Myers Depot Metal Detectors

DFX vs Explorer II vs. Quattro

J

Johnnyl1

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
58
I am up in the air on which one to get here...

I hear the Explorer is slow recovery but the deepest machine and very customizable and solid near the salt. Also the most expensive by a mile. And it heavy and plastic.

The Quattro I hear is just as deep as the Explorer II, a bit faster pickup, but not as customizable and I feel Ill outgrow it because Im a tinkerer.

And then there's teh DFX... I know its made in the good ol US which is a big +, plus its metal compared to Minelab plastic, but very complicated (not that I mind) and not that deep. Also, it bugs out near the salt from what I hear.

I do alot of dirt digging but also have access to a few cool salt and fresh beaches. Also, areas with a ton of trash and mineralization./

Ive done my HW, and Im leaning towards the Explorer or the DFX...

Your insights would be much appreciated folks.
 
In my opinion the Quattro is NOT as deep as the EXII. If it were they would stop producing the EXII altogether. The EXII is a bit better than the DFX overall but you hit on its bad points quite well. In highly mineralized ground though it is better. If you can go with the price go with the EXII. Since you are a tinkerer you'll love it.
:yes: :yes:
 
The "plastic" on the minelab is high impact and not a factor as far as quality goes. The electronics are where its at. :yes:
 
What about batteries? I know the DFX can take AA's as well as the rechargable battery pack. I don't know about the Explorer II or the Quattro. And how does the batt. life compare with the three of them?
 
The EXII takes AA batteries as well. The life can run around 15 to 18 hours for any of them . Some get more time but that's around the average .
 
Is the Explorer pickup ridiculously slow? I hear it is way too slow to cover any area...
 
Not really sure what you mean by "pickup" ?!?!?!
Please define that term. :grin:
 
I believe you are referring to the recovery rate after target lock on. It is not ridiculously slow, but you will not be setting any speed records in covering ground. There is a setting for fast recovery, which helps in trashy areas. You can go fairly briskly if you are interested in shooting coins at fairly shallow depths, say at a park or beach. If programmed properly, the shallow coins really boom through the trash. This can also be done in the "Quickstart" or factory default mode. At quicker sweep speeds, you will not be hearing any deeper targets.
 
I agree with WThesing,
If $$$ is not an issue then the exp ll is worth looking at.
The recovery is a little slow, but it goes deep. I find small buttons in the 10 inch area. And with the settings that I use a coin will call out even with a quick pass. But I go slow and get maximum coverage and depth..
As far as durability- I drag mine through the brush and thickets quite aggressively and have had no problems.
 
I have to agree with jeff. I use mine like a weed wacker and haven't broken anything yet. As a matter of fact the enclosed cord keeps it from snagging on branches etc. Cladius.
 
I have a Quattro I purchased used and it is very durable. I to was not sure if I was to go with a Quattro vs Explorer. I chose the Quattro due to the deal I got. I have heard the opposite that the Quattro has a slower recovery speed. I do not think it is slow at all the key is the cross saving that Andy S tells you about in his book. I cant go into it here but these cross saving methods make any recovery speed unoticeable. There Quattro is a great unit. I also purchased a floor model Garrett Infinium at the same time as the Quattro so I was not going to spend the brand new dollars on both these machines.
Good Luck with your choice.
 
Is the DFX good in the wet sand?

Is the EX II much deeper than the DFX?

I am still torn, cant make up my mind..
 
The DFX is ok in wet salt sand. ALl metal or relic is the way to go for me. Overall the EXII will get you more depth and it has some nice accessory coils to help you get there. :yes:
 
John... Its up to you what you buy but either machine will work, My hunting partner DiggerCt has a DFX and its killer on the beach including the wet sand... We hunt a site that has been hit for years before we found it and the average depth of our finds are 8-9 inches, some of our finds were deeper. We have hit this farm 20 times and every time we find a little something although things are getting scarce now. You will be successful with either detector.

Most of your finds are going to be shallower than that because once a coin hits the clay it stops. I found a 1649 coin on the farm it was sitting 3 inches down on clay.
 
I will be the first to say I never got any real depth with my Explorer. I hit a barber dime once at 7"'s that was the deepist I ever got on a dime. SOV was the same way not much depth. I am going to try a DFX soon and see if it works better in my area and for what I do which is hunt old sites and wet salt.
 
I never really looked into the Quattro but I did dig hard on the DFX vs Exp II.

I think what helped me make the decision to purchase the DFX was my person likes and experience. Both are known to have a learning curve but I felt my years with a Whites would give me an advantage with the DFX. Also design and durability is important. I didn't like the idea of the weight and imbalance of the Exp II also I don't like the idea of a plastic detector.

You ever notice you see lots of old Whites detectors around but few Garrett's? Metal vs plastic.

Another reason I went with the DFX was manufacture honesty. For some time I couldn't figure out why a 2 frequency detector(DFX) could compete with a 28 frequency detector(Exp II). Then I find out actually they were both 2 frequency detectors its just one chose to advertise differently. A bit of misrepresentation in my opinion.
 
I bought the Quattro and am psyched to get it... I had a hard time determining the DFX vs Quattro (Ex II was just way too involved for my tastes). What it came down to was I just liked the output screen on the Quattro... we'll see how it goes, have a feeling I am going to eventually pick up an MXT or a water machine in the winter too.

Thanks for all the help folks.
 
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