I won't say I prefer an analog machine. But I have one that I don't expect to part with. Something about the analog meter of my XLPro in that can tell me more about a target than a digital meter. Maybe, since I'm an "old school electonics tech", it is just second nature for me to "read more" into those subtle needle variations opposed to a series of numbers flying by. Heck, I still prefer my old Triplett or Simson VOM to the Fluke! I also have an MXT. And although it could be considered "analog circuitry", the digital meter doesn't qualify it as an analog detector, in my book. It isn't as digital as my XLT. But it isn't as analog as my XLPro, either. I suppose you could consider it a hybrid, of sorts. Others might have different opinions on that.
Being an avid fan of the Musketeer Advantage, I wouldn't say it is overpriced. I think the reason it seems expensive is because it has been around long enough that folks remember what it use to sell for. I suppose those folks who don't know it's capabilites might consider it to be expensive when compared to the "whistles and bells" offered by some other makes and models. But I've paid a lot more for some of the "latest and greatest" and many of them won't hold a candle to the Advantage for finding coins. And when it gets right down to it, that is what is important to me. Sure, they have more features. But I am not interested in features. I use a detector for functionality. And, in my opinion, there is a big difference between features and functionality. Although the 5 kHz Advantage doesn't have tracking, TID, multiple audio tones, notches or some of the other "features" offered by most other makes and models. It provides some of the quickest response between targets, allows for a wide variety of sweep speeds, is capable of using 6 or 7 different coils and hunts as deep as about any detector out there. And deeper than most. It only provides one tone when the coil passes over a target. But for those who have found a friend in the Musky, I think they would all agree that it speaks a language all it's own. Even with one tone. It locks on hard to targets of all sizes and depths. Sweeping it super fast when Xing over a target only makes it more determined to tell you what it is. I'm not blowing smoke just because I have one, but if I had the choice between my Advantage and any other non-metered detector on the market, I'd take the Advantage, hands down. It does what it was designed to do. And it does it as well or better than most.
My physical limitations are different than most, I'm sure. I suffered a spinal injury several years ago and as such, I don't get around as well as I once did. With that said, I've had my share of WOT coils on several detectors I've owned. And frankly, it is just too much for me to use for any extended period of time. The last time I took the Advantage and WOT out for a hunt, it was at an old farmsite where a guy was thought to have buried several cans of silver coins, about 75 years ago. Long story short, I didn't find the silver. But that afternoon did produce a couple dozen targets that could have been the silver. Not knowing what type of container the silver might have been buried in, we dug everything big and deep. We ended up with a bunch of old machinery pieces, ranging in size from a grapefruit to a basket ball. And I will tell you that the Advantage and WOT have no trouble detecting fist sized targets at depths of over 2-feet. Great combination. But just too heavy for me to use anymore.
As to the X-Terra offering a larger coil......... all we can do is wait and see what rolls out. I'm not aware of any "after market" coils in the works for the X-Terra. And frankly, I can't blame Minelab. The technology behind the X-Terra is extraordinary, to say the least. Having a microprocessor in the housing, communicating over a data link to a microchip in the coil is unique to these models. For Minelab to "share" that technology with folks outside the walls of Minelab would, in my opinion, be risky. I know there has been a lot of comments on bigger coils, smaller coils, different frequency coils and even electonic probes. I know that because I've talked with Minelab about some new ones myself. But again, I think any new coils you see coming out for the X-Terra, will be Minelab coils. Again, that is just my opinion.
The straight shaft I put on my Advantage was actually the shaft from one of the Minelab gold detectors. The Advantage I currently have is the "blue box" version. And I wanted a rod that matched the color of the housing. I know that sounds nuts! But if I still owned the "black box" Advantage, the black Sovereign GT rod would have been just fine! LOL
About 4 or 5 years ago, I did a "head to head" comparison of my Sovereign Elite to the Advantage. I've also owned the GT, and understand the differences between it and the Elite. I had even rescaled the 550 meter to operate at the current 180 configuration. But basically, the Elite and GT hunt very similarly. And there-in lies the problem, for me. As I mentioned, this old body doesn't work like it use to. I know the Advantage and Sovereign share the same basic ergonomics. Particulary now that I've incorporated the straight rod to my Advantage. But personally, I find the slow sweep required of the Sovereigns to be "unbalanced" to me. Not only do they require a slower sweep speed and offer a slower reset speed. But holding that coil out there while doing the "wiggle" is just too much strain on this old body. Without going into a lot of details, in my comparison between the Advantage and the Elite, I hunted an old picnic grounds that is now a farm field. After harvest, I went to that field with both detectors and two bags of colored golf tees. I walked down two rows with the Sovereign and two different rows with the Advantage. Instead of digging the targets, I stuck a golf tee into the spot, with one color representing the Sovereign and another color for the Advantage. I know this wasn't a scientific experiment by any stretch of the imagination. But it was a "real world" application for my test purposes. Anyway, what I found surprised even me. After marking the targets with the two colored tees, I went back over the same spot, using the opposite detector. I was able to confirm every target found with the Elite, using the Advantage. AND, I was able to confirm every target found with the Advantage, with the Elite. In addition, when I worked the two rows initially detected with the Advantage, I didn't find any targets going back over it with the Sovereign. However, I found several "missed" targets using the Advantage on the area initially hunted with the Sovereign. Like I said, this isn't scientific, by any means. I've hunted this site for over 25 years and the remaining coins are quite scattered. But one thing that struck home with me was the fact that it took me nearly 45 minutes to work those first two rows with the Sovereign. And it only took me 15 minutes to hunt the next two rows using the Advantage. In my mind, that told me that, not only would the Advantage find all the targets initially found by the Sovereign, the Advantage would cover 3 times as much ground in a given period of time, compared to my Sovereign. And when you are looking at a 40 acre patch of ground, I consider that an important factor to consider.
It wouldn't be a fair evaluation for me to compare the Sovereign to the X-70 or the Advantage, for those who don't have a problem with swinging the Sovereign. I acknowlege the extreme separation offered by the Sovereign and a 5-inch coil. However, for those who like a faster sweeping, non- metered detector, that hunts deep and separates very well, the Advantage is an excellent choice. For those who want tracking, notches, TID, tones etc, the X-70 offers all of that, and more, in a very lightweight, well balanced, package. I am by no means an expert using any one particular make or model. But I'd like to think that I could take my Advantage or my X-70, and keep up with most folks using their Sovereigns. I may miss a few coins along the way. But I'll make up for those few missed coins by the number of coins I find, in the additional ground I will cover. JMHO HH Randy
