Please Help on Upgrade

[walleye22]

I've been using the 6000di pro sl for many many years and i have to say that i love this analog style machine. I'ts become a very good friend to me over the years, but now the allure of the newer machines have finally caught up to me. I've been looking them over and it's not an easy decision for me because frankly I've never dabbled in these computerized metal detectors and I haven't got a clue. What I have done is narrowed down my choices to the following 3 and hope that you guys can help me decide from there. Within the next week or two I plan on purchasing either the DFX300, MXT Pro or XLT. I would sincerely like to hear from anyone who has used or knows anyone who uses these and what your thoughts are on these detectors. My big questions about these machines....Are they fairly easy to adjust to using? Is the depth any greater than my older analog machine? Are the preset programs good programs to run or do I have to be able to tweak the programs to my liking? I'm very fond of my analog machine. Over the years, I've been able to determine a vast majority of the time what I am digging by where that needle is, and I fear giving that up. Will I be able to do the same by reading the VDI numbers? Any help at all would be appreciated. I would even purchase the Spectra V3i if for the money it is a vastly superior machine than those others that I have looked at. Thanks for any help,

walleye22

 

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[bigtim1973]

My advice since you are somewhat intimadated about the computerized machines is go for the MXT. It is easier to use than the 6000 di pro because of the ground tracking feature and the simplicity of the controls in my opinion. I have had a 6000 di pro SL and a 6000 DI pro XL in the past and the MXT is a deeper machine with the added gain boost plus, since it has a smaller control housing and takes AA batteries, it is better balanced and lighter than your 6000 di pro sl. I have not used an MXT pro and I am sure it is a little different from my MXT but if I had any more fun with the MXT pro than the regular MXT then I do not think I could stand it!!! The screen is nice and large and easy to read. Matter of fact other than the screen on the MXT you will not notice much of a difference on how it operates since it has analog controls. There are more coils available for the MXT which will also work on the DFX, V3 and M6 too. The DFX is a great machine and you can tweak it to your liking, you have to go into a program to make a change and then rebalance it. Where as the MXT you just flip a switch or turn a knob and keep on going. The batteries last longer in an MXT(up to 40 hours) where the DFX will only get you about 12-14 hours. The VDI numbers are the exact same as the scale on your 6000 because Whites uses the same scale for coins and such. Now that being said it may be slightly different depending on depth of targets too but all in all it is the same number scale you are used to and that goes with the other DFX and M6 even XLT but, I think the V3 has an option to change the scale somehow if you wish. I do not think the XLT is being made anymore. In my opinion I believe the XLT and DFX are slower on target turn around and you have to swing them slower than the MXT also which is alot faster on recovery speed. If you go and beachcomb then the DFX will do better in the salt sand with the dual frequencies. I personally did not like the XLT because it was slow. Now it had alot of bells and whistles and the preset programs were decent enough to get you finding stuff but going into the program menu and making changes was a pain in the butt to me. Maybe a few others will tell you a thing or 2 different but these are my 2 cents worth. Hope it helps, Tim

 

[Dirty Money]

Walleye, here' my take on two of them. The MXT is far and away the easiest to use, the DFX needs lots of time to learn and program. That being said, I like the DFX. The factory programs are very good for learning the machine, the "pro programs" will help you learn more of the ins and outs of programing the machine. Digging Deeper With The DFX is a must have book to truly learn the machine. But, once you've started to understand and master that machine, you can use it for almost anything with great success and depth. The SignaGraph feature alone is worth its weight in gold.

You mentioned the V3i as a possibility, if increased depth offered sufficient value for the money. Well, depth, probably not. Depth at this level of detector is primarily a function of soil and coil. However, it is easier to use than the DFX, and is well worth the money.

You will probably wonder, then, why I don't own the V3i? While I joke about getting one when White's raises the number of frequencies to 5, the truth is I'm comfortable with the DFX. It' deep, accurate, comfortable, and paid for. If I was getting ready to buy a new machine today, and hadn't come to love the DFX like i do, I would probably order a V3i. Three hundred dollars at that price level isn't a lot of difference.

Take the info for what it's worth. Just one guy's opinion.

HH

 

[coolbeans airbrush]

love my DFX! this machine teaches you to be a better detectorist, but i will upgrade some day to a v3,,,,,,,,,,,after i learn everything there is to know about the dfx! :P but cordless headphones would be nice...

 

[walleye22]

Thanks for the assistance! After much research and a 45 minute conversation with a White's represenative, I have decided to give the MXT Pro a shot. I pick it up on Monday and am super stoked. Will report later on my finds or lack thereof!

 

[arizonaames]

You will be very happy. It is the best detector on the market and what the folks did not tell you is that it is a true gold detector with SAT (hyperSAT) that the others do not have. You will be able to use it in the worst of mineralized conditions to find gold nuggets and the others, without the variable SAT, will not. They are not gold machines. I have found gold nuggets with the MXT next to a fellow using a ML4500. I found twice as many as he did as the nuggets were to small for the ML to see. You will again be very happy with it. It is a bit noisy but you will get used to it. Happy hunting for coins, relics, or gold nuggets.

 

[liftloop]

you can't can't go rung with a Whites machine they are the best in the world you wouldn't be sending it in back to get fix like the others have fun.