MX Sport End User's Review

[Des D]

What follows are "scribblings" based on my time with the White's MX Sport detector.

It's lengthy, and I hope it might cast some light on this particular detector that has seen it's share of negative comment.

Steve has given me permission to reproduce it here. Thank you Steve.

 

White’s MX Sport Review

 

A new MX Sport was received for tests but it soon transpired there was a problem/s with it and it was subsequently returned to the Factory. 

 

As soon as I heard about the MX Sport, I knew it was one detector that I really wanted to see the ‘who, why and what’ about what promised to be a gorgeous detector.

 

This ‘report’ is based on those few days of tests before the unit was returned.

 

In the box

 

The MX Sport (MXS) ships in a solid and very colorful carton.

 

It is tied in by way of clever use of ordinary cardboard. The “brains” of the unit, the control box is given special attention and is well cocooned in it’s own piece of cardboard and it’s doubtful that any damage could come to it in transit it is so well protected. The shafts are inside as well as another box containing their own branded headphones.

 

White’s Ultralight Headphones

 

Tucked away in a corner of the shipping container is another box containing White’s own ‘Ultralight’ headphones. The ear cups are square rather than round and I thought that rather odd but in use they proved to be comfortable and remained firmly on the head unlike the very poor Garrett Clear Sound phones that didn’t remain on the head at all even while wearing a ‘rag wool’ hat. 

 

The Ultralight’s come with a standard quarter inch jack plug and are partly curly coiled and straight cabled. Inside a separate package is a supplied headphone adaptor that enables the use of any headphone of your choosing. What you end up with is more cable than desired and you will have to find a way of keeping it from dangling all over the place. 

 

Some users have fixed the length inside the arm rest velcro strap.

 

An optional waterproof headphone plugs straight into the MXS without the need for the adaptor. I didn’t get to test one.

 

When plugged in the volume is set at 0 so make sure you turn this up to suit your hearing.

 

The thing I liked about the Ultralight’s was I was able to hear signals very clearly but was also able to hear enough of what was going on around me preventing any nasty surprises.

 

Build

 

It’s easy to assemble and the build of the entire detector is top class and the control box is of a solid plastic and the screen is of hard transparent plastic and not the flimsy flexible membranes evident on other detectors. It’s more like one of their infamous ‘yellow’ beach PI’s than anything else as to it’s build. Compared to a CTX it has to be the bargain of the year and you could buy three MX Sport’s for what it would cost to buy a single CTX. Not every one is looking for a heavy machine with GPS functions but would still like a waterproof machine. In this regard, White’s are offering a very good package at a very reasonable asking price. I for one just can’t understand how they did it!

 

The hand grip is solid and good to hold but there is a ‘creaking’ noise from underneath the control box area when swung but this isn’t enough to cause any problem and it becomes almost reassuring after a while as it signifies your progress. 

 

At the rear of the machine the battery pod unscrews and insert the 8 AA cells (supplied) and tighten to the purposely designated marks that align between the holder and the main body of the machine to maintain a waterproof seal.

 

The arm rest is adjustable by way of an ordinary screwdriver. It’s supplied with the necessary arm strap because the detector is very solid and it’s more comfortable to use strapped in. The stand for the detector is small and unusually at the front of the arrangement and barely sits off the surface but as it’s waterproof is hardly an issue.

 

Coil

 

The coil is a 10” DD open round type and is supplied with a coil cover.

 

On arrival I inspected the coil pour and was disheartened to see what appeared to be a poor job as the levels on the outer perimeter were uneven: too full and swollen on one half and a shallow sink on the other. The rear of the coil looked like it had received 2 to 3 separate pours and looked ugly and uneven.

 

The coil cover is a thin one and barely clung on due to the uneven epoxy. 

 

On it’s first beach search it filled up with sand and I removed the cover and washed it all away in the bath tub. There was a lot of sand!

 

While assembling the coil to the control box be extra careful because the pins are very thin and if aligned incorrectly they might bend and you’re then out of business if one breaks off.

 

But once connected properly the waterproof connector is top notch.

 

The coil cable is heavy duty, thick and pliable. It is held in place by three supplied plastic clips. One day I re located one of these and it flew off the shaft and I haven’t seen it since but it is in the car somewhere? A softer velcro material would be better here.

 

Comfort

 

Once assembled and in use it is very comfortable even for long detecting sessions.

 

It is a heavy detector due to it’s bulk being made from solid plastics.  The surprising thing to me was I found it suited both a long and a short configuration. 

 

It cannot be hip-mounted and this might be a drawback because the device likes to be swept quickly and that will result in wrist fatigue. 

 

User’s Guide

 

This is where it’s a bit unusual because the manual reads like a mix of amateur and experienced opinion. It’s 28 pages and in all it’s descriptions of the various features and functions it’s blatantly missing a Ground Balance section explanation. It’s nowhere to be seen. No special mention of ground balancing at all. 

