DFX or XLT Which would you buy?

[Anonymous]

Hi,

My husband's birthday is coming up, and he has talked about getting a metal detector for almost a year. He never bought one, so I decided that I'm going to get him one for his birthday...he's been a very good boy.

I have been doing a bit of research, and I have narrowed the choices to a White's XLT or DFX. He would be using the detector in South Georgia, North Florida, and at the the beach (U.S. Gulf).He has never before used a metal detector.

I have read articles on both. It seems that there is a big learning curve for the DFX. My main concern with the DFX is that with it big learning curve it may be overwhelming, and he will lose interest. I am interested in getting input from seasoned hunters who have use one or both of these models. Which detector would you recommend?

Thanks,

Elizbeth

 

[sonnyxlt]

I USE AN XLT AND MY TH BUDDY USES THE DFX. FROM ALL THE TECHNOLOGY INVOLVED IN USING HIS I WILL GLADLY STAY WITH MY XLT. NOW HE IS LOOKING FOR A GOOD XLT FOR A BACKUP.

 

[BuckeyeBrad]

you've kinda answered your own question indirectly. Given the fact that he's new to detecting and you're not really sure how much and to what degree he'll get into the hobby, and assuming you want to stick with a Whites(?) I'd recommend you buy the new M6 for him. It would be a better fit for the circumstances. If you want any input on suitable detectors of other brands, PM me and I'll share that info that way.

 

[Ralph Bryant]

If he's going to be doing alot of beach hunting, the DFX is the better choice. If you think he would like a simpler machine that would still provide good saltwater beach performance, look at the Beach Hunter I.D. (also White's) which works on very similar dual-frequency circuitry to better handle wet saltwater conditions, and is also completely weather/water proof compared to the DFX. But still, the DFX has head and shoulders more tuning options, and if he takes the time to learn and study the machine and the hobby, he'll not likely ever outgrow it.

I've been in much the same boat between the DFX, XLT, or MXT, and am kind of biding my time to see if White's releases a newer updated version of the DFX this spring. At this point, that is about the only thing keeping me from ordering a new one. Versatility wise, there is nothing on the market that will touch it.

Hope this helps,

Ralph

 

[Richard@BackwoodsDetectors]

and IDX Pro or an XL Pro....Reason...very simple to use and with less of an investment...if the hobby "grows" on your husband...he can easily upgrade to the DFX,MXT, or the M6..and still get a lot of the money back on the initial purchase.... Thanks Richard Backwoods Detector Sales.... A Findmall Sponser

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of your advice and input. I certainly will consider all of it while deciding. My husband is a very technical guy, and I feel he will love the hobby once involved. He is one of those who if he really enjoys something, then he will research the hobby like it's a second job and purchase all of the extras. For this reason, I was considering the DFX and XLT. I feel that if he does get really involved, as I suspect, and I go with a lesser detector then we will be buying another more expensive one in the near future.

Thanks so much,

elizbeth

 

[Va Dave]

I'd say if you told me he was the kinda guy that would be a Coin/Jewelry hunter, thats going to search beaches, parks, house sites etc.....I'de have to say the DFX.

If you told me he was the kinda guy that would be a Relic/Coin hunter doing his searches more inland, woods, fields and such.......I'd say XLT.

Learning curve is equal and not overwhelming at all. Both, after some experience, will become "Turn on -n- Go" for him.

Nice Gift,
Dave

 

[Anonymous]

I would say that he will most likely be a coin/jewelry hunter. Mostly around parks, open fields, old house sites, and the beach. We spend a lot of weekends and vacations at the beach winter and summer.

Thanks,

Beth

 

[crazyman]

I'm not sure I would consider the DFX or XLT an upgrade from the XL Pro. Maybe in features but not inground performance. I haven't tried the M6 yet and I'm still on the fence on this one. Looking forward to more feed back from you and others before I commit.

 

[Anonymous]

Crazyman,

Thanks for the input. Please give me a few more details on your comments. Why would you not consider those as upgrade from the XL Pro?

Thanks,

Elizbeth

 

[jeff & Maria]

I started with an XLT years ago and loved it. I currently use an Explorer II which is a tough machine to fully understand, but powerful. I also now have a DFX because I love the simplicity of White's machines. There is no long learning curve with the DFX, you can turn it on and use any of the installed programs. I believe the DFX runs smoother, and locks on a bit better than the XLT. Based on my re-detecting of my property which I beat to death with the XLT, the DFX found some items I missed.
The bottom line is that either would be a great detector, however the DFX has more technology built into it making it a superior detector.

 

[crazyman]

It's hard for me to say one detector is better than another. I can only offer my opinion based on my style of hunting and experiance. 90% of my hunting is in and around old lumber mill ghost towns and logging camps 1860's thru early 1900's era. Some of these sites are are nothing but woods now with very little sign of past habitation. Others are nothing more than large areas of old victorian homes that are still occupied. The wooded sites are usually iron infested and a detector with good discrimination is needed. The victorian home sites are well taken care of with large beautiful lawns where selective digging is required if you want to keep hunting the area. I'm not sure that anyone that has owned one of the 6000 series would argue that they have the best TID of any detector made. I'll go a step further and say that in my ground I can tell if it's silver or clad most of the time. Set up properly it will go as deep as any TID detector I've used and once you learn what that little needle is saying about targets at depth beyond it's normal audio and meter ID capabilities I'll go out on a limb and say it goes deeper than the others. In my opinion the sound or tone of dicriminated targets is better and easier to understand. It's not often I get fooled by rusty items unless it's deep and small as the sound is similar to very deep coins. Using the needle to size the target along with depth indication on the meter will aid in avoiding most trash. I don't think any of the Whites machines are the best when it comes to target masking in iron laced sites but still do well using the smaller coils. I own 3 detectors and each one has it's uses depending on the site. The XL Pro is my all around detector and excells at finding old silver at depth and for cherry picking silver from old sites where I need to be selective in my digging. It works well in trashy wooded sites with the small coils and has top notch dicrimination on iron. This site has some good tips on using the 6000 series and offers better info. Hope I didn't confuse you.

Whites 6000 tips
http://66.51.97.78/jb/6dipro.html

 

[Anonymous]

No confusion at all. Thank you very much for the input. I really have enjoyed reading all of the replies, and appreciate each and every one of your opinions. Reading all of the opinions and other information on this site makes me think that maybe I want a detector too!

Kind Regards,

Elizbeth

 

[Low-Boy/LCPM]

I agree that the 6000 Xl and the hot shot coil are way better then the DFX or XLT. For depth and meter and it is set up so great that you don't have to go to a menue and play with a lot of settings.

I had to do that a lot with the DFX and the meter doesn't jump around on masking or mutly targets and it hits on gold a silver big time.