minelab vs whites vs fisher

[coinshot]

Minelab Explorer 2- Better Depth than Whites DFX and Fisher coinstrike

Used them side by side today...checked signals with minelab then coinstrike then DFX

On silver targets deeper than 10 inches in moist soil (city park)

Minelab- great signals with some to spare

Coinstrike- choppy signals....could not pin point very well (detector was maxed out...indicated trash..still had a signal though)

DFX- no signal at all .... would have completly missed the coin


Minelab 10" double D coil

Whites DFX 10" standard coil (very nicely balanced machine....extremley accurate pinpoint...but inferior depth against the other 2)

Coinstrike 8" spider coil (better pinpoint accuracy than the Minelab but no where near the Whites)

I was hunting with my local MD distributor...20 yrs exp....

all MDs were set to basic factory settings.

I think the coinstrike would have performed very close to the minelab if it had the 10.5" coil that is available

All things considered though....the Whites was more comfortable and easier to use than the fisher or the minelab...however...the fisher and the minelab have better depth...

whites DFX ... great for beginners to experts .... lots of bells and whistles...very easy to use...some nice advanced settings available..the versatility of this machine is incredible ( nice nice nice)

fisher coinstrike... intermediate.... better depth than the DFX!! harder to use though ( I own this one )

Minelab... expert....heavy machine....hard to use...need alot of experience to use this one...very complex settings available...and boy does this thing go deep!!! (this is not a machine for the beginner)

Hope this helps those that are looking for advice on buying a new machine...as I am a novice...I was lucky enough to have a very knowledgeable person show me the difference first hand in the field.

 

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[rvbvetter]

How did your hunt go? Did you ask your dealer if minelab was a breed of dog? Hope you had fun and found some goodies. HH

 

[bakergeol]

Of three detectors you tested I have only used the Explorer 11. I thought it was the best pure coin hunter I have ever used. However I could not handle it's weight and poor balance.

However, your discussion is about detector depth only and not about the other capabilites of these detectors. Depth of course is just one consideration. It kind of gives the impression that the Explorer 11 is the leader in the depth department for VLFs(I am ax X-5 user but I am not going in that direction).

The undisputed leader for discrimination depth for a VLF in mild ground is the Nautilus. There is NO debate on this one. The only question is who is #2 for discrimination VLF depth. Althought I have never used one, from what I have read the new Treasure Barons may hold that spot. It would be interesting to see a field test between the Explorer 11, Nautilus Dmc 11B and a Treasure Baron.

Of course a good PI (e.g. Infinium) will blow away all the above detectors in the depth department. But then reliable discrimination is the issure here. It will be interesting to see if Eric's new PI the Goldscan 5 has the necessary iron ID ability to be employed as a relic/old coin-old site hunter(Because of it's depth it could not be employed as a park hunter). Perhaps when I receive mine I could do some comparison tests with an Explorer user.

George

 

[Charles]

Hmm, I would have though the DFX would get at least the same depth as the older Whites Spectrum. I buried a dime about 7 years ago at the max depth my Whites Spectrum would give a good repeatable signal and ID the coin. I did this to test other detectors I was buying to see what the depth difference really was compared to the Spectrum. Turned out the Spectrum was the only one I could find it with.(spectrum was getting about 1 inch better at the most).? A few years later I ended up selling my Spectrum because I started only water hunting. I decided last year to get another land machine and remembered drooling over the first picture I saw of the Explorer so I bought an Explorer II and really love it, but it can't find that dime. The area beside my house where I buried it is not very big so I know about where it is. I have searched the whole area with no luck. It was only buried about 7 inches or so because that was max depth I could find it. The ground there makes for a good test area because there is a lot of small rusted nails and such from an old farm that was here. It mimics most of the old homesites I use to search.
? I had the sensitivity bumped up a bit on the Spectrum in the Coin/Jewelry mode with the pre amp gain.(Pre Amp Gain on Spectrum increased the receiver strength on the spectrum where sensitivity increased the transmitted power) almost maxed.(This was how I normally had it set for hunting).
? I maxed out sensitivity(on manual) on the Explorer and set it to accept foil/coins/jewelry. I run it on Fast with gain up to boost signal of deeper targets(no way to boost receiver power on explorer).
? After getting the explorer training video I understand that the DD coil detects a long knife like sweep and covers more ground at it's max depth, But depth and sensitivity to very small targets are sacrificed in the process.(also explains why it won't detect a small gold cross at more that 1 inch).
Other detectors tested was the Fisher CZ-6A(loved iron way too much), Garrett GTA Ultra 1000, Minelab Sovereign with meter added, Minelab Excal- 8 inch coil, Tesoro Stingray, Whites Surfmaster II. I gotta buy another spectrum someday to find my dime.

 

[rvbvetter]

I've got the EXP II and DFX. Your EXP II should be picking up that dime easily.
When your putting it on fast, are you putting it on deep also? When you say you're setting it to except foil, coin, and jewelry. Does that mean your using the select feature and Xing out targets and putting checks at ones to accept? It's not really neccesary. Try clearing your settings and hitting menu then audio then volume then run the gain up to 10 Then hit menu and then options and putting it on advanced. Then hit response and put or leave it on normal, then hit back button then recover and turn on both fast and deep then hit the detect button. And with your sensitivity up and auto ground balance on (bar flashing around # on left side of your screen)
you should be able to detect that dime with ease. HH

 

[deacon]

Great thread so far. I appreciate all the info as I'm considering another machine. Something for more serious relic hunting. I've been looking at Whites MXT, Nautilus IIb, and Minelabs( a Sovieregn Gt?). Tommy or rvbetter, how long did it take to learn the Explorer? Since I only get in a few hours a month detecting I don't think I'd get enough experience to effectively learn the Explorer.

 

[rvbvetter]

I've had my EXP II for approximatly 4 months, so actually i'm still learning it. But speaking for myself, i don't feel that's to say you can't go out and use it effectively right away. I was finding coins the day i got it. Not because i'm so smart, but because of watching the video and flipping through the manual, gave me a small grasp of the basic operation of it. The first month was the toughest for me. After having read the manual a couple of times and then being out on a hunt and having the detector go bananas on me, had me glancing around for a dumpster on more than one occation. Then to recheck the manual and reallize i had hit the wrong button and cleared all of my settings. But soon my frustration started turning to amazement when it started showing what it was capable of. As far as, how long it takes to reach its full potential. I can't really say, because after 4 months i feel i'm no where near that.
One thing i would suggest is, don't do like me. I bought the EXP II and my Dfx at the same time. Which to me, made the learnig curve every body talks about look more like Mount Everest.
I have no problem reccomending the EXP II or Dfx to you. But if your looking for a detector you can master in a week or so, then this is probably not them. Ultimatily the choice is still yours. Which ever machine you choose, i wish you the best of luck with it, and enjoy. HH

 

[deacon]

Thanks,the jury is still out. I have to wait for the crops to be harvested, so I have some time. My local dealer has everything but the nautilis so I'll have to go check out the whites and minelabs. Hands on is probably the only way to decide with out having to buy one of each. I do like the sharng of info on this site. Thanks again.

 

[jeff of pa]

RV ;

You run Both FAST & DEEP at the Same time ?

I thought I read somewhere, IF you want the Deepest,

run deep without fast,

because fast takes away from deep.

This I read, years ago, on the Explorer XS, just curious if you tested both ways.

SINSE your ahead of me in the Explorer Learning Dept. here, I appreciate any & all opinions.

THANKS
Jeff