Minelab or Whites?

[mercury1]

I have used neither brand but if I was looking to upgrade I would be Leary of the 3030 with the leaking issues.

 

[bigtruck68]

to answer your question is pretty easy, if you want a good machine with out a lot of time learning it ,go with a whites ( 1/2 hour out of the box and you got it down ) if you want top take the extra time to learn a superior machine go with minelab.i started out with whites and made many good finds and had alot of fun . i then went to minlab and had a lot of frustrating days with it,untill i learned the machine and now i dont even own a whites.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

After using my minelab one arm looks like hulk hogan because they weigh 25 to 30 pounds apiece.

I have been using Excals, Sovereigns, Safari, and Etrac for 6 years.... Weight not a problem for me, but I am only 65, maybe your older....

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

TS - I would say; You should go with Whites and please let everyone else know that "Whites" is a great machine, far superior to Minelab. In my 25 years of detecting land and water, I have used them all and had friends with all the different machines. Through years of trial and error - It is a plain fact that Whites is superior. Now go out and grab one!!!
(Then I can hit all your old spots and grab the old deep stuff with my Minelab )

ROFLMBO

 

[bzbadger]

They should join companies and create a whinelab so then ppl will know why they didn't find much because its too heavy, it leaks, its slow on recovery and it costs too much. Then go buy the much superior machine from the combination of fisher and Garrett called a farrett which is much lighter, waterproof to 100 fathoms, blink of an eye recovery, and at the perfect price as long as the wife doesn't know.

Get your facts first, then distort them as you please-Mark Twain

 

[gerryk]

Bz anything is at the right price until the wife finds out. Then nothing is even if it only costs a penny.

 

[bzbadger]

Seriously what's up with that? 18 years of marriage and its my stiff called into question, don't look at the new shoes, purse, oh and most recent makeup...i didn't know how expensive makeup actually is till mu youngest daughter came back from shopping with the wife and said o can't believe we got that foundation for only $70 and wife says I know that was a good deal. A good deal for this little bottle of stuff that had a half ounce on it but yet complain that I want to buy a new beach scoop that will last for years not a couple weeks like face paint. Oh well Adam sinned in the garden and we will pay and pay and pay, darn you Adam.

Get your facts first, then distort them as you please-Mark Twain

 

[atomicscott]

Neither...Tesoro gets my vote...For the money a great machine!

The key words were 'for the money' when I got my Tesoro's. I thought the same, now I stick with minelab whites or fisher.

 

[ShOwStOpp3r]

im curious how the new Garrett ATX sizes up against the CTX 3030
maybe its a good choice for people that dont like to monkey with computer screens and software...

 

[ETracMan]

Both Minelab and Whites offer an excellent range of detectors. The E Trac or CTX3030 are both excellent machines. Personally I would go Minelab. I use the E Trac and have found it to be an excellent machine. It takes some learning but once achieved it's an awesome machine. I go out detecting with my brother in law and he has a C Scope machine which he picked up for next to nothing. His machine has zero discrim but has awesome depth. He finds all sorts of stuff and loves his machine and would not change it even though he can easily afford to do so. The point I am making is this - Most targes are around 5 to 8 inches deep. As long as the machine you are using can get somewhere near this depth range you are fine.

 

[Ronzie]

Give me a Whites XLT and I'll be happy.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

It all has to do with the detector operator and their level of skill.

 

[MetalDetectorDude]

I owned a Minelab Etrac. The machine was an EXCELLENT performer, but so awkward to carry that I never detected more than a couple hours. It wasn't the weight of it, it's the position of the arm versus the screen - it was just very difficult to enjoy. I sold it and I'm looking at a Whites machine now. The MTX Pro or V machines in particular. The CTX might as well be in lala land for what they want for it.

 

[TheRingFinder]

I owned a Minelab Etrac. The machine was an EXCELLENT performer, but so awkward to carry that I never detected more than a couple hours. It wasn't the weight of it, it's the position of the arm versus the screen - it was just very difficult to enjoy. I sold it and I'm looking at a Whites machine now. The MTX Pro or V machines in particular. The CTX might as well be in lala land for what they want for it.

Wow MDD I have never heard of anything like that before - Is your head on your shoulders or did it grow out of one of your legs? < - Just goofin wit ya jive turkey!!!

 

[happycamper08]

I owned a Minelab Etrac. The machine was an EXCELLENT performer, but so awkward to carry that I never detected more than a couple hours. It wasn't the weight of it, it's the position of the arm versus the screen - it was just very difficult to enjoy. I sold it and I'm looking at a Whites machine now. The MTX Pro or V machines in particular. The CTX might as well be in lala land for what they want for it.

I agree the ergonomics of the e-trac are junk compared to the whites. I have been considering fitting the e-tac to a whites housing.

 

[treasurehound]

I have been using White's since 1979 and I must admit I love their quality and customer service. I currently have the TDI and the MXT PRO for relic hunting. Now if I had the money I would have an Etrac or SE PRO for silver coins, a CTX 3030 or AT PRO for the waterproof feature and a Tesoro as a backup. I know all of those machines mentioned are great machines and I would love to have them all. Maybe if I win the Powerball.........

 

[MetalDetectorDude]

I agree the ergonomics of the e-trac are junk compared to the whites. I have been considering fitting the e-tac to a whites housing.

I actually was going to buy another metal detector's frame and try to figure out how to mount the etrac on it... but I didn't want to screw with something I paid a pile of cash for, lol.

 

[johnnyboy25]

MINELAB RULES!!!!!

 

[marjam]

I own both. I have a dfx and an etrac. Both are great. If you like a faster recovery in terms of display, whites has the edge. But the etrac's 28 different frequencies takes time to process, and provides you much more information on a particular target. I have had my etrac for a couple of months and have found a ton of coins with it. I have found many coins with the dfx as well in the 3 years I used it. But I had to get an etrac due to all the hype, and I am glad I did. I would be satisfied having either the dfx or etrac. I have never used the v3i, so I can't give any feedback on it. If I had to pick one, it would be the etrac.