MXT Or Xp Orx?

[IronDigger]

I have an opportunity for a trade, my Mxt with small elliptical coil, for a Xp Orx with HF 9" elliptical coil. Both in good working order,  would you make the trade? I like the concept of lighter, a bit more challenging newer detector. Been using the dials and toggle type for a long time. Appears of what I have seen on video the Orx is pretty decent little detector.

[George Kinsey]

1 hour ago, IronDigger said:

I have an opportunity for a trade, my Mxt with small elliptical coil, for a Xp Orx with HF 9" elliptical coil. Both in good working order,  would you make the trade? I like the concept of lighter, a bit more challenging newer detector. Been using the dials and toggle type for a long time. Appears of what I have seen on video the Orx is pretty decent little detector.

For sure I would make the trade as I own both. Plenty of videos on XP Skill School.

[Chase Goldman]

1 hour ago, IronDigger said:

I have an opportunity for a trade, my Mxt with small elliptical coil, for a Xp Orx with HF 9" elliptical coil. Both in good working order,  would you make the trade? I like the concept of lighter, a bit more challenging newer detector. Been using the dials and toggle type for a long time. Appears of what I have seen on video the Orx is pretty decent little detector.

The Orx is designed primarily for gold prospecting utilizing an "all metal" program scheme. It does have very basic discrimination "coin" modes but the controls and audio customization settings are very limited.  Also, the wireless platform requires an antenna to be run from the coil if you want to submerge the coil for shallow water hunting.  

The audio and controls of the XP machines are quite different and a relatively significant departure from your MXT.  It may take some getting used to, and there are plenty of people who figure out at the end of the day it is just not their cup of tea.   If there is any way you can do this deal without the trade (if the MXT is your ONLY detector) or at least borrow it for a few outings to see if it clicks, I would recommend that.  The MXT is a classic and I have held on to mine, though, admittedly I now almost exclusively use the Deus 2.

Tell us what type of detecting you want to primarily use it for and what you is compelling you to go with Orx (e.g.  light weight) vs. your MXT and I can better advise whether you should consider the trade.  For example, if you are interested primarily in coin shooting or shallow water hunting, I'd stick with the MXT based on the reasons stated above.  If you are are a relic hunter in hot dirt it might be a worthwhile trade (though there are much better alternatives that I discuss below). 

BTW - Does it come with the wireless headphones?  Also, find out how old it is and how much usage (daily vs. occaisonal) because the rechargeable batteries do eventually wear out after 5 to 8 years.  Also, find out why the person wants your MXT vs. the Orx (unless it is a dealer trade).

Furthermore, besides the limited "normal" coin mode functionality, and even though I successfully used an Orx as a backup to my Deus 1, it is still relatively dated SF tech at this point and really not gaining you much if anything over your MXT other than a couple of higher frequency modes (~25 khz and ~75khz) above 14 khz. In other words while the ergonomics are great, it's more of a sideways move than an upgrade in functionality and performance.

If weight is your primary concern and you want the Orx form factor and Deus 2 is out of the question price-wise, I would seriously consider trading for a Deus 2 WS6 Master "lite" setup as an alternative cheaper option than the Deus 2 and it has both single frequency and multifrequency tech at about $800 (which is about $200 more than a new Orx setup).

Otherwise, if that is still out of reach price wise, there are some great detectors out there now that are not as light as the the Orx/Deus but are excellent values with a lot more versatility than Orx while sporting single frequency and multifrequency tech and small accessory coil options.  In this category it is hard to beat the Nokta Legend for overall bang for your buck (can be found new anywhere from $400 to $500 plus additional cost if you want a small elliptical coil and a wireless headset). 

The forthcoming Minelab Xterra Pro at about $290 doesn't have multifrequency but does have 3 switchable single frequencies (albeit lower frequencies than the Orx - i.e., more of a coin shooting/Beach detecting setup), wireless audio, a lightweight Carbon Fiber shaft and an excellent selection of small accessory coils out of the box.  It's something you can invest in to modernize your lineup while hanging on to your MXT if you desire.

HTH

[IronDigger]

Great input, my main use of the MXT is relic hunting, in the gold fields and trying to pick out non ferrous items cherry pick trashy areas. I have a 4500 Minelab for my primary nuggethunting detector.  I do like the compatibility and the hf coil which may be of good use on tailing piles. The only concern I have is the digital control unit having an internal battery that may be required to ship out for a factory replacement.  

