Amazing to me there are not more threads on this machine.

[wingmaster]

I have to agree with a couple of you on the topic of the cult followings some detectors have. I don't find the V3i wanting in any way to the new Equinox, yet that following is completely behind it. I have a good representation of all the available machines E-trac, V3i, F70 & 75 At-Pro, At-gold many others, so what I can say with certainty. White's (I call them Hard line models) MXT DFX V3i (Metal Box machines) have a certain quality feel to them. I don't feel like I can break the machine. I remember a conversation I had with Dave Johnson, who told me that should be a specification on all detectors. (Quality feel) I have finished a weight comparison test between several machines and it has surprised me how close the weight between machines really is. I would have thought the weight difference was greater but its not.

I agree the metal box is very nice when hunting deep wooded thickets, the places where you would worry about breaking those cheaper plastic detectors. I hope White's will keep offering the metal box detectors, because as more and more metal detect the more off the beaten path you have to go to find the good stuff. HH

 

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[Professor of Engineering]

I do like the White's V3i a true three frequency (Tx, Rx and signal process) machine. The user is also given quality information on the target.

 

[mntnflyr4fun]

I do like the White's V3i a true three frequency (Tx, Rx and signal process) machine. The user is also given quality information on the target.

I started detecting just after the MXT/GMT models were introduced with a new MXT and quickly decided it was not "sophisticated enough" to find the targets I was after. Within 7 or 8 months I had moved on to a new V3i and BURIED myself in doodoo trying to figure out how to make that beast run, as in I FLAMED OUT. It was easy to get it into a space where it couldn't find a quarter laying on the ground. After about a year it was gone and I purchased an E-trac which was a coin hog and found much silver in parks I had been in with the Whites Machines. A couple years with that and I realized that iron trash could kill its performance and so the next level was the super fast Deus when it first came out. I now own only an MXTPRO. Why? because in all my fussing trying to find the perfect detector, I learned along the way that there is no such thing and that the MXT can out hunt almost anything on any given day even if you haven't had it in your handsfor 6 months.... IF you pay just a little attention to the few controls it has as it has the almost perfect ground balance/tracking system of the GMT, has a full on all metal mode, a mixed mode, discrimination mode and threshold....... Simple, deep and effective and lots of coils available. I know this is a blog about the V3i, but if you strap one of those on, you definitely better be committed to many hundreds of hours figuring out how to get it working as it is not for everyone and takes PATIENCE at levels most detectorists just don't have and I think this is one of the biggest reasons the V3i has never gained the mainstream many people were expecting (me included) The Whites forum has EXTENSIVE threads (as in thousands)for the V3i because the machine requires the support of a community to sort it out. I think I would have been more successful if I had a few years experience with other models first, and used the stock program settings for a long time until I began understanding it at a level that sent me looking for a tweak to get me past a bump in the road, but all those adjustments just begged for adjusting and it killed my confidence in the machine before I could learn it. I think the V3i is a fine machine, it will never be good at prospecting due to its poor ground tracking system, but can be made to perform well in other venues IF you are willing to make the committment.
Good Luck to all.

 

[wingmaster]

I started detecting just after the MXT/GMT models were introduced with a new MXT and quickly decided it was not "sophisticated enough" to find the targets I was after. Within 7 or 8 months I had moved on to a new V3i and BURIED myself in doodoo trying to figure out how to make that beast run, as in I FLAMED OUT. It was easy to get it into a space where it couldn't find a quarter laying on the ground. After about a year it was gone and I purchased an E-trac which was a coin hog and found much silver in parks I had been in with the Whites Machines. A couple years with that and I realized that iron trash could kill its performance and so the next level was the super fast Deus when it first came out. I now own only an MXTPRO. Why? because in all my fussing trying to find the perfect detector, I learned along the way that there is no such thing and that the MXT can out hunt almost anything on any given day even if you haven't had it in your handsfor 6 months.... IF you pay just a little attention to the few controls it has as it has the almost perfect ground balance/tracking system of the GMT, has a full on all metal mode, a mixed mode, discrimination mode and threshold....... Simple, deep and effective and lots of coils available. I know this is a blog about the V3i, but if you strap one of those on, you definitely better be committed to many hundreds of hours figuring out how to get it working as it is not for everyone and takes PATIENCE at levels most detectorists just don't have and I think this is one of the biggest reasons the V3i has never gained the mainstream many people were expecting (me included) The Whites forum has EXTENSIVE threads (as in thousands)for the V3i because the machine requires the support of a community to sort it out. I think I would have been more successful if I had a few years experience with other models first, and used the stock program settings for a long time until I began understanding it at a level that sent me looking for a tweak to get me past a bump in the road, but all those adjustments just begged for adjusting and it killed my confidence in the machine before I could learn it. I think the V3i is a fine machine, it will never be good at prospecting due to its poor ground tracking system, but can be made to perform well in other venues IF you are willing to make the committment.
Good Luck to all.

Yep I use the MXT pro as well, even it takes time to learn well to get the most out of it. The MXT is a beast for sure with tracking like no other that will pick through iron very well if you can slow down enough, once learned well one can bypass most all trash going by sound alone and it's as deep as any with the right coil and settings. HH

 

[gsxraddict]

it's not a high end machine anymore, everyone has moved on to Noxes and Deus's that run circles around the v3i.

I'm going to take it out tomorrow though and see if I can dig some miniballs and skip some modern day shell casings.

 

[wingmaster]

it's not a high end machine anymore, everyone has moved on to Noxes and Deus's that run circles around the v3i.

I'm going to take it out tomorrow though and see if I can dig some miniballs and skip some modern day shell casings.

Just because some people will never be able to get the most out of the V3i doesn't mean there are better detectors out there, some will master it while others will never get the hang of it no matter how much they try. Does this mean there are better detectors for some people, it sure does if your a person that can't get the hang of all the adjustments then there are better detectors for you to use. Someone that can master all the settings and what the V3i has to offer will be hard to beat for sure. HH

 

[ATPRoDon]

I have an 800 and a V3i, and the NOX in no way runs circles around a V3i. No other metal detector out there tells you more about a target before you dig then a V3i. Sorry I don't agree.

 

[MackDog]

I use the V3i and have been for years. I have mastered it pretty well. My buddy runs the Nox with a 17 inch coil. It is the deepest machine I have ever seen. I run the V3i with the 15 x 18 and 12 x15 coils. The Nox will go an inch or 2 deeper. How ever the V3i will analyze the target way better give me better separation. There is only one or two spots here in Spokane that the coins are that deep so it's not much of a trade off. I find way more gold and silver jewelry than he does. Because it has only a few VDI numbers compared to 190 on the V it will make you dig a lot more junk if you want to get the good stuff. Also when you run multi frequencies at the same time it is way better to compare the different freq against each other. This is by far the best feature of the V3i

 

[Seabees]

Well the vote is in. The v3i is a highly effective machine like the president, but don’t dare talk about it in public.

 

[Carlitosway2]

The V3i was my first machine and felt it was great but then wanted something that I didn’t have to worry about dropping in the water and got the CTX3030 and I’m sorry to say for me it is a far more superior machine. Found boat loads of cool relics that my V3i didn’t pick up in years of detecting in same fields. All said and done they cost me about the same the time I got every coil possible for the Whites. Sorry just my opinion.

 

[wingmaster]

If you don't know how to adjust it for the area your detecting you'll never get the most out of it, in the right hands you wouldn't be finding anything the V3i missed the your CTX. HH

 

[powrsurg]

I don't know what is more surprising, how quiet the internet is on Whites in general or how quiet it is about the V3I. This machine is pretty amazing and Ive only scratched the surface.