Need an unbiased opinion....

[Diggerinva]

I know i am likely to get some biased opinions on this forum but anyway......Which machine would you buy (NEW) if you were going to purchase for a "do all" machine with relic hunting being my first priority. Hunt mostly cut crop fields and old home sites. Some areas have thick iron trash and some are less trash but the dirt is hot (some as bad as Culpeper clay) and the relics are deep. I am considering the MXT all Pro or the new Garrett AT Max. Have had both the other AT machines and had good luck with them but have always wanted a MXT and came close to buying one twice but got talked out of it by dealers and other people. Once i bought the f75 instead and once i bought the AT gold instead,. I/ still have my At pro for any water hunting i might want to do, which i rarely do much of. Right now my Tejon is my go to machine so i dont mind knobs and i dont need a fancy screen.....although i have had several people tell me that for the money i should consider the Equinox 800. I had one ordered but cancelled after not receiving it in the time i was told by the dealer. Anyway, just wondering about these machines performance wise in trash and also depth when the soil gets nasty. I know the MXT is a legend and has made many great relic finds, but is it still near the top with these new machines of the same price? And also, im not interested in the MX sport....just dont care for the whole design of it....Thanks.

 

[Flintstone]

Hi Digger, I have two MXT,s and think they are still one of the best detectors ever made. I also have some top of the line detectors, but still go back to my MXT ever now and then. If you don't need the back light and ground grab, look for a regular MXT sometimes you can find them cheep. Give it a try you can always get most of your money back if you get it cheep. I love mine, I think you will like it to.

 

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

I think it will be extremely difficult to get an unbiased opinion since we’ve all got our favorites and a few machines that we don’t care for.

I openly admit that I am biased in favor of Whites machines. I also like Nokta-Makro, First Texas products, and Tesoro.

I am not a relics first kind of guy. My thoughts on a relic first machine are limited to what I’ve read/seen from others who are into relics. I do occasionally hunt for relics, but I use the machines I currently own and am quite pleased with their performance.

Were I to purchase a machine for relic hunting (primarily) I’d look into the following..

Whites - MXT All Pro, TDI SL, TDI BH, V3i (depending upon the type of dirt I’d be hunting in). I would’ve included the MX Sport and/or the MX7, but you specifically stated that you were not interested in that machine. The MXT Pro is legendary. My understanding is that the All Pro is the same machine with a few extra options thrown in.

Nokta-Makro – Impact, Kruzer, Anfibo. Based only on a few videos (of the Anfibo) I would have to give it really serious consideration – the depth is amazing (with their new coil). I would certainly do my best to get one in my hands before making a final decision.

First Texas – T2. There are other machines (by First Texas) that would do the job, but the T2 is widely considered one of the very best relic machines on the market.

Tesoro – You already own one of the best relics machines (from what I’ve read anyway).

Deeptech – They offer several models that seem to be phenomenal relics machines. I would check with Richard (Backwoods Metal Detectors)(he is a sponsor here) to get his thoughts on the best model for your needs.


Minelab – Equinox. I haven’t read a lot about either model with regards to relic hunting. I have to assume that they’d do the job, but their forte seems to be coins and jewelry (especially on salt water beaches).

Were it me looking for a relic machine I’d look the hardest at the TDI Beach Hunter, the Anfibo, and one of the Deeptech models. That is based on the machines I currently own, and the desire for a machine that offered something that goes beyond what I currently own. Your mileage will, of course, vary because your needs aren’t the same as mine.

Best of luck in your hunt for a new machine.

 

[Monte]

Like any other Avid Detectorist, I have my favorites, there are some I didn't like and/or don't care for, and then there are so many others that might be okay, but it's really just an individual's choice for what they like and the types of sites they hunt.

But we might have a problem here on this Forum. You asked on a White's Forum because you like White's, and that's great because I do as well and have some in my Regular-Use Detector Team. But you also referred to other brands and models and how they might compare which, in my opinion, is really what these forums should be for. To openly discuss the brand's products and have an open discussion about any pros and cons people might have. On my brand specific Forums I don't move posts or delete posts when people offer their opinions. I encourage the primary post of discussion to be brand related, but heck, we all have likes and don't likes and ought to be able to voice our views and not have our post/thread relocated. So if this gets moved, maybe some folks might stay with it and be of help.

Okay, now to my 'biased' opinions, which, like I said, are biased towards any detector that works and works well for specific applications. I own and use detectors that work for me and for my needs,m therefore I have reasons to like or prefer them for some uses and, naturally, that includes my White's favorites.
.

I know i am likely to get some biased opinions on this forum but anyway.

Yes, I am sure, from both those who do or don't like White's. Hang in there.

Which machine would you but (NEW) if you were going to purchase for a "do all" machine with relic hunting being my first priority. Hunt mostly cut crop fields and old home sites. Some areas have thick iron trash and some are less trash but the dirt is hot (some as bad as Culpeper clay) and the relics are deep.

I Relic Hunt at least 75%-80% of the time. Started Coin Hunting in '65 and first Relic Hunted in '69, but today I Relic Hunt at least those percentages if not more often.

