Whites v3i in comparison to the 3030

[tnsharpshooter]

Stasys
If you don't like the price of the CTX don't buy one. And quit speculating about something you don't even have. Every detector that gets used will eventually experience problems. A car that sits in the garage is unlikely to break down. So minelab is a bad company. I wonder if you ever commented on how white's screwed their customers a few years ago with charging them with a software upgrade to their V3s. That's right whites' pick an arbitrary cutoff date for purchase and charged the customer not only for software upgrade but shipping as well, excluding return shipping. If you were fortunate enough to get the upgrade and return shipping done for free you still had to pay to ship it to a facility for the upgrade. And white's stated they had performed 7 years R&D on the V3. I guess this 7 years didn't include testing. Was it the customers fault for the poor testing/software? Not And white's turned the deficiency into what looks like a profit scheme with their customers. So far it looks like minelab is taking care of their customers with the CTX. And I guess minelab is the first company to have a waterproof detector to leak? It sounds like to me you have the CTX itch, but had rather keep talking to yourself via the forum in making excuses of why you shouldn't buy.

 

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[lost hunter]

Stasys
If you don't like the price of the CTX don't buy one. And quit speculating about something you don't even have. Every detector that gets used will eventually experience problems. A car that sits in the garage is unlikely to break down. So minelab is a bad company. I wonder if you ever commented on how white's screwed their customers a few years ago with charging them with a software upgrade to their V3s. That's right whites' pick an arbitrary cutoff date for purchase and charged the customer not only for software upgrade but shipping as well, excluding return shipping. If you were fortunate enough to get the upgrade and return shipping done for free you still had to pay to ship it to a facility for the upgrade. And white's stated they had performed 7 years R&D on the V3. I guess this 7 years didn't include testing. Was it the customers fault for the poor testing/software? Not And white's turned the deficiency into what looks like a profit scheme with their customers. So far it looks like minelab is taking care of their customers with the CTX. And I guess minelab is the first company to have a waterproof detector to leak? It sounds like to me you have the CTX itch, but had rather keep talking to yourself via the forum in making excuses of why you shouldn't buy.

Very well put

 

[norbyx]

Stasys
If you don't like the price of the CTX don't buy one. And quit speculating about something you don't even have. Every detector that gets used will eventually experience problems. A car that sits in the garage is unlikely to break down. So minelab is a bad company. I wonder if you ever commented on how white's screwed their customers a few years ago with charging them with a software upgrade to their V3s. That's right whites' pick an arbitrary cutoff date for purchase and charged the customer not only for software upgrade but shipping as well, excluding return shipping. If you were fortunate enough to get the upgrade and return shipping done for free you still had to pay to ship it to a facility for the upgrade. And white's stated they had performed 7 years R&D on the V3. I guess this 7 years didn't include testing. Was it the customers fault for the poor testing/software? Not And white's turned the deficiency into what looks like a profit scheme with their customers. So far it looks like minelab is taking care of their customers with the CTX. And I guess minelab is the first company to have a waterproof detector to leak? It sounds like to me you have the CTX itch, but had rather keep talking to yourself via the forum in making excuses of why you shouldn't buy.

I am no owner of the cxt but I will tell you this, comparing minelabs customer care with whites is like comparing dog poop with chocolate, they might look similar but the taste is quite different. Minelabs had never, ever, ever had a good costumer support and the ctx is easier for them just because it's upgradable through the USB port.
But I hope you never need to send it in for some small service because you will have to pay for shipping both ways plus the repairs are in line with the Bentley dealership, and your detector will most likely be out of your home for 2-3 moths.
A friend had a problem with a gpx4500 his headphone jack broke down, the detector was not under warranty and he called minelab to ask if they could send him just the headphone jack so he could change it, (an easy swap). They refused to sell him the jack and they made him send in the detector. Total repair cost was of $170 with the shipping.
I had a problem with a coil with whites v3i. I had purchased the coil second hand, I called whites to ask if I could send it to them for repairs, the answer was not to worry that they would take care of me and one week later I had a brand new coil in my mail, cost ZERO, the other coil I had I threw away. Now that is service. Oh btw the v3i software upgrade was free of charge if you sent it in on time, you just had to pay for the shipping to the factory. I don't see that as a bad service.

