Help deciding on next unit...

[mattw]

Ok, I am considering replacing my DFX or adding another unit to the fold. It seems that most of the sites I hunt, old farms and such are so littered with trash that it is just about all the DFX will do to get through it. I am using the 4x6 and 6x10 coils, high recovery speed, low sens and pag and sweeping very slowly. It would be another story if I could dig out the trash as I go, but that would be 3 to 4 holes per sweep and more in places. Home owners would not like that!

So, I am going to add a machine this summer and am considering the F75, T2 and Explorer SE. The first 2 are more to my liking, because the are a little faster hunters or so I have been told. I have spent a little time with an SE and really did not like the poop balance and weight with the 10" coil. Granted it will go deep on silver!

I do not understand the variances in the F75's, you know the Special Edition, LTD and plain F75 so if you do some help would be great. T2's seem to have several versions floating around, are there any to stay away from? Please share your pros and cons with me and if you are around central IL and would allow me to try a machine it would be great. Maybe anywhere in the Champaign to Greenup to Springfield areas.

Thanks Matt

 

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[LuckyDragon]

White's the new color HD specrum Vi really fancy metal detector.

 

[Iron Patch]

If you are talking about a lot of non ferrous trash there's no detector that will work magic and it's just a matter of digging. If it's iron, that can be a little different and why I like my explorer. Regardless of what you choose expect some frustration starting out but it will get better. I think all those are pretty good detectors once you really know them.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

I think he's referring to one of these IP J/K

It kinda looks like the sun-ray probe eh?

 

[mattw]

Ok, a little more info for ya all. I mainly coin/button/jewelry hunt and most of the sites are heavily laden with iron trash (square nails). I can run the DFX such that I get brief hits between nails that are fairly reliable, but sometimes they are so boarderline that it just must be dug. I wish someone made a coil that was similar to the Hot Foot, but measured about 3"x 8". I really do not mind working around aluminum trash, have gotten fairly good at that.

Matt

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Mat, as far as the weight issue, get a harness with bungee, and weight will never be an issue. One of my machines is a ML Sob GT with a SEF 15 " x 18" Butterfly coil, I can hunt all day using the harness....

 

[LuckyDragon]

Mat, as far as the weight issue, get a harness with bungee, and weight will never be an issue. One of my machines is a ML Sob GT with a SEF 15 " x 18" Butterfly coil, I can hunt all day using the harness....

Just how big is your metal detector treasure_hunter ?
it sounds like your using a war issue land mine detector.
lol don't tell me your metal detector is 100 foot long and it a coil the size of steering wheel.

 

[DKinPA]

I've been there!

Hey Matt........I already lived your dilemma...LOL!! I used the DFX for 4 years and just had the itch to upgrade after last season. My initial thought was to simply move up to the V since I was always pleased with both the performance of the DFX and the service I received from White's......until I saw a demonstration of the F75 LTD at last year's GPAA show in Carlisle, PA.
To say the least it made me re-think my decision.
To make a long story short, I went with the LTD and I have not regretted the decision yet. My reasoning for the decision? I lived through 4 years wondering if I had the sweep speed set properly in conjunction with the recovery speed, the ground filter, the two sensitivity settings, the hot rock reject.....etc, etc! I chose the LTD based on simplicity and forum research. After reading the V forums and listening to the "settings" conversation I moved toward the LTD.
And yes, I have re-hunted old sites that I thought I had thoroughly searched and found more targets....was it all because of the machine? I wouldn't go that far and doubt the DFX but I am pleased with my results thus far with the LTD.
Is there a learning curve with the LTD? Absolutely! But I would definitely say it was shorter than the DFX.

Good luck with your decision!!

