Ok, opinions needed... New detector, replace DFX.

[mattw]

Ok, I am considering replacing my DFX or adding another unit to the fold. It seems that most of the sites I hunt, old farms and such are so littered with trash that it is just about all the DFX will do to get through it. I am using the 4x6 and 6x10 coils, high recovery speed, low sens and pag and sweeping very slowly. It would be another story if I could dig out the trash as I go, but that would be 3 to 4 holes per sweep and more in places. Home owners would not like that!

So, I am going to add a machine this summer and am considering the F75, T2 and Explorer SE. The first 2 are more to my liking, because the are a little faster hunters or so I have been told. I have spent a little time with an SE and really did not like the poop balance and weight with the 10" coil. Granted it will go deep on silver!

I do not understand the variances in the F75's, you know the Special Edition, LTD and plain F75 so if you do some help would be great. T2's seem to have several versions floating around, are there any to stay away from? Please share your pros and cons with me and if you are around central IL and would allow me to try a machine it would be great. Maybe anywhere in the Champaign to Greenup to Springfield areas.

Thanks Matt

 

[Elton]

Matt:

Either F75 or T2 will work well.. T2 is much better in the iron.. and my friend it will go deep. Very close features just some are doubled up on the T2 and single choice on the F75..

 

[Hombre]

n/t

 

[Davy Jones Locker]

IMHO you have all that you need.and yes put that IDX to work with a small coil and it will take care of the trash problems

 

[mattw]

I bought the IDX pro w.mods for Dad. This spring he trashed his right shoulder falling off of a ladder. I do plan to bring it and the DS600 coil home this weekend. I have heard that they are really good units in iron beds.

If I had more tolerance for mixed mode AM, I might do better. But I can't listen to that for long.

Where would you disc. the IDX? Right at the point the square nails start to break up?

Matt

 

[Hombre]

Hi Matt

Yeah, that would be right about 9:00 O'clock on the disc dial, and Black Sand switch set to normal. With a just 'slightly' positive ground balance, you can run Max sensitivity in most places.....if chattering, reduce sens. some. The IDX Pro is a better detector than most people think, it does'nt have all the bells & whistles of the more expensive detectors........but it gets the job done. Depth can be determined by the excellent modulated audio, especially in the all-metal mode.......who needs a depth meter anyway?

Randy

 

[goodmore]

You are correct about the F75 and T2 being quick hunters. I don't know if you ever tried either of those units, but there is a big difference in what you will hear compared to the DFX. I had the F75 ltd for a few weeks. What a machine! I don't think I ever held a detector as powerful. But with the power comes noise. In my opinion it was a bunch. Some guys can concentrate and never be bothered by it. I was not one of those guys. I wanted to be. Man that detector was power. And light as anything you will swing. But the noise. People told me to back off on the power and give it time. I hunt to relax. So I recommend you go to a dealer and swing one before you invest your $$. I hope you love it. Just not my cup of tea.

 

[jbow]

F75/T2 and you will not have 4 or 5 targets per swing. You will more likely have 8 to 10 hits per swing. You will see/hear much more small trash and iron. I would consider the E-TRAC and the V3i but IMO, with the E-TRAC you will be more able to pick out the targets that you should dig because the conductive number is so reliable. It has the best TID in the business. It has a better balance than the SE too... and you can swing faster with it.

J

 

[mattw]

Ok, thanks to all of you, I am really leaning toward a Minelab machine. To much noise takes most of the enjoyment out of the hobby for me. The thing that does worry me is the quality of service after the sale that I read about with Minelabs. The cost of the SE is not trivial and if it goes down, multiple months of service time? I don't really like that. I do have the IDX Pro at home now and will be trying that machine at this location soon. I have a deepscan 600 for it and will be using it. If I could get the 3.5" coil, I would even try it. If I could just learn the music of my Golden, I would use it more over there. I have a 4" for it and it will go 4.5 to 5" with that coil. I just can't tell what sounds good on that machine, I hope time will help me there. Even silvers seem to warble between the top 2 tones. I end up digging way to much stuff with it, it really loves tiny parts of foil. Stuff that I am surprised it can even see at 3".

Anyone in central IL or IN that would be willing to get together for a day with a T2/F75? I would love to see how obnoxious they really are, in the real world. I might even consider an Omega.

Matt

 

[michaelnc]

You get flutey tooty tones the whole time you are swinging the detector. I have owned the Explorer 2 and the SE Pro and they are the slowest machines you'll ever use and they are in my opinion the most overhyped machines in the business. They work but you'll hunt in a 10' by 10' square all day while everyone else has hunted several acres. You may find a piece of silver but the super slow hunting combined with all the garbled sounds make Minelabs the most frustrating on the market. I'll hunt next to anyone with my Fisher's and Teknetics including the Minelabs and find just as many goodies if not more. Minelabs are good machines but so are the Fishers and Teks. Minelab sure isn't for everyone and all the top names find good stuff.