MXT / V3i owners

[Ca70]

My query goes out to members who have had a MXT , proficient with it, and have upgraded to the V3I.

I am looking to take the plunge, and get the V3I , not to replace, but to compliment my MXT. I own a number of gold MD'ers and have been for 20 years. My coin / relic hunting end of the hobby is about only 10 years old.
MXT owners who have purchased the V3I, Your likes ? Dislikes ? Compared to your MXT. Ive heard the reviews , Have friends with them.. Was it worth the upgrade ? I will not be using the V3I for placer gold. Only dry sand , coin / relic , park hunting. etc. Friends tell me "what they think". That pool is fairly small. Asking the forums now.

 

[norbyx]

I have had them both.
Now I live in Costa Rica where the mineralized earth is a problem.
My test didn't give any advantage with the v3i on deep targets, on shallow ones, once you get used to the machine the v3i ID is better.
Is the detector deeper.... NO
Is it a valid upgrade ... Not for me
Worth the money....NOOOO
So much more complicated, the beauty of the mxt is its simplicity and its performance.
If I had to upgrade from a mxt I would go with a mxt pro.

 

[Ca70]

Why did I think that was going to be the response I was going to get from some users .The MXT is such a great machine, and I was also on the fence, thinking " just replace it with the Pro" . I have that machine down pat. I really don't enjoy learning new machines. I have five and they all speak a different language.
I appreciate your honest reply. I don't want sales pitches . Thanks for your input .

John

 

[Daugela]

I've had my MXT for 7 years and am pretty proficient with it. However, I felt like I was "missing the boat" with newer technology. As if the new technology would make me a better detector dude. I don't know. Maybe I was bored with the MXT and wanted another challenge?

Regardless, I still have my MXT but recently purchased a VX3.

I've read practically every post on the two models, including private chats with Norbyx! It's 50/50. 50% say it's the hardest thing to learn and wish they never had bought it and the other 50% say it's the greatest, most versatile detector since sliced bread.

After reading everything about them, I decided the V3i was just too much of a machine for me. I chose to buy the VX3. It doesn't have nearly the amount of adjustments as the V3i, but has more features than the MXT. Plus it has three frequencies.

I've only had it a couple days now and can say it's a lot different than the MXT. However, the adjustments are not crazy technical. I'm confident within a month or two, I will have them down. The V3i would have been a different story.

The VX3 would be my recommendation because you're asking the SAME thing I inquired about last month. That's moving up from a MXT to a V series.

When I got the VX3 home, I started playing with it and had some issues with its sensitivity. I know the V series gurus will chime in against what I'm saying, but I think everyone felt intimidated when they got theirs. When I say sensitive, I mean there's more frequencies to monitor so to speak - so when you're sweeping and you hit a hot rock or something that's a bad target, it'll bleep away and you're left thinking - "what's going on here." You're practically learning a new dialect of the same language between the MXT and the V series.

Same VDIs, etc as the MTX so you're already ahead of the curve being a Whites user.

The only initial complaint I have is the pinpointing seems to be really sensitive. You don't hear that long, low growl like the MXT. It seems and maybe it's just me, but the MXT pinpointed better. You heard the growl 6 inches before getting to the target. The VX3 seems to start its "growl" when you're practically on it.

What I like about it is the color screen and the wireless headphones! I hate the damn cord.

I don't like having to go into the menu to find the VDI screen and cancel out what I don't want. Granted, that is a great feature and I know I will use it often, but on the MXT, you just turn the knob to discriminate out something. Very quick. But on the MXT you can't pick and chose which VDI number you want discriminated. On the V series, you can. Very cool.

Either way, it's tough to leave something you're so familiar with. Like the MXT. It's been my ONLY detector since I started hunting 7 years ago. I'm totally used to it - so to be honest, deep down inside, there's a part of me that wants to give up already and buy an MXT PRO for the backlight and the tones. But that would be unfair. No user can expect to feel comfortable with a new machine after having used another for that long! You have to give it time.

Some guys here invested several months to a year and still didn't like it. If that's the case, then for sure, they should move on and find that right detector.

I'm going to give this a few months and re-evalute.

 

[Ca70]

"Daugela" I to , have had my MXT for about 7 years. Perhaps the " 7 year itch" ? Feeling as if one could do better ? Who knows. All I I know is we seem to have been in the same boat. The MXT is my second " Coin / jewelry " land detector. I've been coin / Jewelry hunting for about 10 years, but nugget detecting about 20 years, and have had a number of dedicated gold detectors.

I am still on the fence. I had been playing around with my friends MXT PRO . I like it alot . Same as my MXT only different. For me, if I am going to upgrade , it should be a substantial upgrade. I will keep my MXT . If I got the PRO I would probably sell it. This takes me to the V3I or the VX3 . Do " I " need ALL the bells and whistles ? Or most of them . Not sure yet.

