Which Detector

[jfleming]

I came across this site by accident and I am glad I did. I am trying to decide on a new detector and need some advice. I have been trying to hunt for almost a year a now with a Fisher F4 and have gotten very frustrated with the results and have almost stopped hunting entirely. My next detector will be a Whites but I am not sure which one it should be. My local Whites dealer suggested the MXT,DFX and Spectra. He explained that the MXT would be a good model to start with but the other two were better machines. I don't mind spending the extra money to get the better machine but I also don't want to get something that is hard to understand and use. I NEED ADVICE BAD.

Thanks
Jimmy

 

[kickback]

Jimmy
I have hunted with Fisher detectors for years,CZ's,F75,F70,F5 and a F2.I now have a DFX and a MXT PRO.I like the MXT better.I'm still new to this detector but it seems to hit the coin targets hard and it's easy to setup and use.The MXT PRO has a better,more accurate target ID and better discrimination than the Fishers I've used.Depth doesn't seem to be an issue with the MXT PRO it seems to go plenty deep.This is just my experience.The MXT PRO has made detecting fun again for me.Bill

 

[srf2112]

I would go with the MXT, hands-down, if I were you. You will be up to speed and making great finds with it very quickly. If you ever decide you would like to go to a more involved, programmable machine you will have no trouble selling it but you would probably do like many others and keep it no matter what. For that matter you may end up like me and decide that that's all the machine you need for quite awhile...maybe ever. Get a 6x10DD coil for it, a good set of headphones, high-quality pinpointer and a good digger and you're set. JMHO
HH
Scott

 

[capt. jas.]

Get the MXTPro for the lower learning curve! You will still have a really powerful machine that is very versatile.

 

[BJ in Okla.]

The Mxt is easy to use, none of that scrolling for different settings and then wonder, have I got it set right.
The stock 12" coil is to big for any place that I hunt, my main coil is the 5.3 coil and the 4x6 coil next...
I have the 12" coil, the D-2 dd 10" rd coil, the 6x9 dd coil, the 5.3 coil and the 4x6 dd coil, the last 2 are my main coils.
The MXT Pro has Tone I D, that you can turn on or off, a back light and the ground grab button and knobs, no scrolling like in the other 2.
Just because the others cost more, don't make em better....
Unless you need a 12" coil, see if your dealer will let you trade it out for another coil.
Hope this helps.
BJ

 

[Albert]

I have the MXT Pro and the guys are right. Hard hitting, excellent target id and it goes deeeep. And the tones make it that much better, for me that is. Albert

 

[RounderRick]

The mxt is one of the most simple machines to learn to use no programing at all just set it up to preset then do your minor adjusting after you get started and find those goodies.
As you know opinions vary so don't think for a second because the mxt is the lowest in price that it can be walked all over with the more expensive ones because it's been around for several years now and has an outstanding track record that just keeps on climbing or they wouldn't have added the new features and produced the mxt pro.
If you like the 7 tone id, back light, and ground grab then go for the mxt pro if you don't care about the added features the regular mxt is some cheaper that comes with the 950 search coil in which I think most likes over the 12" and you could use the extra money to get a smaller coil for trashy areas I have the 4x6 dd and it's an awesome little coil when all the beeping gets to rough for the larger one.
That's just my opinion as a dedicated mxt user I liked the short learning curve of the mxt and I don't feel a more expensive multi-purpose machine would get that much more in depth to justify me buying one not to mention the larger learning curve to be able to get that tad more of depth.

I know decisions is tough sometimes I went over a year deciding which whites I wanted to get I was hung between 2 models and with a little help from this forum members I made mine and I'm so proud I did and you're doing the right thing to by asking for advice and I'm sure you'll make the right choice for your needs as well.
Good luck and Happy Hunting.

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

MXT no learning curve.Turn on and go detector !

 

[1230@$TREE]

Hi Jimmy

You didn't say what kind of detecting you want to do, I would check around with a couple of different dealers, even call a few of them on the phone,
If your new to the hobby, get hooked up with a club in your area, there might be someone in the club you could get some advice from, and help you get
going in the right direction, I was lucky when I started I had a brother that had been detecting for a few years before I got started, My first detector was
a low end detector, I started sometime in the 1980's I found a lot of silver and neat coins with that detector, but now to find good stuff I have to research
and try to find places a lot of people haven't detected, but to me that's the fun of detecting, I be leave all detectors have a learning curve, I have a Mxt
and I really like it, I look for gold, re licks and coins I live up in the mountains, I hike around to places, where there might be all three, and don't
want to walk all the way back to the car to get another detector to look for coins, when I am in a gold area, or look for re licks, You want to get
the best detector that serves your needs, you may not need to spend the money on an mxt or dfx or spectra
, to suit your needs, I don't know, I don't know
much about a fisher, they make good products, maybe you just need some help from some one that knows that detector, but define your needs
and go for the hobby from that prospect, ...... there are a lot of good people on this forum that can help, I have gotten help myself from time to time,
stick with it, it is a great hobby,

 

[widebody]

[size=large]saw my first mxt pro yesterday. a feller from the big city of portland came up to my little town and demostrated it for me. he gave my xlt a try while i tried out his new mxt pro. found pro's and con's on both. mostly it was what were we used to. in the first ten minutes we hit the park he popped out three quarters with his mxt. the differance was where do you hunt and how do you think. lucky also show'd me hunt everywhere. he hunted strips of grass i figure wasn't worth looking at. by the end of the day he cleared over $2.00 , to my $.87. he dug everything. i'm not that inclined. the mxt found all kinds of little treasures. and coins i had missed. luckydig used the 6x10 dd. so it showed me it's not just the machine but how much effort you are willing to put into it to learn. as has been stated you need to figure out what are you gunna do with the machine. the mxt does give ya coins and jewerly and its reputation for prospecting is great. Gold!!

so you can save some coin by learning the f4 or get a mxt pro. you won't be sorry.

