So I called Kellyco today to order a Whites MXT and the Salesperson told me I should also consider the Minelab X-Terra 70. I live in the high country of Colorado where there is lots of gold in the ground as well as old mining camps, mines, along with the schools and parks. So what is the opinion of you XTerra 70 users?
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XTerra 70 vs Whites MXT
- Thread starter MDMac
- Start date
very sensitive on small gold when using prospecting mode but I have found it to struggle over the time I have been using it in hot ground. Even with the sensitivity turned down it is still a great machine. Apparently the MXT can track better in hot ground compared to the 70. Having never used an MXT myself I have always been curious to try one out for my own personal comparison. In the time I have been using the 70 I can not complain one bit as it has risen to every challenge I have thrown at it. I have found many coins, bits of jewelry, misc items and gold in a flogged out field. The 70 has done everything 
said it would. Try both detectors out for your own measure.
Cheers!
said it would. Try both detectors out for your own measure.Cheers!
Back when I was buying I had narrowed it down to these 2 machines. I went with the X-Terra for a bunch of reasons some just my feeling. I really think both would do you well. If you could try both (I did) you could then decide on which to buy. The 70 is lighter, and uses less batteries. IMHO it also has more extras on it, more ways to hunt so to speak. Good luck with your choice, Beale.
I would suspect highly..No responsible company will tarnish their good name intentionally.
Now there may be personality traits involved, because being in a public venue myself, ( Sales) I have learned "You can not satisfy everyone, all the time"...
Some people are never happy with anything you do. Some people blame someone else for their choices.Some people are fast to post unfavorable things without reasoning out..they were part of the problem, and then, there is no concept from their point of view, it takes time to resolve a problem.There is also the fact that with a large number of sales, in all aspects of products...sometimes something will go wrong in spite of the best of intentions..Many many people have purchased products with Kellyco, and other forum sponsors and had excellent transactions.........Somewhere there will be a difference between customer, and purchaser, the real test of a company is how is it handled.Fact is, you do not stay in business as long as many of our sponsors have been in business unless you have good products, good service, and good follow up with issues...Purchase your product in confidence with Kellyco, or any other sponsor you so choose. It's likely you will be very pleased.Just be certain of your choice of purchase, and, if it's going to do what you want it to do..If you order a underwater detector, and you live 1,000 miles away from water, so you use it land detecting most of the time..you just might not be totally happy with your choice..If you purchase a dedicated gold machine, and you live in Jersey..well you get the point....Utilize our sponsors expertise, They have each made a commitment by being a sponsor. Their willing to compete for your business, and help you get the best prices, and, best product for what you want to do with it..
Now there may be personality traits involved, because being in a public venue myself, ( Sales) I have learned "You can not satisfy everyone, all the time"...
Some people are never happy with anything you do. Some people blame someone else for their choices.Some people are fast to post unfavorable things without reasoning out..they were part of the problem, and then, there is no concept from their point of view, it takes time to resolve a problem.There is also the fact that with a large number of sales, in all aspects of products...sometimes something will go wrong in spite of the best of intentions..Many many people have purchased products with Kellyco, and other forum sponsors and had excellent transactions.........Somewhere there will be a difference between customer, and purchaser, the real test of a company is how is it handled.Fact is, you do not stay in business as long as many of our sponsors have been in business unless you have good products, good service, and good follow up with issues...Purchase your product in confidence with Kellyco, or any other sponsor you so choose. It's likely you will be very pleased.Just be certain of your choice of purchase, and, if it's going to do what you want it to do..If you order a underwater detector, and you live 1,000 miles away from water, so you use it land detecting most of the time..you just might not be totally happy with your choice..If you purchase a dedicated gold machine, and you live in Jersey..well you get the point....Utilize our sponsors expertise, They have each made a commitment by being a sponsor. Their willing to compete for your business, and help you get the best prices, and, best product for what you want to do with it..
robert roy
New member
Have been researching the x-70 for some time now. I have the MXT but never used it for gold prospecting.
Almost everone, hands down, who owns both machines have suggested the x-70, even though the MXT is
excellent. If you want to JUST prospect the Whites GMT might be the way to go. Its a prospecting machine only.
