The Whites QXT Is Way Better Than The IDX Pro

[tabman]

At least it seems that way to me, so far. I've owned a IDX Pro and I really liked it a lot, but I don't think it's nearly the detector that QXT is. The detector I just purchased trigger switch only works in middle and forward positions, but not in the non-locking pull position. Right now I'm having to work around that until I can send it off to Whites for repair. I'm waiting for their return call as I type to see how much it's going to cost.

Before I received my QXT, I did a lot of reading and research. I read the manual very slowing twice to make sure that I understood completely how to operate the QXT. I also read some really good articles that helped make the use and setup of the QXT much better. This article by Thomas Hill (critterhunter?) is a really good read and very helpful. LINK This tip by Tony is great and really works well. LINK

Granted, you have to do more reading to understanding how to use the QXT than you do the IDX Pro, but once you understand it, it's very simple to operate.

The QXT is deeper, faster, IDs better, pinpoints a lot better and has way more helpful functions for the user than the IDX Pro has.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the QXT has ground tracking and comes standard with an automatic ground balance that works really well.

Yep, I like the QXT a whole lot better!

tabman

 

[deputydawg16]

I love my QXT Pro it is fast and very reliable on target ID and pin point is exact. Not sure what you are saying about the auto ground balance though it is manual balance unless I am missing something. Let me know. It does have very good depth with the 950 coil I just got a 350 coil and it is decent on depth but I think I should have held out for a 600 instead. I hunted at the beginning with no discrimination but now use it on but do not edit out anything this way you can assign high tones and it excels. great detector for the money. Let me know what good programs you find that work well I would appreciate it. Thanks
Dave.

 

[tabman]

Well it's not completely auto. You follow the on screen directions, pump the coil, then pull the trigger. That's auto to me when comparing it to pumping the coil and turning a knob on my Vaquero until the sound levels out. I have not been detecting with it yet, except for testing it on some targets on my driveway and yard. I have a few more weeks to go before my broken arm heals. I set mine up like Hill said he mainly uses in his article and then set the high tone for nickels and coins. I like to dig nickel signals because it gives me a chance at finding a gold ring. The QXT not having VDI numbers is big plus to me, because once I set my mind to dig everything in the nickel range I'm going to find more gold rings. Sometimes VID numbers will convince you not to dig when you really should be digging. This detector is a real sleeper.

tabman

 

[deputydawg16]

I did all the nickles too and one day this fall I got a v nickle and a gold diamond ring dig the nickles and have also found rings in the 5 range too. It works good with Hills tips and using high tones good luck HH

 

[tabman]

I did all the nickles too and one day this fall I got a v nickle and a gold diamond ring dig the nickles and have also found rings in the 5 range too. It works good with Hills tips and using high tones good luck HH

Yeah, gold rings are in a bunch of ranges, but the majority of them that are lost fall in the nickel range. When I have more targets to dig than I have time, I play the odds and dig only the good nickel signals. Hills tips are fantastic and the QXT is one super detector.

tabman

 

[Hombre]

Well it's not completely auto. You follow the on screen directions, pump the coil, then pull the trigger. That's auto to me when comparing it to pumping the coil and turning a knob on my Vaquero until the sound levels out. I have not been detecting with it yet, except for testing it on some targets on my driveway and yard. I have a few more weeks to go before my broken arm heals. I set mine up like Hill said he mainly uses in his article and then set the high tone for nickels and coins. I like to dig nickel signals because it gives me a chance at finding a gold ring. The QXT not having VDI numbers is big plus to me, because once I set my mind to dig everything in the nickel range I'm going to find more gold rings. Sometimes VID numbers will convince you not to dig when you really should be digging. This detector is a real sleeper.

tabman

tabman,

If you have not been detetecting with your new to you QXT,.....How do you know that it is way better than the IDX Pro? You would know if you used them side by side to check detected targets in the ground, not by just using the QXT for testing targets in your driveway and yard. When you posted in the past,,, back when you owned the IDX Pro,,, you thought the IDX Pro was too heavy for you, I replied to one of your posts that you should try the 6

 

[tabman]

Hombre, you are correct that this is just a preliminary comparison, but so far I'm finding that the QXT is a much better detector than the IDX Pro. From what I have read, people with lots of experience detecting who have used both vastly prefer the QXT over the IDX Pro, except for Monte.