HH
[/size]

 

[jfleming]

I really appreciate all the great advice and I feel much better about making an educated decision now. I spent a lot of hours with my Fisher F4 and really feel it was not working properly. I can put my wedding ring on the ground and if I get the F4 more than 3" from the ring it will not detect it. I sent it back and the factory said it was performing correctly. It seems to detect iron really well but not much else. I even had members of my club look at it and they could not get it to perform like it should. I should have just bought a Whites to begin with. I will go try the MXT and MXT Pro tomorrow and pick one so that I can start finding treasures.

Thanks again for sll the help.

Jimmy

 

[John (Ma)]

MXT Pro for sure unless you like playing high tech, the buy the V3I, but the MXT is the best all around bang for the buck with excellent capabilities.

 

[1230@$TREE]

Hi Jimmy 1230@$tree again, I looked at your fisher f4 on the web, It looks like a decent detector, It has a ground balance feature and also comes with a dd coil,
the reason I am writing you again, and I am not trying to talk you out of it, because the Mxt is and exilant detector, but after reading a little about your f4 It to looks
like it could be a good detector, I thought you might try something before trading it off, If you haven't done so already, the mxt won't detect gold eather if it is not
set right, It is important to have your ground balance correct, and if you have to much discrimination, you wont see your gold, because gold falls some where between
Pull tabs and bottle caps, you may have tryed all of this, I know on the mxt if you are not balanced right or have your discrimination to high you will not detect some \
gold, just something to check. and to keep in mind, I reset my mxt grd. balance about every 15 min then lock it into place, or if the detector get a little era tic and with
the gain crank it up as high as the detecter will allow me with the dd coil for depth..something to try,

 

[jfleming]

I got the MXT on Friday and I am loving it. I know this will sound crazy but I am so excited that I found my first penny and dime on my first attempt and I found them both in my own yard. I went today at a local ball park at lunch and found some type of foreign coin (I think). It has a ship on one side and a man with a crown on the other side. I will have to upload a picture so maybe someone can identify it.

 

[srf2112]

I got the MXT on Friday and I am loving it. I know this will sound crazy but I am so excited that I found my first penny and dime on my first attempt and I found them both in my own yard. I went today at a local ball park at lunch and found some type of foreign coin (I think). It has a ship on one side and a man with a crown on the other side. I will have to upload a picture so maybe someone can identify it.

No that doesn't sound crazy, I think we all know that feeling. Congratulations on your choice.
HH
Scott

 

[Nancy-IL]

How dare the dealer say that the DFX and the Vision were "better machines". They are more expensive, also have a few more bells and whistles but like I've told everyone..........I can run with the BIG boys and it just matters where if your coil is over the target or not. Larry has had many and I do mean MANY machines and I've had my MXT for almost 9 years and wouldn't part with it. I know it like the back of my hand and they've got one heck of a keeper with the MXT.

You made a great decision and you won't be sorry. Practice practice practice is going to be the key and the MXT will NOT let you down!

HH,
Nancy

 

[LuckyDig]

Congrats on your choice of detectors!! I love my MXT Pro with a passion Only thing I can tell you is like Scott said, make sure you get the ground balance correct, I just find a spot with no signal, make sure my toggle is set to ground, set the gain to 7-8 pump the coil a few times until the threshold settles then start swinging, I tend to run a bit less gain in the trashy parks I hunt in and find myself digging less questionable signals. When I get to an older site I pump up the gain and listen for those deep quiet signals. I really tend to dig everything...even if I "know" its a pull tab or piece of foil and my nickel collection has been growing and growing You will enjoy that MXT and it only gets better as you learn the detector.

Dustin

 

[mlamp20412]

Did you get the standard MXT or the Pro? I am looking at those 2 myself foe my next detector.

The Coin you found sounds like something like a buddy of mine found. Is the date somethin like 1799 even though it does not that old? I am not sure that we ever found any info on it.

 

[jfleming]

I got the MXT and I am very happy with it. I did some research and the coin I found is called a Fantasy Token. I think it was a prize given at arcades and it just looks really old. It is less than 50 years old and has no real value but it was very cool to find it on my second trip with the MXT. I will try to load some pictures of it this weekend. It has the date 1721 on it so I thought I had really found something. I live near the Cowpens battlefield so I was hoping it fell out of a soldiers pocket. I will frame it along with the dime and penny I found.

Is there a tool available that I can use to determine what type of metal a found object is?

 

[Nancy-IL]

Congrats on your fantasy token. Can't wait to see it. Those older tokens are so cool and I really enjoy it when I find one. It may not be worth much to everyone else, but it's a great keeper in my book! Usually the made the older tokens out of copper. Do you remember what the VDI was when you detected it? Again, congratulations and you're going to love that MXT the more you use it! HH, Nancy