F5 to V3i Is it worth it?

[yankeetom57]

I am thinking of upgrading to a V3i but am unsure if the extra $5-700 for a used one is worth it or not. I mostly hunt coins/jewelry but with an occassional opportunity to gold and beach hunt. I live in the Texas panhandle so dont get to do much of the latter at all. I am pretty happy with my F5 but know that it has its limitations ie depth, mineralized soil, trashy areas. I have read some threads on the V3i that sound impressive, and increase the opportunities for finds. Since im not made of money, but have a chance to add enough to get a used one would it be worth it. Thx for everyones input

 

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[F2 Hunter 28146]

I kinda like the F5 a lot. However when I upgraded to a F75 (Camo) LE. It was like night and day with the F5 versus the F75. And one choice that I was glad I made.

 

[yankeetom57]

What differences did you see? Does it work on the beach or in the gold fields?

 

[cudamark]

I am thinking of upgrading to a V3i but am unsure if the extra $5-700 for a used one is worth it or not. I mostly hunt coins/jewelry but with an occassional opportunity to gold and beach hunt. I live in the Texas panhandle so dont get to do much of the latter at all. I am pretty happy with my F5 but know that it has its limitations ie depth, mineralized soil, trashy areas. I have read some threads on the V3i that sound impressive, and increase the opportunities for finds. Since im not made of money, but have a chance to add enough to get a used one would it be worth it. Thx for everyones input

Your hunt conditions will determine what you need. If you're pretty much at your depth limit with current detector, that would be a good reason to upgrade as the old targets will probably get deeper as the years go by. Also, if you run into mineralized and unstable ground, a higher end unit might handle that better and make it easier to find, and/or I.D. a target. None of the ones you mentioned are particularly good salt water beach machines. They're fine for the dry sand but not all that great in the wet. If you plan on hunting wet sand or knee deep water, I would suggest getting an Explorer or E-trac instead of the V3i. That was the deciding factor when I chose between the V3i and E-trac. If the budget can handle it, the CTX3030 is even better.....not heaps better but sometimes that slight edge is all the difference in the world.

 

[F2 Hunter 28146]

If I was going to spend that kind of money. I would just get a Deus XP. But thats just me. I really love the way that unit shows the difference in junk targets and the good stuff. Its almost like cheating on the Metal Detector Gods!

 

[Normsel]

The more money you spend the better features each detector has. I just bought a V3i as an upgrade from my At pro and i am happy with it. When you spend that much money no matter what detector you buy they each have their advantages over the next brand. Like cudamark says he picked the E-trac over the V3i because of where he uses it.

I have hunted with guys that have the CTX 3030 and the E-trac and all I can say they are good detectors. The CTX 3030 is a bit better and has gps tracking but it costs more too. For me it was almost a coin flip between the E-trac and V3i. No matter what detector you have if you master it the results can be amazing. I learned my Ace3 250 and my At Pro so well I never looked at the VDI I knew by the sound what it was and how deep. I only hope to get that good with my V3i

 

[norbyx]

I have had a v3i and WAS going to purchase a etrac, ended up getting the detector I always regret to have sold, a mxt. The thing is like this. I have compared the v3i to the mxt side by side, and there was not one target the v3i could see over the mxt, there was not one ID that the mxt couldn't make out and the v3i could, with the difference that the mxt was one of the simplest detectors to use and the v3i I believe to be the most complicated of them all...
I sold the mxt to force me to learn the v3i, well after 6 months the v3i was sold as well.... Now I have a mxt pro on the way... Will never change it... As for the etrac I have never tested one but I rather have a detector that can find small gold than and silver than one that can find silver but is deaf on small gold... Minelabs are deaf to small gold...
Think it well before upgrading, the f5 is a great detector and with 700 extra you can buy yourself a second detector, keeping the one you have as backup, and still have the performance of the top of the line detectors out there.

 

[RobRieman]

The V3i is an awesome machine if you spend the time to learn how to use it. It is not a "use once every couple of months" machine. It takes every bit of 100 hours+ to get the hang of what it is telling you if you program it to your soil type and hinting styles. I don't think anyone actually masters the machine as everything can be modified and you find yourself second guessing your settings sometimes. I love mine but you need to be the techy type and be willing to try different settings. If you just want a simple 1 or 2 knob beep and dig type machine that you use once a month or so it is not the detector for you. It's incredibly deep and accurate on its VDI's when you get it right.

 

[scotty544]

The V3i is an awesome machine if you spend the time to learn how to use it. It is not a "use once every couple of months" machine. It takes every bit of 100 hours+ to get the hang of what it is telling you if you program it to your soil type and hinting styles. I don't think anyone actually masters the machine as everything can be modified and you find yourself second guessing your settings sometimes. I love mine but you need to be the techy type and be willing to try different settings. If you just want a simple 1 or 2 knob beep and dig type machine that you use once a month or so it is not the detector for you. It's incredibly deep and accurate on its VDI's when you get it right.

I love my V3i but it is tough to learn and you can change the settings so that you are actually harming your hunting abilities. However you can always restore a program to its factory default. What is really handy is the ability to test the mineralization of the ground and adjust your filters for maximum results. That being said I am a bit disappointed in coin depth. Average depth is 6 inches or less. I have found some coins in the 8 to 10 inch range, just not many.