RR
Almost everone, hands down, who owns both machines have suggested the x-70, even though the MXT is
excellent. If you want to JUST prospect the Whites GMT might be the way to go. Its a prospecting machine only.
RR
I might add that each of the forum sponsors are local dealers, for the folks in that neck of the woods. It all depends where you live. If you live in an area without any dealers, such as where I live, I'm sure any of the forum sponsors would appreciate hearing from you. And, when you call them, let them know you read about them on the X-Terra forum. It'll assure them that their advertising dollars are being well spent and their support is appreciated.
JMHO HH Randy
JMHO HH Randy
I have received impassioned private messages touting both machines. Do I want a lighter machine? Do I want buttons or nobs? Do I want a machine that holds 4 AA or 8 AA batteries. Do I want American made or Australian Made? Do I want to use a pin pointer? Do I want to analog or digital?
Any more input from XTerra and MXT users would be greatly appreciated.
Any more input from XTerra and MXT users would be greatly appreciated.
sport.pilot
New member
I have owned a Whites XLT and and MXT.I now own an X-terra 70. I found the MXT not to be as accurate as the XLT when coin hunting. The MXT was fine in AK, but I sold it and purchased the X-Terra 70 because I thought it lacked in the coin hunting area. I think I made the right decision. I like the features of the X-Terra 70. It is good for coin and relic hunting, and seems to be very accurate. Nothing can match a Whites for comfort and balance, but the X-Terra is a great improvement over the Minelab Explorer XS which was a nose heavy beast to swing. As for gold, I am as yet uncertain. I am going to AZ to hunt for gold nuggets and meteorites with it next Tuesday, I will let you all know the results. I do not think the X-Terra will be able to match my Gold Bug 2 for sensitivity, but from what air tests I have done, it is able to pick up small gold (1-2 grains) at decent depth. It seems so far to be a very good all purpose machine. There are many things I like about my old XLT, but the X-Terra has a lot of features that the XLT does not. I am not ready to let go of my XLT, but perhaps after I get in summer's worth of hunting I will change my mind. As far as buttons or touch pads, I am on my 2nd XLT (the first was a chest mount Jimmy Sierra model) and I neverhave had any problems with the touch pads. My old Whites 6000 XL PRO had buttons and it worked fine just like my MInelab GP Extreme's buttons and my Gold Bug 2's buttons work fine. It is all a matter of preference. I do not think one is better than the other. It is all in what you like and what you will use. Happy hunting.
Darryl
Darryl
Both are great machines. I do like the lighter weight of the X-Terra and the different coils make it very versatile. The thing I really love about the X-Terra is that it does so many things well. It gives you the ability to hunt just about any type of object. If I were looking for gold only, I would buy one of the PI machines. I do hunt gold, but also coin shoot and relic hunt. I'm not too near any beaches, but will do some beach hunting someday. I know that no matter what I am after, with the proper coil selection, I will have great results. The coils are reasonably priced and the ability to switch out coils easily in the field is a real plus. No matter which detector you choose, I hope you make great finds.
Good hunting, John K
Good hunting, John K
and either one will find coins. In fact, there are dozens of detectors on the market that will detect coins. The whole secret of successful detecting is to sweep your coil over the target in the first place. And as someone who has been detecting for over 35 years, that is the ongoing challenge. The questions you asked in this last post are exactly the questions you should be asking. Unfortunately, you are the only one who can answer them. Each of us have our own style of hunting. And each of us have our own preferences of features and functionality. Only you can decide what detector is too heavy. Whether you want yours to operate on 4 batteries or 8. Whether you want or need a pinpointer. And whether your detector should be primarily digital or analog. Fortunately (or unfortunately in some of our opinions) the question of analog vs digital TID has been answered by product availability. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one currently manufactured detector (CZ-3D) that utilizes an analog meter. I still have a White's XLPro. And as I have said many times, I think it offers the best discrimination of any detector I've ever used. But due to component restrictions, analog meters are nearly a thing of the past. In my opinion, weight is not the issue when swinging a detector for long periods of time. I have a physical impairment that makes the detector's balance more important to me. I'd love to be able to utilize the dual analyzation (ferrous and conductive) of the Explorer. And it really don't weigh much, compared to detectors a generation ago. But the Explorer's balance is simply not conducive to my health. Similarly, the Sovereign is not any heavier than my Advantage. But I am no longer able to hover the coil of the Sovereign (the Sovereign wiggle) over a target for proper TID. Some of the "new generation" detectors are very lightweight and well balanced. But I have a personal preference to not use a detector whose coil cable does not screw into the housing. Maybe those that simply plug in are OK for some. But I prefer to have the cable securely connected to the housing. I could go on and on about the differences of many detectors. But all the reasons I would list are simply my opinion, based on my hunting style. Yours may be different.
