V-Bottom said:
After briefly looking at a few threads here and there, I notice that there are not much talk about a Whites Detector. Are they any good?
Yes,
some of the White's models are good, for
some applications and for
some people. No different from any other brand except:
► There has been more growth by other manufacturers over more recent years, such as Minelab, Nokta / Makro and XP
(Listed in alphabetical order and not in my order of preference) with more innovation, functional features, and lighter & more comfortable models.
► Most of White's competitors have provided more useful adjustment functions.
► Most also provide better response & recovery as well as handle dense iron contamination better.
► The competitors seem to be providing much better product marketing.
► Most of the other outfits seem to have more design engineers, and/or more knowledgeable design engineers. Matter of fact, I am not even sure who a "lead" engineer might be at White's these days. I know of good engineers who are no longer there or who have passed away in the last year or two. Other people are also 'gone' and things just don't look all the healthy at White's.
► White's model line-up, for the most part, have way over-priced models. The best they have is the MX-7, but older offerings are still at a really high price compared with the other makes.
And White's isn't alone, either. Garrett products and any signs of innovative R&D haven't been all that great and I'm not sure what to expect from them. They do have a good pinpointer.
The most hope I have for any USA manufacturer is First Texas Products. FTP does have good engineers, and if I ignore the mass-market Bounty Hunter line then I do believe there is hope that we will see some newer and improved configuration and featured models in the coming year for both Fisher and Teknetics. That's my hope.
White's
has offered some very good and very competitive models, and when asked to mention my favorites they include the XLT, Classic ID or IDX Pro *if modified*, XL Pro, MXT Pro, MX-5 and the MX-7. In my current Specialty-Use Outfit I do have a choice-condition XLT and modified IDX Pro. They do work well and I put them to use at times.
Out of everything they offer today, the MX-7 gets my vote as it does provide ample adjustment functions and very good in-the-field performance. Also, for old pharts like me who deal with health and mobility issues, it is a lighter-weight and well-balanced design. I like it.
But so are all of my Regular-Use Detector Outfit offerings, to include the Nokta CoRe & Relic, Makro Racer 2, Tesoro Bandido II
microMAX and Silver Sabre
microMAX and my two
XP ORX units. The Nokta/Makro Simplex+ will be arriving soon and complete my Outfit. All of these, for the dollar and considering their weight, features and field performance, leave White's way behind.
So, yes, they haave had good detectors and today there are maybe two in their product line that are worthy considerations. Others are dated, clumsy- handling, and/or over-priced for todays market.
Opinions are free.
Monte