White's MXT Pro / Vic Gold Trip

[bengrant]

Hey ladies and gents! So I'm gearing up for a week long trip out around Bendigo and other goldfields in June..I bought a White's MXT Pro a few years back with the 12" concentric and 10x6" Eclipes DD coils. I'm just not quite sure if it's worth waving that thing around for 5 days or if I should just trade it in for a newer Minelab. Thing is, I'm not after tiny specks of the yellow stuff... (not to sound like a snob!) But I'm happy to hunt for the slightly bigger pieces that may be up there..

My question is.. should I invest in something a bit better for the deeper stuff or break my MXT in some more? I thought about buying a Minelab Monster 1000 but it seems like the ground is really hot over there and might be too sensitive for what I'm looking for... small to medium nuggets (not specks) at deeper depths. Not sure if this would even work. I guess I would use a larger coil.. but not sure which one for VIC or if perhaps the Minelab Equinox might be a better option? My budget is pretty much under 3 grand.

Thanks for any advice in advance...

 

[XLOOX]

If you are chasing bigger nuggets at depth then that is pointing to a PI detector. If your budget is less than 3k then that excludes any new Minelab PI but you can get a QED PL4 with nearly a grands change.

You could get a secondhand ML 2000 series if you know how to check if it is ok.

Either would be a significant step up from the MXT Pro but from what I can see there is nothing wrong with the MXT Pro, even if it doesnt go as deep or handle mineralisation as well, it will still be better than any PI in trashy areas. You might want to keep it for that purpose.

I doubt another VLF would be a significant enough step up in depth from the MXT Pro to be worth pgrading to.

 

[Gold Mbr2020]

Hi, pretty sure XLOOX much has more knowledge on various detectors than I do but for my 2c worth on a $3k budget I'd look at a Garret ATX Extreme if you can find one under $3k or a second hand ML SD2200, as suggested. Garret are not as expensive as ML models and are very capable as i understand it. Not sure where they sit in peoples opinions on our ground but I believe plenty of people use them over here. I do believe a PI detector with a mono loop coil would be more of an advantage as opposed to an Equinox which I think is not really designed to find bigger nuggets at depth. That is not saying that you're MXT wouldn't be effective with the right settings. A 12in and 10x6in DD in hot ground should set you up pretty well I imagine but you won't get the depth of a mono coil. You should get better performance in hot ground or in an area with higher EMI with the DD coil. Good luck

 

[A-team]

Hi, pretty sure XLOOX much has more knowledge on various detectors than I do but for my 2c worth on a $3k budget I'd look at a Garret ATX Extreme if you can find one under $3k or a second hand ML SD2200, as suggested. Garret are not as expensive as ML models and are very capable as i understand it. Not sure where they sit in peoples opinions on our ground but I believe plenty of people use them over here. I do believe a PI detector with a mono loop coil would be more of an advantage as opposed to an Equinox which I think is not really designed to find bigger nuggets at depth. That is not saying that you're MXT wouldn't be effective with the right settings. A 12in and 10x6in DD in hot ground should set you up pretty well I imagine but you won't get the depth of a mono coil. You should get better performance in hot ground or in an area with higher EMI with the DD coil. Good luck

Looks like you are getting good advice so will be brief, Garret ATX is a great machine and a good buy at that price. Would take it over any of the other PI machines mentioned as a "first detector". The learning curve of your detector becomes longer with the more controls it contains. Forget VLF, you will regret it if you are serious about gold hunting.

 

[PeterInSa]

I suggest you buy a ML4500 around the 3K mark, offer CC below $3k and post at their cost or wait for a unit to became available at around your budget.

3 years ago or so, came across a lease holder out from Lennister in WA he was having a coffee watching his wife detect on a recently scrapped area, with a 4500, suggested he use the detector in the back of his ute, a Garret ATX. He would rather wait for his wife to get tired and then take over the 45 than use his Garret. ( Years prior, we had previously found gold there with our 45's, prior to him taking over the lease and the area was low mineralisation).

