Have X-50....Trade up to X-70?

[gulfbeachguy]

Bought my X-50 2 weeks before the X-70's came out. Took it on a tour to England, did well with it and, because it is so lightweight, could effortlessly hunt for days. Wasn't overly impressed with depth in highly mineralized British soil (but I'm used to hunting relics with Sovereign w/15" WOT coil.) Have a chance to go back to England in the next few weeks, so have several questions..... Can I learn the X-70 fast (to hunt iron only discriminate)? Will I gain any depth or improve iron only discrimination with the X-70 over the X-50? Don't mind paying the price if I'm going to increase yield. Any recommendation on coils (last trip seemed to find more in that soil w/high frequency coil)....could I benefit by getting the new 5" x 10" coil? Have been reading this forum for awhile. Lot of smart and helpful people here..... so would really appreciate any input you guys can give. Thanks

 

[Joe of South Jersey]

Since no one wants to answer I will.

The answer is yes. I feel you could learn the X70 really quickly. Just by using the tone set-up, that is the same as the X50.

You can gain the use of the added modes. Such as the auto track, and prospecting mode. Especially if the targets are in very bad ground. The reason I say this is the the conditions that are hunt in my area are high mineralized beach's and the locals love the X70 performance in these conditions over the X50.

I tested the X50 in these conditions last year and It would work , but a bit noisy. After using the X70 in the same conditions it ran smooth with no falsing and still retained a respected depth.

So my over all answer is give it a swing you should make out just fine.

 

[gulfbeachguy]

Joe,
I was beginning to wonder if anyone was out there....thanks for responding and giving me an excuse to upgrade to an X-70. Was hoping that the X-70 was better and deeper in mineralized soil. Does the auto ground balance really work well? What about the new 5" x 10" coil versus the stock coils for mineralized soil? Is the X-70 really as simple as the X-50 to learn (at least basic discrimination hunting)? Thanks again for your help!
Dean
Anyone else out there want to throw in their opinion? Jump on in!

 

[Joe of South Jersey]

Dean,
Deeper well if ground balance is correct,then yes. That is the good part of the auto track. The 5x10 double D will handle mineralized soil better...but that is the nature of the DD. The X70 is as simple to learn as the X50 especially since you already have used the X50 for some time.

 

[Digger]

I had not responded to your request, since I can't speak for the soil conditions in England. But, since you asked for other opinions, here is mine, based on my using all three models in the Midwest.

You won't have any trouble learning the X-70. In fact, most of the additional features pretty much do what they were designed to do, on their own. Auto GB and Tracking will allow you to maintain a more precise level of GB while hunting. The threshold tone will allow you to witness target blanking of rejected objects. Using Iron Mask in the Prospecting mode will let you reject various levels of ferrous targets.
If each respective detector (X-50 or X-70) is tuned properly, I haven't found the X-70 hunts any deeper than the X-50. Not in the all-metal mode or a Pattern. The X-70 will let you utilize the Prospecting mode, and that may be the key for hunting in England. Hopefully someone from over there will respond to your question in time for you to make a decision.

As I said, I have never hunted in England. But, from what I have read about the conditions, and what I know about the X-Terras, I would probably opt for the X-70, with an elliptical DD coil. Nearly every manufacturer advertises DD coils as being able to handle mineralization better than concentric. So, it must be true! I would try using the Prospecting mode because of the Iron Mask feature. It would act as an extended ferrous discrimination circuit, accepting coins and jewelry. But rejecting most small iron objects, such as nails. The threshold will act like a GB threshold, because you will be actually listening to the changes in mineralization. With that in mind, make sure you maintain an accurate GB and check it often. Remember that when in the Prospecting mode, the LCD will not display the TID as it does in the discrimination modes. But will instead display the level of Iron Mask you have selected. You will have to identify the target by the audio tone.

So, even though I have not found any difference in the depth of detection between the X-50 and X-70, I guess my answer would be different for your situation. For your trip to England, the Prospecting feature of the X-70, combined with a DD coil, may just be what you are looking for. Best of luck to you and keep us posted on what you decide and how it works out for you. HH Randy

 

[Jackpine Savage]

is you will see the biggest difference simply by switching to the DD coil. Going to the 70 will add some learning curve to the mix especially in bad ground. If you can, keep the 50 and compare the 2 on undug targets before leaving. My 70 has to be run with the tracking on to keep up with the 50 on iron co-located targets. Its not a problem but had I not had the 2 to compare I would have never found that out.

Tom

 

[Digger]

I think (across the board) the depth of detection between the three models is comparible. Maybe a VFlex is a VFlex is a VFlex??? Although they are designed and built identically, just like most makes and models, variances will occur. Even between two identical looking detectors. When I did my tests, to reduce any margin of error, I used the same 7.5 coil on all three models. I found that the X-50 and X-70 were neck to neck in the depth department. The X-30 fell a little bit (+/- 10%) behind. At the time, I attributed that to the factory preset GB. Then my X-30 went on the fritz, and I sent it in to be repaired. Like anyone else, I tried it out as soon as I got it back. Guess what?? It is now the deepest seeking (and most sensitive) one of the three. Since I can set the GB of the X-50 and X-70 how ever I want to, it kind of throws my theory about the preset GB out the window. Any ideas? HH Randy

 

[Jackpine Savage]

Digger,

When you say the 30 is the now the most sensitive I take that to mean it hits well on a wide range of target sizes and conductivities. What I see with the 70 I have is that it seems to be "tuned" more to coin type targets. ie it hits very well under most conditions on high conductivity coins and lacks a little on the smaller low conductive stuff in coin mode with the stock coil. The 6x10 DD ups the ante on the small stuff, almost too much some times when land hunting, it just depends on the site and what you are after I guess.

At any rate depth is an elusive thing. In good ground conditions when you can run the sensitivity high the X-70 has shown me to be one of the deepest single freq VLFS around on US coins, hitting hard at double digit depths. In not so ideal conditions I have seen it struggle a bit on 7" deep in the clear coins as well. What I am saying is that it is no different than any other detector. The guys that design these things all have their own ideas about what makes a good detector and what market they are after. Thats why most of us have more than one.

You'll need to talk to the tech that fixed your 30 to get your answer on the depth thing. BTW let me know his name.

Tom

 

[John LA]

I haven't owned a 30 but have had a 50 and now have a 70. I wasn't able to GB the 50 in several places that I tried to hunt. I don't have any problem GBing the 70. If GBing is necessary for max depth, then the X70 has better depth for me.

 

[gulfbeachguy]

Thanks guys for your opinions and suggestions. All of you were a great help. It's wonderful to have a place like this where so much knowledge and experience can be shared. Happy hunting, Dean