Narrowed down between Minelab & Whites

[shortcut1224]

Well I have narrowed it down on my next detector purchase. It is between the X 705 and the MXT. I live in the nw corner of Ohio where for the most part the ground is mostly mild. I do have a Whites dealer within 30 minute drive which would be a plus. Do we have anyone who has had both and can give me an unbiased pros and cons to each. I do mostly coin and jewelry hunting along with some relic hunting at old farm sites. Once a year I do make it to S Carolina or Florida w/ the family and get to do a little beach hunting but not basing purchase on salt beaches. I do some fresh water beach hunting also. Any honest input would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
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[Mtnmn]

Have never owned a MXT, but when you do a comparison check on Kellyco between the two detectors, here are some of the advantages of the X-T 705 over the MXT. The X-T 705 weights 1 1/4 lbs. less and costs a little less. It takes half as many AA batteries and has an extra year's warranty, plus comes with both an instruction video and arm strap (if you use one). It also comes with the potential to use coils with 3 different operating frequencies and has 8 different search modes compared to 3 for the MXT. Other advantages are a programable target I.D., iron masking, noise cancellation and a adjustable volume control compared to a fixed one on the MXT. Some of the advantages of the MXT are a slightly bigger stock coil, each of the 3 search modes have various options and it has 198 target I.D. segments compared to 28 for the X-T 705, plus it has fixed ground balancing available. Although it takes twice as many AA batteries, battery life is close to double that of the X-T 705. Hope this helps a little and that my information is correct.

 

[7centsworth]

The minelab also has tone id and a backlight for hunting in the dark. Both are good detectors I have never owned a whites but have heard good about both.

 

[xwyokid]

I sold my old MXT to buy my X-70. I have never looked back. I've only used my X-70 for coinshooting and have found way more coins then I ever did with the MXT espicially nickels. The tones of the X-70 are so nice and so is the sweet high pitch of silver coins. Though the X-70 has a bunch of things that can be tweaked to your liking it is also a very simple machine to understand and operate. The MXT was a fine machine, (heavy) but I feel the X-70 has it beat. Check out the FAQFAQ section and you will get a real good idea of what the X-Terra line of machines can do. Good Luck.

 

[Digger]

I've owned several MXT's, field tested the first release of X-Terras and purchased a new X-705 this summer. First off, let me say that both the MXT and 705 are excellent detectors made by reputable companies. And, both are capable of providing years of enjoyment. Although there are many similarities, (coin mode, prospecting mode, threshold, display etc) there are some differences that I really like on the X-Terra. For example, I prefer notch discrimination over variable discrimination. Especially if I am hunting nasty trashy areas with an abundance of can slaw. I can eliminate a good portion of the trash by notching out a segment or two on the X-Terra, without fear of missing too many "goodies". On the other hand, if I were to set the discrimination to eliminate the same trashy targets with the MXT, I'd also be discriminating out several types of US coins, as well as much of the gold jewelry. I prefer to hunt with more than one tone. On the MXT, I can go to relic mode and have two tones. But in the Coin/Jewelry mode, I'm stuck with one tone for all targets that are set to be accepted. This requires me to be more aware of the TID instead of relying on my ears, ,as I can with the X-Terra. On the 705, I have my choice of one tone, two tones, three tones, four tones or 28 tones. Having 28 tones represents a different audio tone for each notch segment. Granted, the MXT offers a much wider range of TID numbers. But if I know the notch segment that certain coins are going to hit, what is the point in having such a wide range? Frankly, if it looks good on either machine, (or simply sounds good on the X-Terra) I'll be digging it regardless of the exact TID number. (or the White's icon)

The sites I hunt are moderately mineralized, for the most part. However, there is a wide range of mineralization within "moderate". While both models allow me to "track" the ground, the X-Terra also allows me to hunt in manual GB or offset my GB to be either positive or negative. Plus, since you mentioned hunting a beach or two, the X-Terra offers a specific Beach mode for maintining a proper GB at those sites. Although the 14 kHz of the MXT is somewhat universal in it's applications. It will find coins and jewelry. However, I like the ability to switch coils, thus switch operating frequency, on the X-Terra. The stock 9 inch concentric coil at 7.5 kHz is a good all-around coil for a coinshooter or a relic hunter. I personally prefer the 3 kHz concentric for hunting open sites in search of old silver and copper coins. And I like the small DD coil at 18.75 kHz for sniping coins and jewelry in trashy areas. Although my soil conditions don't warrant the use of the larger 10.5 DD, there are many who are having tremendous success with it. Add all this to the weight, balance, backlight, Noise cancel channels and the ability to operate at one of three frequencies and you have the 705. Like I said, both are great detectors and either one should serve you well. Depth-wise, I don't see much (if any) difference when using comparible sized coils. Sensitivity to small targets? I give that nod to the X-Terra. And I attribute much of that to the fast processing of the X-Terra, and it's forgiving +/- sweep speed. JMHO HH Randy