With CC I understand you have 30 days (confirm) to check that it works ( get a friend to check it out in the GT) and if problems they will credit you with the purchase, I think they will also pay for the return post if its a valid complaint ( confirm)

You also need to check with ML that its a genuine 4500 not a Fake.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ger...elab-gpx-metal-detector-ref-006955/1268876550

Agree ( The learning curve of your detector becomes longer with the more controls it contains.)

 

[A-team]

Agreed, the 4500 if you can get a good price is more versatile than the Garret with plenty of accessories available, but has more controls and is somewhat cumbersome in it's setup/layout. It's the next step up technically and you can't go wrong with it in the long term, but also has a longer learning curve.

 

[Big Johno]

Hi Benny,
If your serious about finding gold a depths with a 3 grand budget you have no choice but to buy a used Minelab 4500 or 5000. End of decision making.

Your timing is perfect as the new GPX 6000 is being released shortly and I'm sure the market will have a lot of used detectors from people wanting to upgrade or from dealers who have traded in the used detectors. Damn good timing brother.

If I'm wrong about the numbers of 4500 or 5000 coming onto the market let me know and I'll do you a deal.

 

[Moneybox]

I suggest you buy a ML4500 around the 3K mark, offer CC below $3k and post at their cost or wait for a unit to became available at around your budget.

3 years ago or so, came across a lease holder out from Lennister in WA he was having a coffee watching his wife detect on a recently scrapped area, with a 4500, suggested he use the detector in the back of his ute, a Garret ATX. He would rather wait for his wife to get tired and then take over the 45 than use his Garret. ( Years prior, we had previously found gold there with our 45's, prior to him taking over the lease and the area was low mineralisation).

With CC I understand you have 30 days (confirm) to check that it works ( get a friend to check it out in the GT) and if problems they will credit you with the purchase, I think they will also pay for the return post if its a valid complaint ( confirm)

You also need to check with ML that its a genuine 4500 not a Fake.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ger...elab-gpx-metal-detector-ref-006955/1268876550

Agree ( The learning curve of your detector becomes longer with the more controls it contains.)

If anybody is concerned about the difficulty of learning the GPX4500 then I suggest you do like I did. I knew nothing about setting up the machine so I held down the on-button for a little longer, it gave me two options for a factory reset. I reset all. Next I pressed the Auto Tune button and waited the minute for it to scan for EMI. Next I did the ground balance that took about 15 seconds. Google told me I should run it in 'Enhance' in Western Australia so I flicked that switch.

From there I went detecting and found gold. I never changed coils or other settings until I felt I understood the detector enough to do so. Even then I did little more than adjust the sensitivity. There are a lot of setting options but there's no reason to tamper with them. Factory settings will find gold in most conditions.

 

[Jaros]

That's what i'll do when i can get away from the city EMI.

 

[bengrant]

Thanks everyone... what a wealth of knowledge! It has given me lots to think about! I'm definitely moving away from the Gold Monster and thinking it's a toss up between the ML4500 or the Garrett Extreme. Im just not too fussy about tiny gold specks. I really do like how the Garret breaks down too... does anyone know of maybe a cheaper quality PI machine out of curiosity?

Thanks again Johno I'll keep you in mind!

 

[Moneybox]

Thanks everyone... what a wealth of knowledge! It has given me lots to think about! I'm definitely moving away from the Gold Monster and thinking it's a toss up between the ML4500 or the Garrett Extreme. Im just not too fussy about tiny gold specks. I really do like how the Garret breaks down too... does anyone know of maybe a cheaper quality PI machine out of curiosity?

Thanks again Johno I'll keep you in mind!

Johno, most metal detectors will find gold if the conditions are right and the gold particles are large enough. The problem is that the lower level machines are much more difficult to use because gold is rarely found in nice easy ground. It was formed in conjunction with iron, copper, silver, manganese and all sorts of metals that create problems for the metal detector. Nothing is simply a gold detector, they detect metals and therefore good gold ground is usually impregnated with other elements that a good quality detector has a better chance of separating to some extent.

Minelab are the leaders in gold seeking metal detectors and the higher priced machines do it better than the more basic ones. A good used top end machine will more likely find you gold than a new low or mid range machine.