 

There is mention of  the TRACK control on Pages 7 and 14 and mention of a ‘Ground Grab’

 

But if you were looking for a section about ground balancing not having specific mention is a bit of a mystery and a glaring error. 

 

The “Makro Racer 2” Instruction Manual has several pages explaining the various methods of ground balancing and the “where and why’s”.

 

However, it does mention the detector “self adjusts to the ground mineralization and ground compensation and tracking to ground minerals is fully automatic”

 

So you could be forgiven for thinking the machine does not have to be ground cancelled.

 

The remainder of the manual is very good but the omission of a GB section should be corrected and written into the User’s Guide as soon as possible to avoid end user confusion as I’m sure some will return their detector needlessly.

 

Display & Controls

 

The display is unusual to say the least, like an old fashioned ‘speedometer’ on a car.

 

But having said that it is innovative and fairly easy to understand and always visible in bright sunlight. (I did have a problem filming the screen in low and bright light due to a shine on it) 

 

There’s a lot going on in the display area and some with poor eye sight might have to rely on looking at it with glasses relating to observing the flashing cursor when a target is hit, the depth on the left and the Sens adjust on the right - both are small. Your sensitivity level can be seen displayed all the time as a digital ‘eyelash’ curve but not as a number.

 

BOOST comes in at Sensitivity 10 and could allow you to check feint signals but at that level ground noise might take over and make this procedure a difficult one for an amateur hunter who, might be inclined to ‘max out’ the machine in ignorance.

 

Some of the words are abbreviations of two words and when seen first can take a second or two to figure out what is meant by the descriptions shown e.g. ZPENNY, CPENNY, GNDADJUST, OVERLD etc.. Again, the User’s Guide does not show a list of what the display is capable of showing. This should be included. I think I saw the word ‘BUCKLE’ flash up once? There are probably many other words in here that never displayed?

 

At times I found the displayed words distracting and I would prefer to be able to turn them off and work without them. For example, working in Relic or Prospecting Modes the likelihood of displaying the correct word for the actual target is unlikely. When developing the Minelab Quattro this was incorporated and no icons showed in the Ferrous Tone modes.

 

During beach use I saw MISC displayed quite a lot of the time when the MX Sport couldn’t determine the exact target under the coil?

 

The target ID’s are in the middle of the screen display area and are large enough to be seen even without the need for spectacles. So there’s a lot of information to be seen in the display which can also be back lit for dull circumstances. 

 

The button controls are very well laid out and have decent space between them even for large fingers. “Options” on the left with the up and down arrows and TRACK on the right also with up and down arrows. Centrally located is the pin point button that doubles as the accept / reject functions. On button is located extreme right.

 

Programs

 

The MXS is a feature packed machine and one could in theory use this single detector in about as many scenarios as you are ever likely to meet.

Coin & Jewelry

Beach

All Metal

Relic

High Trash

Prospecting

 

In this regard it isn’t too unlike some of their other very popular detectors and names such as the MXT, M6, V3, VX come to mind but none of these can be used safely around water and underneath the water of rivers lakes streams and the oceans. 

 

It is this that makes the MXS a highly desirable machine. You can get it wet, and not have to worry about that. 

 

The most logical aspect of the Programs is the Options are either On or Off.

 

For example, Audio Modulation is either Off (0) or On (1)

 

Similarly, Salt Track can be added to most Programs. It is On by default in Beach Mode and you won’t see it in Options.

 

Quick iron identification is offered in the IRON GRUNT feature applicable in the All Metal, Relic & Prospecting Program’s. Again it’s either On or Off.

 

What happens in these programs is when Off iron can sound both positive and negative while switched ON iron will produce the classic grunt as per the GMT.

 

One of the nicest things about switching from Program to Program is the detector gives you up to 10 seconds or so to see what things are like in each one and to make your decision as to which one to engage. During that time all the other functions are valid.

 

Features

 

The forums debated the “new features” for weeks and I was eager to see just how they panned out in real world use?

 

I’d have to say that the “REJECT VOLUME” is one of the best aspects of operating the MXS. I loved it. I hadn’t encountered it before in this new guise because not only does it enable one to hear the rejected ferrous, it also allows one hear the rejected non ferrous as well if one is using a heavier discrimination setting.

 

I found my best use of the function set at 20% allowed a very comfortable background sound that sounded like the bass section of a jazz band playing very softly while the other instruments were louder with more oomph. It was really cool while working the beach as one could hear the ‘full band music’ and it inspired confidence if a coin was there it would alert with the full volume you’d expect a coin to sound. So in essence you have TWO separate audios going on: those of what you don’t want to dig in the way of iron and those you do in the ‘loud as expected’ signals you are really chasing.