HH

Dave

 

[mattw]

DKinPA, this is the kind of stuff I am looking for. I was kinda considering the V, but like you I wonder if there are just to many variables to think about at each site. I really like the DFX, except in odd fringe situations which seem to be my norm anymore. I like to hunt old farm sites and very old homes that have usually had lots of work done to them. Therefore lots of nails. I have the DFX working really well in Aluminum trash, I only disc below -40 and listen to about everything. But in nail sites this just does not work. My latest site, within 3 feet of the house in a nail bed that I can't believe I have found 1 IH, 2 silver war nickles and about 45 wheats. This has taken enormous amounts of pain and patience. I cannot set my Garrett ProPointer on the ground anywhere in this field that it just does not sit there going off. To find most targets with it, I have to detune at powerup. I am going to go back to my BH pointer at this site.

I currently am working 3 sites like this and it is just driving me nuts. I have to run the SS=1, Rec.=35 and ACS=65 and PAG at 2 or 3 to get through the crap layer. Oh, don't forget to turn off autotrac or the thing is entirely out of GEB within minutes and you will have no threshold.

Out in the woods, I would not really want to give up my DFX. It is a monster with the stock coil and a PAG=4 and ACS=75.

Matt

 

[Iron Patch]

DKinPA, this is the kind of stuff I am looking for. I was kinda considering the V, but like you I wonder if there are just to many variables to think about at each site. I really like the DFX, except in odd fringe situations which seem to be my norm anymore. I like to hunt old farm sites and very old homes that have usually had lots of work done to them. Therefore lots of nails. I have the DFX working really well in Aluminum trash, I only disc below -40 and listen to about everything. But in nail sites this just does not work. My latest site, within 3 feet of the house in a nail bed that I can't believe I have found 1 IH, 2 silver war nickles and about 45 wheats. This has taken enormous amounts of pain and patience. I cannot set my Garrett ProPointer on the ground anywhere in this field that it just does not sit there going off. To find most targets with it, I have to detune at powerup. I am going to go back to my BH pointer at this site.

I currently am working 3 sites like this and it is just driving me nuts. I have to run the SS=1, Rec.=35 and ACS=65 and PAG at 2 or 3 to get through the crap layer. Oh, don't forget to turn off autotrac or the thing is entirely out of GEB within minutes and you will have no threshold.

Out in the woods, I would not really want to give up my DFX. It is a monster with the stock coil and a PAG=4 and ACS=75.

Matt

The explorer is the same way, basic settings and minor adjustments to fine tune as you progress.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Mat, as far as the weight issue, get a harness with bungee, and weight will never be an issue. One of my machines is a ML Sob GT with a SEF 15 " x 18" Butterfly coil, I can hunt all day using the harness....

Just how big is your metal detector treasure_hunter ?
it sounds like your using a war issue land mine detector.
lol don't tell me your metal detector is 100 foot long and it a coil the size of steering wheel.

The detector with coil at the 9 o'clock position in the picture below is the Sovereign GT with the SEF 15" x 18" Butterfly coil.... On the Excal at the 7 o'clock position, the 10" stock coil has been replaced with a Sunray 12 inch intruder coil...... At the 6 o'clock position you have the water-proofed Sov GT with a WOT coil and at the 5 o'clock position another Excal with WOT coil, that is the detector I modded with the Team Orcasound headphones just recently..

I use the harness with bungee on each one of these detectors, and even carry a backup harness with bungee in case I lose one.....

Current Beach Arsonal

 

[LuckyDragon]

I see you want treasure really bad, OH my god Treasure hunter you gone over board on detectors

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I see you want treasure really bad, OH my god Treasure hunter you gone over board on detectors

Not really, only one of them was bought new (Sov GT with SEF coil), the others were all bought used, and I could sell all of the used ones for what I paid for them and a couple even more. The Excal with the WOT and Orcasound headphones I bought used for $475 and invested another $125 into it. I would have no problem selling it for $600-$700 right now...

 

[LuckyDragon]

at least you don't those vintage detectors.

 

[Frankn]

​

Mattw: Save your money! Learn to use the graph on your display. The black marks show the metal elements. The mark just right of the center marker is the dreaded aluminum. To find the other elements place samples under the coil. You usually see more than one mark because most metals used today are alloys. If you dig a piece of trash, remember it's mark pattern and you won't have to dig similar trash!