Recommendation please

[White Stash]

Getting back into the hunt soon this spring.
Looking for advice on which mfr. of detector along with coil type and size.
Here is what I am going to do.
Look mainly for coins, jewelry, gold, sliver, nickle copper.
Mostly in low trash areas, but may then switch to old old parks in and
around the Chicago land area.
I had an etrac in the past, did not like the low performance screen.
Too hard to read in the sunlight.
I still have my MXT with 6 x 10 DD and Garrett pin-pointer.
I need a machine that will go deeper and a recommended coil.
Willing to spend up to $1500.00.
Is the V3i still a great machine? What about the new mfrs. I never heard of.
Im out of touch with mfrs and coil technology too.
Any input will help. Tks Ja

 

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

Having never used an MXT I can't really say if the V3i is deeper, but the V3i is still a great machine. To my knowledge the V3i still has the best screen on the market (far superior to the Etrac screen in my experience). It’s still possible that glare will cause issues though.

I had both the Erac and the CTX 3030 and much prefer the V3i (I sold the Minelabs and kept the V3i). I preferred the balance of the V3i, but mostly it was a matter of finding the V3i much easier to understand (what it was telling me).

I mostly hunt, for silver coins and jewelry, in really old locations that are typically full of years of trash — from old iron scraps to modern junk. I use two coils with my V3i — the stock DD coil and the 4 X 6. I have no use for a larger coil. My deepest coin (so far anyway) was a quarter at a legitimate 12 inches down (stock coil). The soil was fairly sandy and there had been recent rain.

The V3i’s greatest strength can be its biggest weakness — it all depends upon the user and his/her willingness to learn the machine. I didn’t find it a difficult machine to learn (others have) but I spent most of my first year (with the V3i) in stock programs — making very few changes. Even now I tend not to make a lot of changes — although I have made my own custom programs that I hunt with — just a couple of tweaks as conditions demand.

I know of no other machine that gives the hunter so much information about the target. The analytical options give the user fantastic information — down to about 6-7 inches. Beyond that depth and it isn’t nearly as effective.

I’m a slow, methodical, hunter. I tend to hunt the same area from multiple directions and I use a slow swing. The recovery can be adjusted on the V3i, but it isn’t a machine that will wow you with the recovery speed.

My one issue with the V3i is its lack of being waterproof. It’s really an issue only in my mind — and then only because I’m not keen on potentially damaging a $1500 machine. I doubt a few drops of rain would hurt the V3i, but it isn’t a chance I’m willing to take.

Some users have had issues with emi. I haven’t had any locations where emi issues couldn’t be sufficiently solved by making a few adjustments, but that might not be the case all the time.

If you decide to go with the V3i, do yourself a huge favor and spend the extra money for the cordless headphones; they’re worth every penny.

Short and sweet — I believe the V3i remains one of the top machines available on the market.

Other machines you might wish to consider:

MX Sport — if you want a waterproof machine. If that doesn’t matter, save a bit of money and consider the MX 7. Deep and very sensitive machine. Get the 6 inch coil if you go this route — it’s a dandy. I think the MX Sport is very underrated.

Nokta Anfibo Multi— I haven’t used it, but the reports I’ve read are impressive. The stock coil is deep. Impressively so.

Nokta/Makro Multi Kruzer — fast, deep. Decent screen. Choose the frequency you want to run in. Cordless headphones are decent (not waterproof though). Machine is waterproof to 16 feet (something like that). The 7 inch coil is fantastic.

Equinox 800 — I’ll let someone with experience tell you about it.

Good luck!!

 

[Ogre1190]

Welcome from North Central Illinois. 🙋 MXT is STILL a pretty good machine. The high end White's are great...but pricey. Too bad one of the best White's dealerships around just closed in your city. 😞 Check out the MineLab Equinox. Somewhat different than the Etrac, lighter, a coin magnet n a beast on the beach. Not as pricey, either. 😁

 

[fella]

Keep your MXT.
The grass isn't greener. Just a different shade.
Really!

Just saved ya 1500 bucks. You're welcome!

 

[JoeInMO]

I'd recommend you view a bunch of Calabash Digger's YouTube videos. He compares a lot of detectors against each other. I don't know him but I believe he tries to be as unbiased as possible. You can form your own opinion.

My only personal recommendation is to realize that detectors are electronic instruments. In that industry a device which is only a couple of years old can't compete with newer electronics. I do happen to know a lot about electronics and some of the detectors on the market today are using 10+ year old technology that may have been great at the time, but is very outdated today.

Many here have their own opinions and I won't dispute them because I don't have experience with a bunch of different machines.

Best of luck,
-Joe

 

[teleprospector]

I tried out a Detech 13" DD last summer from a friend of mine for my MXT, ground balanced it really good, set the MXT up in coin mode, no disc and pulled up a quarter around 12"-13". I feel that's really good around my area, then I turned off the MXT then toggled into lock ( presets GB at 80 ) then turned it back on in coin mode and was still getting deep targets. If I was looking for depth I would buy this coil, but for now, back then, I just wanted to give it a trial run. My club is hoping in the spring to try out the Anfibio mult freq machine.
Hope this helps
Jon

 

[White Stash]

Great info. I will look into this coil. Its depth that I want. I feel many areas still have coins 7"+ and the deeper machines are going to find them.

 

[huntsman53]

IMHO, you likely just need to find the right coil or coils to use on the MXT depending upon the locations you are searching and the soil/ground conditions in these areas. I state this because the MXT is well known for it's relic and coin find capabilities.

 

[Deep1]

You have a good detector. Stay with it.
You need a larger coil. More coil, more depth.
It used to be, larger concentric coils coils lost sensitivity to smaller targets.
The new DD coils are much more sensitive on small targets.
Buy a 12 inch DD or larger for low trash areas.
For moderate trashy area: 9 inch coil.
For high trash area: 6 inch coil.
Most important: Know how to tune your detector and know what it's telling you.

 

[sandmartin]

Before you buy anything, check out an Equinox.

 

[digger460]

Before you buy anything, check out an Equinox.

Ditto!

 

[RustyGold]

Equinox 800 has several brightness levels for the backlit function. Waterproof, wireless and lightweight.

 

[Carolina Tom]

I’ve used a Deus for 4.5 years. Give it a look.

Good luck.

 

[Gare]

White Stash you did not mention your physical situation and age. You might also consider what you can swing for 3 or four hours or more. I am 72 and enjoy swinging my Deus's and they are a TOP of the LINE detector standing second to none

 

[White Stash]

62 with new hip, knees getting tired, can still walk at least 3 miles. so not too bad...