We started out with a Garrett ATX and a Whites GMT. Both found gold but when we switched to the Minelab GPX4500 and Minelab SDC2300 we found more. I just talked to Mrs M about selling my GPX4500 in anticipation of the success of the newly announced GPX6000. When I took a look at each of our GPX4500s neither has a serial number left showing. Our detectors work perfectly but have been thoroughly used for quite a few years and we've detected a lot of very nice nuggets but selling a detector without a serial number might not be easy

 

[Finkle]

I doubt another VLF would be a significant enough step up in depth from the MXT Pro to be worth pgrading to.

I was considering this myself upgrading from the mxt pro and 5.3 coil to a GM1000 or makro gold kruzer.if it's not worth the cost for reward maybe il save for a PI

 

[XLOOX]

Cost vs reward depends on your personal budget & reasons for wanting an upgrade.

Some folk are happy to spend a few grand for a couple of extra inches ... or a detector .

Others are in really hot ground areas and need something that works at all.

In general though, if you already have a decent VLF (like an MXT Pro) then, unless you are just beach/park detecting, a PI is very probably the best next step.

Then it mainly comes down to what you are willing to pay for one.

 

[31.1grams]

I recently bought a brand new QED Pl4. Amazing light machine! 5 years warranty with great pre and post sales support from dealers. Id get a new one off these and a good medium to large spiral wound coil (17x11 coiltek elite or 14 coiltek elite are great choices) It will handle combinations of high emi and heavy mineralised grounds. Youd get change from 3k, and the resale of a pl4 would be good for a time to come as the warranty is transferable.

Some people will say they require some effort to learn but I think the same amount as mastering a 4500 or 5000. You could probably turn on in factory mode and be good to go in most instances. If challenging environments to emi or hot ground a dealer could have you set up over the phone in 2 minutes. And than learn yourself over time when you go to New locations etc.

Cheers

Cj

 

[bengrant]

I recently bought a brand new QED Pl4. Amazing light machine! 5 years warranty with great pre and post sales support from dealers. Id get a new one off these and a good medium to large spiral wound coil (17x11 coiltek elite or 14 coiltek elite are great choices) It will handle combinations of high emi and heavy mineralised grounds. Youd get change from 3k, and the resale of a pl4 would be good for a time to come as the warranty is transferable.

Some people will say they require some effort to learn but I think the same amount as mastering a 4500 or 5000. You could probably turn on in factory mode and be good to go in most instances. If challenging environments to emi or hot ground a dealer could have you set up over the phone in 2 minutes. And than learn yourself over time when you go to New locations etc.

Cheers

Cj

Do you recon the QED is a better buy than the "military grade" Garrett ATX Extreme?

 

[XLOOX]

Up front, I have never seen or used a ATX Extreme.

Other than the substantial 3kg weight its specs read like a dream but it is $4400 new.

QED is half the weight & half the price but not waterproof or iron detect or non motion mode (but neither are the ML PI s)

ATX Extreme has been out since late 2013 but you dont see/hear of many people with one in spite of Garretts distributor network. In 6 years I wouldve expected more news if it was a winner.

QED came out early 2017. Also not so many out there yet but only a couple of distributors. Well supported by Aus designer & manufacturer. PL4 just released.

Frankly if you are considering the ATX Extreme for that sort of money ($4400), the competition is not the QED but new MLs, so you might as well just get a ML5000 or SDC2300 new and be 100% certain you have a high quality, well suppported, Oz proven detector that most of the serious nugget detectorists use.

 

[Moneybox]

If somebody is looking for an excellent gold detecting machine at a affordable price we're looking to sell one of our GPX4500's. Both of these machines have paid for the selves ten times over and you can be assured you're buying a model that has been proven to be one of the best gold detectors made. I'll take so photos when I get the chance and put it in the 'For Sale' section. We'll be selling it with a new 15"x12" Minelab Commander mono coil, an 11" Detech Ultra mono coil and a 12"x8" Nugget Finder mono coil along with the Minelab harness, battery, bungee etc. All up price will be $3300.

 

[Muk]

My young bloke had a ATX never found gold with it sold it bought a second hand GPZ7000 and hasnt looked back since GPZ awesome machine cheers Muk.

 

[Finkle]

I bought a White's MXT Pro a few years back with the 12" concentric and 10x6" Eclipes DD

If you ever consider selling the 10x6 coil let me know