 

[RobRieman]

I love my V3i but it is tough to learn and you can change the settings so that you are actually harming your hunting abilities. However you can always restore a program to its factory default. What is really handy is the ability to test the mineralization of the ground and adjust your filters for maximum results. That being said I am a bit disappointed in coin depth. Average depth is 6 inches or less. I have found some coins in the 8 to 10 inch range, just not many.

It really depends on the type of soil you hunt in if the coins ever make it that deep. Are you sure you there are coins that you are missing in the 8 to 10 inch range? Just because you are not finding them doesn't mean they are there. I thought the same until I pulled a few items out at a foot or better, seems that in my area most targets are under 6 inches.

 

[FreeMindStuck]

It really depends on the type of soil you hunt in if the coins ever make it that deep. Are you sure you there are coins that you are missing in the 8 to 10 inch range? Just because you are not finding them doesn't mean they are there. I thought the same until I pulled a few items out at a foot or better, seems that in my area most targets are under 6 inches.

I agree that there just may not be coins that deep where you're hunting. Most of the coins I've found in my area at around 10 inches are in areas that have been bulldozed or had fill added.

 

[scotty544]

It really depends on the type of soil you hunt in if the coins ever make it that deep. Are you sure you there are coins that you are missing in the 8 to 10 inch range? Just because you are not finding them doesn't mean they are there. I thought the same until I pulled a few items out at a foot or better, seems that in my area most targets are under 6 inches.

I do think most targets are 6 inches and under but several of my best finds this year have been 6 to 8 inches and were not a very consistent vdi or tone. Was running about as hot as I can without a ton of falsing

 

[yankeetom57]

Thx everyone for the input. After listening to everyone and reading the threads
I am considering the F75 since I am familiar with F series. Dont think I would all the extra
adjustments on the V3i. The 75 seems the quite capable machine without
the large $ to get it. Couple questions about the 75, How is it in mineralized soil like
the mountains of NM? How is the target separation? Will be huntingvmostly parks, schools,
and residential yardsfor coins and jewelry. With the occasional trip to the mountains

 

[F2 Hunter 28146]

The F75! I love my F75. However I have the F75 "Limited Edition" Camouflage version. It has Boost Process & Cache Mode. For me this thing is a beast. It has Dual Processing Mode whats really cool about that is it can be notched out and you can also discriminate iron out manually. You have "fast grab" ground balance & if that doesnt work you can manually balance it.

Also there are different tones. From 1 to 4 tones depending on what you are wanting to hear and look for. Plus you can change the Frequency that you are using to search for different targets (up to seven). You even have bottle cap mode if you are searching in a really crappy area like a park. I Absolutely love my switch from F5 to F75 LE!

 

[McKinney_5900]

I love my V3i but it is tough to learn and you can change the settings so that you are actually harming your hunting abilities. However you can always restore a program to its factory default. What is really handy is the ability to test the mineralization of the ground and adjust your filters for maximum results. That being said I am a bit disappointed in coin depth. Average depth is 6 inches or less. I have found some coins in the 8 to 10 inch range, just not many.

you can change the settings so that you are actually harming your hunting abilities.

You pointed out a key limitation in the V3i in my opinion.

 

[RobRieman]

you can change the settings so that you are actually harming your hunting abilities. You pointed out a key limitation in the V3i in my opinion.

You can do that with any machine. The difference is if you know what your doing you can fix the problems your having in in a particular situation with the V3i unlike with most other machines where your limited to a few factory settings.

 

[McKinney_5900]

You can do that with any machine. The difference is if you know what your doing you can fix the problems your having in in a particular situation with the V3i unlike with most other machines where your limited to a few factory settings.

The V3i, IMO, gets "tricked up" to a point rather easily where it eventually takes a reset to a factory state. I've sat down and re-programed the coin program one setting at a time from the listings in the factory program, and never re grouped a good operation. Restoring from the library files usually does the trick, yet the machine has gotten to messed up that it takes a full master reset. Just sayin' that I've not found it recoverable once over tweaked by manually setting the last changes I made that day. It's hit and miss, and that is frustrating.

 

[elijahhenry10]

I don't think you'll regret buying an F75 one bit. It was like night and day when I upgraded from an Omega to it. It took a little bit of learning, but it is a great machine.

 

[RobRieman]

The V3i, IMO, gets "tricked up" to a point rather easily where it eventually takes a reset to a factory state. I've sat down and re-programed the coin program one setting at a time from the listings in the factory program, and never re grouped a good operation. Restoring from the library files usually does the trick, yet the machine has gotten to messed up that it takes a full master reset. Just sayin' that I've not found it recoverable once over tweaked by manually setting the last changes I made that day. It's hit and miss, and that is frustrating.

Sounds like you may need to have it looked at if it's experiencing those symptoms. That's definitely not correct behavior by any stretch. Do you have an early one? May need a firmware update or a new e-prom. I've never had that problem and the other guys I hunt with have not had a similar problem either.

 

[norbyx]

Sounds like you may need to have it looked at if it's experiencing those symptoms. That's definitely not correct behavior by any stretch. Do you have an early one? May need a firmware update or a new e-prom. I've never had that problem and the other guys I hunt with have not had a similar problem either.

I had the same exact problem and mine was the latest firmware version. The program once tweeked it became unusable and I had to reset the detector.
For my opinion the v3i is a Mediocre detector, it might be whites flagship but it is designed in a complex manner that makes you think if you are detecting with the right setting every time.