 

[Goes4ever]

I traded my MXT for my x-70, my detecting partner just traded his whites for a minelab as well. He got tired of hunting with me and constantly getting skunked by me finding way more than him. And he had a DFX !!!! We could be on the exact same yard and I always find more! I don't think the MXT holds a candle to the x-70

not to mention it uses 1/2 the batteries, is half the weight..........and the depth and abilities this machine will do, will simply amaze you.

I am in NW Ohio, where in Ohio are you?

oh let me add this one little tidbit...........browse some of the MAJOR treasure boards and look thru "today's finds" look at the guys who find the most silver, indians etc.....you will notice the majority of these guys are swinging minelabs, let the facts speak for themselves.

 

[psyvad]

This may not be a factor for most detectorists, but I enjoy detecting without headphones. It wasn't until after I bought a new MXT that I discovered there wasn't a volume control. It was way too loud so I ended up selling it after two hours of use.

 

[Bavaria Mike]

I have an XT70 and a Whites XLT. Both are nice machines but I like the Minelab a little better and it is lighter. Have not turned on the XLT in almost 3 years, I should check it and make sure it still works, LOL! HH, Mike

 

[SandPhantom]

I have had a MXT and currently hunt with a buddy with a MXT. He is absolutely deadly with the MXT and this could be just years of experience with the unit. I love my 705 and although the MXT is a great detector I really prefer the 705. You cant go wrong with either and it comes down to personal preference. We have done side by side comparisons and each shine on different levels. Me personally would suggest the 705 to a new user as it can stand its ground against most machines out there and on the beach the 705 seems to perform better than the MXT in my opinion especially with the coil to match your conditions.

 

[Dirt Poor]

My 2 cents...I have used good White's machines for many years, and I've owned Spectrums, an MXT, 6000 di series 3, and a few others. I recently bought an X-70, and it is the most stable, deeper-seeking, lighter-weight, fun machine I've ever hunted with. I'm not knocking Whites, but I will probably never own another White's machine unless I get a great deal on one at a yard sale or somewhere.

 

[maceman66]

Seems to me that its all preference on how and where you use your machine, I use an XLT and can find just as much as my buddy that uses a Minelab, I think its all in how well you know your machine and how much you use it!! It seems to me that my friend with the Minelabs seems to have way more technical trouble(returns for service,etc.) with his machine than i have ever had with my XLT, just my thoughts, take them how you like!!!

 

[Canewrap]

I too, used to have an MXT and now use an X-terra 70. I like mine so much I bought another one for my wife to hunt with (easier to help her with it). I've tried a number of different brands and machines and I like the X-terra so much that the only thing I can see myself doing in the future it upgrading to a 705. I can attest to one simple comparison that did it for me. I had a small Civil War replica buckle that I buried 11" deep, for testing purposes, when I started back into detecting. A year and half later when I acquired my X-terra 70 I decided to run a comparison between the two on depth. Using the MXT with the stock coil I couldn't pick up the buckle in the moderate ground and be able to tell it wasn't junk (just not a good signal and barely picked it up), but with the X-terra 70 I not only picked it up, it was clear that it was a good signal. That did it for me. I sold the MXT and haven't looked back. See, if I can get good depth without needing the back breaking weight that a larger coil brings, then I will swing longer and its more enjoyable for me. The MXT is about 5 lbs when you put on a 12" coil (what I needed on mine to get equal depth to the X-terra) and the X-terra, even with the 10.5" DD coil is a whole pound lighter and has a few more features than the MXT (notching for one, and tones in all metal as well). So, for me it was a clear choice.

 

[dignit]

I have an MXT and an X-terra 70. I think the pros with the X-erra out weigh the MXT by far. Since I got my X-70, the I have "detected" alot of dust building up on the MXT......