About to purchase MXT300

[swalter]

Hi Folks,

I've been researching for some time now (if you can call it that) and have decided to upgrade my one and only detector, a White's 2, with an MXT300 with 12" coil. I will use this MD almost exclusively for weekend coin and jewelery hunting. My son and I love detecting, but want something that will be able to find more silver, and possibly a gold ring. Seems everyone loves the MXT, but what about the coil - will this 12" coil serve us well, at least for the short term? Thoughts, ideas, comments, advice???

Thank you,

Scott

 

[BarberBill]

This is my humble, but honest opinion - others may disagree. I bought a slightly used MXT last summer that came with the 4X6 shooter coil, the 5.3, and the 9.5 standard. My first outing was to a very trashy park. I started with the 9.5 stock coil and it was nearly useless as there were always too many conflicting targets under it. I switched to the 4X6 and the difference was like night and day and I was able to ferret out a number of good targets. The point of this is if the 9.5 stock coil has a problem in trash, the super 12" will be even worse. If I were you I'd buy the standard MXT and use the $100 savings towards one of the smaller coils and or a pinpointer. You can always add the 12" later if desired and then your standard MXT becomes an MXT 300. I did add add a 6X10DD coil later in the summer and it has become my most used coil, but I always have the smaller ones ready for trashy areas. It definitely slips thru the trash better than the 9.5, yet has good coverage and separation. My two bits.
HH
BB

 

[Gila Marc]

I agree with BarberBill about the large coil. It would be great in open areas with only occasional signals, but it would be a real pain in a trashy park! Also, from what I've heard, the MXT300 is not remarkably different from the standard MXT. In my opinion, a small coil is of much greater value, at least for the places I normally hunt.

Marc

 

[BarberBill]

It's my understanding that the only difference in the 2 MXTs is the 12" coil, decals and paint. Nothing different in the electronics etc,
HH
BB

 

[steelheadfever]

Hey Scott, I think you are making a great decision to go with the MXT as it is an awesome detector. Save yourself some money and go with the standard MXT with 9.5 coil. I am sure the 12" coil is a good coil, but if you are going to be hunting parks, schools, playgrounds etc. the 12" coil is to big and will not provide the target seperation you will need to finds the coins, rings and jewelery you are hunting for. You will need a smaller coil and I would recommend you start out with the 6x10 DD coil. You can work the areas I mentioned and have reasonable success and still be able to get out in the open areas, then when you get used to the MXT and learn how to use it, then you could look into getting a smaller coil. There are a number of small coils available for the MXT, such as the White's 4x6, and two Excelerator coils the 4.5x7 and the 6". All three are good coils. You will find that the 6x10 coil will be on your detector more than any coil you buy. The 12" coil would be spending alot of time in the closet so why pay more for the MXT300? Good luck and HH Dennis in Idaho

 

[swalter]

BB,

Sounds like two coils is the way to go, 9.5" (or 12") for those big open areas with few targets when I want to cover a lot of ground, and a small coil (~6") for trashy parks, which is where I spend most of my time...I know, it doesn't sound good ;-)

I was planning to purchase from KellyCo, they have the DMX regular for $719 (9.5" coil) and the MXT300 (12" coil) for $778. The MXT300 includes a Bullseye II pinpointer and both include all the extras theat KCo always throw in.

Now the question becomes, WHICH small coil?

NEW Eclipse 4x6 Elliptical Loop (for DFX and MXT), on sale for $127
NEW 4.5 x 7" EXcelerator Searchcoil (for DFX and MXT), on sale for $195

To the layman, it seems that the MTX with 12.5" coil AND 4.5X7" EX-celerator coil would be an ideal setup for most situations, and would allow me to find those silver coins and, just maybe, a gold ring or two.

All recommendations considered as I will base my decision on your input - the ones that have spent a lot of time in the field and used a lot of different equipment.

Thanks!

Scott

 

[steelheadfever]

Scott I use the 6" Excelorator and my wife uses the 4.5x7 Excelerator. Talk with JW at Kellyco about the Excelerator coils. I think the 6" DD coil is on sale. HH Dennis in Idaho

 

[swalter]

Wow, lots of choices, even when narrowed down to the small footprint, high power loops...

5" or 6" DD EXcelerator / EQ 2 Pro Searchcoil
4.5 x 7" EXcelerator Searchcoil (this is also a DD configuration?)

Is there a difference between the circular vs eliptical shape, in terms of performance? Now I am leaning toward the 6" as a middle ground of these...

 

[steelheadfever]

All three coils are DD including the 6" round one.. HH Dennis in Idaho

 

[BarberBill]

For small coils, I happen to be a big fan of the White's 4X6DD shooter. That said, I haven't been around the 4.5 X7 EX coil, but have read good things and it seems to me that it is close enough in size to the 4X6 that either would be a good choice. The small coils don't get the ground coverage which is why they slip thru trashy areas so well. That fact forces one to hunt more slowly and thoroughly (or should if they're serious) which isn't a bad thing. Better to cover less ground well than more ground poorly in my opinion. As per your question, I feel the elliptical shape slips thru the trash a bit better, size for size. Comparing the 6X10 DD Elliptical versus the round 9.5, the one dimension is quite similar, yet I've hunted the same areas that the 9.5 didn't handle well with the 6X10 pretty successfully. If you browse thru the forum a bit, you'll read where quite a few of us have been using the 6x10 as our main coil. Good luck on whatever you decide,
HH
BB

 

[riverhunt]

