Best of the Best

[Clev]

Hello guys... I need your help. I am new to this hobby but I want the best detector. Money doesn't matter. I want to here what you think of these. Pros and cons... I want to relic and coin hunt... Mainly in woods and Fields in NC...

Minelab Safari
Mibelab Explorer SE Pro
Minelab E-trac
Garrett GTI 2500 Pro
Garrett Infinium LS
Whites DFX 300
Whites Spectra V

Please help.

Thanks

 

[goodmore]

The best one question is not a question with an easy answer. Experience with any of the detectors you listed is the key. This is not a hobby where your an expert once you lay down the cash. Do some research about the type of hunting you want to do. Coin, Beach, Relic ect. Ask some questions in the forums about certain models. Make your purchase. Spend countless hours in the field digging. That is the best answer I can give you. Welcome & happy hunting.

 

[jackintexas]

Very good info/ What you would not want to do is lay out big bucks for one and later after you learn more what you are doing be sorry you did not get a different one. You may get it then but may lose money making the switch. Too many folks starting in the hobby say they want the best detector out there. As I have said before if I were to want to learn to fly I probably would not start out with a 747 I would start with a more simple plane. Most of the top of the line detectors have a big learning curve.....Jack

 

[chuck ky]

for coins and relics the minelabs should be the best.

 

[Deno]

Clev, I love my XLT for old trashy home sites, but if you are going to hunt the woods & the fields you can not beat a Nautilus.
I know you have never seen one in the field or you wouldn't be asking this question. They are truly amazing on depth. Go to
their site & check them out. Check out Richard Walkers book on relics on the relic forum & ask him what he thinks about the
Nautilus.

 

[jspoon]

n/t

 

[jspoon]

I would not start out with any of those machines, I would go with the m6 or aminelab xterra series..just my opinion
HH John

 

[khouse]

n/t

 

[Monte]

Just because something is a little dated doesn't make it inferior.

Hello guys... I need your help.

You'll get it here, and while "guys" can be a general term or a relate to the male gender, don't be surprised if you get a good response from some rather savvy female detectorists. there are some good ones, and I know one or two who post "undercover."

I am new to this hobby but I want the best detector. Money doesn't matter. I want to here what you think of these. Pros and cons... I want to relic and coin hunt... Mainly in woods and Fields in NC..

Since you're new to the hobby, have you read or become familiar enough to know what features you want, such as Target ID, or what types of sites you plan to hunt or the types of trash you might have to deal with?

Let me share these thought s with you:

Minelab Safari... A newer release that replaces the Quattro which was a very slow seller. It is a slow-sweep model like the Explorer series. My feeling is if you can, go to the SE Pro if you want this type of performance.

Minelab Explorer SE Pro... My personal favorite of the Minelab Explorer series, but supposedly up-scaled by the E-Trac. As a "silver shooter" I like the Explorer SE Pro, but I am not thrilled with using them for "relic hunting" or working woodsy territory. Just a personal thing. Plus, as I get older and achy, I find their balance and 'feel' to be a little fatigueing.

Minelab E-trac... Some like it, but I haven't used it that much. What little I have, and those I know who HAD one, prefer the Explorer II or SE with the newer 'Pro' coil.

Garrett GTI 2500 Pro... Can we say "dated!" Now, I am not saying that's a bad thing, but most of what you're listing is much newer. Garrett gave us the GTI-2000 about '97, and by 2000 it had been revised and improved to the GTI-2500. Nice years later it is still with us. So often we have seen hobbyists wanting to buy the latest and greatest models, and I include myself in that category because I like, to compare models afield so as to have the best model(s) for my needs. Where I live and hunt, ground conditions are quite mineralized and I found the GTI-2500 to have good depth in the All metal mode, but the delayed response in the Disc. mode was a bit annoying, and the top-heavy balance didn't get me excited.

It was an 'OK' detector when I hunted in mild-to-moderate ground conditions, but still didn't do anything that my tried-and-true detector could, and lacked performance in higher mineralization.

Garrett Infinium LS... Honestly, I haven't used it for more than a few minutes but it's not the tool for most typical coin and jewelry hunting sites, nor a model I would want to wave around in my favorite old ghost towns.

Whites DFX 300... Two months ago this was White's 'to-of=-the-line' detector. With it being replaced by the Vision for the top spot, it will fade away over time. But then, their XLT has been "fading away" slowly for the last few years, and that's a shame. For me and many avid detectorists who have owned and used both (I've had 4 DFX's and 20 XLT's), the XLT is the better of the two. One problem with the XLT or DFX or any other make/model that provides a lot of adjustment functions is that I find a lot of users blaming the detector for not performing well when the real cause is they have tinkered with this or that adjustment function and messed things up!

The good thing about the DFX is that is you're interested in buying one new or "as new", you should find them because many will be upgrading to the Vision.

Whites Spectra V... I am a bit biased, and this is a White's topic forum, and as a Vision owner since their release I will say they have the potential for an impressive detector to rock the market .. as long as they get a manual and DVD out soon, and as long as folks who have a Vision take their time to learn it.

I like the Vision, but I have to remind myself and others that there is no such thing as a "perfect" detector. From a 'FUN' standpoint, I have found the Vision to be fun to use and fun to learn, and that's because it has some very good/excellent factory programs already loaded. I manly hunt littered site, either urban locations with modern trash, or ghost towns or old camp sites and homesteads, etc., that tend to have a lot of iron. The Vision has the potential to do better in them, as do the other models you mentioned.

The DFX, Vision, and Minelab models,mention all come with 9

 

[steelheadfever]

n/t

 

[slowswing]

I'm just curious, what did you buy and how are you doing with it?

 

[Monte]

am the one who had them for sale. I need to take care of some recent medical expenses and put some $$ on the Credit Card bill for the Vision. Wife's request.

I've sold the 6000 Pro XL I bought from the original owner. I got it thinking my #2 son might want to upgrade and use a decent detector, or as a back-up to my personal XL Pro.

There's still no detector that can do it all and do it all well, so I enjoy having two or three detectors on hand to handle all my needs. presently, that includes the XL Pro and modified IDX Pro (selling a back-up I just got), and I'll see how the Vision and I get along own the road. For some reason during the past 2 months the detector I had in hand when I found silver or an old coin was a 6000 Pro XL, with the exception of a 1903 V nickel.

Monte

 

[slowswing]

Can you still get different coils for the XL Pro or the IDX Pro and if so who makes them. Also, who does the modifications to the IDX Pro and how much does that usually cost.

 

[Monte]

My oldest son has an unused 950 from his IDX Pro to sell, and I have a Blue Max 350 (the 4" Snooper coil) that is essentially new that I'll sell. many others have coils available, too. I also have another Blue Max 600 w/coil cover that's virtually "as new".

Monte

 

[Neil]

Hello guys... I need your help. I am new to this hobby but I want the best detector. Money doesn't matter. I want to here what you think of these. Pros and cons... I want to relic and coin hunt... Mainly in woods and Fields in NC...

Minelab Safari
Mibelab Explorer SE Pro
Minelab E-trac
Garrett GTI 2500 Pro
Garrett Infinium LS
Whites DFX 300
Whites Spectra V

Please help.

Thanks

Etrac or Explorer are good choices. The Etrac has some nice changes to it that make it more hunt friendly and overall it runs smoother and quieter than the Explorer.
They come preloaded ready to hunt or are super adjustable for after youve used it awhile. very good target ID at depth.
like Monte says, they are a weighty machine so beware.

Neil