Are whites machines generally more than garret and others

49er12

Bronze Member
Aug 22, 2013
1,238
1,627
Rolling Rock, Pennsylvania
Detector(s) used
Minelab xterra, Whites DFX, Notka Makro Simplex. Folks the price don’t mean everything, the question is are you willing to put in the time to learn the machine, experience will pay off I guarantee it.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

HighVDI

Silver Member
Feb 16, 2017
2,765
4,594
Pa
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Id say features, how new the unit is on the market, how well the product was advertised and many other factors.

All the big names seem to have entry, mid and higher end machines that tend to be in the same price range. Theres many pinpointers out there for 100 plus too.
 

Icewing

Silver Member
Jan 5, 2016
2,633
5,494
NW Arkanslaw
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 900 / Garrett PropointerAT.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Call me short sighted but if it's a brand sold at Walmart or Hobby Lobby, I'm not risking wasting my money on it.
Chances are it's mass produced and outdated technology.
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,419
30,082
White Plains, New York
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Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Yes, Whites products are overpriced.:skullflag:
 

Kace

Bronze Member
Aug 15, 2017
2,099
4,910
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX, Whites Bullseye 2 Pointer, Audio 200 D Headphones,
Garrett AT MAX, Garrett Pro-Pointer AT, MS-3 Headphones,
Lesche Digger, Lesche Shovel, 4' T Handle Probe.
GoPro, RC Truck, Drone.
Primary Interest:
Other
I love my DFX...Yes it was considerably more expensive than similar units when I bought it. I see you have one.

When I was wanting a submersible machine I was going to buy the MX Sport and decided to go with the AT Max. I don't regret that at all. I tried both before buying for a short period.

I think the Garrett Pro Pointer AT is Awesome. I have the Bullseye ll Pointer and it's okay, I wouldn't buy another one after using the AT. It's worth the money and Garrett has an amazing customer service dept. and warranty on their products.

I've never had a problem with my DFX but I have talked to Whites several times and they've been great too.

Kace
 

Philvis

Sr. Member
Mar 24, 2008
414
330
Virginia
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600
I think the price difference involves production numbers. Whites isn't nearly as big of a company as Garrett the last I heard, and if they are not producing nearly as much, resulting in production costs being higher for sure. In my uninformed opinion, Whites seems to be more of a mom and pop shop (no offense meant at all), compared to Garrett which is more of a large corporation. They just don't have the money for innovation as much as Garrett does. Merely my observation and not being involved with either company in any way, shape, or form!
 

devldog

Silver Member
Mar 9, 2012
3,642
6,335
Georgia
Detector(s) used
Whites MXT ALL PRO, Minelab Safari
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
I have the Whites MXT PRO and really like this MD. Did I feel it was a bit pricey when I first bought it? Yes, but it has done well for me in finding relics where I thought none surely remained. I guess all in all it all boils down to if you are happy with your MD and feel that it performs well for you in whatever type of hunting you do. I have just ordered the Minelab Safari from Richard @ Backwoods Detectors, a MD I have had my eye on for sometime and I'm anxious to see how it does comparatively to the MXT PRO.
 

OP
OP
49er12

49er12

Bronze Member
Aug 22, 2013
1,238
1,627
Rolling Rock, Pennsylvania
Detector(s) used
Minelab xterra, Whites DFX, Notka Makro Simplex. Folks the price don’t mean everything, the question is are you willing to put in the time to learn the machine, experience will pay off I guarantee it.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Being that said, money, research, one company hasn’t made a machine much more superior than the other.
 

Tahts-a-dats-ago

Sr. Member
Apr 30, 2014
254
563
NJ
Detector(s) used
Legend,
Anfibio multi,
Apex,
ORX,
Deus,
Vanquish 440
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
To my mind it is all a matter of perspective.

In the agricultural world that I was raised in things were mostly divided between green loyalties and red loyalties. A scant few favored other colors (blue, yellow, orange, red/gray) but the vast majority chose either green or red.

Green was the most popular of the two major colors. Feature for feature, it was also the most expensive – often by quite a large amount.

Those with green loyalties cited dealer support, resell value, and brand favoritism as rock-solid reasons for their purchasing decisions.

Those with red loyalties cited dealer support, lower costs, bang for the buck, and brand favoritism as rock-solid reasons for their purchasing decisions.

Those with loyalties to the other colors cited much lower prices, bang for the buck, and disgust with the two major players as rock-solid reasons for their purchasing decisions.

I don’t know that any of the choices were wrong – or right. I’ve used all of those colors and found that I had likes/dislikes with each.

Green certainly had some legitimate justifications for the increased cost.

Red was different, but got the job done at a smaller cost.

We ended up using most orange and/or blue – but there were some concessions that had to be made (dealer support and parts availability).

In the end the crops got planted, cared for, and ultimately harvested. The tools used were chosen as a matter of perspective – and the value of that choice was raised/lowered in accordance to what was delivered, for what was paid.

Most people felt the return from Green was well worth the extra cost – making Green (in their mind anyway) a much better value.
 

Diggin-N-Dumps

Gold Member
Sep 9, 2009
6,046
3,781
Fort Worth,Texas
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030 / AT PRO / Etrac w/ NEL
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
IN the end it always comes down to Customer Service for me. I use my CTX most times, but still use my ATP too. And having the Garrett building 15 miles from my house is plus too. I've had nothing but positive experiences with Garrett. Ive taken in all my older black Pro Pointers and pretty much got them replaced for around 20 a piece. Plus they took care of me when I knocked a hole in my AT Pro Pointer.

They looked at it, looked at me and handing me a new one in the box.
 

Aug 5, 2015
504
648
Detector(s) used
Entry level POS that I found in the thickets along a river.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I used White's machines for many years, starting with a White's Eagle. I put mine through horrifically hard use, but I never had any real issues with their functionality until they totally crapped out many years after purchase. Any minor things I ever dealt with were addressed wonderfully by White's, with that traditional small business customer service.

I now use a very lightweight machine with a reputation for good target separation, but I have nothing but good things to say about White's and would love to own another of their metal detectors someday.

Garrett definitely has the marketing machine and a good product, but it is always worth trying a few different brands out or hunting with people who use different machines.
 

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