Scott, one thing this site isn't short of is opinions. I recently purchased the mxt300, not sorry one bit. I plan on doing a wide variety of hunting. The 12 inch will cover a big area quickly, once I find a area, if its seems to be real trashy I'll switch to a smaller coil, 6"DD accelerator, fewer targets under the coil makes it easier for the machine
to separate the signals. I use the six inch most of the time now because lately all I have seen is trashy areas. You can get an extra lower rod and hardware to make changing coils easier. I.m fixing to get another coil, 6X10 DD, their's a lot of good feedback on this coil. You can usually get them to knock off some $ if
you order it when you order your unit. Good luck

 

[Tin Nugget]

Here is my 2 cents. I would buy a regular MXT, there must be some left. They can be had for about 680.00 and get the 6X10DD for about 153.00 first. Then when you can, get one of the smaller coils because they will save your sanity. My favorite small coil is the 4X6DD. Since you are going to mostly hunt coins and jewelry you could even sell the Super 12. I start all hunts out using the 6X10 when I am not familiar with the area. If it becomes trashy, I still have decent separation and if there is little trash the 6X10 will still cover some ground. If the place turns real trashy and I still want to hunt it I switch to the 4X6 coil. I have only had the opportunity to hunt with the 12" coil a few times. Works great covering ground when searching for an old home site etc. but has limited use other than that.

 

[tinpanprospector]

you can pick up the 4.5x7 EXcelerator at Kellyco for $149, they have a sale going on. Purchased one Monday I will let you now how I like it.they also have there 4x6 on sale for $124.

 

[dc4kkc]

I just bought the MXT-300. I don't have all the knowledge as all the people here have, but this is the way I looked at it when I bought mine. If I paid $100.00 more for the MXT-300, I saved $150.00 on the 12" coil, then if I were to buy the standard MXT and added the 12" Super coil. Now, after saying that, I am putting the $150 towards a 6X10 DD or maybe a smaller coil for the trashy areas. I will also buy another post for quick changes as suggested. I thought that was a great idea, glad I read that on here, made sense. Scott, I'm new to this sport and am looking forward to hearing and sharing some great stories. I bought the MXT for Jewels and Coins, but I am going prospecting in Nothern California in July and can't wait. Along with that, there is and old mines cabin a friend of mine owns that is over 100 years old that has NEVER been detected before. I'm hoping some old miner forgot just where he put that last jar of gold.......lol


DC

 

[robert roy]

Here is my .2cents
I would just get the standard MXT with the 9.5 coil. I had the 12 inch and returned it.
Not very useful coil. It's fine if you are in a hurry and want of cover a lot of ground fast,
especially if your in a farm like area where the ground is relatively flat and clean. But thats
probably not where your going to be. Get the 9.5 and buy yourself a smaller DD coil.
For some reason many people think that if its bigger its better and Whites being the great
company they are, are capitalizing on this. Bigger is better is just not true. You won't be happy
with this coil I can almost be certain of that. I said ALMOST be certain.
Most of your hunting will be parks, sports fields, around old houses, by sidewalks, etc.
You will need a smaller coil for these areas because of the trash encountered,
and a DD for the mineralized soil that you will encounter.

Good luck.
RR

 

[Hillbilly Bob]

Got a friend that bought a MXT300, he swung it for about an hour it was just to heavy, I let him use one of my smaller coils, a week later he bought a 6 X 10 DD never uses the 12"coil so all he has now is a standard MXT with a fancy paint job.

 

[xwyokid]

I also, for my hunting found that I didn't like the Super 12. I think I have the 8", 4.5x7 in my gun safe. Because the 6x10 stays on my MXT all the time. I traded a Super 12 for the 6x10 and have never regretted it.

 

[dc4kkc]

I bought the MXT-300 just this past week, but was also thinking about the MXT with the smaller coil. The reason I bought it with the bigger coil was one for the savings of the 12" coil of $150 off the cost of buying the coil alone. and using the savings for the 6X10 DD. May sound some what stupid, but new to this detecting sport. I took the machine out for it's first run today and had a blast. I went to a school and the play area had wood chips around the equipment, great for digging. I found quarter after quarter, 3 in just one spot. Then some dimes and penny's. The penny's came first. I thought I was doing something wrong until I hit the quarters. Like you all have been saying, it's learning the machine. The area wasn't very trashy, I guess that helped me out most of all using the bigger coil. The coil is heavier, but I did well with it. I'm trying to learn as much as I can before my vacation to Northern California for my Fly-Fishing and Prospecting trip. My dad lives right on this river and I can't wait to get up there and hunt. Reading all the things you all write is very great and helpful. I am going to step way out there and say we all like our detectors, and I'm sure you will love whatever machine you purchase. I think you will love the MXT, but all in all.....you need to learn your tools in order to enjoy the treasures. I don't think I will ever stop learning.


DC

 

[waynembx]

[quote dc4kkc]I just bought the MXT-300. I don't have all the knowledge as all the people here have, but this is the way I looked at it when I bought mine. If I paid $100.00 more for the MXT-300, I saved $150.00 on the 12" coil, then if I were to buy the standard MXT and added the 12" Super coil. Now, after saying that, I am putting the $150 towards a 6X10 DD or maybe a smaller coil for the trashy areas. I will also buy another post for quick changes as suggested. I thought that was a great idea, glad I read that on here, made sense. Scott, I'm new to this sport and am looking forward to hearing and sharing some great stories. I bought the MXT for Jewels and Coins, but I am going prospecting in Nothern California in July and can't wait. Along with that, there is and old mines cabin a friend of mine owns that is over 100 years old that has NEVER been detected before. I'm hoping some old miner forgot just where he put that last jar of gold.......lol


DC[/quote]
I say you did 100% the right thing,
Why buy the 12" later for more money,
When you can get it now and save money on it.
If you don't like it you can always sell it for more then you paid for it.
I would get the 4x6dd or the 5.3 coil as you will have a 12" coil and i see no need to get a 10" one also.
I love the 5.3 coil.
I