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Coils for White's MXT, DFX and M6 Comparison Chart

Romeo7

Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Messages
1,237
Location
Eagle, ID
Hey everybody. I have enough experience with a few coils (not all) that I decided to make up this little comparison chart to those decide which coils to buy. These only consist of White's and EXcelerator from Kellyco. I added the Sunray DX-1 because it is indeed a 1" coil.

I have an MXT and hunt mostly in the southern Idaho area. Our soil is made from basalt flow rock, river rock and sand/silt and typically has a Ground value of 55-67. Remember, this is based on my experience. The dime depth is the maximum audio for a whisper with a possible inaccurate VDI, but a good sounding target (You veterans know what I'm talking about!!!). I always hunt in relic mode, set to 9 and high discrimination that starts allowing +60 VDI. I usually hunt in areas that are moist after rain or sprinklers. Feel free to chime in with your experience. Please restrain from "one off" finds.

Here is the Key:
Brand - Size - Type - Max Dime Depth - Best Used In - P: Pros - C: Cons

White's - 9.5" - Concentric - 7" - General Purpose with lower mineralization -P: Good for coins in moderate trashy areas - C: is easily masked if target is close together

White's - 6x10" Eclipse - DD - 6" - General Purpose with higher mineralization - P: Good for coins in moderate to more trashy areas; will not mask very easily; Bottle Caps ring up as Quarters - C: Slightly less depth

White's - 12" Spider - Concentric - 8" - Deep seeker in lower mineralized soil - P: Good depth for larger targets C: bad in cluttered areas. Will produce ghost signals for deep ferrous


EXcelerator - 5" Pro - DD - 7" - Trashy Areas, Trees, Tot lots around metal equipment, high mineralization, gold flakes - P: Can find the smallest ojects. VDI's are very accurate. Very accurate pin pointing. C: Depth indication is closer than indicated. You have to go very SLOW in trashy areas. Does not cover very much area. Easy to miss targets. Can overload on a surface quarter.

EXcelerator - 6" Pro - DD - 8" - Trashy Areas, Trees, Tot lots, small gold nuggets - P: Great depth, great separation of targets. great for trashy areas. Mostely accurate VDI. Accurate pin pointing. Accurate Depth. C: Not cover much area. Can overload on a surface half dollar. Will mistaken an occasional bottle cap for a quarter.

EXcelerator - 10" DD - DD - 10" - General Purpose, high mineralization - P: Good target seperation. Can be used in moderately trashy areas. Farely accurate VDI. Great depth. Accurate depth indication. Accurate Pin Pointing. C: Loves bottle caps and balls of foil.

EXcelerator - 10x14" DD - DD - 9" - open field, high mineralization - P: Accurate pin pointing. Accurate depth indicator for non-ferrious. C: Loss of depth for smaller objects. Will produce ghost signals in wet ground and deep ferrous material. Not so accurate VDIs. Heavy.

EXcelerator - 10x12" SEF - Butterfly -11" - General Purpose, high mineralization - P: Great target separation. Accurate VDI. Great Depth. Can be used in open fields or moderately trashy areas. Will find smaller objects. C: May be hard to pin point at times. If target is on edge, it will deflect the signal and give false position. May produce ghost signals in wet soil and ferrous material will be several inches farther away than the depth indicator shows. All targets are about 1" deeper than indicated if more than 3" deep. Heavy.

SunRay DX-1 Probe - 1" - Concentric - 4" - Special Purpose Inline Pin Pointer Probe - P: Extremely accurate VDI - It NEVER lies. Eliminates the use of a separate pin pointer probe. Uses native MD indications in headset and readings. C: A switch has to be thrown for operation, which may cause the user to forget to throw the switch back for MD operation. When switching back to main coil, the coil has to be pointed to the ground, or the MXT will have to take several seconds to "see" the ground fully. Adds a little more weight.


As mentioned before, this is based on my experience. I have not owned all the coils, just the ones listed. I believe the coils I own now is all I need and have been very successful at finding silver in parks and schools that have been hit hard in the past 30 years.

I hope this was informative.

Disclosure: I am not in any way influenced by Kellyco or EXcelerator. Everything is based on my experience. Not every coil is exactly the same within its own model number. Results may vary from location, soil conditions, equipment and the user.