I really appreciate your response on the VX3. My best friend happens to have one , and rarely if ever uses it. ( Shame ) I initially didnt want to play with it , knowing that I couldnt just use it for a day or so . I would have to hang on to it for a month to really get a feel for it , and decide if I liked it. Well , the time has probably come for me to ask him to take it for a serious test ride. I'll make the call tonight.

Thanks , John

 

[Daugela]

"Daugela" I to , have had my MXT for about 7 years. Perhaps the " 7 year itch" ? Feeling as if one could do better ? Who knows. All I I know is we seem to have been in the same boat. The MXT is my second " Coin / jewelry " land detector. I've been coin / Jewelry hunting for about 10 years, but nugget detecting about 20 years, and have had a number of dedicated gold detectors.

I am still on the fence. I had been playing around with my friends MXT PRO . I like it alot . Same as my MXT only different. For me, if I am going to upgrade , it should be a substantial upgrade. I will keep my MXT . If I got the PRO I would probably sell it. This takes me to the V3I or the VX3 . Do " I " need ALL the bells and whistles ? Or most of them . Not sure yet.

I really appreciate your response on the VX3. My best friend happens to have one , and rarely if ever uses it. ( Shame ) I initially didnt want to play with it , knowing that I couldnt just use it for a day or so . I would have to hang on to it for a month to really get a feel for it , and decide if I liked it. Well , the time has probably come for me to ask him to take it for a serious test ride. I'll make the call tonight.

Thanks , John

Hey John -

It would be simple for me to say that if I could do it all over again, I'd get the MXT PRO or something else. Part of me says that in the back of my mind.

I have about 20 hours on the VX3 now. That's a solid two weeks of major detecting on the weekends with my sons. Believe it or not, things are coming along and I'm learning how to use it. Or at least get used to it more. The VX3 doesn't have THAT many more bells and whistles than the MXT PRO.

Really, all the VX3 has over the MXT are the following:

1.) change filter between 5 and 12 khz -
2.) 3 frequency mode and or single frequency
3.) change off set frequency for EMI
4.) Sensitivity adjustment for All Metal Mode and Discriminate Mode
5.) More programs
6.) Notch out certain VDI numbers

I think the majority of users never play with the filter, off set frequency or the sensitivity adjustments. They just use the programs.

I have yet to use the 12 khz frequency. I haven't read anyone who uses it. I don't change the frequency off set. Maybe I will someday, but right now, I haven't experienced EMI. Maybe I have and didn't notice it. I guess with the MXT you may have experienced EMI and didn't noticed either. The MXT would just not be as stable.

The advantage of the unit is to run in 3 frequencies. In theory, it's advantageous, but the other units in single mode seem to work fine. Certain frequencies respond different than other frequencies. When you pinpoint on the VX3 in multiple frequency mode, you can see which frequency is hitting the hardest on the object. This is pretty cool. Does it tell the difference between a gold ring and a pull tab? No, not really, BUT, when you're getting a VDI of between +15 through +38 and you're thinking it's a pull tab, then you poinpoint and notice the frequency that's hitting the hardest is the green VX3 bar (22.5), which usually isn't the pull tab frequency, you have some intel to not dig. Sometimes the pull tabs do fall under the red bar depending on size, shape, etc....So it helps some. With the MXT, it will just read PULL TAB/RING and you have no clue.

Do I dig all VDIs in the pull tab range with that range VDI? No. I hit a site and dig all my pull tabs during the first 5 or so hits. I see what the VX3 is telling me and verify what kind of pull tab I'm digging. From there, if I'm in the same area and get the same VDI hits with the same frequency, I assume it's the same pull tab and won't dig. If I get something outside that intel, I will dig. Am I missing rings? Possibly. Other than this, and I'm not an expert by NO MEANS, I don't see how else you can use this data to make a distinction between trash and no trash. I understand the polar plot and other features of the V3i can help more, but I'm not sold on that.

I think in the long run for what I'm doing, the VX3 will be better than the MXT. Having 3 frequencies is better at the beach hands down. I do visit the beach and plan to move back to Oregon from Arizona. I will use it there and figure the VX3 will be better than the MXT.

If I was just going to use it on land for coins and relics and had no plans on using it at the beach, I probably wouldn't buy the VX3.

I LOVE the wireless headphone though. I also like the backlight and color screen and ability to see the different frequencies. If I don't want to use all three frequencies, I could go to single mode just like the MXT. The machine seems hotter than the MXT though. More finicky than the MXT. I think though, I need to learn to tune this VX3 down a bit to make it not as finicky. Is it worth the extra $400 buck new for this machine over the MXT PRO? Only if you plan to use it in different settings. At the beach, near power lines that have EMI - places that the features could be used.

