Daniel Tn

Oh it's not just a run for the money...it's an all out, not-even-close thrashing. LOL. The ground I'm hunting in now is really not all that hot; the CTX suggested sensitivity settings are normally 19-22 so I would call that mild ground. Now I have had it in places where it didn't suggest but a setting of 8 or so. In those, even the MX Sport struggles in disc mode and the pulse machines do the thrashing. It takes all metal or prospecting mode to open the MXS up in that kind of ground. The CTX can be ran open screen but doesn't really have a true all metal based search mode. Enabling the GB control on it doesn't help much either. The truth here is, my deepest coin I have in my test garden is a 10 inch silver dime. Most VLFs can't make a peep on it. The CTX with stock 11 inch coil will give an occasional signal on it if you are directly over top of it, and that is with manual sensitivity at near max, and even then, you wouldn't dig it if you were just chasing those perfect 12 line signals in the 30 to mid 40 CO range. The MXS will get it with the 10 inch coil no problem, even with the sensitivity throttled back to half way, and give a pretty decent ID on it. I can't get the dime with the 7 inch coil attached like I can with the stock coil...but it can do just as good as the CTX with stock coil...barely a signal if you know where it's at, and scattered ID. In the relic world, it is really no contest in favor big time of the MXS. From November up to now, I have been hunting with them both pretty hard and will continue to do so...especially now that our drought is over with several inches of rain over the last few weeks. It is very tiresome lugging 2, and sometimes 4 machines into the field and woods....hunting with one, marking signals, and then testing the others over those signals. You don't get to dig a whole lot but what you learn from testing with real world targets can be invaluable. There were quite a few signals that turned out to be keeper Civil War relics, that only the TDI and the MXS could detect. If it weren't for needing a good machine for the beach, I would let the CTX go and not miss it much. It is a very neat machine; capable of a lot of cool things with the tone bins, customizing the sounds to the user's liking, etc. Even still, I am half tempted to sell it and just buy an Excalibur II and still have a dandy beach machine, and pocket the rest of money. For relics and such, the MXS and TDI combo are hard to beat machines from Whites. I am anxious to try the TDI out at the beach too....haven't done that yet. For all I know, it may be all I need for jewelry hunting. Just flip it to low conductor and go at it.

The MX Sport has quickly became one of my favorite VLF machines. The 7 inch DD is my favorite coil on it. You wont believe this but I also have a CTX 3030 that I had the 6 inch and stock coil for. In my ground, the MX Sport with 7 inch coil, will out perform the CTX 3030 in depth and ID capability. I know that sounds like a tall tale but it is true. This is on real world relic and coin hunting targets; lots of hours testing for my own use and knowledge. It is one incredible combo with 7 inch coil. The 10 inch is okay but the 7 inch really makes that machine shine. I've not tried the 13 Ultimate or the 950 concentric. Generally, my ground is too bad for the concentric coils to do much good in. The 6x10 coil, I just sold mine. I like the 7 inch better; the main complaint about the 6x10 is that it floated in the water. I also feel the 7 inch was deeper than it too. The only place I have found thus far that the CTX will beat the MX Sport is on the salt water beaches. The MX Sport can do OK in the wet sand but not as good as the CTX and the MX Sport will want to overload in the fast moving water too unless you back the gain way down. On the dry sand, the two are about equal in depth but I do feel the CTX gives the edge there in ID capability on trash items. My bad ground changes all that though. In it, the CTX tends to call things iron that aren't iron...coins past 6 inches will start to read in the bottom right corner of the screen. On the MX Sport, they ID much better.

I have been one of those guys to have all 3 models of the TDI. I actually ended up with GeoTech's TDI at one point and time (wish I wouldn't have traded that one!!). For what it's worth, I never gold prospected with mine. I had other interests for the pulse machines; relic hunting and jewelry hunting highly mineralized soil. Comparing the SL to the TDI and TDI Pro, I never took a liking to it. I didn't like the greatly reduced battery life. I didn't like the S rod (I prefer straight rod configurations). And in my testing, I found the SL to have a smoother threshold but seemed to be neutered on power. On coin and relic objects I tested, the difference was more than enough for me to wave bye to the SL model. In years past, I would frequent the Diggin in Virginia relic hunts. Along about 2008-2010, the pulse machines really kicked in gear and starting becoming the must have item. The TDI was the most sought after machine at that time, but was slowly replaced by the GPX machines as more people saw the power of those...coupled with a form of iron disc. The TDI and Garrett ATX were still the most popular units. Then when the prices dropped on the GPX...it tipped the scales into Minelab's land. Now days, you rarely see a TDI of any sort at the hunt. Everybody has GPXs. If you shop around, you can find the GPX for under $2000 new. Used, they are going for $1,200 to $1,500. I've seen some of them with extra coils and the gold screamer pack for just $1600 or so. With prices like that...cheaper than the CTX 3030 vlf machine and some of the other VLFs...it's no wonder so many have gone to them. I currently have a regular TDI model that I have outfitted with an aftermarket coil. This breaths a little life back into the platform (different coils) but it is still not a GPX. After selling a couple of unwanted coils that came with this particular TDI...I only have $275 in it. And for $275...it is a heck of a machine. But with that said...if you were to offer me a TDI SL for $275, I'd just keep my money and buy a good .22 rifle or something. :)

I'm wondering the same thing as Tom...does it have any form of ID or disc for iron, or what is the story with that? It has all the makings of a detector I'd want...IF it includes that. As a relic hunter...gotta have that. Don't wanna dig 20 inches for a nail That is...unless some of you gold guys are willing to have an ole Tn hillbilly come out and find some yellow metal to help pay for this bad boy.