I started with an XLT and did well both in relic hunting and competition hunting. Then it started false signals, almost like electrical interferance. After sending it to Whites 3 times, the third time they sent me a new machine. Which I will say, as service goes, they treated me right. After I started having the same problem with the new Machine, I went to Minelab. I have an Explorer SE Pro and a Soverign GT. Like was said before, the Explorer has lots of things I will never use. I prefer to trust my ears to decide to dig or not, so I tend to reach for my trusty Soverign and leave the more expensive machine at home. So it's all what your comfortable with, if you learn what your machine is saying, there's lots of good machines out there. HH Kevin