need help deciding on new higher end detector

buckeyehunter

buckeyehunter

Sr. Member
Jan 29, 2005
380
1
Lancaster, Ohio
Detector(s) used
e-trac
Hey guys still pretty new to this but my brother and I are already thinking about upgrading. Currently we are both using whites prizm III'S and have had a lot of succes and fun (so much success we would both keep them as back-up detectors) but we are both wanting to upgrade to something with better features.

We both are very open to any suggestions and Ideas, we mostly hunt for coins and relics but will probably be taking a trip to florida this year to hunt the beaches and also out west and would like to hunt for gold.

I would like peoples opinion on WHITES dfx, mxt and xlit GARRETT gti 2500 and FISHER cz3d and also open for suggestions on any other machines.

looking for comments on positives/negatives and recomended reading.


THANKS TO EVERYONE IN ADVANCED!
 

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I can give you a review on the detector I use:
White's Beach Hunter ID ?
  • No display
  • On the heavy side
  • Wide vocabulary
  • Water proof to 25'
  • It floats
  • Fantastic depth even in salt water
  • Cool yellow color
  • Removeable electronics for using a holster
  • Long battery life
  • Same dual frequency as the DFX
  • Overall a great machine
I hope this in some way helps! HH omnicognic 8)
 

Well let me add a few clad...

I was in the same boat as you a few months back. I hadn't spent all that much time in the hobby but I knew I was going to be in it for the long haul. I wanted a top of the line detector do to my propensity for upgrading ;D I looked at a few and settled with the DFX. I think the most influencing factor in my choice was that I got many responses to many inquiries indicating that the DFX was very good in trashy areas. Since I knew there were plenty of these types of sites in my future I went with it. I can now say that I am very pleased with my purchase. The DFX was easy to use right out of the box do to some very good pre-loaded programs. With some experience and Jeff Foster's book I was quickly able to get a handle on the many features and programming options. The longevity is such that I can see me happily using the DFX for years to come. You are looking at some good machines, I would also at least maybe test drive a Minelab if you are unsure but I can reccomend the DFX from a new users perspective.
 

I have a Whites MXT, and it was my first detector. I've had it for about 5 months and I highly recommend it because you already know of Whites quality. It is an all around detector that is at home in pretty much any situation you could choose. I also recommend an excellerator coil for xtra depth and sensitivity. I have the 5" coil because of the highly mineralized soil where I do most of my hunting. It has a lot of man made iron all over the place and that little coil can pick out a coin from a big pile of junk surrounding it. It always amazes me. And the most important thing about the Whites is "Made in America"! You don't find that to often any more. Good Luck with your decision.
 

Well I am very happy with my whites detector and salesman and have really been leaning towards the dfx but just want to know what else is out there.
I appreciate the feeback a lot guys! I will let you all know when we both go buy our new detectors and what we decided on. might be a few weeks!

mike
 

I've never tried the others but I can tell you the DFX has been awesome for me. Really like the design and like the light weight and the depth is incredible. But if you have the opportunity try as many as you can before you buy and see how they feel to you because I think the ones you listed are all quality machines.
 

Confused yet. Well you should be. Lots of fine detectors out there. A lot of folks with different opinions and tastes.

One note here. You mentioned looking for gold(nuggets?) out west. That's a different story- no problem with coins and relics but when you throw in nugget hunting well there are only a few detectors that can do all three coin/relic/nugget. It requires a higher frequency for small nuggets. Eliminate the nugget hunting and it opens up a wider range of selection. However, if nugget hunting is a requirement I recommend the MXT- one of the few detectors that can do all three(Tesoro LST,X5).

George
 

bakergeol said:
Confused yet. Well you should be. Lots of fine detectors out there. A lot of folks with different opinions and tastes.

One note here. You mentioned looking for gold(nuggets?) out west. That's a different story- no problem with coins and relics but when you throw in nugget hunting well there are only a few detectors that can do all three coin/relic/nugget. It requires a higher frequency for small nuggets. Eliminate the nugget hunting and it opens up a wider range of selection. However, if nugget hunting is a requirement I recommend the MXT- one of the few detectors that can do all three(Tesoro LST,X5).

George
Click to expand...

Agreed,

if you are going to nugget hunt,

you need a machine with higher freq.

MXT is a good one for that (as well as for coins/relics), and there's a few others (very few).
 

The high iron content here in AZ is a bear, requires constant ground balancing and threshold adjustments. Seems like the 96 freqs on that Iinfiniam in a PI unit would do it well, but I wonder why it's not a highly regarded gold machine.
 

Yeah you guys have me all confused ;D but I appreciate it very much .

Ok here's some more questions, for one I will probably be taking more trips to beaches than deserts
(the ball and chain loves florida and doesnt see herself laying out by a cactus staring at a dry river bed) but I would still like to go myself sometime in the near future. How good is the MXT for coin shooting and relics? would I be better to focus on a detector that is designed more for coin shooting and relics and when I do go out west have something just for gold? I guess what i am saying is if the mxt isnt so great in one dept. I would rather have 2 machines eventually that are better suited for each individual job.
another... anyone have a garret GTI 2500 that can give me some feedback, the little bit of reading I have done on it, sounds like a great machine but havent really ran across feedback on this forum about it.

would also love to hear about the minelabs, I know very little about them.

