Minelab Explorer XS
Street Price $800
Number of Reviews: 16
on 3 pages.
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Explorer XS
Terry in Mo -I've had same problem as above, go's quiet on iron and just don't seem to get as deep as it should, a CZ5 Fisher really found a lot more old coin's than me.
Jan 04, 2005
5 people found this review helpful.
Explorer XS
Joey in USA -
In iron trash it was quiet but following behind it with other machines that were a little more jumpy in iron I found coins my XS missed. I believe when my XS sensed any iron it discriminated the good targets out with the iron.
The deepest coin I located was a quarter at 7". Maybe in high mineralized soil things would be different but in my area's low mineralized soil my other machines (Fishers) had several inches depth advantage over the XS. I owned it for 16 months and it was slightly better than my DFX but when I tried some Fishers there was no going back.
I'm not bashing this machine, it's a top end unit and has secured a place above most other machines, but there are detectors that are measurably better.
Nov 02, 2004
15 people found this review helpful.
Explorer XS
Neil Jones in ? -
I believe the explorer to be the best all round detector on the market,once you understand it and get it set up right, it's the bee"s knee"s. You must use it slow and low but that applies to any detector, too many detectorists swing way too fast. It took me 8 months to learn, but now its just an extension of my body.
I mainly hunt in constant,iron mask 12,audio 3,volume 10,limits 9,variability 9,gain 8.A lot of explorer users search with too much sensitivity, dont be scared of turning it down, i use 14 quite often and rarely go over 22, turn it down till you have a stable threshold then turn it up another 2.
I always use the 15 inch wot coil and never have any problems. Most of my sites are junky roman and medieval. Just go slow and scrub the soil lightly as you do, 1.5 seconds a sweep till you find a productive area then 3 seconds a sweep when you hit a productive area,your finds rate will increase 3 fold.It"s the tops.
Mar 11, 2004
26 people found this review helpful.
Explorer XS
SgtSki in MI -The Explorer XS is a great machine and I have found more with it in the last few years of use than I have found with other machines combined.
The Explorer has a huge learning curve and you absloutely MUST give it the time and patience it deserves or you will never be happy with it. This machine functions unlike anything else out there and you have to be willing to forget everything you know about MD'ing and approach it with an open mind. If you're not willing to do this then don't bother buying one. Get one of those "Brand W" machines that big schmedrik has on the TV commercial. Just be sure and email me after you get done hunting an area with it so I can go over it with my Explorer and get all the goodies you missed.
I give the Explorer XS 4 stars because it has a few issue besides the learning curve such as weighing a ton and also being tricky to pinpoint with by virtue of employing a Double-D style coil.
I highly recommend it but only as long as you are willing to take plenty of time to learn it.
NOTE: at the time of this review (3-4-2004), Minelab not longer produces either the Explorer S or XS models. The Explorer II is the current offering from Minelab but I haven't used one very much....I hear it's nice though.
Mar 04, 2004
7 people found this review helpful.
Explorer XS
jason james in USA -i have owned a minelab explorer xs for a year now. it is a deep machine, but in a trashy area, it's not worth the junk your digging. you have to hunt too slow, and your still left with the doubt whether or not to dig. the values on the display are NOT consistant by any means. i have hunted for years and i was lured into the minelab explorer xs by what i consider to be reviews by minelab representatives. it had to be because this machine does not discriminate as good as some 300 dollar machines. the depth meter works somewhat ok i guess. the only reason i gave it 3 stars is because i have found coins at great depths. if you generally hunt in trashy places, pass up the explorer xs.
if you hunt in fields where you may get a hit every 5 feet, it's a good machine. just not good for allround hunting. i have a whites classic idx, and it will run circles around the minelab explorer. 3 days ago, i went to an older house that was still standing. i first went around it with the minelab and found 2 pennies. i then pulled out my old classic idx, and went around it and dug 6 pennies and 1 dime that the minelab wouldn't get because it was a trashy area. don't take my word on it, be your own judge if you got around 1000 dollars to throw away.
Apr 19, 2003
9 people found this review helpful.
Explorer XS
Sluggo in USA -XS
GOOD: Excellent depth, found the point of a copper funriture tack at near 12". The ID works great, I can distinguish between styles of pull tabs and also between types of pennies.
Some are afraid but I say it's very easy to use. I can recharge battery in my car. I have friends with Whites and Garretts, I always find more. My friend sold his unit after 2 months, bought a XS and now he finds equal with me. He has an 8" coil and can pinpoint better than me but I find deeper items with the 10". I'd get the 8" coil if I were to do it again.
Bad: Heavy. The coil stand gets in the way in tall grass.
Apr 06, 2003
6 people found this review helpful.
Minelab Explorer XS
Rick Vann in USA -The Minelab Explorer XS is not for someone that is just wanting to casual hunt. It is a very complicated unit and requires alot of reading and understanding of what you are reading and most definitley the help of someone who has one to work side by side with you to reduce the amount of time it takes for the learning curve.
I would not give it a 5 star rating because there are some flaws with this unit. Number one thing is it is so sensitive that it just doesnt do good in high trash areas with lots of iron around. The the XS just doesn't seem to lock in very well even with the 7 3/8" coil. When you get into an area as such you must and I mean must go so slow an just moved it a 1/4" when you think you have something the target ID is almost useless in this situation, I know I have tried every setting (not really but the logical ones) and it is not meant for the trashy areas I am hunting.
I do admit there might be a problem with mine and it is brand new and this is another reason it is getting a 4. The pin pointing on this unit sucks and requires you to purchase a SunRay Probe another $179, you would think that if you payed $1,000 the thing would pinpoint.
the meter is never right, mine always says 6" and it is more like three to four. I do agree though if you take alot of time to learn this unit and its potential capabilities it is for sure a real winner.
I believe everyone that I have talked to give it a year and you should have it down pretty darn good,but OH! what a frustrating year that will be, Thank God I have a Compass Gold Scanner Pro (now called the Relic and Coin Finder) it makes it fun to just turn it on and go, very deep seeker too which is real nice.
Conclusion do not think you can buy this unit and go out and just nail everything down you truly learn this unit by failing in the field and hunting and rehunting the same areas until you learned to make it work to its best abilities by trial and error.I am reworking areas I have hunted and still finding coins.
Mar 10, 2003
13 people found this review helpful.