Help deciding on which Whites to get please

[ShawnP]

I currently use a Fisher F4 and am having much fun with it. My wife is getting interested in the hobby and has mentioned that maybe I should upgrade so she can use the F4.

So far I have been researching some of the mid range whites detectors and I was wondering what some of your opinions on the following are.

Whites XLT - I maybe be able to get a 1 year old lightly used one for a good price.

Whites MXT - I was leaning towards this model at first

Whites Matrix M6 - I am kind of leaning towards this now as I will mostly be doing parks and beaches.

Some things I have read and these are just generalizations are:

The MXT is noisy but is over all a very good coin / jewelry / Relic machine.

The M6 is a great Coinshooter but limited with relics and is good on the beach.

The XLT, well I really have not heard anything about this one other than its got a larger learning curve, but if I can get it at the price I maybe able to get it at this might be worth it.

Has there been a new model of the XLT in the past year, should I worry about getting old technology with a unit that is 1 year old?

I am open to other suggestions but would like to stay in the $600 to $800 range, and if the boss has anything to say about it the closer to 600 the better lol.

Thanks

 

[w1ki]

The XLT has been out for many years now, but they still make it. I doubt they keep it in their lineup if they weren't still selling them. I have had one for about 3 or 4 years now and I still love it. I had it's predecessor the Eagle Spectrum for about 12 years before that. The XLT is an upgrade from the Eagle Spectrum. It has a few more features and is a little easier on batteries. I wouldn't hesitate to get either, and you might just find a fairly new XLT on Ebay for a good price. There are some out there who prefer the XLT to the newer DFX. I never had a DFX, so I am not the one to comment on the comparison of those two.

HH and enjoy whatever you settle on...

 

[poorman]

Shawn; My hunting needs are pretty much like yours. Playground, Schools, Parks and the beach occasionally. I tried them all and finally ended up with the M6. The deciding factor was how often I get out. Sometimes I will go a month without getting any hunting in. Using the DFX and XLT I found I was spending to much of my time re-learning every time I went out. With the DFX and XLT you idealy need to go out on a regular basis, at least until you have a good solid basic understanding of your machine. The M6, as I mentioned elsewhere has a learning curve as flat as day old beer. As far as relic hunting with the M6 I think it goes plenty deep. I relic hunt with 0 Disc and Tone mode, and sens as high as I can run it, and that is usually max or very nearly so. I do prefure the MXT style grip and am considering having my M6 modified to that style. Hope that helps you some. poorman

 

[ShawnP]

Thanks for the quick replies guys. Ya the ease of learning the M6 has me leaning towards it. I still have to make a call about the XLT, but if its still available for the price listed I may just jump on it.

 

[Larry (IL)]

Shawn, if the XLT can be bought right, I would jump on it. I know people who have never strayed from the stock programs and they find LOTS of stuff. You can tinker with the settings and get more out of it but the XLT is an outstanding detector right out of the box. By learning what the settings will do will make you a better detectorist, but certainly not necessary.

 

[DFX-Gregg]

new! If you have $600 to $800...you will also get whatever White's is offering free (accessories). Plus the full two year warranty will not hurt you!

 

[Elton]

XLT.For the fact you can and will grow with the machine...It's a lifetime detector.

 

[Mr. Beard]

[quote poorman]Shawn; My hunting needs are pretty much like yours. Playground, Schools, Parks and the beach occasionally. I tried them all and finally ended up with the M6. The deciding factor was how often I get out. Sometimes I will go a month without getting any hunting in. Using the DFX and XLT I found I was spending to much of my time re-learning every time I went out. With the DFX and XLT you idealy need to go out on a regular basis, at least until you have a good solid basic understanding of your machine. The M6, as I mentioned elsewhere has a learning curve as flat as day old beer. As far as relic hunting with the M6 I think it goes plenty deep. I relic hunt with 0 Disc and Tone mode, and sens as high as I can run it, and that is usually max or very nearly so. I do prefure the MXT style grip and am considering having my M6 modified to that style. Hope that helps you some. poorman[/quote]

The M6 is great for finding coins, and jewelry, and setting the Disc knob at 0, you have a relic detector.
On a dime target, it detects at least 6 inches with a 5.3 coil,at least 8 inches with the stock coil and if you want to dig really deep get the Super 12 coil.

 

[Monte]

[quote ShawnP]I currently use a Fisher F4 and am having much fun with it. My wife is getting interested in the hobby and has mentioned that maybe I should upgrade so she can use the F4.[/quote]Good news here is that your wife is encouraging you to 'upgrade'. The best news is that she wants to use the F4 and join you in your searches!


[quote ShawnP]So far I have been researching some of the mid range whites detectors and I was wondering what some of your opinions on the following are.

Whites XLT - I maybe be able to get a 1 year old lightly used one for a good price.

Whites MXT - I was leaning towards this model at first

Whites Matrix M6 - I am kind of leaning towards this now as I will mostly be doing parks and beaches.[/quote]I urge you to keep considering a model in the mid-to-upper end, such as those you list. Of them, I would suggest the XLT or M6. While all three of the models offer good general performance, the M6 only lacks a few features of the MXT, such as the All Metal Prospecting mode, the Ground Phase reading, two-tone Relic mode and the ability to hunt with an audible Threshold.


But the M6, to it's credit, does have the option of a 7-tone audio ID at the flick of a trigger toggle (I wouldn

 

[ShawnP]

Thanks for the great replies. I actually had the opportunity to go to a whites dealer in town who was very knowledgeable and showed/demonstrated to me the M6, DFX, and XLT. I tell you what If we had had the $1050 he was asking we would have walked out with the DFX. Even my wife was impressed. Unfortunately I had to spend a large portion of my saved funds to fix my wife's car so I will not be able to make a purchase until tax time next year but I will be getting and M6 XLT or DFX. Thanks again for all the info and advice.

 

[jeff & Maria]

n/t

 

[ShawnP]

Well a hunting buddy of mine will be picking up a used XLT this weekend so I will get to see first hand how this unit works. I still have not made my decision, but I still have some time. I have started looking at other detectors in the XLT/DFX price range like the F75, but the reports that it is as sensitive and chatty as the MXT have me worried that it might be to much for my small brain to handle. Again thanks for the replies, I will continue to read up on my options.

 

[jmaryt]

may i add the legendary xl pro to that mix?..quite possibly the best coin sniper ever built!..try to get it with the 6" coil!...you will be well served!..look on e-bay as sometimes you find one for sale!...500.00 should do it in great condition!

(h.h!)
j.t.

 

[ShawnP]

Thanks I will look into it. Is that the Whites Pro XL 6000 you are talking about?

 

[jmaryt]

yes!..originally it was named that,however white's shortened it to the xl-pro!..exactly the same detector!