Happy Hunting!!!!
 
Very nice review of the different coils . It will give all of us new MXT, DFX and m6 boys something to go by . thanks again


HH Harold
 
Wow, thanks!! That is some really good information on the various coils available. Even though you can't take the numbers as gospel because of varying soil conditions, detecting styles, etc, it sure provides a great way to relatively compare some of models available.

Dave
 
Romeo7,

This is the first time I’ve viewed your post. And I must say that I’m very impressed. I have had experience with many of the coils you have posted your review of and I’m in agreement with your reviews. Very well done and thank you.

In regards to the EXcelerator 10x12” SEF Coil, my friend has one and I’ve used in on a number of occasions. It’s a little on the heavy side, but is an excellent choice for relic hunting. I don’t have one of my own yet but plan of getting one soon. I find it to be a great special purpose coil, but not one to swing all day.

Have you (or has anyone else on the forum) used the 15x12 SEF Butterfly Coil? The guys I hunt with and I have used both the 10x12” as well as the 15x12” SEF Butterfly Coils on our MXT, M-6 and DFX detectors. Though our testing was somewhat limited, our tests using various test beds and during actual hunting found that the 10x12” SEF outperformed the 15x12” SEF. The 10x12” SEF gave better separation, better pinpointing and equaled or outperformed the 15x12” SEF in depth and locked onto deep coin-sized objects (coins, buttons and rings) better then the 15x12” SEF Coil!

This was not just my opinion, but also the opinion of 3 others, all of whom are seasoned pros in metal detecting. And we got the same results with the MXT, M-6 and DFX. I’m curious if anyone else has had the same results or has heard this from others.

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this matter, as well as the thoughts of others here on the forum.

Thank you again for posting your review. I look forward to hearing from anyone with experience with these coils.

Best Regards,
Silver Hawk
 
SEF 15x12 Coil

Silver Hawk,
I have not personally used the bigger SEF 15x12 coil, but I've hunted with Idaho Joe that has one for his Minelab. He has a had some tough times swinging it, especially when the grass is longer. I've actually seen him use two hands to swing his detector. :shock:

As for his finds, he has an issue with his detector "seeing" a good target that is actually very deep iron. He is often frustrated with it and has a higher trash-to-treasure ratio than if he was using the stock DD Minelab coil.

I would recommend against purchasing this big coil unless you plan on searching wide open fields with little to no grass and don't mind digging up deep targets even if they are iron.

my .02... :yes:

HH

-Mark
 
I did have a DFX with the 6x10 eclipse you are right the is all the depth I got with mine.
 
Romeo7,

I have not personally used the bigger SEF 15x12 coil, but I've hunted with Idaho Joe that has one for his Minelab. He has a had some tough times swinging it, especially when the grass is longer. I've actually seen him use two hands to swing his detector.
This is indeed a major negative when considering the 15x12” SEF Coil as well as a foreseeable problem with this coil before I ever used it.

I would recommend against purchasing this big coil unless you plan on searching wide open fields with little to no grass and don't mind digging up deep targets even if they are iron.
I agree 100 percent, the above motioned problems you touched on alone is reason for me not to consider adding this coil to my arsenal of coils. Add to this the smaller lighter EXcelerator 10x12” SEF outperformed the 15x12” SEF in our testing.

In a test bed and using my MXT and M-6 as well as my friends DFX machines the EXcelerator 10x12” SEF Coil was able to lock onto a nickel at 12”, a Roosevelt Dime at 8 inches and an Eisenhower Dollar at 14”. The 15x12” SEF got the Eisenhower Dollar at 14 inches but total missed the nickel at 12 inches and a Roosevelt Dime at 8 inches!

My thinking is the 15x12” SEF may get large targets at good depths, but my experience shows it does not do well with object small then an Eisenhower Dollar. This would exclude this coil for all of my hunting, not just coin & jewelry hunting, but relic hunting as well. Due to the fact it would miss buttons and other small objects.

Has anyone else experienced similar results? I would like to hear your experience with these coils.

I may one day pick up a 10x12 SEF for deep relics, but it would only be used in a limited manner. Though small and lighter then the 15x12” SEF, it’s still too big and heavy to use for extended periods of time.