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[stasys]

Very well put

Very well put! CTX is grate! lets go and buy another one

 

[stasys]

Stasys
If you don't like the price of the CTX don't buy one. And quit speculating about something you don't even have. Every detector that gets used will eventually experience problems. A car that sits in the garage is unlikely to break down. So minelab is a bad company. I wonder if you ever commented on how white's screwed their customers a few years ago with charging them with a software upgrade to their V3s. That's right whites' pick an arbitrary cutoff date for purchase and charged the customer not only for software upgrade but shipping as well, excluding return shipping. If you were fortunate enough to get the upgrade and return shipping done for free you still had to pay to ship it to a facility for the upgrade. And white's stated they had performed 7 years R&D on the V3. I guess this 7 years didn't include testing. Was it the customers fault for the poor testing/software? Not And white's turned the deficiency into what looks like a profit scheme with their customers. So far it looks like minelab is taking care of their customers with the CTX. And I guess minelab is the first company to have a waterproof detector to leak? It sounds like to me you have the CTX itch, but had rather keep talking to yourself via the forum in making excuses of why you shouldn't buy.

Thsharpshooter CTX is grate, I like it! I will buy another one tomorrow! Thanks for letting me learn your Yellow brick road

 

[GreenMeanie]

I had both and they both acted kind of jumpy on numbers for me and that is trying at different settings.
But between the two I would still use the FBS technology over whites.
Whites has more settings if I remember right but that can get you second guessing yourself.
Both decent machines thou but the Minelab being Splash Proof helps alot too.

 

[mntnflyr4fun]

I ran a V3i hard for over a year at a well hunted park and pulled nothing but clad and trash. 1st visit to the same park with an etrac pulled a merc,(I barely knew how to turn the thing on....0 3rd trip pulled another merc and a few hunts later a V nickle.....From my perspective the etrac runs circles around the V3i. Much simpler to use, almost impossible to adjust so it won't run, and target ID's that stay in the zone they came from, not jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other. Took me a long time to make the switch to the Etrac from the V as I was a die hard Whites guy, but in this case, I really don't see what all the discussion is about, the Etrac works, you have to work the V3i. JMHO

 

[Jim in PA]

Never used a Minelab but I know people who do. I've found silvers with my V3i that they missed (both etrac and CTX). I'm sure they could find coins that I miss too, you never get it all. I get 8"+ coins and usually I can't run the sensitivity that high because of EMI. Maybe it's my soil but the machine goes deep and separates well. I have only used the machine in Michigan and Pennsylvania; it performs well in both soils. As far as separation, I've found coins with 5 nails in the same hole. The 3 freq pinpoint does a bang-up job of ID'ing targets. For example, I can find a silver quarter laying in a field of 1000 bottle caps. People have seen me dig 9" silver dimes with the V3i. Two weeks ago found a Barber half at 10" in an area that has been pounded with all other brands. I couldn't ask for a better detector and Whites customer service is the industry standard.

All the coils I've tried go deep on the V3i - 10X12SEF, 10DD, 6X10DD, 4X6DD, 950 concentric, 6DD excelerator.

 

[Chips]

Com'on guys .... who cares if one machine is better than the other, if one can find a coin at 8in and the other can find a coin at 7in.... in the end both are good detectors and every person here has what "he" considers to be the best machine.
Hey we all buy what we think it's the best that we can afford don't we? I think that none of us goes out to a store and says " hey give me the worse machine you got there, I need to hunt some ground and I wouldn't want to find some good stuf"..... We all go an buy what we "think" it's the best.
If there was just ONE certain best machine out there than I think that all of us would be using the same detector.
For me deep finds aren't the main reason you buy a detector, otherwise I would have bought a blisstool and end of story... that thing can find a quarter at 15in or more.... so let's just say that we all love our detectors and Happy Hunting to all of you....

Sorry guys not to get off topic too much, its been really interesting, reading the debate ( go freedom of speech )
but yea Norbyx, my 70 yr old neighbor bought a Blisstool.
He was/is a Tesoro fan. Dang that thing has more knobs on it than my great grandfather's short wave gramophone haha.
He complains about it no end, which means that he really likes it, I guess.
For something that looks like a BFO device it certainly has a bite!!.
Haha what really gets him boiling is,, that he has yet to figure out those stainless steel bottle caps
But since he has only had it a short while he may well get it to go. Till that time I will be hearing him from way over the other side of the park haha.

