DFX vs EXP SE

[DFXer]

Since it's raining out I thought that I would relate a few notes I've made comparing my DFX to my SE. After using XLT's and DFX's for several years I was given an SE as a retirement gift in 2007 ( at my request). I use both machines every week on sports fields, fresh and salt water beaches and in the woods. I thoroughly enjoy both machines but one is clearly not a winner over the other. I would rate them both as excellent but for different reasons.

My observations so far are these:

The SE goes deeper in mineralized soil and possibly under other conditions but since the DFX has a 9.5 inch and the SE a 10 inch coil the comparisons are a little flawed. I have to say that the deepest dimes I've ever dug have been with the SE but depth is not always the arbiter of one detector versus another unless you are a full time relic hunter.

The discrimination on the SE is very good but not as good as the 190 levels of notch discrimination available on the DFX. The DFX also has superior audio (sharper). I've created high discrimination programs with both and the resolution on the DFX is better. With a small coil the DFX in trash is amazing and I'm not talking target separation but discrimination resolution. I found that the DFX headphones worked better than Minelabs when I put them on the SE.

I like the simplicity of the SE and the menu driven features. Minelab has boiled down a lot of parameters into well thought out groupings and I found the learning curve to be relatively short. I think that the DFX has about 39 programmable features which can be overwhelming. The DFX is not a machine for the non technically inclined particularly when trying to figure out ground filtering and sweep rate settings in combination with other settings.

Both machines are excellent in low mineralized relic settings where targets are few and far between and you can slow down and listen. At times the SE can drive you nuts in iron infested areas until you figure out the proper sensitivity and gain settings.

The SE has been outstanding at the beach both in the dry sand and in the salt flats. I'm also comparing the SE to my CZ20 in the salt flats and so far it's a draw. The CZ20 has the advantage of hip mounting so the comfort level is up considerably.

Now comes my rap on the SE - design and durability.

The DFX is ergonomically superior to the SE and much stiffer mechanically. I have never changed anything on the DFX except the length of the stem but I had to change a lot on the SE to get a user friendly feel. For example:

I ripped off the pathetic soft foam handle padding and replaced it with a neat wrapping of electricians high tack, thick rubber tape used for outdoor wiring. The feel is 100% better. The foam ripped within two weeks anyway.

The ears on the coil are too wide and bend inward when the plastic nut is tightened. I made gasket paper washers to square them up and increase the holding friction. The coil now stays put.

The camlocks are a bad design and I had to put tape on both tubes to get the camlocks to really lock. Otherwise the tubes jiggled during sweeping. At one point I thought that the machine was going to fall apart in the field - a feeling that I never got from a Whites, Fisher or Garrett.

My regular battery pack fell apart in a suitcase during travel. I had to tape the halves together.

The bonded plastic joints on the SE frame look iffy and I expect relic hunting to take its toll.

In summary:

I'm going to continue using both machines and I have no doubt that they will both perform admirably. My original intent was to sell the DFX after becoming acquainted with the SE but not any more. I wish someone could combine the best features of the DFX and the SE and then you would have a metal detector.

I can't wait to hear the flack!

Paul

 

[KRS]

Thank you for the en lighting article, If you have any more thoughts please post them........Ken

 

[Larry (IL)]

I doubt that you get too much flack Paul. The days of brand loyalty has gone the way of the VCR. I also use a DFX and Explorer XS taking advantage of the best of both designs. In my style of hunting, I take advantage of the faster processor of the DFX and cover a yard in the fraction of the time it would take me with the XS. I will then come back later with the XS when I have the time and listen for the deeper and iron masked targets that the DFX missed. The DFX also seems to do a little better, at least for me, on the gold jewelry and token finds. I have to admit the Explorer is the king of depth, if depth is your major factor of choosing a detector.

 

[coinnut]

n/t

 

[Weasel_Loader]

Good review.

I just got my new SE last week and have only taken it out once so far. Here are the things I don't like about the SE so far.

Ergos- I prefer the Whites method of mounting the display and using a trigger for pinpoint.

Buttons- I use a weather cover at all times and with gloves, the buttons can be difficult to quickly push to adjust settings.

Learning Curve- I knew this was coming, but I actually like the challenge since I know what this machine is capable of.


And now, the things I like.

Build- Yeah, I've only had it out once, but I actually prefer the Minelabs way of using cams instead of the typical push buttons to adjust the stems. Using a Whites, I often found they start to wiggle even with the plastic screw locks tightened.