You are also correct in remembering that I really liked the IDX Pro and that I decided to get rid of it because at the time my elbow was giving me fits from over doing it when I lifted a heavy ramp to put it back onto my trailer many months before. At the time I thought my arm would never get better, because it stayed screwed up for so long. My arm did get better and then I went and broke it. I'm having to swing with my left arm now. I have high hopes that my broke arm will get back to normal.

Hombre, I wish you had both to compare, then you would see why I'm so excited about the QXT.

tabman

 

[Hombre]

Tabman,

I'm glad you found a detector that 'clicks' with you, but to say that the" QXT is way better than the IDX Pro" is really just your opinion and a few people that have had success with that particular model. I'm not trying to make an inflamitory broad statement here, like you did, because this is yours and a few others opinion. Use the best detector for your requirements is all I'm say'n. I doubt that I will ever try the QXT because I have detectors that 'click' with me! My opinion only, and taken with a grain of salt on an open wound. Not going there, no detector wars for me, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[tabman]

Detector wars? I just compared the two and stated that so far I liked one a lot better than the other one. It's just an honest opinion, that's all it is.

Hombre I sure wish you had the two to compare, because I would like to hear your honest opinion.

I also would like to hear from others who have used both and see what their thoughts are.

tabman

 

[Hombre]

Tabman........

Opinions are like belly buttons, everybody has one, but not one of them are the same. Ain't it great, it would truly be a boring world if everybody had the same opinion.

PS: Why is it so important to know someone's opinion on a particular detector? I use and know what is best for me and that is all.

 

[tabman]

Tabman........


PS: Why is it so important to know someone's opinion on a particular detector?

..............because if I hadn't read yours and other people's opinions on the IDX Pro or on other detectors I would have probably never given them a try, even though they're very good detectors and reasonably priced.

Same with the QXT. I read and weighed other users views and decided to give it a try. It even turned out a lot better than I expected, so I'm passing on my good views of it as well. Just like I did with the IDX Pro.

They're just opinions.

tabman

 

[Scaupus]

how long have you been doing that, and how has that been working for you? Do you dig foil signals? I've just started to concentrate on foil/small ring up through pull-tabs range primarily so I can cover more ground and increase my chances of hitting gold. Is that what you are doing? I'm using a Spectrum eagle and as luck would have it, as soon as I started doing this as my SOP, I hit my first gold ring, it was just above the nickel range, in the low/mid 30's. That's just luck, I guess I was due, i had dug a bunch of tabs and nickels last year while concentrating more on silver. But, I hope this does improve the odds on gold.

 

[tabman]

how long have you been doing that, and how has that been working for you? Do you dig foil signals? I've just started to concentrate on foil/small ring up through pull-tabs range primarily so I can cover more ground and increase my chances of hitting gold. Is that what you are doing? I'm using a Spectrum eagle and as luck would have it, as soon as I started doing this as my SOP, I hit my first gold ring, it was just above the nickel range, in the low/mid 30's. That's just luck, I guess I was due, i had dug a bunch of tabs and nickels last year while concentrating more on silver. But, I hope this does improve the odds on gold.

Forget the pull tabs and play the odds, Most of the gold rings that are lost will fall in the upper foil range and the nickel range. Just dig everything between sports foil caps and pull tabs. A good setup is using that range and the zinc and up range together. You can cover a lot of ground with that setting and have a good shot at finding gold rings, silver rings, clad and silver coins. The only time I have found gold rings was using that method last year. I found dozens of silver rings and jewelry, hundreds of dollars in clad and silver coins and two nice gold rings. If you hunt beaches this may not be the best method, but for parks, sports fields and schools this method works really well for me.

Here's a picture of a sports drink foil cap for those who are thinking what the hell is one of those:

Here are a couple of gold rings that I found using that method:

tabman

 

[Monte]

All I can say, and keep this short, is ... Good! I don't think you would really want to.

