A FEW DFX AND EXPLORER COMPARISON NOTES.

[Doctorcoinz]

These are just my own honest personal findings and opinions of the whites DFX and minelab explorer detectors having extensively used both for a couple of years or so, anyone thinking of buying one of these superb detectors should try before buying. Try the one you like like the feel and sound of best.. I will start with The DFX...
BEACH :- I prefer the DFX -E SERIES on beaches over all minelabs explorer models- why ? well mostly because it covers big area's of sand faster than the explorer models and goes deep enough to please me. I can hunt longer and feel much more comfortable without my arm hurting me!. Simple. Hour for hour the Dfx will usually beat the Explorers on beach finds rate because it is -fast!.. The explorers might just go a tad bit deeper than a dfx on the beach- i am not sure though on wet sand depth which is deeper.. On inland coin shooting sites the dfx works great as well the tone ID is pretty good. SE- On farmland i have to admit i have a feeling the Explorer SE is nulling way too much in the iron , i feel i am missing alot of the smaller targets. Some depth tests i have done on buried coins in the depth test garden convince me that the dfx can out gun the Se by an inch on a coin at least. When conditions are wet the SE is crap and i wont bother taking it out anymore when hunting wet grass. It totally hates the wet!.. Never dip your Se coil in the sea or you will get problems with falsing.On depth alone i can't honestly say which is deeper Se or DFX as it is a pretty close call.. On farmland and beaches the DFX has pulled more good targets out than has the SE. The reason is simple - the Whites detectors are fast and have a wide sweep because of the clever way whites design the detector to cover more land in a given time.. The explorer s seem to be ok for short hunts only because of the weight hunting long periods of time is uncomfortable .. I have been working farmland lately with the dfx and am pleased with the way it performs compared to the se it seems to do better usually.. Anyone who hunts farmland with an explorer will know just how quiet the detector seems to go! You get the feeling you are missing stuff , it does seem to go quiet honestly . i don;t know if this is in my imagination or whether it is really missing good stuff but i guess others who have used the explorers on farmland will know what i am on about here..The only way to reduce the nulling is to hunt in all metal with the SE but then this is a noisey mode of operation for long hunts it can drive you nuts.. Credit to the explorer SE I have dug some genuine 10 inch Deep coins with the black beast SE but have to admit i had no idea if the target was going to be good or bad as accurate target id is close tonon existent at this depth on a coin target id seems OK down to about 6 - 8 inches past that coins sound like junk iron.. Like i say if you are willing to dig crappy signals you will dig coins out at close to 9 -10 inches no problem.
My honest opinion on which detector is the best all round hunter will honestly have to say i prefer the DFX. A DFX once mastered is an awesome detector and takes some beating in my opinion its more than good enough to get good results.. . Explorer 2 - wow what a detector for raw depth! it will beat the SE and works better in iron on bigger targets than SE= it thrashes the SE by an inch on deep coins.. The explorer 2 seems to do really well on medium to large sized coins but it is in no way as sensitive to small targets as is the SE.. 8 out of ten for whites DFX. Call it 7 out of ten for the Se & 8 out of ten for the explorer 2.. Summary Dfx for large area's of beach you can move fast and recover more targets faster than the slower explorers including the SE. DFx will suck those small nickels and rings out of the picnic spots and riverbank coin shooting sites.. Summary Explorer Se - Nippy in the trash and sensitive to gold rings and nickels same as the dfx but no good for long hunts and no good in wet grass or on iron loaded sites ... Summary Explorer 2 and XS - Deep & smooth and suck silver coins out like no other - fantastic on silver , really good on silver.. Not as good as the Se or Dfx though on tiny targets.. I hope this helps others get an idea of what to expect when you buy one of these great whites or minelab detectors..

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks for the heads up Doctorcoinz. I have had a bit of a look at the Whites machines a bit lately, and it's good to have someone who has used both, to be able to give an honest appraisal. I hope that you don't cop grief from those that may be die hard Minelab users. Both machines have a good reputation, it's just good to see them commented on without bias.
Mick Evans.

 

[Steelhead]

Good info. I always thought the Explorer was superiror to the DFX because of the additional frequencies etc. Perhaps i need to re-look at the DFX.

