Comparisons - DFX, MXT, Sovereign

[lab rat]

If anyone has at least two of these three machines: White's DFX or MXT or Minelab Sovereign I am interested in how you would compare these units for depth, accuracy of discrimination, and success with fine gold (ie thin chains or very small nuggets). Which machine is best, and why?

If you have bought one of these machines recently, did you look at the others mentioned here? What was it that caused you to decide to go with what you have?

What kind of environment do you detect in most frequently?

 

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[Carl-NC]

I have a DFX and Sov, but not a MXT. I have not used the Sov much, so I can't give an honest comparison. But depth seems to be comparable to the DFX. Mine has a Sunray meter, and that seems to be pretty good, though I am much more familiar with White's ID numbering.

I don't care for the DD coils on the Sov, they have no advantages in the areas I hunt, and make pinpointing a little harder, and decrease depth slightly. The biggest complaint on the Sov is shear weight -- the DFX is a breeze to swing all day long, the Sov is not.

The guy who designed the MXT, also designed the GMT, and I suspect the MXT is based on the same circuitry. Therefore, I would expect the MXT to be a better fine gold/nugget detector, which I know is not a strong point with the DFX. Don't know about the Sov on small gold.

- Carl

 

[Jim McCulloch]

Lab Rat, I, too, detect in So Cal, and here is what I have found: Depth on coins: virtually no difference between DFX and MXT. Sovereign gets about 85% as much depth as the other two. However, if you toss the newer Minelabs Explorer II into the consideration, I have found that there is less than a 5% difference in maximum depth on those three machines mentioned i.e. DFX, MXT, Explorer II. Of course, this is taking into consideration that all machines are optimally tuned. VDI depth and accuracey: MXT, DFX, Exploer II, Soveriegn, in that order, but the difference is not great. Sensitivity to gold jewelry: The MXT, and DFX operating at 15 khz, outperform the Minelabs. Sensitivity to small gold nuggets: the MXT is the clear winner here. The MXT is basically a GMT gold machine which has been modified for coin hunting, yet still possesses the extreme sensitivity of a gold machine. Best unit for your use: MXT. Hope this helps; HH Jim

 

[lab rat]

Thanks for the input, folks! Very helpful. I have been using a CZ-20 for several years, and it needs to go into the shop. Or get replaced. So I'm seriously considering the MXT. For the price it looks like a capable unit. Any feelers on how it responds over black sand or salt? (It isn't waterproof like the CZ, but I don't hunt so much in the water any more!)

 

[coinshooter]

Coindog - There is no learning curve on the sovereign. It has 5-6 dials and two switches. How confusing is that? I never even touch anything on it except the on/off switch and the all metal/discrim swicth. You and others are right about it being heavy (with a 10" coil), but I have taken the idiot meter off of it and removed the box to a chest mount bag. With these two modifications, I can "keep it swinging" most of the day too! I have no opinion of the other machines as I have not used them, my only question to others is as LabRat asked "what about heavily mineralized black beach sand and how do they perform when you get next to the water? Also, do they self balance as you go in and out of the water and are they somewhat waterproof? Can the control boxes be removed from the stick for chest mounting? Just trying to do a good evaluation on the things that I like about my machine. Sounds like others are partial to the white's. How do they all compare pricewise?