Re: Teknetics Omega vs. White's MXT 300
The MXT would be great in S Cal and it's high mineralization, but don't get the stock 950 coil. It sucks in really high-Fe-content dirt. It can and will drive you raving mad, especially when I come along with my cz-70 running smoothly and quietly until I actually find something, while the MXT finds so much unwanted and extra noise. I've seen this happen and it's not a pretty site to see a man that angry at his machine. I was careful not to infuriate him any further. And yes he did have the thing set up right.
The stock MXT 9.5 coil L-O-V-E-S hot rocks. The MXT doesn't have real good depth but it will mach a GoldBug II in many cases when it comes to fine gold. Neither are very stable in bad ground though. The MXT is a well-rounded instrument but is a little tricky to run. Neither the MXT or GoldBug II are good for salt/black-sand beach hunting. They won't keep up with the X-Terra 705, or Fisher F-70 with the F-75 11" DD coil when coin-hunting, relic-hunting, or beach hunting either.
I'm fortunate to have an old Compass with both tiny gold-nugget hunting abilities plus TID meter and much-better-than-average-depth (especially since I put it on a new steroid diet). It (the Relic and Coin) and the (also) factory-modified Goldscaner Pro done by Keith Wills - are two of the best all-around detectors ever made. A little heavy in today's world but very capable just the same.
The Compass is a relic, salt beach, coin, nugget hunting, meteorite-hunting extrordinaire machine. The X-Terra705, and the F-70 are two of the best current all-around detectors made.
The Teknetics are inherently noisey machines with certain coils, just like the latest Fishers are. Coil choice is critical and paramount with ALL the latest detector designs now (except for Nautiluses and Garretts which still use 80's circuitry designs). Go read about the man in Longview, Washington with it's super high iron soil who bought an F-70 and switched to the F-75 DD 11" coil and discovered how much better it worked! And yes he too realized that turning the sensitivity down in high iron soil helps too, unlike most people
Remember too that a Teknetics is a watered-down version of the Fishers now, and remember too that the same man was the same designer for both of them too.
http://metaldetectorreviews.net/detectors/211-1-fisherf70.html
I would suggest having a look at a F-70 and get the F-75 DD 11" coil to go with it. It works better and runs quieter that way. Buyers choice though. A Minelab X-Terra 705 might be another good one. Don't take anybody's word for any of it though, and always try before you buy.
Hope this helps.
LL
I am looking to get a new machine, and have limited income. I am figureing on $500-$800 to spend. I coinshoot mostly (being city bound), but on vacation go up to the mountains & down to the desert for gold. So, I know it's best to have 2 machines (1 for gold, ect) but I would like a really good machine that does both.