 

[Doctorcoinz]

If you have an explorer i would say keep it - its up at the top but get saving for a good secondhand DFX between them both you can pound any site clean out of just about everything! Buying a new DFX and SE is going to cost a lot more than many could afford i know , thats why i say buy good seconhand little used ones can be bought at good price .here in the uk you could probably get both a DFX and an SE almost new maybe a few months old for about 800 - 900 inclusive for the pair.

 

[digitrich]

Not to take anything from you Doc but: "A DFX once mastered is an awesome detector". Change DFX in that sentence to any brand and the sentence is still accurate. I would bet money if you learned how to hunt with the SE in all metal, simply got used to it, took me 2 months, it would be your preferred choice in a farm field. In a park, I have pulled dimes and pennies 14 inches deep with a stock ten on my SE, ten inch deep buttons smaller than a dime in a cornfield, literally 16-17 inch deep coins in wet sand (ocean) and I have had days where I'd swear the damn things broken and needs to be fixed. I am sure if I put the same effort and hours into learning a DFX, I could say the same for it. The best advice I would give some one is to buy their machine from a dealer who hunts with one and by all means, try before you buy if possible.

 

[Rickday]

I hear a lot about mastering the DFX. I have owned a DFX since it came out and an XLT before that. I have had White's detectors back to 1980 when I owned a 6000D hip mount. There is no mastering the DFX just a lot of bells a whistles that don't make much of a difference. I have run all of Dave's programs may he rest in peace. Now for the last year I have been kicking ass with the Explorer 2. Searching only worked out schools, parks and fair grounds. I have found silver every time out this year where I had found none with the DFX. I use the DFX for clad coins or with the little shooter coil when they tear up the streets and sidewalks in old towns. One more note some of the people who post on these forums need to buy rulers. Rick

 

[Larry (IL)]

The DFX...... CAN........ be mastered. If you have had the DFX for over 6 years it might need to be calibrated Rick, then give it another try, it just might surprise you.

Larry
DFX Classroom Moderator

 

[Doctorcoinz]

Look at this way , the DFX is a top of the range metal detector- that means it is not crap it means it is good. It can on some farmland sites out hunt an explorer this i am sure of. The sensitivity of the dfx is better than the explorer on small targets in 15 khz it is very good. My opinion is that the DFX can get good targets but you have to dig bad signals to stand a chance of getting deeper than 5 inches. My deepest coin so far with an SE is about 9 to 10 inches. Deepest with DFX about 7 - 8 inches. The DFX is a bit hotter on jewelry and nickels too i think. Happy hunting....

 

[digitrich]

Being a contractor, I buy about 20-30 tape measures a year, and instead of worrying about tape measures maybe you should learn how to squeeze that last little bit of depth out of that machine you own. Because if your numbers are not matching mine then you either have a bum machine/coil or you are not using it as effectively as it can be. You could also have crappy soil. I actually backed those numbers down a bit because I knew there would always be the jealous nay sayers. But as long as people don't believe those depths are possible, those coins will still be available to guys like me.

 

[Garystrangelove]

I think giving an honest opinion goes down better than doing what others do when posting about detectors as they do- some reviews posted are simply lies. The Explorers from Minelab and the Whites DFX - E series are 2 fantastic detectors. I have now got hundreds of hours in on both explorers and the DFX and i can truthfully say i will hang on to the dfx until the new replacement for the dfx comes out which should be next spring i have heard (dont hold me to this its just what i heard somewhere) a I feel sure whites will be bringing out a new top of the line replacement for the DFX sometime next year - i would bet on it. I hope its a bit better than the current DFX THOUGH as i admit it needs updating with better depth and better features. A more accurate meter would be nice too - the numbers can roll up and down like fruit machine reels sometimes. Come on mark rowan lets have corker designed we need some excitement!

 

[Larry--IndianaHVAC]

I would have to agree with you right through all of your comparisons. I have to admit I was not impressed totally with my se and went back to the EX2. I think the EX2 and the DFX are the 2 best silver slayers on the market!

 

[Gunnar of bradford MN]

hey bro i would have to beleive you , all metal is way deeper , i use it to pinpont on my m-6 and the signal always comes in stronger