Do the old detectors stack up to the new ones?

[Scottowl]

I have 3 detectors. A MXT Tracker. a Classic IDX and an XL Pro.
I am asking myself if I were to get a new detector of any brand, would the performance gains be worthwhile?
I like to hunt anywhere, from football fields to brush along the river.
Of course I want to dig anything good, and I have dug up my share of chewed aluminum and fishing weights and hooks.
I really feel that, if I put the time in to learn the machine, it will tell me what I want to know.
I find myself sometimes dancing around, tryiing to decide wether or not to dig.
I get to thinking that, if I would have just dug, I could already be on to the next target!
Maybe some will say the age of the units is causing breakdowns in performance.
I think all three are younger than me, and can do more than I really need them to.
So, has anyone graduated to a better detector, and what gains did you experience?

 

[pescadore]

I have owned the Etrac, Xterras and the Deus and came back to Whites MXT. The MXT is just as deep or deeper in my soil than the other two and I love the simplicity of it. I also have a M6 that I use in real trashy areas because I like the 7 tone ID to cherry pick in heavy trash. I have been a long time Whites user especially with the DFX but prefer the MXT. I could have saved myself a lot of money by not trying the other machines but am very happy to be back to Whites. Even though I believe the Etrac and Deus to be good machines, I have never found anything with either machine that I believe I couldn't have found with my MXT. I think detectors have a personality of their own and I like everything about the MXT other than I wish I had the MXT Pro or All Pro to have the tone ID and backlight. I think it's just a personal preference and you will get others that say that one detector is better than the other because that is what the have been successful with. You have great machines in your arsenal and it has to be your decision but the term "better detector" is relative. What is better to you may not be better to me. I had the XP Deus on three different occasions and each time tried my best to like it because it was so light and transportable. It just wasn't for me so I am back to the detectors I love and don't plan to buy anything new unless Whites comes out with a new machine that I just can't resist.

 

[Mega]

Do the old detectors stack up against the new ones,my back tells me 'NO' performance wise that is even debatable as well.Since buying my french wonder stick i can detect all day long again,is that progress then i will give that a massive 'YES' vote.

 

[HaroldILL.]

It depends what you look for in a detector. I have an Etrac,CZ-3D,and XL-PRO with the Tone I.D. MOD. I love the XL-PRO as it is just a fun detector that can hold it's own in the rite area. But if I'm going to drive an hour to a spot that has deep old coins I'm takin' the Etrac or CZ-3D. I feel the Etrac can I.D. Silver better at depth and the CZ-3D has more pure raw depth then all my detectors. But in fairness the XL-PRO is a 4 filter analog that excel in open areas with a faster sweep sweep speed. I just picked up a Bigfoot coil for the XL-PRO for this very purpose as this it where it excels. I think they all have the positives in the rite situation.

 

[Des D]

I have owned the Deus and came back to Whites MXT. I had the XP Deus on three different occasions and each time tried my best to like it because it was so light and transportable. It just wasn't for me so I am back to the detectors I love and don't plan to buy anything new unless Whites comes out with a new machine that I just can't resist.

"So many folks have discovered the same thing! The Duice is not for me!
Promises a lot but in reality, just doesn't cut the mustard!
However, they do retain a good value even used but sometimes you get lucky and can "steal one" from someone who just wants rid of the thing!"

 

[Southwind]

If you only go "back" 20 years then yes there are some oldies that still stack up. Much older than that and you start to loose a lot of performance and options.

I spent 18 years with a Whites Eagle Spectrum and didn't think there was anything that could mach my ability with a newer model. I tried many and kept going back to the Eagle Spectrum. Finally common sense won out and told me I needed to spend the time to understand one of the newer models. I got a DFX and spent 8 years with it. Sold the Eagle and the DFX was my new go to machine. Again, I tried many different top dog new models but kept falling back to my DFX until I remembered the lesson I learned from the Eagle Spectrum. While I thought it was the best for me learning the DFX netted me many more old coins the Spectrum had missed. I sucked it up and bought a E-Trac and forced myself to learn it. Once again I was in tall cotton pulling keepers from dried up sites.

I had given up several times on the Deus but it was just so much fun to swing I forced myself to stick with it. I haven't gotten rid of the E-Trac yet, but I'm getting closer every hunt.

 

[Scottowl]

OK, I can understand that, learning a new machine is part of the hobby.
With the 3 I have, the MXT is what I use 90% of the time.
The IDX is really good in the trash, and very good at not getting fooled by bottle caps.
As was already mentioned, the XL Pro is fun out on a baseball or football field.
I guess I was blessed with a strong back to go with my weak mind, and weight of the machine is not a deciding factor.
I saw a lot of the Minelab guys making the good finds. I always thought that was because they were already good at running a detector before they went to Minelabs.

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[HaroldILL.]

OK, I can understand that, learning a new machine is part of the hobby.
With the 3 I have, the MXT is what I use 90% of the time.
The IDX is really good in the trash, and very good at not getting fooled by bottle caps.
As was already mentioned, the XL Pro is fun out on a baseball or football field.
I guess I was blessed with a strong back to go with my weak mind, and weight of the machine is not a deciding factor.
I saw a lot of the Minelab guys making the good finds. I always thought that was because they were already good at running a detector before they went to Minelabs.

I know this is a Whites forum, But as far as your comment on Minelabs I think the opposite it true at least with the Etrac. Most guys using them are newbees or haven't been detectin' 5 years as it is that easy to use rite out of the box and deep. At least in my area most guys with them are newbees with no previous detectin' experience. It is mainly detector not skill in this case. JMHO.

 

[Southwind]

I understand what you're saying Harold, but let me add my 2 cents.

I'm not a noob I've been swinging a detector for 40 years. I swing the E-Trac because I have yet to find any other detector with better depth, accuracy in target ID at depth and the tones that make looking at the meter optional. I have owned the best of the best and they all have strong points and weaknesses. The E-Trac is a a quick out of the box performer and that is a very good reason they continue to hold one of the top spots, but not the only reason. The E-Trac maintains one of the top spots because it does the job. You can almost always spot a E-Trac user by what finds they post. When you see hands full of silver and old coins from a local park it most of the time was done by an E-Trac.

Back to Whites. Whites just hasn't hit that magic combination yet. For many year Whites was one of the top leaders in detectors most owned. Today they kind of fallen back to I'd say 3rd place. Unfortunately, the foreign detector manufacturers seem to be setting the pace for the American made machines because they are being outsold. Back in the lat 80's early 90's Whites was leading the pack. I hope the do again some day as I much prefer to buy American made, but I buy base on how well they do what I need first.

 

[Scottowl]

-- moved topic --

 

[Scottowl]

That is very interesting.
They must be a fun unit to use.