Whites DFX or Minelab explorer

[matters]

I want to purchase a new detector. I have been looking at them all. Right now I have a minelab x-50 and have made some good finds and enjoy running it. I am looking to upgrade to a dfx or explorer. What are your thought pros and cons of each and expericenes with these detectors. My hunting will mainly consist of coins and relics in moderate mineralized soils, some areas are trashy. Thanks for you thoughts.

 

[Felinepeachy]

One thing I would take into consideration is customer service. Whites has the best, hands down. Minelab? Ha! Good luck with them.

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

Explorer waaaaaaaaaaaay better than Whites

And Fisher is better than both! :P

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

Explorer waaaaaaaaaaaay better than Whites

And Fisher is better than both! :P

Just kidding!

 

[Keppy]

The problem with Fisher & Minelab is ever since big corp's took them over there service is not good at all....... What do i see here OH YES Garrett Green.............

 

[mainer]

Id rather have bad customer service and have my explorer, then have great service and have a garrett. Not knocking anyone or any company, just the way it is for me. And I bet I'm not alone.

 

[Keppy]

Id rather have bad customer service and have my explorer, then have great service and have a garrett. Not knocking anyone or any company, just the way it is for me. And I bet I'm not alone.

As i see it all the other metal detector company's are still makeing and selling detectors ...........So i don't think every one thinks like you............

 

[fistfulladirt]

All you will get on this question is if they use Minelabs they are the best............ If they use whites they are best............Like .. treasurehound.... said like Ford & Chevy If they drive a Ford there are best if they drive a chevy they are best.........

LOOOOL! ......Yeah, but some of us have driven both.........

 

[Keppy]

Read the today's finds posts,see what peeps are finding,and with what ....I think then you will have your answer.....can't argue with results.....Soup

I went to the finds fourm and went through and there was no dominate detector brand .......................... There was a mix of all the detector makers............ but here is the minelab wiggle

 

[mainer]

Id rather have bad customer service and have my explorer, then have great service and have a garrett. Not knocking anyone or any company, just the way it is for me. And I bet I'm not alone.

As i see it all the other metal detector company's are still makeing and selling detectors ...........So i don't think every one thinks like you............

I didnt say everyone thinks like me. But I know there other people out the like myself that if there minelab died today and they couldnt get it fixed, they would buy another just like it, instead of another brand.

 

[Digger]

Again I say it is really a matter of personal preference. I've got a hunting buddy who is well versed in metal detecting and has been detecting for more than 20 years that I know of. He bought a E-Trac after watching me pull lots of extremely deep coins out of our city park that his DFX couldn't see. He did well with it and started pulling old coins himself out of the park, but now is going to sell his E-Trac and keep his DFX. Fact is I'm doing pretty much the same myself for the same reasons except I'm keeping my V3i and DFX.

While the Explorers kicked butt when it came to extremely deep coins in our city park, it found absolutely nothing at any of our other favorite sites. Our city park is unique because of the extremely deep coins from 6" to 24". Past floods are the reason the coins are so deep. The Explorer made seeing these coins much easier than any other detector, but wasn't really getting any deeper. It made identifying those extremely deep coins as good targets easier than any other detector, but the other detectors could see them, just harder to know they were good targets.

Point is we personally found the DFX and V3i to be a better choice for us in all but the city park and we just can't see owning the detector just for one site. For those who deal with coins deeper than 7-8" all over the Explorers would be the logical choice, just not for our location.

 

[Smudge]

This is a classic thread and has been a lot of fun to read. We're also seeing how similar detectors develop their own following for their own reasons, each with their admirers and their detractors. That's why its so difficult to advise someone as to what detector to get.

Everyone has their own built in preferences that only they can grow to understand. I've been through several detectors in my life and figured out I get the most enjoyment out the "simple" ones that are the easiest to use. Some people like setting their detectors for maximum effect. Everyone is different.

Guess thats why there's so many brands.

 

[Digger]

What other kind of sites are you hunting? I seem to have no problem finding "treasures" at sites other than parks....and most are 3" to 6"

Ok I got to make a funny,no offense,but perhaps you got the "park only" version

LOL maybe so!

Last year I found an old carnival grounds site and me, and my DFX, John, and his DFX, and Cassey and his Eagle Spectrum hunted the place good and pulled Indian Heads, lots of old silver and wheats and I pulled 9 rings. Most of the older stuff was around 6" deep or so. I figured I could take my E-Trac to that site and at least find something missed, but days and days of hunting produced absolutely nothing. Our old High School built in 1909, same thing. A site of one of our first schools from 1878, same thing. Now all these sites had produced lots of goodies in the past, but all I can figure is the DFX did a darn good job on places where the goodies were 8" or less. All the goodies I've pulled from our city park that were missed by our older detectors were around 8" or more.

 

[Keppy]

While the Explorers kicked butt when it came to extremely deep coins in our city park, it found absolutely nothing at any of our other favorite sites.

What other kind of sites are you hunting? I seem to have no problem finding "treasures" at sites other than parks....and most are 3" to 6"

Ok I got to make a funny,no offense,but perhaps you got the "park only" version

HH Soup

Park only version..Hmmmmm

 

[Keppy]

The reason a lot don't use the Explorer they hear from every one about the long learning curve.....................And how dam hard it is to learn how to use it....... You make it sound so compilcated............ THEN what do they SAY they say holy crap i am only on this earth for so long........................ And they say i don't have enought time to learn how to use a Explorer............. I'll be dead before i learn................. Nope can't get one of them.....................

 

[fistfulladirt]

I use Minelab. There was a 5 minute learning curve. (I ripped my jeans on a barbed-wire fence). I hope this post doesn't sway anyone towards Minelab.

 

[Digger]

I actually found the E-Trac to be one of the easiest to find deep coins right away. Most detectors take a lot of "learning the language" before you really start hitting the deep stuff(8" and deeper) but with the E-Trac my first hunt netted me a handful of old coppers and silver from that city park. My hunting buddy isn't really tech savvy and he was finding the same deep coins in no time. I think the E-Trac's strongest seller is people finding deep silver right off the bat.