Metal Detector Brand Questions!

[M-Taliesin]

Only reason i buy whites is they are made in America by Americans and the support is second to none ! Now with that said i have friends with mine labs , fishers, and others, the mine lab is one i am very interested in from the things owners have told me

Howdy Pard!
I don't know about how their customer service is at other locations, but the folks at White's factory, if you send in your unit, give you great service there. That being said.... Customer service shouldn't stop at the loading dock in Sweet Home! From what I've seen, it don't extend much beyond that.

Garretts is also made in the USA, as are Fisher and several other makes. Minelab, I believe is made in Australia. While White's offers a 2 year warrantee, other makers offer 5 years. Again, I don't know how their customer service is, but suspect it will match most major manufacturers or approach near to it.

So I am interested in F75 from Fisher, Gold Bug 2 from Fisher, eTrack from Minelab, and maybe a few other makes. I will be doing some research before spending another dime with White's.

It is a big factor with me that a machine ought to be made in America, so F75 has an edge there along with their Goldbug 2. But I like Aussies too, and am considering Minelab's eTrack. The bottom line, in my situation, is performance. My hope is to buy a machine that is sufficiently reliable that I won't need to worry about the warrantee or their customer service department.

I should also note that my V3/V3i has been back to Sweet Home twice already, and now has a whole new set of problems.

Blessings,
M-Taliesin

 

[coinnut]

If I had unlimited cash lol I would get whatever next generation beach machine Minelab is gonna come out with. I would love to try the Goldbug II or the 5000 series from Minelab for nugget shooting. And for relic hunting I would still be interested in seeing if the White's TDI pro can disc out nails and still hit on non ferrous targets in our cellar hole locations. Other than that I have no interests in any other brand or machine (at least for now )

 

[KYBuzzBox]

Hi Mel,

One of my hunting partners has an E-Trac. He got it about the same time I got my V3. Right out of the box he smoked me for the first couple hunts (aggravated the @#$!! out of me - the V3 almost got wrapped around a tree more than once). After I upgraded to the V3i and started learning the new software, I hold my own with him and actually smoke him on deep sliver and small gold.

We normally are relic hunting in cornfields (relatively clean dirt). The E-Trac is a little slower than the V3i but the depth is about the same. I like the tones on the E-trac better than the V3i (they are closer to what I had on my old compass VLF Relic Magnum). However, I like the V3i's ability to allow you to change settings on the fly and the Ground Balance seems to work better. Also, he had to send his back to ML after just 6 months. It took them 2 months to get it back to him (it now has a strange back tone:huh. John bought an MXT Pro as a spare when he sent in the E-Trac. The last time I hunted with him he was using it instead of the E-Trac.

I have been looking at buying an E-trac myself until John sent his in. ML tech service isn't quite what we are use to from White's. I would like to try the F75 just to see how it compares to my V3i.

Hope this helps.....KYBuzzBox

 

[coinnut]

Minelab definitely has (or had) customer service issues. Most of it was due to the moving of it's service center from Las Vegas to Chicago along with the closing it's production plant in Ireland and moving it to Malaysia. Not only was (is?) service slow, but parts were hard to come by. Most of that is fixed now and I have heard of some 2 week turn around times on repairs. Bad news travels quick, good news crawls lol They will have to earn their good pats on the back from now on. They make a great line of products and they have converted me (after using White's since 1974), but they will have to keep me happy. I will move from brand to brand determined only by better technology, sturdy consrtuction and good customer service. That is where my dollars fall lol

 

[cobill]

Mel, howdy from Northern CO! I had the same questions you have and a couple years ago went from an SE to DFX, now to V3i. Well after a couple of hunts and a lengthy call to my MD dealer I've decided to also go back to ML and use the E-Trac. The dealer will provide user support and answer any of my questions...he also provides hands-on training and is nationally known for his finds on gold, coins and relics...so he isn't just pushing one brand, he will tell you the facts! My new E-trac will be here in a week and once we thaw out, I'll be finding the good stuff. Here is an interesting thread to read...by the way, I'm keeping the V3i for selected hunts in parks, beaches, etc and the E-trac for deep silver coins. eace:

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?20,1271158,page=1

Bill
Laporte, CO.

 

[Lowjiber]

Has anybody here worked with the Gold Bug 2 gold machine?

I have a Gold Bug that's several years old. It operates on 71kHz (they don't make those anymore) and loves gold. I use it mostly in the Gold Basin in northeast Arizona.

It is certainly not a machine for a beginner, as it's very hard to ground balance without much practice. However, a user of you skill level would have no problems.

I actually bought it new-in-box about five years ago from a gentleman who had bought it as a gift, but never delivered it to the recipient.