Best Regards,
Silver Hawk
 
I have the 18"X15" SEF and it's a bear to pinpoint with. It'll find a china mans watch though.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have the 18"X15" SEF and it's a bear to pinpoint with. It'll find a china mans watch though.

13rannon,

Wow, I hope you have some nice beaches and/or some open and flat fields to hunt! That coil would be a great choice for looking for pirate booty down in the Caribbean! … :yes:

I’ll soon be working on a research project down in the Caribbean for a week. Then my family and my and a good family friend will join me for two weeks of enjoying the islands and visiting the family in Puerto Rico. My friend will be bringing his 15x12” SEF and I’ll have the 10x12” SEF. Maybe we’ll get luck and find a pirate’s buried treasure chest…..:!:

I’m actually hoping for a nice storm to wash some nice finds onto the beach before I go. Keeping my eye on the tropics.

We’ll give these Butterfly Coils some time on the beach, but the vast majority of my hunting will be done with the 10” DD EXcelerator Coil. I’ll most likely give the White’s 6x10” DD and the stock 9.5” Eclipse Coils some work time as well.

Thank you for joining in and sharing your experience with the 18x15” SEF Coil.

Best Regards,
Silver Hawk
 
How about the Eclipse Shooter 4x6 and the new 10" DD. Can anyone chime in on what they have found with those?
 
How about the Eclipse Shooter 4x6 and the new 10" DD. Can anyone chime in on what they have found with those?
13rannon,

My group actually ran tests on the Eclipse Shoot DD Coil.

In our test bed with the White’s Eclipse Shoot DD 4x6 Coil on my MXT here’s how the coil performed with the gain on factory preset:

“Copper” Penny at 6 inches.
“Silver” Dime at 6 inches.
Nickel at 7 inches.
“Silver” Quarter at 8 inches.

Note: With this coil you can run an MXT at +1 or even + 2 in most cases with no problem at all and get an extra inch or two.

Will hunting a local park that dates back to the 1700s, I was running this coil at the factory preset, went back and coved the same ground at + 1 and got a “Whisper.” I dialed up to + 2 + 3 and got a good lock and pinpointed the target at 12 inches. However when digging I recovered my target at 10 inches, which turned out to be a beautiful 1906 Barber Half Dollar! So I know this coil can hit a “Silver” Half-dollar at 10.”

As for the 10" DD Coils:

My Friend has the White’s D2 10” DD, I have the EXcelerator 10” DD from Kellyco. I find the EXcelerator to be slightly heavier and more durable, and it seems to get a “Silver” Dime a little deeper then the White’s D2.

We have not tested these coil in a test bed as of yet because we’ve been much too busy making many very nice recoveries with these exceptional coils.

To give an idea how this coil performs, here’s some examples of what it’s done for me in the field while hunting the CCC Camps I wrote about in my thread:

With my EXcelerator 10” DD Coil on my MXT I have recovered “Silver” Dimes as deep as 11 inches, a Morgan Dollars as deep as 11 inches (No question it could recover a “Silver” Dollar much deeper) and I have dug a Ben Franklin Half Dollars at 12 inches and again there is no question about it being able to get this coin even deeper.

Best Regards,
Silver Hawk
 
Hey everybody. I have enough experience with a few coils (not all) that I decided to make up this little comparison chart to those decide which coils to buy. These only consist of White's and EXcelerator from Kellyco. I added the Sunray DX-1 because it is indeed a 1" coil.

I have an MXT and hunt mostly in the southern Idaho area. Our soil is made from basalt flow rock, river rock and sand/silt and typically has a Ground value of 55-67. Remember, this is based on my experience. The dime depth is the maximum audio for a whisper with a possible inaccurate VDI, but a good sounding target (You veterans know what I'm talking about!!!). I always hunt in relic mode, set to 9 and high discrimination that starts allowing +60 VDI. I usually hunt in areas that are moist after rain or sprinklers. Feel free to chime in with your experience. Please restrain from "one off" finds.