I do like the fact that the X-Terra only requires half as many batteries. Does that mean I can hunt twice as long for the same amount of money? I don't think so. A new set of 8 batteries on the MXT seems to last longer than a set of 4 on the X-Terra. But not twice as long. There is a "factory" rechargeable pack available on White's detectors. There is not one currently available on the X-Terra. But you can use "off the shelf" rechargeable AA batteries. Since the battery pack of the MXT is directly under the armcup, it does not have an adverse effect on the balance of the detector. Weight, yes. Balance, no. Both detectors have easy to read LCD's. The Visual display of the MXT offers numbers from -95 to +95. There are also block icons along he bottom of the screen, providing a "confidence factor" for a specific target. It also offers a label which indicates the suspected target. The X-Terra offers 28 notches, each representing two digits. It's display registers from -8 to +48. It also provides the interface for establishing and adjusting the X-Terra settings. The MXT offers variable discrimination. Variable discrimination means that, when you set the discrimination knob, everything at that level and below is rejected. The X-Terra offers notch discrimination. Notch discrimination allows me to accept or reject any notch or combination of notches. Although the MXT has variable discrimination, it also offers a pre-set pull tab rejection by trigger. The X-Terra does not have a separate trigger for pull tab rejection. But the X-70 offers three separate Patterns where you could program one to be reject the notches representing pull tabs. Both offer pinpoint capability. The MXT is a trigger and the X-Terra is a touch pad. Both detectors provide depth of target analysis. Both detectors have multiple modes for different types of detecting. The X-Terra offers Iron Mask discrimination in it's Prospecting mode. The MXT offers a self adjusting threshold in it's Prospecting mode. The MXT offers "on the fly" ground phase readings in Prospecting mode. You can obtain ground phase readings with the X-Terra. But it does not offer them "on the fly". Both models offer tracking for ground mineralization. The MXT can be "locked" into a GB setting. The X-Terra can be set automatically, set manually or locked in any GB setting you chose. The MXT has a Salt position and the X-Terra 70 has a Beach mode. The MXT has a Gain control. The X-70 has Sensitivity control. The X-70 has Noise cancel channels. The MXT does not. The MXT offers single-tone coin and jewelry mode and dual-tone relic mode. The X-70 offers your choice of one, two, three, four or multiple (28 ) tones. Both detectors offer an adjustible threshold tone, as well as silent search capabilities. The MXT operates at 14 kHz and comes stock with a 9.5 inch concentric coil. The MXT 300 comes with a stock 300 mm concentric coil. Also available from Whites is a 4 X 6 inch DD coil, a 6 X 10 inch DD coil, an 8 X 14 inch DD coil, a 6 inch concentric and the 12 inch concentric, similar to the 300 mm that is standard with the MXT 300. Jimmy Sierra and DeTech also offer a variety of aftermarket coils for the MXT. In addition, SunRay makes an electronic inline probe for the MXT. The X-Terra comes with a stock 9-inch concentric coil at 7.5 kHz. However, the X-Terra is also capable of operating at 3 kHz or 18.75 kHz. Available coils include the 6-inch DD at 18.75 kHz, the 6-inch concentric at 7.5 kHz, the 9-inch concentric at 3 kHz, the 9-inch concentric at 18.75 kHz, the 6 X 10 inch elliptical DD at 18.75 kHz, the 10 inch DD at 7.5 kHz and the 10 inch DD at 18.75 kHz. No inline probe or aftermarket coils are available for the X-Terra. Both come with a standard 2-year warranty. Whites is transferrable and Minelab is not. Pricewise, they're pretty close!