Monte

[size=small]Have:
Modified IDX Pro w/6

 

[Monte]

as such, they have:

* The durable White's build quality.
* Use the excellent 8-AA slide-in battery tray.
* Are reasonable well balanced and comfortable for most hobbyists and detectorists.
* Can be, certainly, a nice 'fit' for some people.

I'll also suggest a slight modification in your post subject statement of:

"The Whites QXT Is Way Better Than The IDX Pro"​

by first eliminating the exaggeration of untested personal opinion of the words "way better" with reference to a comparison with an IDX Pro.

I might insert something like "Interestingly Different, because they really need to be compared in a fair manner to know their strengths and weaknesses. So, there you have my subject heading.

Most readers of this, or ANY, White's Forum have at least some handling experience or familiarity of the various Classic series models, to include a Classic IDX or IDX Pro, compared to the huge percentage of hobbyists who haven't ever seen or held or tinkered with any of the Quantum series. That's because thee Quantum's were basically dead from the time they hit the market.

I visited a dealer's shop about 10 years after the Quantum's were released. Not an out-of-trunk business or a living room dealer, but a regular metal detecting and prospecting shop with ample advertising. When we were talking about what he used, personally, and what I used, the types of sites his local clientele hunted, and which models were most popular or sold the best, he went through the list of the most popular White's detectors that he sold or that got a consumer's interest in the first place. Never was one a Quantum, and he pointed to the Quantum XT STILL hanging on the wall display. He told me he ordered in a Quantum XT and a Quantum II, and now all this many years later it was still sitting there.

I'm not Hombre but I'll add my 2

 

[tabman]

Monte you can write till the cows come home, It WON'T change what I think about the QXT. I like the IDX a lot, but so far I like the QXT much better. Period

tabman

 

[Monte]

tabman, I'm glad to hear you like one more than the other, just as I do. The main thing is that either one of them seems to provide each of us with a detector we will enjoy using afield, and that means fun, and FUN is what the hobby is all about.

Monte you can write till the cows come home, It WON'T change what I think about the QXT. I like the IDX a lot, but so far I like the QXT much better. Period

tabman

I like cows. They are slow-motion and serve a useful purpose, just like many good detectors in trashier sites.

I wasn't trying to CHANGE your mind, just express the things I have personally experienced, some things some avid detectorists I know have also experienced, and only suggesting that we all keep an OPEN mind as we work different makes and models under varying hunting conditions. Like Hombre stated, if a detector works for someone and they like it, then that's what counts. We all need to feel comfortable with what we use for the types of sites we hunt and conditions we encounter.

I will be interested, as will others, to read your posts in the future where you comment of the success you have with the QXT, and describe how/why it works for you. It might help others who are also shopping for a used model from the best manufacturer and, perhaps, if they locate one it will be of interest to them. And like I said, to me, the QXT is 'interestingly different' from the IDX Pro, but I am also in favor of a modified IDX Pro for more versatility.

Best of success as we progress through 2012! Not trying to cause any trouble, just offered a post of my own thoughts from personal experience.

Monte

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Monte

 

[Critterhunter]

Ahhh Monte....My old nemesis who never liked the QXT. I'm one of those people who does like the QXT and feel it was the best Whites unit they ever put out for years. I liked it better than even the XLT. I did some in field comparisons of the two and the QXT was deeper, didn't suffer from software lag, and so on. Up until my now current Sovereign GT the QXT was the deepest machine I've ever owned. In my soil even my Explorers didn't get any deeper. 7 to 8" max due to my ground minerals, but that's a different story...

My only complaint about the QXT was no VDI numbers. You can, however, get around that by paying close attention to how the screen reacts to targets. With practice you can tell pennies, dimes, and quarters apart...and even tell when it's probably going to be silver by the sound and VDI.

Beyond that, I sure wish they would make a 12" Double D coil for the low frequency Whites lines (QXT, XLT, etc). I owned two brand new Hot Shots but they became unstable after about 5 or 10 minutes of use. If there was a larger DD coil for the QXT to push the depths further I'd still be using one. I'd love to see a SEF 12x10 for it. A low frequency machine with a larger DD coil to handle ground minerals better and hit harder on silver/copper would be killer.

