spaceman41 said:
Hi everyone,can anyone tell me what would be the next detector to get after a coinmaster classic III ?
Nope, absolutely not able to do that. Nobody can tell you what to get, and many readers on this forum do not know what a Coinmaster Classic III is. Matter of fact, I'll even ask just to verify which model you have as it could be one of three you're referring to.
The 'original' Classic series from White's as called Coinmaster Classic and they were in a bigger control housing and powered by 3 9-volt batteries. There were two models that were Coinmaster Classic III's. The basic Coinmaster Classic III that came standard with a white colored 8" search coil, and the Classic III Plus which had altered circuitry and came standard with the Blue Max series 950 coil.
There was also the next series of Classics, generally referred to as the Classic SL series, and that Classic III came with the Blue Max 950, but those models used the smaller 'Slim-Line' XLT housings and were powered by the slide-in battery tray with 8-AA alkaline batteries.
Next, I note that you have only made 8 posts on the Findmall Forums, and I checked back and notice you have one of the earlier Coinmaster Classic III's. I also read where you have considered getting a Garrett Ace 350, and now the White's Coinmaster GT, and you're curious how it compares with what you are using currently. What you left out in your inquiry is what types of sites you hunt in the UK, and since they are most likely to be plowed fields [size=small](ploughed to you)[/size], what features you might be looking for on a detector upgrade? Also, what price range you are considering, should you have any buying limits?
I also noted in a prior post you made that you like the Coinmaster Classic III and plan to keep it, and in a way that's good. I think everyone who is an enthusiastic hobbyist or an experienced and avid detectorist ought to own at least two detectors that can compliment each other. That model does have some limitations, however, so I'd suggest keeping it for now, but as you upgrade and advance in this great sport, I'd suggest getting another detector, or two, to have a very complementary detector battery, and let that one go. Just my personal opinions, of course.
spaceman41 said:
Whats the coinmaster GT like?
Your detector is what we have long referred to as a "turn-on-and-go" models because it relies on a factory preset Ground Balance. The Coinmaster GT offers GB adjustment for various ground mineral environments using a Automated Ground Balance, and the operator has the options to either 'Lock' that GB setting for the site [size=small](my preference 95% of the time)[/size], are allow the detector to use the Auto-Trac® circuitry read 'read' the ground as you search and update the GB setting as you go.
Your unit has control knob adjustment, and the benefit is that you can often 'fine tune' the Discrimination level. With the Coin GT it employs as segmented Discrimination and you can accept or reject any lf the 9 Notch Disc. segments. Other adjustments general favor the Coin GT simply because it provides mode of them. Thus, if you are looking at being able to adjust a detector more, the Coin GT will let you, but toi me that doesn't really mean a lot because multi-adjustable detectors can often be a problem. Many detector users don't understand all of the adjustments and in an effort to make a good working set-up, the results are terrible. That's more true with models such as the White's XLT, DFX, VX3 and especially the V3i, but the Coin GT is more adjustable than your Classic III.
One thing they have in common is that you're pretty much limited to the stock 8" white Concentric coil your detector came with, and the Coin GT basically limits you to only 2 search coils from White's. The stock 9" Concentric 'spider' coil, or the 4X6 elliptical Double-D 'Shooter' coil.
Is your Coinmaster Classic III any better than a Coin GT? Actually, yes it is. The Coin GT is a modern digitally designed detector, and by design it has some difficulty trying to deal with a dense iron target situation with a coin present. For example, I can refer to my Nail Board performance Test, that I have been using for over twenty years, and your Classic III [size=small](if functioning properly)[/size] can easily Discriminate to just barely reject the 4 iron nails, then respond to a small US 1¢ coin placed in the #1 circle in the center.
The Coin GT, like other current Coinmasters and quite a few competitor's detectors, flunks that test. It will produce 0 to no more than maybe 3 reasonable hits out of 8 possible, while the Coinmaster Classic III will easily hit 7 or 8 out-of-8 times. I give it an edge in a dense iron nail infestation.
spaceman41 said:
Are the new coinmasters any better than the old manual coinmasters like my Classic III ?
Only the Coin GT, in my opinion, because it will give you the GB capability and a VDI numeric read-out on the display. It also has a quick-response like your Coinmaster Classic III, but the basic Coinmaster and Coinmaster Pro have a delayed-response that I, personally, find annoying.
spaceman41 said:
Sorry for all the questions but just wondered if the LCD screen is any more of a beneift than just the old dials switches etc?
The Coin GT touchpad system works fine, just like that on the MX5. The visual display information is also useful, for some people at least some of the time, but I never encourage anyone to rely whole-heartedly on any visual read-out.
Now, I can not tell you what detector to move up to as that is more of a personal pick and must fin in your budget. However, I will say that I personally use the White's MX5 as one of the detectors in my arsenal, and I also consider it to be the best value at the lowest suggested retail price I would purchase. I like 'simple' and while some people like models with a lot of adjustment features, like a DFX or V3i, I prefer to own and use detectors that are easier to adjust, simple to operate, and let me get into action in a hurry without a lot of tinkering.
My White's XLT is the most used model I have with a lot of adjustments, but I have my three custom programs which are very close in settings, and I do not adjust much, either. Only the adjustments that benefited me with improved performance. I also don't use my XLT all that often, it's just a long-time favorite that I like to have for occasional 'cruising' use in large open parks, etc. Instead, the bulk of my detecting is handled by models that might have some adjustment features, but they are simple to adjust and not too easy to mess up.
Several I own are listed below, but my primary-use models today that travel with me are my Nokta FORS CoRe, MXT All-Pro, MX5, and Tesoro Outlaw.
No direct answer, but maybe some suggestions to help you out.
Monte
a great help here as always is Monte!! your expertise on Whites is amazing! 
