Its time to move on...dfx vs se...let the tests begin!

[Old Sox]

Good job Greg! Appreciate the effort. I am interested in this as I have owned both machines also and have often wondered how each compared to each other. I just couldnt afford both and really wanted the SE so the DFX had to go.

 

[Steve(MS)]

Gregg, I can tell you one thing I learned last year about comparing detectors outside my yard that it is time consuming and work, haha, one time I had a detector in each hand. 2 sets of headphones cords get easily entangled. I found it is best to check a small area and mark maybe 4 to 10 signals with one detector then place that detector down and see how the other detector responds.

 

[DFX-Gregg]

Thanks as I go along...I think the tests should be interesting...

 

[DFX-Gregg]

Good point Steve...I am going to mark with golf tees to save time...

 

[Neil]

Hey Gregg,

Make sure and noise cancel the Explorer at least whenever you do your tests even if testing in factory presets.

One thing Id like to hear from you is the in ground ID performance of the DFX vs the SE. The Explorer and Sov are the two best Ive ever seen with the CZs the next closest detector.

Thanks,
Neil

 

[DFX-Gregg]

once my ground is not frozen! A couple people also mentioned jewelry...which I will test with different sized objects next.

 

[DFX-Gregg]

I enjoy the open debate method and believe that is what the forums are for. Some do not always like my answers or results...but at least they are truthful and sometimes do not benefit me...but also a great way to learn....Gregg

 

[BlackX]

One thought is you could use gold tees to mark the targets. They work pretty well since you can push them in far enough to keep from interfering with the other detector. (And can use different colors too.)

 

[Magicman]

Gregg,

What do you think about the information on the screen between the two detectors? SignaGraph with the VDI vs the Smartfind and alt digital display?

 

[DFX-Gregg]

Right now I am focusing on digital readings with the se. Soon I will start switching but I tried going from digital to smartfind and it slowed me down to much. So I am learning them one at a time... Coming from the digital vdi readout of the dfx, I figured digital would be the way to start for me. I have almost got to the same level of recovery as far as coins go. The Se is deeper, but the areas I am hitting are newer parks for now, only two silver coins. Jewelry has been a mistery for me with se...with dfx I had recovered a lot of jewelry in the same time period. With the dfx a lot of the jewelry would give the same low deep tone but come in solid and clear, up to now with se only one silver pendant to go with the coins. The wheaties have been coming in around the same pace...

At this point having less digital numbers as on the se is nice...but I would like to see some jewelry charts on se...see tons of coin charts for digital...but no jewelry charts.

Also I see a ton of finds being posted on Explorer forum...but notice lack of gold rings and other jewelry.. I want to find the gold sweetspots on detector. Sure it is easy to say just dig everything...but thats not for me... I would grade the se great for digital coin recoveries...a little less bouncing around than the vdi on dfx....but jewelry wise...not sure yet. And once again have not had smartfind on enough yet to give an opinion.

 

[Steve(MS)]

Keep in mind the conduct numbers are much more important than the ferrous numbers as they are more volatile. In other words, your ferrous numbers can be skewed because of increased depth, trash and ground conditions and maybe all of them at one time. Those of us who use smartfind do this by the vertical position of cursor box and attribute what range the target signal is in, and what we call the "bouncing" and not perfect ferrous readings is a result of less than perfect conditions.
You can accomplish the same thing with the digital screen. You may have already figured this out though.

 

[DFX-Gregg]

the dfx. I just would like to gain a better ear for jewelry tones and their digital numbers... I am way behind on my jewelry finds this year...

 

[Southwind]

I found my first piece of jewelry with the SE the other day. It's nothing to do the dance about, but it is jewelry. I have been ignoring the visual ID pretty much and listening really close to the sound. I listen for a dip in the threshold before the tone. If there is a null/silence in the threshold just before the targets tone, I don't dig. If it goes straight from the threshold to the target tone with no null I dig it.

It's worked pretty good so far, but I still look at the numbers( I prefer digital) to get an idea of what it reads. Using this technique I was able to dig 4 good targets, 3 wheats and a silver quarter, in a row with no junk dug. All the coins were around 7-9" deep in our city park. I just knew there was more goodies out there.

This piece of jewelry was roughly 5" deep.

 

[bazooka]

n/t

 

[DFX-Gregg]

n/t

 

[Southwind]

Found my first 2 nickles yesterday both reading a solid 10 06. Of course they were in sand where readings are more stable. Also found 3 A&W tokens good for a free root beer. WooHoo, I'll need it after todays 88 degree weather.

 

[BlackX]

...but since I've never used a DFX, I can't compare to that machine. Not sure how many hours I have in yet. Maybe double that. ??? Beaver tails do seem to be foolling me more than they did on the Sovereign though. Got a quick hunt in today while the kids played in a playground and hit some clad: two quarters (they're almost always giving me a very flat signal), one time, two nickels, a couple copper memorials and about six zincs (all except one were in a stack and it sounded really good). So I figure I'm hitting nickels pretty well (probably a little less than with the Sov but I had a year in on that machine).

 

[Architex]

Congrats on your new SE. You are in for some fun testing and comparing. I did the same thing - started with a DFX, added an SE, and then a couple of Tesoros. I can tell you this much after a year and a half of testing - any one of my detectors will find things that any one of the other detectors has missed. There are just differences in how they're handled and in the detectors themselves that will give any one of them an advantage for certain conditions.

Anyway - HAVE FUN!!!

 

[DFX-Gregg]

Thanks I am already glad I have both...also just the change of pace helps... I get out 3-4 times a week... Last week 5....so with an extra battery pack always charged for both...they are being used!

 

[Steve(MS)]

I have a Whites myself, have other brands too. Like my ''toys" no matter what brand is written on them.