I have several models that are in my arsenal more specifically for certain applications, such as Coin Hunting in tot-lots, use in a Competition Hunt, or for some Contract Searches I have done for over four decades now and need the performance of certain detectors for the high-conductive target caches that are in somewhat littered areas and the search is done in the Discriminate mode.. Those include silver coins and/or silver bars that were hidden in a wooden box, glass jar, cloth bag, leather pouch or other non-metal container. and not all detectors work well for those challenging targets. Most all of them can be Coin Hunting devices and most serve well for Relic Huntuing.

To answer the question of what NEW detector I would buy for Relic Hunting specifically in iron trashy sites that will also serve as a 'do-all' detector? Well, here are some answers:

Teknetics:
T2 Classic
T2+
T2 SE Ltd.
... and make sure you have the 5" DD coil for these for dense trash.

Nokta-Makro.
FORS CoRe or FORS Relic units, of which I own both. You can still find NEW units available. Great do-it-all detectors and the Relic is really good in a dense iron nail contaminated site, and again use the smaller-size coils for them in dense trash.
Racer 2
Impact
Kruzer or Multi-Kruzer
Anfibio Multi
Anfibio 14
Anfibio 19

White's:
MXT Pro or All Pro. Same detector and electronics.
MX-7 [size=small](even though it's related to the MX Sport)[/size] because it works quite well. It is my favorite current White's general purpose detector.

I am considering the MXT all Pro or the new Garrett AT Max. Have had both the other AT machines and had good luck with them but have always wanted a MXT and came close to buying one twice but got talked out of it by dealers and other people.

I used to use the MXT Pro or All-Pro as my #1 general purpose detector, and I had a couple of Garrett AT's and they were no match for the MXT Pro/All-Pro model for Relic Hunting.

Once i bought the f75 instead and once i bought the AT gold instead,. I/ still have my At pro for any water hunting i might want to do, which i rarely do much of. Right now my Tejon is my go to machine so i dont mind knobs and i dont need a fancy screen.....although i have had several people tell me that for the money i should consider the Equinox 800.

I also do not mind knobs, if that's what it takes to get a detector set up for a search. My proven and versatile Tesoro Bandido II [size=small]micro[/size]MAX has knobs as does my modified White's Classic ID. Both of which, by the way, make very good Relic Hunting devices [size=small](and they also handle my Cache Hunting needs as described above as well as the MX-7 in my arsenal, or an MXT Pro)[/size].

Anyway, just wondering about these machines performance wise in trash and also depth when the soil gets nasty.

Often the "bad ground" will have a negatiove impact of depth-of-detection but I have four models in my outfit that handle bad ground well and provide very good depth. One is my MX-7.

I know the MXT is a legend and has made many great relic finds, but is it still near the top with these new machines of the same price?

The MXT Pro, with an MSRP of $899.95, is a bit over-priced compared with the competition, and has been for 5+ years. Does it work and can it hold its own as far as in-the-field performance? Yes, it does well. But looking at the MSRP here in the US, you have an MXT Pro for $899.95 and a soon to be released Nokta-Makro Anfibio Multi for $899.

At $799 you can get an Anfibio 14, Anfibio 19 or non-waterproof Impact Pro Pack.

For $699 a new Impact.

At $649 a new Racer 2 Pro Pack.

And for $599.95 a White's MX-7

So yes, the performance is there for the MXT Pro to stay in the running, but it costs a bit more and it lacks several newer and functional features.

And also, im not interested in the MX sport....just dont care for the whole design of it....Thanks.

If you don't need waterproof pass on the MX Sport, but I really encourage you to handle an MNX-7 anyway. It is one of the better new model entries I have enjoyed from White's since the MXT Pro was released several years ago.

Monte

 

[ohio fred]

Have several different machine and brands and almost 3 coils for each.Don't count MX7 out.

 

[Confetrit]

I am a Relic Hunter and use the Whites MXT PRO. I have the 4 x 6 Shooter coil, the 10" D2 coil, and just got the 12" Super coil. I can't wait to try the Super coil out. The MXT has found some relics in areas hunted absolutely to death over the years by many hunters using many different make and model detectors. I have owned some nice metal detectors in the past, but I'd have to say that the MXT is my most favorite hunter. A lot of folks will say that the MXT has been around a long time and is old technology. Most times things have been around for a long time because......they are proven and they work. I personally don't think you could go wrong with the MXT. Another plus is that the MXT has so many different coil choices made available. Best of luck to you in your decision and choice of detectors. Let us know what you decide on if you will.

 

[BH505Man]

For the ultimate relic machine , I would purchase the Teknetics T2 SE LTD. Make sure you get it with a 5"DD coil.

 

[Mega]

For me personally for deep relic hunting on clean pasture sites i use a selection of machines and coil combinations,as no one machine can do it all i always carry a selection of machines with me,but the ones that i mainly use are the Deus for general searching,but for pure depth then i use the T2,TDI Pro 'pi' and Nexus SE and also the Nexus MP and also with these machines i have a large array of coils for them as well,more site specific use detectors that i have i use much smaller coils especially on trashy roman/saxon sites but for clean sites or high mineral content ground then i use the Nexus or TDI Pro.

Always prefer using VLF machines but when the ground is such that these machines just wont work well,then out comes one of the Pulse machines TDI Pro,Mirage and the ultra rare original Crossbow PI,also use a Fisher TW-5 twin box for extreme depth......of course what works for me on my permissions may not work for others in other parts of the world.