Any Whites XLT to DFX Graduates?

[Stu Pedasso]

Hello,

I bought and absolutely love my Whites XLT. But, I have been kicking myself ever since for not spending the extra dough and getting the DFX. Has anyone here gone from the XLT to the DFX? If so, as far as depth and finding stuff, how much better do you think it is? I was looking at my end of the year finds and doing the math. If I was able to find 10 or 20% more stuff it would be very worth while making the upgrade.
Let me know you thoughts.

Stu

 

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[Mike Silver -gold]

I traded my XLT in for a DFX. I don,t see a lot difference. Maybe a tiny bit more depth. Would I do it over again? Yeah I feel the better the detector is the better my chances are to find something more valuable. We olny live once and our time is our greatest value. Mike.

 

[oddcoins]

I use an XLT ~ I bought it used in 1999. I bought as DFX right when they came out. I'm not sure if there was something wrong with the one I bought because after about three months I couldn't seem to find much with it. Then I'd take my XLT over the same ground and find stuff that I didn't find with the DFX. WHY?!?!?! I DON'T KNOW!!! It just didn't seem to work as good as my XLT. But there's serveral members in our local detecting club that like their DFX much better than the XLT. I honestly think something was wrong with that one I bought!

I ended up selling the DFX ~ I still use the XLT and I'm finding lots of stuff with it!

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

When I got mine I called and spoke with a technician at Whites...they are both great detectors...obviously the dfx being a dual frequency machine will react better by salt water...the dual frequencies deal with the falsing created by going from wet sand to dry sand or vice versa.... Also updated software and added program capabilities...as well as a sweep speed adjustment and a faster processor and screen responses...

But also mentioned if you are not into tweaking and having a detector that you can run and program differently to adopt to different situations...if can be a little overwhelming for some...

 

[Digger]

I used a Whites Eagle Spectrum for many years and then bought the XLT. While the XLT is a great detector my personal opinion is that I thought my old Spectrum was just a tad bit better. Of course your area can make a difference, but my Eagle was more stable giving it better sensitivity and thus depth. Again, the XLT is a great detector, it's just in my case I felt the old Eagle was better.

I used the XLT for 2 years and then bought a DFX. I have no doubt the DFX is a better detector at least for me and my conditions. The DFX is still pulling coins out of our heavily hunted city park where both the Eagle and XLT had stopped. I'm not going to go into the technical BS about how the flux-capacitor works with the ground matrix, but rather say the proof is in the pudding.

Just last week my fellow hunters and I hit our local park. I myself have been hunting this park for near 30 years and it's seen just about every high-end and top-of-the-line detector made at one time or another. Needless to say, pulling a coin from this park takes special effort AND a good detector. The last 4 keepers I pulled from the park were all nickles. This tells a story in itself. And that weren't all that deep. Roughly about 6".

Just last week in 30 minutes I had recovered 2 nickles, a 1942(war) and a 1936(buff) at about 6". My hunting buddies found nothing. It is continuous hunts like this that tell me the DFX has something special. How deep does it go? I've seen some pretty sad examples said to represent the DFX's depth capabilities, and all I can say is shame on you.

In conclusion, It is of my opinion the DFX is without a doubt an upgrade from the XLT. It's not as important to say my detector can detect a dime at X" as it is to say my detector continues to pull good coins for worked out sites. To say my DFX found a nickle at 6" is no big deal, to say my DFX found a nickle at 6" that all the other detectors missed is.

 

[Stu Pedasso]

Guys,

Thanks for the honest advice. I will probably end up ordering one in the next month or so. Do you guys use after market coils? What about tweaking the programs? I messed around early last year with tweaking. Most of the time my machine ran funny, so I gave up fearing I was missing stuff. I just usually run the stock coins program. My buddy also runs an XLT. I believe he uses the coin/jewelry program. Needless to say he finds a heck of a lot more than I do.

Thanks again for your input.

Stu

 

[Digger]

I think one of the biggest mistakes made by people with a new detector is to start messing with adjustments too soon. I used the factory coin/jewelry program and only adjusted the volume for at least 3 months. You've got to get to know how your detector responds when it's stable before you start tweaking or you'll only get confused.

I've always used the stock coil, although I am thinking about getting a 1400 DD mostly for my relic hunting.

One more time I want to say. The XLT is a great detector and so is the Eagle Spectrum, but In my opinion the DFX is better.

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

Guys,

Thanks for the honest advice. I will probably end up ordering one in the next month or so. Do you guys use after market coils? What about tweaking the programs? I messed around early last year with tweaking. Most of the time my machine ran funny, so I gave up fearing I was missing stuff. I just usually run the stock coins program. My buddy also runs an XLT. I believe he uses the coin/jewelry program. Needless to say he finds a heck of a lot more than I do.

Thanks again for your input.

Stu

Stu, for a second coil get the Eclipse 5.3 by White's. It's depth is great (6-8 inches), and will give you the separation you need in trash. That way you have the stock coil for those wide open places and the 5.3 for trashy areas... I did very minor changes after a few months... Now I make adjustments as needed. If you get a dfx 3 things that will help read the manual over and over, read Sierra's book Understanding the dfx, and Foster's book Digging Deeper with the dfx.

 

[Mirage]

I am an XLT to DFX graduate. It was about a 5 month coarse. Never really learned the XLT well though. DFX gets better depth with proper adjustments(side by side comparison).

Bob

 

[Stu Pedasso]

Bob,

On average, how much more depth do you think you are getting? Mike mentioned he got just a little bit more.


Stu