Replace a Classic IDX?

[Scottowl]

I have an old IDX. It's nice and quiet. It's very stable.
I just don't feel it has a lot of punch.
What I would like is something with fast recovery that you can sweep slow in a lot of non ferrous trash (park can slaw and tin foil garbage). I't wouldn't sound off as loud on the little fragments, but light up coins and jewelry.
I would also like a back light, some kind of meter, and small coil availability.
Does the kind of machine I describe ring any bells? Is there a modern machine that can replace a Whites Classic?

 

[Tom Slick]

The Makro Racer with the 5" OOR coil replaced my Modified IDX Pro.

 

[nja82]

I use any xterra 705 with the coiltek 3khz 6 inch digger coil for trashy areas like you described. Coins hit hard with that coil. The 705 also has a backlight.

 

[berryman]

Why?

 

[Scottowl]

Why?

If there is a machine that could, wouldn't you want to know about it?
I don't know that there is.
That's why I'm asking.

 

[silverseeker 2]

This MOD. will breathe new life into that unit. You'll be able
to swing slow and find the goods in heavy Iron. Get the 5.3 coil.
You won't regret it and you'll always have that machine for
those Iron sights and slow your sweep speed...
silverseeker 2

 

[Tom Slick]

Having the IDX Pro modified by Mr. Bill made the IDX even better than it originally was. Bill added the Ground Balance and the Threshold to my IDX and it was the best detector I'd used in forty years for hunting in iron infested sites such as ghost towns, railroad sidings and old house tear down sites. When the Makro Racer came out, I thought I'd give it a try as it was receiving good reports from users. After using mine for a shout time it became my favorite detector for those same iron infested sites. The Racer beats out the IDX in a number of areas. First and foremost is that it's has a faster response than the IDX. It will see targets closer together. Then there's the meter which displays much more info than the IDX screen, such as depth, VDI numbers, and ground mineralization. The screen has an adjustable back light, and it even has an LED headlight that lights the coil and the ground around it. The Racer has adjustable tone for folks that hear higher or lower tones better. The Racer has vibration that can be adjusted from off to high for the hearing impared. The Racer has Manual ground balance and threshold adjustments and one of it's best features is the choice of four modes. All metal, two tone, three tone, and beach mode. I love the three town when hunting in the iron. Some folks prefer the two tone mode. It's nice to be swinging in all that iron and hear the high pitch tone come in alerting you to a high conductor. The IDX Pro is a really good detector and a modified IDX is even better, but I don't think either can hold a candle to the Racer when you consider all the features it has for the price, or performance. The 5" OOR (out of round) coil is a must have for the absolute worst areas but they also make a 5" x 10" coil for the Racer that is a great all around coil. I save the standard 7" x 11" for hunting the dry saltwater beach sand.

 

[Scottowl]

Ive heard of that mod, but undestand the guydoesnt do it anymore.

 

[Scottowl]

Tom:
How does that Racer compare to the MXT?
I have the original style, with no ground grab or back light.
The MXT has brought me a few small gold rings and chains, plus about 3 tons of tinfoil!

 

[Tom Slick]

Scottowl - PM sent

 

[Wayfarer]

How does that Racer compare to the MXT?
I have the original style, with no ground grab or back light.
The MXT has brought me a few small gold rings and chains, plus about 3 tons of tinfoil!

Scott, I've never used a Racer, but have a lot of time on both IDX's and MXT's. I'm an old 6.5 kHz White's guy myself, coming up through the various 6000's models and the XL Pro. I hunted for a while with just two detectors, the XL Pro for more open area cruising and the IDX for in the trash. Loved that combo. Anyway, I finally got around to trying the MXT and found it much better than the IDX as my "trash" detector. The MXT has great recovery speed and beats the IDX (Mr. Bill modified, by the way) on depth. The VDI is very accurate on the MXT and with numbers rather than segments, is more precise. The relic two-tone on the MXT really helps sorting through the trash too. Oh, and the MXT is deadly on small gold, the IDX is pretty weak on small gold.

I know you didn't ask for a comparison of the IDX to the MXT, but couldn't help but notice you had an MXT and an XL Pro like me. The IDX is a great detector, but I find the MXT to be better. If the Racer is even better than the MXT, something lots of people have been saying, then there's your answer: Racer>MXT>IDX.

 

[Scottowl]

I do use the MXT and 5.3 for trash.
The two main things I like about the IDX are the quiet operation and ease that somebody new to detecting can get in on the fun, with a decent shot at finding some good stuff.
I would likely not part with it, but I admit to wanting to try something new.

 

[Tom Slick]

The Racer is very easy to set up. If you're going to let someone try it like a loaner, you just turn it on, select the mode (I almost always use three tone), adjust the gain (or leave it on preset), and adjust the Filter (or leave it on preset). II took my sister on one of Monte's ghost town hunts and let her use one of my Racers. She has little detecting experience and none with the Racer. She was able to use it without any problems.

 

[Patriot 1776]

You have a lot of good opinions for a Detector,
I think all of them have their advantages
I have been having great success with the water proof AT-Pro
Need any help, give me a call dennis


Garrett blogs:
http://www.metaldetectors.com/blog/locations-are-never-truly-hunted-out


www.metaldetectors.com/blog/successful-labor-day-treasure-hunt