White's DFX vs. or Minelab's Explorer XS

[Anonymous]

Hello Everyone -
I am new to this page, and maybe this was mentioned before, but any opinons would be great!
I own a White's XLT(3 yrs), and a Minelab Explorer XS (1.5 yrs) and a ExCalibur 1000. When the XS came out, I was very intrested in the deeper, more accurate visuals as was advertised, and the "BBS" feature But, I will admit, even after reading the books, and more books on tips, the XS to me,is very complex to use. I was told that this would happen, but, because of this, I use the XLT more when I hunt.
You can't beat the XLT. It's easy, and I always find things quicker, and it was "my first"....anyway,,,Now this DFX comes out, and it has the simplicity of the XLT, and in reading, it sounds like it sort of does the same thing the XS does...True? This is where I need help. I would be considering the DFX, and rid of the XS, even though I am a big Minelab fan.
So...is the DFX like the XS? Or is the XS just more advanced. If the XS is best, then I just have to hit the books!
After reading some posts, it seems my XS is the one...but, why not ask! Again, I do own an XS, but I am intimidated by it, and it's in the closet!
Thanks in advance for your help-
Mark

 

[Anonymous]

decide to replace it.
Try running iron mask at -10, and no other discrimination. I think that everyone is scared of the Explorer because some people had alot of trouble learning it.
I am by no means a pro with mine yet, but I use it regularly and I am confident with it. I used a pro 6000 xl for 13 months and then switched to the Explorer. Once I got it I was expecting a machine that would be like a woman (you know... unstable and makes alot of noise), I heard all of the horror stories about difficulty pinpointing ect.
The first time out I found my first gold ring and a silver dime. Pinpointing was easy, just different than my Whites, instead of side to side and front to back with the whites, you go side to side, turn 90 degrees and then side to side again, and you're right on.
The Explorer does make more noises than I was used to, but from experience you'll learn what it's telling you,you'll learn what silver quarter sounds like compered to rusty nail.
The smartscreen takes some getting used to, the digital screen I consider useless, the Explorer in digital thinks that everything is a coin. I still dig some junk in my quest for gold rings and nickles, as I still haven't mastered that part of the screen.
I don't get involved with the Explorer vs. DFX p*ssing contest, I compared the two and made my decision. (after all the American mentality is "More is better", so 28 has to be 14 times better than 2. Right?)
Just kidding but I will sat that multi frequency (2 or 2 does make a difference over single frequencies. My two friends and I have switched to Explorers and we've started going over the sights that we've done in the past with our pro 6000 xl, and Garret 1250 machines and it's like we never even hunted there before, and it's not always about depth either. I think that multi freqs handle bad ground better, some of the shallow signals have been masked by minerals with our single freq machines.
Give the Explorer a chance and I think that you'll be satisfied. HH George

 

[Anonymous]

When I went to a dealer to buy my xs he told me that Whites purchased the technology for the xlt from Minelab. Not exactly sure if it is factual info but he had no reason to be untruthful to me about it as he deals with Whites also. I figured I would go with the leader in technology and get the Minelab and am glad I did although I have no way to compare it to the dfx. good luck

 

[Anonymous]

I'd get Andy Sabisch's book on using the Explorer XS. It should help you out and get you using the Explorer. Once I had it, I would stick with it until you are comfortable with it.
If you still don't like it, sell it and get the DFX. I own an XS and I like what it can do, but it does have a learning curve that can be terribly frustrating. The book will help alliviate some of the frustration.
Aside from the book, I would also suggest that you work a relatively trash-free area while learning the detector. I concentrated on the outfield areas of baseball fields. Coins and trash will be sparse, and there should be rings to be found as well. The reason that I am suggesting this is because that 10.5 inch coil can make it really hard to id targets and pinpoint them. Working in a fairly clean environment will reduce that part of your frustration.
Finally, you might decide that the XS just isn't your speed. Sell it and get the DFX. The Explorer isn't going to do you any good from the closet <IMG SRC="/forums/images/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">
Tim

 

[Anonymous]

Mark,while I appreciate that some find it easier to learn about detectors than others.
The facts are that if you can load the programs into the XLT you can the Explorer infact the Explorer is easier.
The following is a program I was given simple to load and the guy who set it up found a treasure hoard using it.
DISPLAY Smart
SELECT Clear the screen and scroll down,put X next to nails rejecting them.(This will leave a small portion of the top left corner blanked out.
VOLUME 10 (Maximum).
GAIN 6-7.
TONE Threshold 4-5,Variability 10,Limits 6.
SOUNDS Ferrous.
OPTIONS Advanced.
RESPONSE Normal Audio.
RECOVERY Deep.
SENSITIVITY Manual 28-32.
Save the overall data in A or B and you can draw on it whenever you want.
We use this for 90 % of the time and it can be loaded far more quickly than the XLT which I thought was Gods gift to detectorists until the Explorer came along.
Happy Hunting.Jerry.