[Chase Goldman]

11 minutes ago, IronDigger said:

Great input, my main use of the MXT is relic hunting, in the gold fields and trying to pick out non ferrous items cherry pick trashy areas. I have a 4500 Minelab for my primary nuggethunting detector.  I do like the compatibility and the hf coil which may be of good use on tailing piles. The only concern I have is the digital control unit having an internal battery that may be required to ship out for a factory replacement.  

Good perspective. Sounds like the Orx is a great fit then.  There is nothing like running that elliptical coil along crevaces, relic pit walls, cellar holes or tailing piles like its a discriminating pinpointer on steroids.  I've detached the coil from the upper stem and held the remote in my hand while swinging the coil by the lower shaft along a nearly vertical surface to look for hits.

Sounds like a fair trade deal.  I just personally hate the thought of giving up the classic knob turner.  I have a soft spot for analog controls (but love digital performance). 

[IronDigger]

Chase Goldman,

The fellow let me use it for a few days, he is a beginner and I thought the mxt would do him way better than the Orx. I got to use it in the front yard just this morning and I like it. I like the light weight, the fact as you stated you can take the control unit and hold it in your hand or put it in the pocket. I like the high freq for fine gold, perfect for tailing piles and hard rock speci hunting. Amazing how sensitive it is to small gold. I also briefly tried the deep coin setting and appears like it goes a bit deeper on coins then the coin fast setting. I will try it out after work this afternoon, as of now I am enjoying this little compact detector. The real test will be a 6 hour tour on the ranch. Only concern I have is the battery going out in the control unit, not sure how old it is, but its charged up and works. I will have to research the internal battery longevity and how to replace it, perhaps a factory replacement if it ever goes bad. It didn't come with wireless headphones, but I never use then on the vlfs anyhow. 

[Jeff McClendon]

The ORX has a battery in the control unit and in the coil or with the HF coils a wired external battery in the lower shaft that is super easy to replace.

The ORX was released in 2018 and the control unit, coil and audio modules have a 5 year warranty. If this ORX was purchased new in 2019 or later, it is still under warranty.

As far as the warranty on the batteries in the coil and control unit, I believe they have a 2 year warranty but I don't know how a dying battery in either of those major components is handled as a warranty repair.

Personally, I have been using XP Deus/ORX components since 2016. I have never experienced a battery failure or even indications of battery life degradation.

From my experience, the ORX with either white HF coil is an outstanding gold prospecting detector with excellent sensitivity to sub gram gold, excellent target separation and excellent mineralized ground handling. It's ergonomics using the HF coils and its telescopic shaft system still have not been equaled by any other dedicated gold prospecting detector.

 

[unox]

I have also owned an ORX great little machine for gold, those high frequencies are good for tailings piles. The battery as mentioned by Geoff is user replaceable and not over expensive if a problem occurs.

[IronDigger]

I decided to keep the MXT after I tried out the Orx after trying it out I weighed out the pros and cons. The pros, light weight, collapsable, love the fact you can charge it and have a run of approx. 19 hours. The control monitor/box is removable is pretty cool. The gold setting is incredible sensitive to extreme small gold  probably one of the best vlfs out there for scanning tailing piles for speci gold. The cons, comes with one coil HF 9 inch elliptical, a smaller coil is not available for extreme trashy areas, found it a bit difficult to pinpoint and to isolate one target from another in close proximity. My mxt has the small 4x6 shooter elliptical which does a great job picking out the non ferrous as opposed to the 9 inch HF in trashy areas. Overall I think the Orx is a great little detector for specific purposes like nuggethunting and coin shooting beaches, parks, but the limitations in extreme trashy grounds and cost of a new coil was the factor for me not to do the trade. If anyone is looking for a nice Orx, the owner is willing to sell it, it works as it should..he is asking 350.00 but willing to negotiate. Contact me for his number and you guys can take it from there.

[Chase Goldman]

1 hour ago, IronDigger said:

found it a bit difficult to pinpoint and to isolate one target from another in close proximity

I agree that the pinpointing function on the XP machines is mediocre at best.  I often by pass the pinpoint feature and just use the criss-cross method or wiggle and pull the coil back until the signal disappears at the toe.  It does not come into play using the pinpointing function, but the XP will separate MUCH better than the MXT even with that MXT sniper coil in thick iron and trash utilizing its higher recovery speed settings (don't know if you adjusted those) - in fact the separation in extreme trashy grounds is what separates  (sorry about the pun) the Orx/Deus from other detectors and is considered one of its great strengths.  So your comments kind of surprise me.  Anyway, like I said previously, the MXT is a classic in any event, not surprised you are having trouble parting with it.