Here is the Key:
Brand - Size - Type - Max Dime Depth - Best Used In - P: Pros - C: Cons

White's - 9.5" - Concentric - 7" - General Purpose with lower mineralization -P: Good for coins in moderate trashy areas - C: is easily masked if target is close together

White's - 6x10" Eclipse - DD - 6" - General Purpose with higher mineralization - P: Good for coins in moderate to more trashy areas; will not mask very easily; Bottle Caps ring up as Quarters - C: Slightly less depth

White's - 12" Spider - Concentric - 8" - Deep seeker in lower mineralized soil - P: Good depth for larger targets C: bad in cluttered areas. Will produce ghost signals for deep ferrous


EXcelerator - 5" Pro - DD - 7" - Trashy Areas, Trees, Tot lots around metal equipment, high mineralization, gold flakes - P: Can find the smallest ojects. VDI's are very accurate. Very accurate pin pointing. C: Depth indication is closer than indicated. You have to go very SLOW in trashy areas. Does not cover very much area. Easy to miss targets. Can overload on a surface quarter.

EXcelerator - 6" Pro - DD - 8" - Trashy Areas, Trees, Tot lots, small gold nuggets - P: Great depth, great separation of targets. great for trashy areas. Mostely accurate VDI. Accurate pin pointing. Accurate Depth. C: Not cover much area. Can overload on a surface half dollar. Will mistaken an occasional bottle cap for a quarter.

EXcelerator - 10" DD - DD - 10" - General Purpose, high mineralization - P: Good target seperation. Can be used in moderately trashy areas. Farely accurate VDI. Great depth. Accurate depth indication. Accurate Pin Pointing. C: Loves bottle caps and balls of foil.

EXcelerator - 10x14" DD - DD - 9" - open field, high mineralization - P: Accurate pin pointing. Accurate depth indicator for non-ferrious. C: Loss of depth for smaller objects. Will produce ghost signals in wet ground and deep ferrous material. Not so accurate VDIs. Heavy.

EXcelerator - 10x12" SEF - Butterfly -11" - General Purpose, high mineralization - P: Great target separation. Accurate VDI. Great Depth. Can be used in open fields or moderately trashy areas. Will find smaller objects. C: May be hard to pin point at times. If target is on edge, it will deflect the signal and give false position. May produce ghost signals in wet soil and ferrous material will be several inches farther away than the depth indicator shows. All targets are about 1" deeper than indicated if more than 3" deep. Heavy.

SunRay DX-1 Probe - 1" - Concentric - 4" - Special Purpose Inline Pin Pointer Probe - P: Extremely accurate VDI - It NEVER lies. Eliminates the use of a separate pin pointer probe. Uses native MD indications in headset and readings. C: A switch has to be thrown for operation, which may cause the user to forget to throw the switch back for MD operation. When switching back to main coil, the coil has to be pointed to the ground, or the MXT will have to take several seconds to "see" the ground fully. Adds a little more weight.


As mentioned before, this is based on my experience. I have not owned all the coils, just the ones listed. I believe the coils I own now is all I need and have been very successful at finding silver in parks and schools that have been hit hard in the past 30 years.

I hope this was informative.

Disclosure: I am not in any way influenced by Kellyco or EXcelerator. Everything is based on my experience. Not every coil is exactly the same within its own model number. Results may vary from location, soil conditions, equipment and the user.

Happy Hunting!!!!


So if you could only buy 1, which would it be?
 
So if you could only buy 1, which would it be?


Depends. What do you already have? If you have the standard 950 Elliptical, then the 10" DD EXcelerator would be my vote. Next would be the 6" DD for very trashy areas.

-Mark
 
Thanks for the good info. I'm not suppose to know it but I think i'm getting a MXT for Christmas.:D I was wondering about a second coil.
 
Ive got a Super 12 and it works great on the MXT but, When I tried it on my M6 it does not perform well at all. It is very noisy, doesnt get any more depth than the stock coil and It is very difficult to pinpoint (on the M6).
 
coils

Hi, browsing the net and found this site, I'm in UK. I've used the MXT for about 4 years and have three different coils for this machine, the best of the bunch is the Whites Eclipse Deep Scan 1400 which is 14" x 8". It's a little heavy but a fantastic coil, I've had finds down to 10" and the pinpointing is pretty good.
The UK farm fields at this time of year are in stubble and this coil, being pretty robust and heavy. is good at pushing the stubble down on the swing and getting close to the ground, it makes a lot of difference. The closer to the ground you can get the better.
I pulled out a nice silver Charles II half groat at about 7", this coin is exactly half an inch in diameter and wafer thin. Pity about the stab wound !!
 

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