 

[Anonymous]

All I can add is WORK at it. It will be worth it. I hated it at first. I tried the XLT and was waiting for the DFX to become available so I could "dump" the XS. Thank goodness it wasn't available yet. It forced me to work with the XS and by the time the DFX was in I rented one from the local dealer for a weekend and found that side by side I just kept going back to the Explorer. Anything worth it's weight takes time and effort. Check out the Explorer forum and look at the finds there. Take it from someone who went thru the same thing. Hang in there It works!!!
The best thing is post your location find someone near you and get some "hands on" from an experianced user. Even if you have to drive a 100 miles or so you will learn more in one day than you can learn reading the manual cover to cover.
I know at this stage you don't want to spend any more on a machine that your not sure of but I bought the Sun Ray 8" coil and the X-1 probe and they make all the difference in the world. The 8" coil gives much better seperation and makes pinpointing easyer the X-1 probe disolves the pinpoint problem into a non-factor.

 

[Anonymous]

I posted several weeks ago about my findings on both machines. If you are used to the XLT then the DFX will not be that much of a change for you. However, it is a different, more powerful machine. Of the 3 (DFX, Explorer, and XLT), the DFX gives you the most information. If you had one, then it would be the XLT that stayed in the closet.
However, the Explorer is definately worth more of a go of it than you are giving it in the closet. It is a great detector. I own both the DFX and the Explorer. I always take them both when I hunt. My biggest complaint about the Explorer is the balance makes it difficult to use for very long.
As for the depth, I find that the DFX and the Explorer are pretty much equal. The Explorer with the 10.5 coil may go a little deeper than an DFX with a 9.5 coil, but it is minimal. They would probably be the same with the same size coil. So, if you are waiting to find something that goes deeper, you probably already have a machine that goes as deep as they go.
The Explorer has to be swept much slower than the XLT and the DFX. When you use it, slow down if you haven't already, and then slow down some more. It will find things that the XLT will not, but so will the DFX.
I enjoy having both machines because it helps me learn more about detecting. In the process it helps me find more things.
Just keep swinging and it will pay off.
HH Alton

 

[Anonymous]

Whilest I cant comment about the DFX detector I can however on the Explorer. I did at first find that the XS was the hardest detector first off but after some reading and getting Andy's book it made everything so clear. Im no expert in using the XS but its not that hard to use now, I always come here to find any usefull tips. People who bag the XS as a hard detector to use really havent sat down and explored its features. Minelab is the best and they were good enought to post me Andys book so i could get the most out of this great detector

 

[Anonymous]

I think they are both good , my observations.
whites good points- target id classifies coins better ,hotrock reject is a new feature and a plus, and being able to change sweep speeds is another plus.good balance.bad points / very unstable when detector sensitivity is high, very noisy, lacks target id on deep targets, vdi is erratic on deep signals , concentric coil misses deep targets unless you overlap greatly on sweeps.preset programs are lame . and you must put custom programs for the deep ones. screwcaps and pulltabs it ids pretty well. adjusting detector can make ot very unstable if you enter the wrong combinations. I put about 1000 hours on the dfx and think it is a good machine but falls short of its claims. i have found finds where we pounded it with the dfx and came up with some deep ones the dfx missed and also some not so deep that the dd coil of the minelab does not miss.the minelab is higher tech and whites has some catchin up to do on multi-frequency detectors. if you think your confused with a minelab you be baffled with the dfx , read the bewildered peoples post on the dfx forum. most were spectrum users including myself. the dfx is totally different.minelab has the edge on my views being able to discriminate and id coins real deep. most targets that the dfx will be able to vdi is about 7.-8 inche range the minelab will id coins at 10-11 inches...I want the old deep coins and posted alot of them here which were gotten deep by the explorer!

 

[Anonymous]

since we only live a few miles apart it would be great if we could get together and hunt a bit.dfx and explorer,not as a competition but a sort of field test.i'm afraid were about out of time for this year so if we can't work it in before the weather gets bad how about next spring? jim