TDI ... what is the story ......???

[Willee - Texas]

White's most expensive metal detector has been out for a while now.
However, I dont find much posted about how it is doing in the field.

Is anyone here using one?
What are you using it for and how is it doing?

 

[clifbuster]

Hey, Mike, Willie. I use the TDI and I like it as good as the Infinium LS. The TDI like the Infinum, takes time to understand, both will go as deep as I care to dig, and I'm doing OK with with coins. Thanks to Reg, who is on here also, and Steve H, post who has help a lot, but Reg is De,Man for a go to guy on the TDI.

 

[Reg]

Hi Willee,

I recently asked about the sales on the TDI and was informed they are somewhat slow. I guess that is to be expected considering this detector was really designed to be primarily used for nugget hunting. This coin hunting thing is something that became a reality just before the TDI was introduced.

Now, as a long time PI user, the transition to the TDI was a piece of cake for me. Better yet, since there was not much in the form of discrimination on any other PI, the TDI was also a huge step forward for me also.

Unfortunately, the transition from a VLF to a PI is a huge step that takes time. It usually isn't done except by people hunting gold nuggets or beach hunters, so the range of detector owners is really quite small.

Now, when a typical VLF owner tries a PI, they will be disappointed if they are expecting the conveniences of the VLF when it comes to discrimination or ease of use when hunting for coins. On the other hand, when going from a VLF to a PI when nugget hunting the opposite is true. The fact a PI ignores many if not most of the pesky rocks that plague VLF users when they nugget hunt, makes the PI the preferred choice.

So, the main market for the TDI is still the nugget hunting field. Relic hunters have picked up on it since some of the hunters using the TDI are really doing very well.

Now, as for the VLF users specifically, many simply do not like the TDI because it seems much like a step backward in time. The disc feature is crude when compared to the fancy features that can be found on a VLF and target separation in terms of conductivity is no where near as sophisticated as that found on a VLF. It is more of a go/no go situation or high conductor/low conductor selection.

PI's are noisy to say the least especially when trying to use one in a congested area where there is the possibility of a lot of electrical interference. The reason for this is the general design of a PI itself. There is really no way of getting around this condition.

Now, with the above said, what can a person expect? Well, as mentioned earlier, it depends upon which direction one is coming from. One VLF guy who used the detector for a few days was totally unsatisfied and claimed the detector was brought out way too soon. He thought the detector was noisy and extremely crude in how it worked.

At the other extreme a buddy of mine who is a long time PI user fell in love with the TDI after a few minutes. Knowing just what to expect with a typical PI he was ecstatic to be able to hunt a really trashy ghost town and not dig much trash at all.

The point I am trying to make is this, it is a matter of which direction one is coming from as to what they will probably initially think of the TDI. Since there are far more VLF users, the tendency is to see little praise about this detector.

Now, as a very long time user of all types of detectors, the TDI works very well for me. Living in an area where the ground mineralization seriously affects the depth capability of a VLF, I had basically given up on coin hunting since it used to take me weeks to find a silver coin.

Now, when I started using the TDI, I found my silver ratio to be more of one of finding a silver coin in terms of hours or usually much less. Today, I feel cheated if I go out for an hour or two and don't find a silver coin or a few older copper coins, with Indian Heads being quite common finds. This may seem great, but also keep in mind I am hunting areas that give VLF fits also. If I lived in an area with little mineralization, I would probably not find the TDI to help me much at all. So, the TDI will probably be much more zone or location specific as to whether it really shines or not. Areas having a lot of red clay that seems to seriously hinder VLF's will most likely be ones where the TDI could shine. The ability to reject most ferrous junk when set up correctly, makes the TDI a good choice for some ghost town sites also. So, I suspect one can find about any type of evaluation they want when looking for information on the TDI.

Feel free to drop by the WhitesTDI tech forum (google it) for more information about tricks and hints on how to get the most from this detector.

I hope this helps a little in your trying to find out a little more about the TDI in general.

Reg

 

[Frank in NH]

I am looking to pickup a TDI to compare it to my Goldscan 5C its big brother or mother!

