I bought my CTX from BB Hobbies back in August. I have easily 250-300 hours on it. I like most things about the detector, but wish there were a few things different about it. I am actually still learning the CTX and after 200 hours of use, I really started to experiment a bit with the settings and doing things like digging all the targets with any remotely high signal to determine how accurate it is. These are my observations below. I have not owned a Minelab before so many of my opinions about the readings/settings may be the same on other Minelab detectors. My plan is to purchase a Deus next year and eventually be able to come up with my own observations of both of these "high end" detectors.
My positives:
1. Very quiet on the "Gone Hunting" settings. I hardly use my AT Pro because of the chatter it makes.
2. My first Minelab, but I pull out of the field with the better finds when I am with people. Could simply be because I work slower.
3. Menu is set-up fairly intuitively after going through them a few times.
4. Seems to be fairly good at target separation. I routinely dig nails next to coins. (I hear the XP is better, but the CTX seems better then most of the moderate range detectors I have used before.
5. Reacts fairly fast at finding targets and recovering. Not as fast as the AT Pro.
6. Depth readings are pretty accurate (not accurate when target is on top of the ground or within an inch, usually can tell by the sound when this happens).
7. The target trace feature is very helpful on iffy targets and the GPS is a good tool to use when in open areas and trying to make sure that you grid well.
8. Nice that the lower stems raises up about a foot by simply unlocking the shaft, although the handle/meter is longer then other detectors, so you have to have a larger bag to store the detector in (standard Minelab bag will not fit this detector).
9. 6" coil is magnificent in rough terrain and in target separation.
10. You can create your own programs or modify the setting, but my thoughts are that once you set your programs are you really going to go back and keep changing them anyway?
11. Other settings such as adjusting the threshold pitch and noise cancellation are really handy. Adjusting the settings has really helped me to find iffy targets.
12. With the ferrous and conductivity readings, you can get very accurate in determining if an item is aluminium junk or a nickel which read really close to the same. The readings closely relate to the particular coin, but I have seen different soil throw off the readings a bit. I can get probably around 75% accurate on my targets before I dig based on the readings.
13. Some of the stock programs on the machine seem real sketchy. I tried using them, but the can't seem to beat the GH program.
My cons:
1. Weight, but the weight is mitigated by the balance of the machine, but you still feel it. It isn't a Tesoro by any means.
2. Arm cuff is a little flimsy in comparison to the weight. I replaced my arm cuff with a Herke cuff, which doesn't give when I swing.
3. Lots of nooks and crannies around the machine where dust and dirt collects.
4. The machine will null out at times on larger targets. I have this happen on things as small as a Vienna Sausage can lid (It only seems to null out on shallow larger targets). In doing air tests with silver American Eagles, it will sometimes null out when I place the Eagle within about an inch of the coil.
5. Goes fairly deep, but in my opinion this isn't one of the deepest detectors out there. My opinion is that most coins are going to be found in the 8" range or less and this machine has good separation which is more important then running really deep.
6. LCD screen is difficult to see in anything close to bright light.
7. Changing the coils is a little tricky, but it is easier then re-winding cable around a shaft. It would be faster to have an extra lower rod, but they cost $175.
8. I didn't like the Koss headphones that came with the detector and mine broke at the plug within 6 weeks of use. I have seen where others have had a similiar problem.
9. Took me quite a bit of use before I got real accurate at pinpointing with the stock coil. Still sometimes it can be guess work, but I can almost always dig no more than a 3" plug or "pop" shallow targets up with a screwdriver.
10. The detector will burn through alkaline batteries very fast. I get no more than 10 hours use out of a new set, but this can be expected out of a detector with so much going on with it electronically. With the rechargeable battery I will get 20-25 hours use out of it. I have only used alkaline batteries when I forgot my charger and was away from home.
11. The manual only tells gives you a very basic overview of the features and control of this machine. Best settings and other tricks has to be learned by asking or OJT. For example, I have learned that running the machine on auto-sensitivity makes the machine run more stable but I seem to miss some really iffy targets, so I switch back and forth between auto and manual, and run manual-sensitivity as high as I can and still run the machine stable. Taking the machine off of discrimination mode will open up some good signals, but will also produce some false "good" signals such as nails.
12. Routinely, I have heard "high" signals while I get a low number reading and even sometimes the crosshairs seem to show in the penny range. I will still dig these targets and quite often it is a coin. As a result, I prioritize the sound first and then where the cross hairs read and then I check the ferrous/conductivity reading. Seems like with more settings and features, there are pluses and minuses to each.
13. This can be good or bad, but with the stock coil you don't have to be directly over a target to get a reading. This is good when swinging because I can be next to a target and then home in on it; effectively giving me a larger swing path. The problem with this is that you can't get close to larger metallic objects without interference. Turning down the sensitivity helps but doesn't eliminate this. This is another reason that the smaller 6" coil is handy. I can use this coil right up against fences and metal signs and I have found coins that others has missed because of this. Recently, I found a Mercury dime almost under a chain link fence.
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