 

[mypenneys]

I have the new Whites V3i so far I have not found anything greater than 7 inches. I even buried a quarter penney and dime at nine inches had to dig it back up and lower it to 7 inches and at that its a little ifie. What am I doing wrong I understand the menus and know how to ground balance and set up and change from the expert menu. But nothing seems to work. How do I test this unit to make sure it is working right. Any test procedure

 

[Chips]

Sorry guys not to get off topic too much, its been really interesting, reading the debate ( go freedom of speech )
but yea Norbyx, my 70 yr old neighbor bought a Blisstool.
He was/is a Tesoro fan. Dang that thing has more knobs on it than my great grandfather's short wave gramophone haha.
He complains about it no end, which means that he really likes it, I guess.
For something that looks like a BFO device it certainly has a bite!!.
Haha what really gets him boiling is,, that he has yet to figure out those stainless steel bottle caps
But since he has only had it a short while he may well get it to go. Till that time I will be hearing him from way over the other side of the park haha.

Oh just an update, my neighbor is selling his Blisstool after all. He says its a good machine but couldn't get the hang of it plus he tends to do more beach hunting these days...

 

[Chips]

I have the new Whites V3i so far I have not found anything greater than 7 inches. I even buried a quarter penney and dime at nine inches had to dig it back up and lower it to 7 inches and at that its a little ifie. What am I doing wrong I understand the menus and know how to ground balance and set up and change from the expert menu. But nothing seems to work. How do I test this unit to make sure it is working right. Any test procedure

Hiya mypenneys and welcome to Tnet
Sorry to here about the depth issue. I am no expert on the V3i by any means but try here, these guys might be able to help out
Just click on the Whites name below and it will link you to the "Whites brand " Q&A part of the forum here. Each major brand has there own Q&A section

White's

Good luck..
I hear they are a very tweak-able machine

 

[JDug]

I used a v3i on a virgin homestead. I found 95 buttons, 11 large cents, a US box plate and many other items. It was a 100 square foot area. I gridded it twice in coin mode and twice in relic mode. Then I got the CTX and started over just in relic mode. I found another 45 buttons ( mostly small ), another large cents ( very pitted ) and another US box plate ( 2 foot deep). The CTX is my go to machine bar none except on Virginia red soil.

 

[shadowcat1971]

Wow! Now that I'm thoroughly confused on what to get next!! I am only familiar with whites and want to upgrade to a V3i. It seems like a tossup between that and an etrac for that price range. Some people say an etrac is way better and some people say the V3i is better! How does a person decide which to get? I currently have an XLT and wanna get more depth. So I probably know the whites system a little better, but would switch brands to get better finds, so with little help of the previous 93 or so posts, Which is a better detector??

 

[norbyx]

It is all up to you, your soil condition and your knowledge on the metal detector. If you know the whites you should stick with it. Will the etrack be better, yes and no. There is no real 100% sure answer

 

[shadowcat1971]

Northern Minn soil, pretty mineralized! Iron ore traces in pretty much all soils up here, not everywhere but... Do u like your v3i? Heard it's not to good in mineralized soil?

 

[norbyx]

I love my v3i, I live in Costa Rica so volcanic soil all over and the v3i works very well. Would I trade it for a etrack, personally no. For me a metal detector goes beyond a performance, don't know if the e track would be better than the whites what I do know is that the whites customer service is the best out there second to none.

 

[shadowcat1971]

Yeah I know! Thanks for the reply!

 

[JDug]

Wow! Now that I'm thoroughly confused on what to get next!! I am only familiar with whites and want to upgrade to a V3i. It seems like a tossup between that and an etrac for that price range. Some people say an etrac is way better and some people say the V3i is better! How does a person decide which to get? I currently have an XLT and wanna get more depth. So I probably know the whites system a little better, but would switch brands to get better finds, so with little help of the previous 93 or so posts, Which is a better detector??

The Minelab Etrac and CTX don't work in highly mineralized ground. The spectra v3i will work with the right coil. If that makes a difference

 

[shadowcat1971]

What coil do you recommend with the V3i I high mineralized