 

The Tone ID Settings only highlighted the ‘audio problems’ that has sadly brought all the wrong kind of attention to the MX Sport. There were just ‘too many’ sounds in the 20 Tone Option.

 

On grass and on sites with a heavy iron content some of the sounds that were heard were sounds I had never heard before coming from any metal detector. It was like a crazed accordion player was pulling apart the accordion and squeezing it within an inch of it’s life. 

 

It just made for an ‘easier life’ to work in 4 Tone and if conditions improved then the 8 Tone option could be engaged. In 4 and 8 Tone Options then ‘normal business’ was mostly manageable. 

 

The pin point button is a 2 push one to engage with a quick press or held in to keep the detector in pin point. I did find this a very smooth operation and one of the best and easiest over many other detectors. However, I did find at times there was no pin point report at all and experimenting showed it was best not to leave the actual centre of the suspected target but to engage PP right above it. 

 

Later on others user’s reports showed the pin pointing to have a flaw which would corroborate my earlier findings i.e. no signal return when engaged.

 

In Use

 

Working irony patches it was best used in Coin & Jewelry Mode with it’s higher level of rejection. It handled these with some skill and wasn’t at all an ear bashing like you got when working in other Programs.

 

One of the noisiest for me was the HI TRASH Program but that wasn’t a surprise because I had also found it to be the case with the older “Spectra V3” detector.

 

Prospecting was similar to HI Trash and had to be used carefully and selectively.

 

Relic was also prone to making too much of a racket in iron. 

 

Thankfully, the MXS was quietly behaved in woodland but it was the complete opposite on open farmland pasture with deep iron. The detector then produced wild sounds and as I said, some sounds I had never ever heard a detector emit previously?

 

When working your way across open ground containing iron the 10” round DD coil might be the wrong choice and it would have helped dramatically if the ‘standard coil’ was an elliptical one that would by shape ‘ignore ‘ some of the iron to it’s sides which regrettably the round coil was prone to reacting to. Remember, the coil looks down, forwards, sideways and back! The less bulk the less noise.

 

Surprisingly most of the Programs worked over salt wet sand but it did help matters no end if one simply used BEACH Mode at the beach.

In salt water the Sensitivity level couldn’t be comfortably raised above 4.

 

At 7 it was inclined to be noisy and when waves broke over the coil it went crazy. Not so at 4 where it was docile enough. A redeeming facet of the User’s Guide is it tells you this: Quote: “When searching at the wave line, one may hear the incoming and outgoing waves respond to some degree” True

 

It goes onto say: “It is best to search fully in the water or fully on the beach”

 

Working the wet sand it was decent and it helped to do a couple of ‘Ground Grab’ balances to quieten it and to sweep the coil slower than on land and, try to keep the coil perfectly flat to the sand. Don’t touch the sand with the coil as at anything beyond Sens 6 it will respond with a signal tone. At higher sensitivity levels the detector did become unsettled somewhat and was producing spurious sounds like it still wasn’t comfortable despite being balanced to the surroundings. Several coin finds identified as ‘zinc penny, ‘copper penny’ and MISC. Larger coins and other irregularly shaped items showed “Dime and/or Quarter” including a long piece of copper pipe which produced a perfect single tone with ‘DIME’ 

 

At no time was the detector fully submerged as it was very early in the testing and I didn’t want to risk doing some damage. However, in the long run that didn’t matter because the detector was returned anyway due to performance irregularities.

 

During that time I wasn’t sure if the unit was indeed faulty or not but I heavily suspected the coil was leaking due to the bad epoxy pour described earlier on. I invited responses from other testers but no information was offered.

 

The net result was I contacted the factory and advised them of some operational difficulties and I was asked to return the device.

This brings us to today when the issue hasn’t been yet fully resolved with new reports of faulty coils and various firmware upgrades that haven’t appeared to settle things down.

 

Final thoughts

 

When news broke about the MX Sport I was chomping at the bit to try one. I’m glad I did.

 

Getting to test one answered a lot of questions that otherwise would still remain a mystery as there really hasn’t been a definitive published Review of the MX Sport as a whole yet.

 

It’s such a pity that a machine offering so much and costing so little to buy is plagued with problems and as a result might never really get the opportunity to shine. I hope it hasn’t become tainted because the MX Sport is really an easy machine to use, it’s intuitive, can multi-task and is easy to understand because you don’t have to drill down thru countless Menu choices and get lost as a result. That’s what scuppered the “Spectra Series” 

 

Endless Menu choices and the ability to be able to adjust “things” we obviously don’t need. What the Spectra’s did have was a glorious color screen and a vision that was in some ways too much.

 

The opposite now applies and what the MX Sport offers now is just enough and should find a home in many detectorists arsenals. It does have a learning curve and it will take some time to fully discover just how and where to set the Self Adjusting Threshold SAT, VCO, Reject Volume, Tone ID, and Discrimination. This function couldn’t be simpler - just notch in and notch out: simple.