Menu- This beats the Whites hands down. Very simple and fast menu system to make quick adjustments. Could be even quicker with higher placed buttons.


That being said, I can't see how any machine is better than the other overall. Both have good and bad points. I'd be perfectly happy with either detector.

 

[sangamon]

i spent over 2 years learning the DFX, tweaking it in all sorts of ways with the goal of finding old silver coins.

sure, i found some silver with the DFX, and lots of other neat things, too.

the problem i had, and the reason i bought the SE, was that every single time i hunted alongside an Explorer, i got beat.

often, in head-to-head comparisons, my DFX simply wouldn't see the target, and that created doubt.

whereas i would go out with the DFX, and hope i would find silver, now with the MineLab, i expect it!

i've spent many hours with the SE going over park lawns that i had already "cleaned out" with the DFX.

i have been amazed at what i had missed the first time around!

(i like Larry's method, of going over a spot with the DFX first, then again with the Explorer.)

 

[mattockman]

I don't have the SE but I do have the XS.....I never owned a DFX...I just think the Explorers are THE best all around detectors cause of its ability for salt beachs,deep silver and iron infested ground and also high electrical noisy spots...Me and Charles UpState NY hunted a park in Maine and it was detected in the 60- the 80's....since the place got lots of underground electrical lines now, it must be impossible for detectors. But we both have explorers, him an SE and me a XS and we both had unstable cursors and digital #'s but had to readjust our settings and then was able to hunt and find some Indians and silver , etc....I would love to see any detector over come this park like the Explorer did...it was amazing...it was unstable but we both know our detectors and it was magic....he was hitting it hard and was on a great roll when a ranger ruined it all.....If I was to own just one detector it would have to be the Explorer.....any time I was with my old friend and his IDX pro....and there was any kind of elec. noise or wet beach or high minerals...he just could not hunt....too unstable for him and no way to adjust to the situation....hence....I hunt alone alot......LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NH Bob]

n/t

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks for a very informative post Paul. I haven't seen a Whites machine in the flesh before, so it's good to have a yardstick to have some insight into it.
Mick Evans.

 

[John - Maryland]

I have used both machine's, and have definitely found more with the Exp II. I am not the only one to make this claim. I have nothing against the DFX, and have enjoyed using it, but the truth justifies itself.

 

[Dennis 2]

I use my EX 2 most of the time ,and I have to say that my old silver count in the past six years has never been better . In mineralized ground with targets far between the EX. can't be touched . I 've had T-2's XLT's and DFX.s ,and they don't come close .
Now with that said , If I hunt iron , ash ,and gravel infested home sites here in Mass. I use a XL pro 6000 . I've hit coins here the EX. couldn't even pick up because of the ground I just mentioned . The xl pro goes deeper then the XLT and the DFX ( But not the EX 2). even with the 6" coil, and the read out is on the money .

 

[padigger]

Thanks for this report, I like it!

Articles like this and the honest follow ups by others should be helpful to those of us who have not graduated up to the level of the higher priced detectors, a decision that I am in the process of making at this time.

 

[NH Bob]

I had a few small issues at first with the SE. I had to crazy glue my battery pack together. It literally opened up from lack of adhesive. I can see inside the handle from the top as its open also. But I have never used a machine as good as the Explorers. And thats Plural. I've had them all and used many others. But always come back to the Explorer. I must add that the weight is hard in an alday hunt when you're 60.

 

[dirtfishing]

I used an XLT for ten years before getting an Explorer 2 this past January. The XLT was a very good machine, I found alot of good stuff with it, and it never let me down as far as reliability. Since starting with the Explorer in Jan, I have found 17 Silver Coins and about 50 Wheats. The Explorer definitly goes deeper, but what I've really noticed is that it will find a good target that is being masked by trash. I have already found several coins that were in the same hole as some trash, in some cases directly below the trash. The XLT would have just shown it as trash. The XLT is definitly a faster responding machine, you can certainly cover more ground quicker, but I think the having to slow down with the Explorer has helped me find things I might have missed moving along quickly with the XLT. I still have my XLT, and keep it as a back-up or a loaner for friends, but the Explorer is my machine of choice now.

 

[DIRT DAUBER]

How much longer are we going to have to endure these comparisons about the DFX and the SE. Don't you think enough is enough????
Use your mine lab as your backup to your DFX, or use your dfx as your backup to your Mine lab, but whatever you do please move on to bigger and better things
because you seem to be very capable of doing that. good luck and happy hunting...

