In June of this year I sold two detectors and bought a V3i. I bought this detector because it was one I had not tried yet. Last spring I quit posting, mostly because there was little I could say that hasn't been said before. I don't post pictures, but be assured that the V3i has found many coins worthy of posting. I have had every Minelab made except for the 3030 and was sure that the V3i would not keep up on their deep silver ability. For the record, I have used Explorers for probably a couple of thousand hours and consider myself "above average" with these fine detectors. I decided on Whites because of their solid build, excellent customer service, built in the USA, and finally, the success with their detectors I have had in the past. When I bought the V3i I was willing and thinking that the pros I just wrote about would negate any small sacrifice in performance. I have read hundreds of posts about the overwhelming menu that the V3i has and how hard it is to "dial in". For this, I was amazed at how easy the menu is to navigate. Second, once I figured out what adjustments are meaningful, I will say, I make less adjustments than I did with any Explorer. The only time I get radical, it is when I want to experiment. The few times I have experimented, I have been rewarded. I am no computer guru so when I start trying different programs, I am surprised at how well they work and what I find. It is a definite plus to have this kind of versitility. With that said, I really stick to just one program(high pro) with usually one or two adjustments to suit the site I am hunting. Knocking on doors and having the b%&&s to ask permission is not my cup of tea. Hunting these types of virgin ground is much easier for any detectorist to make great finds. I am still hunting my old parks and fairgrounds and it a miracle to find anything in these places, but with persistance and a great detector, good finds are still there. For the bones of my evaluation, I have found the V3i to be deep and accurate. I have not found 8 silvers in one day or anything like that, but I will say each and every time I use this detector, I find a"good for me coin". For those who say the V3i will not go deeper than 5 or 6 inches, I have found it to be the equal to any other detector made. Many of my better finds have been mixed in with trash and the V3i does a great job in that department too. One important observation that I have found to be true with both the V3i and my previous DFX's is how a "deep" target sounds. I hunt with tone ID and I have found Whites high end detectors to lack the signal quality of say an Etrac or SE Pro on deep coins. The Explorers are very distinct on these 8 to 10 inch coins. The high tones on the V3i and DFX are sort of muffled and easy to overlook as junk. On Explorers I always went by tone first and basically ignored the numbers. On the 8 inch and deeper coins I find with the V3i, I usually just get a one way squeak, with bouncing high numbers. I then check it out with the outstanding "pinpoint mode" that the V3i has. Copper and silver will always be domiant with the low frequency bar. Some of the coins deeper than 8 inches will sometimes have an equal mid frequency and low frequency bar. If I am confusing anyone, I would just have to say the V3i does not do as nice of job as any Explorer with the tones on a deep target, but once you dig a few, it has it's own unique trademark sound. For those who say this detector is complicated and under performing, I will beg to differ. One last note. I have always thought that any Whites detector was "bullet proof", but I have had several issues with my V3i. The camlocks were bad from the factory and I have bad wobble. The stock 10 inch dd coil failed last week out of the clear blue. If I ever sell this detector, it will be because of quality issues, not performance issues. All in all, it is a nearly perfecto combination of what I want in a detector.
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First Three Months With V3i
- Thread starter RLOH
- Start date
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
Thanks RL that was a good honest opinion of the V and that is just how I hunted the deep targets with mine. 
Nothing wrong with RL's post, things happen.
I like my rods rock solid. Any little movement annoys me, even those well in tolerances. I guess I am annal on this. I found that if I tape off the rod and spray about 3 coats of black paint on the section of the rod that goes in the cam lock the slightest movement is gone.
When the rods come they are painted but after the rods are removed and put back over time the paint wears off. I know this wasn't RL's problem. Just a way to keep it feeling new.
I like my rods rock solid. Any little movement annoys me, even those well in tolerances. I guess I am annal on this. I found that if I tape off the rod and spray about 3 coats of black paint on the section of the rod that goes in the cam lock the slightest movement is gone.
When the rods come they are painted but after the rods are removed and put back over time the paint wears off. I know this wasn't RL's problem. Just a way to keep it feeling new.