The QXT is deadly in trash thanks to it's fast recovery speed, virtualy no software lag, and the ability to assign and listen for high tones among the lows. Assign high tones to the zones you want, keep ALL zones (including ground and iron) accepted, and listen for the high tones mixed in with the lows. Can't tell you how many coins I've found in trash by just listening for that high pitched peep among lows.

For those who have read my QXT Tips. I can't remember but I might have said at that time to use ground tracking. Don't. That can track out deep targets. Instead turn it off and manualy ground balance yourself every 30 minutes or so. Turn OFF noise reduction (will give more depth). Turn ON VCO. Set the sensitivity as high as it will remain stable. From memory I think that's about 16 on the QXT and about 18 on the QXT Pro. Accept ALL zones including iron and ground. Assign high tones to the zones you want. Set pinpointing at like 16.

The QXT has a very forgiving sweep speed. You can go from ultra slow to ultra fast with it. I prefer a medium sweep speed for best depth, and do short fast sweeps over deep targets to try to achieve proper ID. This will get you that little extra depth on a target that at first (with normal sweeping) might only appear as a trash target. Doing short fast sweeps over it will pull the proper ID and audio out of it.

On ring hunting: From memory most gold rings will read one zone below nickles on the QXT, or will evenly bounce between that zone and nickle as you sweep over it. So I'd dig that zone if you are gold ring hunting. Of course many will also be in the nickle range but from memory most will read one zone lower. Can't remember off hand what zone that is...Foil I think?

The QXT was the black sheep of the Whites line. Many dealers didn't like selling it because it wasn't as costly as the XLT. They didn't take the time to learn it for that reason IMHO. It's a misunderstood detector, but set up right it really has alot of ability.To me it's still my favorite Whites ever made. I don't care for the high frequency line of detectors they have these days. They don't do well in my soil and do not hit on silver/copper coins as hard as a low frequency machine will. I wish Whites would enter into the low frequency field again and put out some larger coils for those. That would be a killer silver and copper coin combo as low frequencies penetrate ground minerals better, get deeper, and hit on silver/copper harder. If they'd stop relying on offering endless software programming features like they do these days and come out with a low freq. machine with just enough software to get the job done (like the QXT) to avoid software lag and such then they'd have me back as a customer.

Like the QXT, the Sovereign is the black sheep of the Minelab line these days. Everybody goes for the flash...and just like it was the XLT back in the QXT days, these days it's the Etrac or Explorer over the Sovereign. Having owned three Explorers I can say the Sovereign GT is my choice these days. It's the deepest detector I've ever owned, has the best audio I've ever heard on a machine (nice and long and drawn out), and it very easy to set up and use. You can get a great deal on an older Sovereign model (they all get about the same depth but the GT is a tad deeper) for only $300 or so. A fantastic machine at that price that will beat anything on the market IMHO. It has a slow recovery speed but that just means you have to sweep slower to avoid target masking. And, it's Iron Mask feature unmasked coins in iron and other trash better than anything I've ever used (including fast recovery machines).

 

[WILL_PENNY]

Well it's not completely auto. You follow the on screen directions, pump the coil, then pull the trigger. That's auto to me when comparing it to pumping the coil and turning a knob on my Vaquero until the sound levels out. I have not been detecting with it yet, except for testing it on some targets on my driveway and yard. I have a few more weeks to go before my broken arm heals. I set mine up like Hill said he mainly uses in his article and then set the high tone for nickels and coins. I like to dig nickel signals because it gives me a chance at finding a gold ring. The QXT not having VDI numbers is big plus to me, because once I set my mind to dig everything in the nickel range I'm going to find more gold rings. Sometimes VID numbers will convince you not to dig when you really should be digging. This detector is a real sleeper.

tabman

tabman,

If you have not been detetecting with your new to you QXT,.....How do you know that it is way better than the IDX Pro? You would know if you used them side by side to check detected targets in the ground, not by just using the QXT for testing targets in your driveway and yard. When you posted in the past,,, back when you owned the IDX Pro,,, you thought the IDX Pro was too heavy for you, I replied to one of your posts that you should try the 6