YOU GUYS HAVE REALLY BEEN GREAT! have already anwsered a lot of my questions and helped me a lot!
 

PM Freetodetect He has a MXT with 3 spare coils. I would think from everything I have heard that a MXT with a 14' DD excellerator coil is the way to go for nuggets. With a 5" coil for real trashy areas. And the standard 9 1/2 " coil or 8" excellerator for general hunting. The MXT does well in all 3 operations. It gives you choices as to how to hunt. Of course you can just buy 1 and turn it on and go without any xtras but we need our toys! Let the little woman have the beach chair and sunscreen. We'll take the gold and diamond rings and chains we find on the beach while she catches some rays. Now thats fun! Good luck.
 

If I were you, (and this is only "my" opinion) ?I'd buy a "light weight" beach/water machine with "Duel" frequencies like the Fisher CZ20,

it is hip mountable, so the stem and coil are all you're swinging (very light), plus,

from all you've explained here, and what you'll be doing with the machine for the most part (plus) being that the machine has a low and a high freq.

it'll suite your needs for all of it.

It has 15kHz freq. for finding gold, and 5kHz freq. for coin/relic hunting, and because it has "2" freq. ? it ignores salt/black sand and minerals making it a killer water/beach machine (as well as for use on land). I've owned one now for 5+ yrs. If you're going to hunt saltwater beaches/water, you need a duel freq. machine (otherwise) you'll go nuts with all the false signals, chattering, etc. and the single freq. machines will get maybe 3 or 4 inches depth at best in those enviorments..

An MXT is 1 freq. so, it won't do you any good on a salt water beach (owned one, sold it).

the MXT is good for small gold as it has a 14kHz freq. and it works pretty good for coins/relics too but, no good on the salty beaches,

a GTI 2500 is 1 freq. and it won't do you any good on a salt water beach either (currently own one).

the GTI 2500 is a good coin/relic machine but, operates on 6 or 6.5 kHz and isn't any good for small gold.

The DFX (currently own one) is decent on salt water beaches as it is duel freq. but, has a hard/long learning curve, and is not as good for nugget detecting because of the 2 freq. it does use, and the software is not the same as the MXT PLUS, it doesn't have the lightning fast ground tracking system of the MXT. It's a good coin/relic machine more than anything.

Mine-labs??

I also currently own an ex-cal 1000 and it's an excellent beach/water machine (very heavy though) and I don't use it on land at all because of the other machines I own (no need to). It seems that it would be good for gold nugget hunting as it has 17 freq. (1.5 though 25khz I believe) but I can not conform how well it does at finding tiny gold nuggets because I don't live anywhere near a place you can find them, and have never hunted for them. I also wouldn't want to be swinging this thing out in a HOT dessert for very long either because of the weight. It does well finding coins on the beach and in the water (as well as) an excellent job at finding small gold rings/items too.

As for any other Mine Labs in relation to your questions,

I'm not the guy to ask.

This is my take on your questions,

hope it helps,

HH

and good luck with whatever you buy!

Lonewolfe
 

lonewolf

thanks for they replys, exactly what I was looking for, someone who has used several different machines and could give me some opinions Everybody has been a big help!! only problem is now that I have read everyones replys I am now even more confused and less decided! ;D
 

I don't yet own a top of the line detector . I recently have been shopping in that direction. I got on a forum sponsored by a White's competitor which I now own. I posted that I was thinking of moving up and asked the forum to talk me out of it. I got several posts decrying the benifits of my present owned MD. The site is monitored by techs of that particular brand. Several posts opposed to the switch were allowed to be posted for several days until someone asked me what the White's DFX offered that my present MD didn't. When I responded with my list of reasons the DFX was better, my topic was pulled from the forum and just disappeared without so much as notifying me. Someone apparently couldn't take the heat or come back with an answer to refute my claim for the DFX. I think that says a lot for the White's MD. Now I am moving in that direction, mainly because of what transpired on the other forum. At least this forum is objective and I would put a lot of weight on what I read here.
 

I hunt ghost towns located next to mines. everybody said that explorer 2 would not detect gold. So when I got It I ran a test on some chalcopyrite ore I had. THe Explorer hit. My bounty hunter hit. Two of my treasure hunting buddies brought over their brand x detectors. they never did hit.
Love that explorer 2. However, I would like to see someone swinging that garrett infinium. Nobody i know out here is using one yet. I'm going to look at one at the gpaa show in Denver this weekend. I can only backpack one detector so it has to be able to work ghost town trashy areas, mineralized soil and hit on ore. So far I've been really pleased.
 

All high end detectors are good. Choose the one for your type of detecting. If the model has been made for a couple of years I trust it more than a brand new model. When I can afford it I will buy a Minelab Explorer II. Seen it working in the field and it always impresses me.

Ed Donovan
 

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