You can buy a used one for around $900 bucks, so it's not that much more than an MXT PRO.

 

[Ca70]

Well. Today I had the opportunity to head out with a friend of a friend . He has been a long time coin guy and has the finds to prove it. I helped him a few years back getting into prospecting. Today he took me out with two detectors.

He asked, "what exactly do you want to do with a new detector you cant with your MXT ? " That , I didnt exactly divulge before. But what I really want, is to hit those deeper silver targets here , and in my foothills. I have gold detectors. when it came down to it , I wanted a dedicated coin / silver machine.

He isnt brand loyal , neither am I . I own four different brands, all serve their purpose fine , as intended for me. I was'nt too jazzed about learning a "new" detector language all over again. after a whole day with two new detectors I had made my mind up .

He brought out a Whites V3I and a Minelab E-Trac. The mention of the two can create great debate. As it has .

His property is very cool . He has marked targets of every different depth and configuration . They've been buried , on average for 3 years. A bullet, @ 6 " , a Buffalo @ 7", a Silver quarter under a rusted square nail @ 7", a wheat below aluminum can frags. Black sands , hot rock garden ,etc. 37 targets in all .Very nice proving ground. And he doesnt sell detectors. I asked him why he isnt on the Forums. " I might one day".. He says. I know he reads them . He's a strange cat. A retired Mechanical Engineer that worked at "Guy F Atkinson " for 35 years. He's a little eccentric. And exacting. A perfectionist.

He went over why he likes and dislikes about each detector. Honestly I received a great education in the newest detector tech out right now in a 10 hour period. All it cost me ? Elk tenderloins , and a bottle of McCallan 18 year. Fair deal, as far as I'm concerned to evade the dreaded "buyers remorse" 6 months later. I've been playing with detectors for 20 years. I learned something new today.

Bottom line , the V3I.... I love the the screen, the interface, the large buttons ( I wear gloves ) , the familiar Whites VDI's which are etched upon my brain .

The E-trac? dont like the buttons ( use with gloves , a pain ), screen harder to see in sunlight glare, new interface. ( I have GP series detectors, but this is a different animal )

After all that I ordered the E-Trac.

Yep. It hammered the deep deep silver today in that ground , better than the V3I. ( which beat out my MXT ) . The ML didnt find the thin 4 " of gold necklace remnant @5 " like the V3I. But , I am looking for a coin machine. The MXT hits those small targets great. ( I will keep it for sure ). I didnt want to believe it . But, it was undeniable . The ML hit the silver better at depth.( 9 " + ) Diamond earring backing ? nope V3I did better. We went through program after program. Custom setting after custom setting.

I really wanted the V3I to get the deep silver as good. It just did'nt. today.

The V3I will do placer gold , and everything else > I dont need another multitask machine or gold machine.

Today , strange as it sounded to me I bought the E-Trac.

Did I just waste this thread ?? Damn . I better love that new machine . ;-)

 

[Daugela]

You did what I and everyone should have done. Experimented first. Excellent write up on your decision!

I would have loved to try the E-Trac, AT-Pro and the XP Deus before buying mine. But the funny thing is, despite living in the third largest city in the US, nobody had one. I eventually found a guy that had an XP in stock but it was too late. I'm not saying I wouldn't have bought my Whites, but it's definitely smart to do your research.

How does the E-Trac sound compared to the V3i? Does it seem complex?

Where are you located? We have practically zero silver in Phoenix. I'm sure it's there, but it's under 3 feet of concrete and asphalt....

 

[Ca70]

It is different , but nothing that cant be easily learned with some field time. The E-Trac isnt as complicated as people have told me in the past. It's actually easier out of the box to use.
I do my coin hunting all over. But my favorite sites are in the Foothills of Northern California . Old gold camps, ghost towns , private lands and old Logging camps.

 

[BigMerv]

Great thread!! Very informative. I've been agonizing over the MXT All Pro with the 10" DD and 4" x 6" Shooter DD coils or the V3i for some time now. It's nigh-on impossible in my opinion to nail down a purchase decision on a new machine until you get a chance to really try it. BBJ

 

[Wayfarer]

As for the MXT vs V3i question, I am someone who went *from* the v3i to the MXT. I had the V3i for about a year and half and while I found some great stuff with it, never really clicked with it. It was way to digital sounding and the ground balance was tricky to get right. I then tried a VX3 for awhile and it was better but still to digital. Then I bought a used MXT to try out and did some side by side testing. The MXT was just as deep and even had a little better ID at depth. I tested the two fora out a week and ended up selling the VX3. The MXT audio is so much better. All I can say is that I love the MXT and detecting has become fun again.

Thats just my story for what it's worth. The MXT is one helluva great detector. After 35 years of hunting with White's, it's the best detector of theirs that I've used.