 

[Jim Robertson]

I purchased a TDI a month ago and used it at the beach for about 15 hours over three day. My first find was a ladies very small wedding ban. Then a childs small ring and then a single ear ring. Lot's of bobby pins and fish hooks. I use the Infinium alot but like the sound or tones from the TDI. It is deep very deep. Looking forward to using it this fall for relic's in that red HOT Soil. Thanks

 

[Piperboy]

n/t

 

[Adrian SS]

Great post Reg
The most informative post that I have read re the TDI in along time, packed with very helpful information that outlined the pros and cons of this machine very well.
Cheers,
Adrian SS

 

[Detectorguru]

I was involved in the development and testing of the prototype unit. If you hunt in ground with extreme minerals or wet salt water beaches , the TDI and Goldscan series by Eric Foster are hard to beat. Both offer manual adjustments that enhance their performance. If you have detector experience they are easy to use. They both offer enhanced sensitivity to low conductive metals. They are gold machines first and foremost. However the controls can be manipulated to give added depth to high conductive metal. I will never hunt with anything else here in the iron belt of central Virginia. George Kinsey

 

[Adrian SS]

G/Day George,
I am in Australia and for some reason the TDI has not sold very well here. From what I have seen and read it appears to be a very good detector, so Why isn't it selling well?
The Infinium LS sells like hot cakes and has spread all through our goldfields and amongst our beach detectorists and yet the TDI, that seems to have a lot of great features is nowhere to be seen. The price is right, the machine will handle all types of ground conditions including high iron mineralisation; So what is the draw back, it is a mystery to me.

Adrian

 

[Reg]

Hi Adrian,

I am only getting second hand information but I have heard there are still a few things to be ironed out for the TDI to be used in OZ. From what I hear, the dual field coil doesn't like the really bad ground, so a regular mono is needed. Feedback about any other issues is a little slow also, so I suspect few if any TDI's are actually for sale in OZ yet. What I am hearing is many of the TDI's being used over there were ordered from Canada or the US.

Hopefully, all the little things will be ironed out soon and more of them will be seen around shortly.

Reg

 

[Detectorguru]

Can't give you an answer about OZ. Central Virginia is about as bad as it gets here in the US. The TDI works perfect and can do better on larger high conductive targets then the Infinium. I also found it held its own against the Minelab GP3500 I also owned.

 

[Daniel Tn]

I hunt relics and also have the pleasure of living in a gold belt too. The gold we find here is very small placer gold though, and a metal detector probably wont do a man much good. As a matter of fact, the biggest pickers I have, will only be detected about an inch away from the search coil.

What we do have though, was the leftovers from the yanks and rebs when they came through. With the ground being gold bearing ground, it packs a lot of natural iron in it. It is very similar to that founds in northern Virginia. I've hunted in both so I know. At any rate, I knew that normal VLF machines can and do work here....but you gotta know how a lot of tricks to do much good in the iron dirt. The biggest one being, just flat out run in all metal and don't use a discriminator or you're passing up more than your finding.

It took one trip to VA around the guys using PI machines to see just how big of an advantage they held. And I knew I had to have one when I got back. Nobody around here has a PI machine just yet. I actually jumped on an Infinium first, and was extremely disappointed in it. It is very cheaply made and IMO, not really cut out for hunting on land, even though the name says it is. You had to go extremely slow with it, to get any depth what so ever and I actually didn't know if a TDI would be any better, but I had a nagging feeling that told me to take the plunge and get one.

So I did. I've only had mine a little over a week but immediately when I picked it up, I noticed how much better built it was compared to the Infinium. And not only that, but you don't have to swing it no where near as slow as the Infinium either. I'm still learning it of course and like all the other relic hunters with it...having a problem telling nails from other high conductive targets. But give a little time and I'm sure something will be figured out about it. I picked up a tip from Reg on somewhat being able to "disc" out a nail by changing the GB point to around 4-5 and flipping the machine into the HIGH conductive mode. It works well on shallow bullets for telling them apart from nails...but on deeper bullets, changing the GB point to knock out nails will also cause the low tone signal on them to go high...thus "knocking them out" as well. But on brass buttons and such...the thing is a brass killer.

 

[steve herschbach]

Hi,

I have a TDI and have used it nugget hunting, coin hunting in turf, wading for jewelry, and hitting tot lots. I've foound several ounces of gold with it. I'm very happy with the unit, most versatile PI I've ever owned, and reasonably priced. My main problem is I don't get enough time on it. I'm always using different detectors trying different things so no one unit gets a lot of use.

Steve Herschbach