As I said, I've used both detectors a lot. And they are both good detectors. I still swing an MXT on occassion. But the past two years I've spent most of my time learning and using the X-Terra. Among the most important features and functionality (to me) are the ergonomic balance, the 3 available operating frequencies, number of available audio tones, noise cancel channels, ability to see where I am setting my GB (I like to run a bit positive), notch discrimination and touch pad interface. JMHO HH Randy
I do like the fact that the X-Terra only requires half as many batteries. Does that mean I can hunt twice as long for the same amount of money? I don't think so. A new set of 8 batteries on the MXT seems to last longer than a set of 4 on the X-Terra. But not twice as long. There is a "factory" rechargeable pack available on White's detectors. There is not one currently available on the X-Terra. But you can use "off the shelf" rechargeable AA batteries. Since the battery pack of the MXT is directly under the armcup, it does not have an adverse effect on the balance of the detector. Weight, yes. Balance, no. Both detectors have easy to read LCD's. The Visual display of the MXT offers numbers from -95 to +95. There are also block icons along he bottom of the screen, providing a "confidence factor" for a specific target. It also offers a label which indicates the suspected target. The X-Terra offers 28 notches, each representing two digits. It's display registers from -8 to +48. It also provides the interface for establishing and adjusting the X-Terra settings. The MXT offers variable discrimination. Variable discrimination means that, when you set the discrimination knob, everything at that level and below is rejected. The X-Terra offers notch discrimination. Notch discrimination allows me to accept or reject any notch or combination of notches. Although the MXT has variable discrimination, it also offers a pre-set pull tab rejection by trigger. The X-Terra does not have a separate trigger for pull tab rejection. But the X-70 offers three separate Patterns where you could program one to be reject the notches representing pull tabs. Both offer pinpoint capability. The MXT is a trigger and the X-Terra is a touch pad. Both detectors provide depth of target analysis. Both detectors have multiple modes for different types of detecting. The X-Terra offers Iron Mask discrimination in it's Prospecting mode. The MXT offers a self adjusting threshold in it's Prospecting mode. The MXT offers "on the fly" ground phase readings in Prospecting mode. You can obtain ground phase readings with the X-Terra. But it does not offer them "on the fly". Both models offer tracking for ground mineralization. The MXT can be "locked" into a GB setting. The X-Terra can be set automatically, set manually or locked in any GB setting you chose. The MXT has a Salt position and the X-Terra 70 has a Beach mode. The MXT has a Gain control. The X-70 has Sensitivity control. The X-70 has Noise cancel channels. The MXT does not. The MXT offers single-tone coin and jewelry mode and dual-tone relic mode. The X-70 offers your choice of one, two, three, four or multiple (28 ) tones. Both detectors offer an adjustible threshold tone, as well as silent search capabilities. The MXT operates at 14 kHz and comes stock with a 9.5 inch concentric coil. The MXT 300 comes with a stock 300 mm concentric coil. Also available from Whites is a 4 X 6 inch DD coil, a 6 X 10 inch DD coil, an 8 X 14 inch DD coil, a 6 inch concentric and the 12 inch concentric, similar to the 300 mm that is standard with the MXT 300. Jimmy Sierra and DeTech also offer a variety of aftermarket coils for the MXT. In addition, SunRay makes an electronic inline probe for the MXT. The X-Terra comes with a stock 9-inch concentric coil at 7.5 kHz. However, the X-Terra is also capable of operating at 3 kHz or 18.75 kHz. Available coils include the 6-inch DD at 18.75 kHz, the 6-inch concentric at 7.5 kHz, the 9-inch concentric at 3 kHz, the 9-inch concentric at 18.75 kHz, the 6 X 10 inch elliptical DD at 18.75 kHz, the 10 inch DD at 7.5 kHz and the 10 inch DD at 18.75 kHz. No inline probe or aftermarket coils are available for the X-Terra. Both come with a standard 2-year warranty. Whites is transferrable and Minelab is not. Pricewise, they're pretty close!
As I said, I've used both detectors a lot. And they are both good detectors. I still swing an MXT on occassion. But the past two years I've spent most of my time learning and using the X-Terra. Among the most important features and functionality (to me) are the ergonomic balance, the 3 available operating frequencies, number of available audio tones, noise cancel channels, ability to see where I am setting my GB (I like to run a bit positive), notch discrimination and touch pad interface. JMHO HH Randy
Shenandoah Digger
New member
Randy said it all-nothing else to add.