 

[Larry (IL)]

I certainly understand where you are coming from Dirt Dauber. Old timers who have heard this many times before, get tired of it. But keep in mind this forum spawns not only new hunters to the hobby, but experienced hunters who are looking for a change in hardware. I recently added the Minelab to my collection of detectors and I enjoy knowing the differences of the detectors. If you will look down the list of posters, you will see many thanks for the information posted here and only one complaint....yours.

You should have been able to tell by the Subject header what the content of the post was. If it was something you didn't care to read.................DON'T CLICK ON IT. This Forum is NOT about you and your needs. It is here for the other thousands of detectorists who either want to learn something or share something.

 

[sangamon]

...now tell us how you really feel!

 

[bazooka]

I agree with you on a few things, but have to disagree with you on others. I've owned the DFX for over 2 years, the SE for a month...

I believe overall that the DFX is built tougher, but I believe the camlock system on the SE is right on the money and I really wish the DFX had it. With the DX-1 probe mounted, the shaft length can't be adjusted easily. This means I have to reconfigure my vehicle to fit the detector in. With the minelab, I just flip the lever and it's done. Also the shaft on the SE is much much tighter than the DFX. My DFX has developed a slight wiggle in the lower shaft, but the SE is super solid. I've also not had any problem with either battery pack. Maybe they made some design improvements after the first run? I got mine about a month ago.

I have yet to dig anything deeper with the SE than the DFX, but I only have 33 hours on it so far and the place I hunt doesn't typically have coins past the 6" mark anyway. However, I have noticed that the SE has much better target separation. I hit a target in some really thick trash with the SE stock coil at about 3 inches, that the DFX wouldn't hit with the 5.3 eclipse. This was the first time I'd used the machines side-by-side and I almost couldn't believe it. I'd also found a few things with the SE that I missed with the DFX. However to be fair, my other friend hunted with me last week and found 3 buttons in an area that I was sure I had covered thouroughly and he was using the DFX. You never get it all!

One thing I can't forgive minelab for is building the armcuff way too small. My arm barely fits into it, and the velcro strap doesn't fit around my arm so i can't even use it....what's up with that?

The menu buttons are also much harder to push than the DFX even without the weather cover which I don't have one yet. I always wear gloves which makes this a real challenge. The DFX pinpoint mode is far superior to the SE, but I'm to teh point where I don't even use pinpoint mode unless it's with the X-1 probe. The DD coils are so precise, you can X a target and it will be spot on.

It seems the SE has an auto-ratchet system built in to the pinpointing much like the DFX's ratching pinpoint option. This causes the pinpoint to lock onto the strongest target and lower the sensitivity so the others can't be heard. Also, after getting close to the target a few times with teh X-1 probe and the pinpoint engaged, it will eventually disappear because it's being ratcheted down. I really hate this and wish they would have made it an option.

That's all I have time for now, gotta get to work!

 

[niterider_58]

very well put larry

 

[BlackX]

[quote bazooka]One thing I can't forgive minelab for is building the armcuff way too small. My arm barely fits into it, and the velcro strap doesn't fit around my arm so i can't even use it....what's up with that?[/quote]

My arms aren't that big but I ran into the strap-length issue this winter with coats on. I'm guessing the designer(s) don't get out much in freezing or sub-freezing temps.

The menu buttons are also much harder to push ... even without the weather cover ...

I have that issue all the time with gloves on with or without the weather cover.

It seems the SE has an auto-ratchet system built in to the pinpointing much like the DFX's ratching pinpoint option. This causes the pinpoint to lock onto the strongest target and lower the sensitivity so the others can't be heard. Also, after getting close to the target a few times with teh X-1 probe and the pinpoint engaged, it will eventually disappear because it's being ratcheted down. I really hate this and wish they would have made it an option.

Thanks for posting that! That just helped clarify for me one of the issues I'm having using the pinpoint on the SE. I don't have any issues at all in clear (ha!) ground but w/ my previous detector, a Sov, when I'd switch to all-metal, I could use it as kind of a black&white x-ray into the ground to hear the different strength and location of targets in the vicinity of a possible good signal. That could really help determine whether to dig or not. (For example, a weak signal right where I got a good tone adjacent to a strong one which would be nulling in disc mode.) Sure would be nice if ML would give us a toggle for that (even if it was buried in the menu system).

What's pinpointing like on the XS and the II?