... but again... she does not like the "tethered" feeling.

Wanna talk about a heavy detector ?
Swing an 8x...
I have an extra arm muscle from that detector.
Got to be the heaviest out there.

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

8x has been designed for underwater use I guess... so no need to worry about the weight.

 

[ARC]

8x has been designed for underwater use I guess... so no need to worry about the weight.

heh...
All my detectors have been designed for UW use Frog... :P
This does not mean they are used for this specifically... especially by me.

I have a custom made 4 foot mod skid for mine as well...
I can hit deeper than you are tall.

 

[dewcon4414]

Now i have to ask TH, why is kelleyco selling those gaskets and ML not just replacing them if those gaskets fix the problem?

 

[OBN]

Kellyco isn't selling them yet they are on order, I convince KC to order them and include one in all 3030 repairs coming in no matter what they come in for repair for and if someone wants to buy a couple they can sell them... As far as Minelab, I can't answer that, that is up to Minelab in Australia......

Thanks TH for the extra effort on getting a real water hunters input to kellyCo.. I'm seeing things now that I know we would have never been able to convince minelabs to do.. One of the best I think is the Battery Ikelite endcap.. before we had to purchase the complete pod, now we can get the endcap from kellyco. And Thanks to KellyCo for stepping up to the plate and offering services and parts at a very reasonable price.

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

OBN, I have to warn you: you need to patent all your MODs

 

[dewcon4414]

A lot had to do with Barry and Dave ....... i believe Dave is a hunter Joe. Hats off to you TH......... thats an outstanding idea.... at least Kelleyco sees the need and is willing to step up. To Joe........ cant say enough about you. You have brought the best out of a good machine.