 

I really want the MX Sport to ‘be fixed’ and I’d have no hesitation whatsoever at giving it another go. 

 

 

© Desi Dunne

[Roughwater]

I have never held a Sport in my hand but I know that many of us on the sidelines awaiting honest reviews of the machine still form an opinion based on honest reviews from  folks we are familiar with on this site and trust.  We are thankful for their honest opinions both of the positive and negative aspects of a machine.  

This review sounds like a very open-minded review.  Per this reviewer, some of the problems with the sport are related to the 10" coil. Some to the lack of an explanation of the ground balance.  Some to the loss of the pin point and with use of the 20 tones.  Was there a failure on the part of some testers to offer their honest opinions or is it that some machines work perfectly fine?  I was interested in possibly buying one thus my interest.

Just my opinion but I think Whites tried hard to give us a great machine but based on this and some reviews by folks I know there are some issues yet with it.  It appears there are work-around's to most of these issues per this review but issues none the less which brings up other questions which are glaring to some of us but are issues that White's can only address. 

[auminesweeper]

G'day Des, It's good to see you posting and doing your thing again, I did see your posts requesting info from other testers and that they were less than forth coming, Still it's their loss,

Since it's release we have all become aware of the problems some members have had and it is a shame because this machine had so much to offer, 

Thanks again Des

take care John ,   

[MikePfeiffer]

I have only read or seen videos of the MX Sport. What troubles me is many videos are like the person want to say something, but doesn't. I guess hesitant in speaking. Many forums lay it on the line. I guess my expectations was the MX Sport was to out perform the MXT All Pro. Not sure that is the case. Had my sights set on a MX Sport. However, I am not sure it has the bang for the buck. As Terry said, "I think Whites tried hard to give us a great machine but based on this and some reviews by folks I know there are some issues yet with it." I think this is the case.

I was all excited and started to purchase one. Don't know why i did not place the order. However, I guess I will keep my old machine and keep researching the MX Sport or a different machine.

[Roughwater]

3 hours ago, MikePfeiffer said:

However, I guess I will keep my old machine and keep researching the MX Sport or a different machine.

Mike,

You might want to follow Ridge Runner.  Some who got the updated version say it is great.  At least one problem, there appears to be some older version's still out there.  Ridge Runner got 2 bad one's but appears to be giving it another go.  I'm anxious to see how RR's new one does.  Hopefully the 3rd time is a charm.  I hate to sound negative about Whites as I like the company and it's obvious they are trying hard to please their customer's.  Hopefully they will get this all turned around soon.  

Terry

[Ridge Runner]

Hi Terry

On the second detector I got I was upset that it didn't have the firmware update. I did find you didn't get a pinpoint tone.You know that's the loudest point of the tone at pinpoint. The odd thing I didn't notice this when testing with the 10 inch coil. The thing is you will still get a depth reading.

Now White's is not going to give me a third detector but update the second one. I can't say if this will fix the pinpoint problem but I can hope. I've ordered the 9.5 concentric coil that will come back with the MXS. Why well I just want to give it a try. All DD coils have their place but here I've never had the need for one. When I go out to gold country I'll have on one of the DD coils.

Best to you

Chuck

[tboykin]

People are really enjoying the updated MX Sport - 

Links deleted since Findmall Forum update broke all old links

The number one thing is our customers. Releasing a new product is always a big leap of faith, but White's listens to the people that support the company and will always make things right with them.

There's nothing wrong with waiting to see how a product is received before buying it. Now it's out there, and we've adjusted the detector to initial reactions from users. The big issue now is building enough to catch up with orders. We're almost there....

[Ridge Runner]

Tom

 I for one knows White's  will go the extra mile to help the customer. I'm living proof of it . All the people that has to do anything with White's has yet to give me a answer of no. The funny thing even I was getting tired of me but White's was still there to help.

Where else will you find a company is willing to pay your shipping both ways. I never found one before White's.

Tom the best thing you done for a lot of us when you posted the site we can go to for info. This will give us a quick start when we get in the field on the best settings. Oh I'm sure we'd find them over time and each of us need to pass on our findings too.

Like said the people at White's must take sweet pills everyday. Other would have told you here is some string and a kite now go fly it.

Chuck

PS When something new in a detector comes out I just can't sit back I've got to get my feet wet. 

[tboykin]

Chuck, we have a playlist on YT to help - 

 

Start up settings will vary depending on a bunch of factors. But these vids will give you an idea of what you're in for.

 

 

[Ridge Runner]

Tom

 If you would take one look at me you would have to say that boy needs a lot of help. haha

Thanks for posting the videos. Like said a picture is worth a thousand words..

Chuck