Whites TDI
Price: $1600
Avg. Score: 
4.71
Based on 17 reviews
4.71Based on 17 reviews
Avg. Durability:
5.00
Avg. Ease of use:
4.67
Tdi... never lie!
November 25, 2019
I bought my first Whites TDI in 2012, mine is the first model of TDI (the
original) bought second hand on Ebay for $800 in that time, after that I
bought about 3 more Whites TDI and the SL until now 2019. But I keep 1 unit
that I use for my self the others I sold it to some Treasure hunter in my
country Indonesia.
Whites TDI its very powerful detector compared with any VLF unit I had been used like Fisher Cz 7, 7a, 3d and of course not comparable with any "Toys" Metal detector like Garret ACE series or Chinese made. But surely CANNOT Compare it with GPX Series of Minelab that more Powerfull and way too expensive.
Regarding the Manual Setting KNOB and Switch on TDI Unit this Metal Detector is VERY EASY to setup, all is exactly like we expected. I got NO Difficulty to set it up in Indonesia in any Ground Condition. In high mineralyzed Red Soil to Black Sand all its work. I can get GB work. I DID TEST it with 5 grams of Gold Ring that I put under 30 kg (30 cm thick) of Iron Stone ore and its sound very loud, I considered those are AIR TEST anyway.
I use the TDI along with my Whites TM 808 for treasure hunt. Mainly I use the TM 808 due to Wide ground coverage that need to be "scanned".At First I use TDI for the Pointer for TM 808 because TDI able to pin point the exact location of the object and AS DEEP AS TM 808. In some area that had been discovered some Gold jewelry and any small precious object I mostly use just the TDI. Any object Detected by TM 808 also able to be detected by TDI with very clear signal, the deepest one was the small Iron drum barrel (about 50 Litre volume) at about 1 meter deep, both TM 808 and TDI can detected it. TDI is very useful to detect small loosen artifact such Chinese bronze coins, Rings, Silver Majapahit coins and any other small metal object up to 40 cm, in that way I'm able to determine if the area was potential for even bigger Treasure and then I run my TM808 for wider ground coverage.
TDI NEVER MISS ANY OBJECT...if there is the SOUND that mean there is the object ...THIS DETECTOR NEVER LIE. The DISCRIMANATION between Low and High Conductive does NOT help me too much since I DUG up everything. You want to know what treasure I found used both TM 808 and TDI? The answer is Countless....both unit TURNED MY HOUSE A MUSEUM...because I live in Country with Abundance Buried Treasure from many olad kingdom date back to 9 to 18 Century, but all the treasure I found was Protected by Indonesian law and cannot be trade freely. (please see my review on Whites TM 808 on this website also I wrote it 7 years ago) Good News is I'm able to made 1x1 Meter homemade SQUARE COIL also to be use with my TDI 4 days ago (21 november 2019), I got the hint about 1x1 M at the Geotech Metal detector forum by Roughwater. I foloow his intruction but some how I got my 1x1 M coil Inductance result at 420 uh (360 uh recomended) BUT Its WORKING. ITS WORKING with GB ON TOO!!! and TESTED with real WALKING....YEAAAHHHH. Now on my TDI able to walk together with my TM808 to cover wider area.
I also want to spare this Experience on 1x1M coil with anybody here FOR FREE ( bonayanto@yahoo.com). I'm telling you what I just got another BRAND NEW Whites TDI (original) out of ebay on 11th november 2019 in some Detector in Florida at $560, Not many OLD STOCK New Whites TDI Original Left in USA, this Indonesian just lucky to got it or maybe Whites Metal Detector just Paired along with ME. Cheers Happy Hunting TDI very VERSATILE UNIT
Max Depth: 13 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Pelestari Budaya from
South East Asia
80
Tdi new user
January 29, 2017
I have borrowed from a friend and have used it and found junk with it but
that is OK works great. Going to buy 1 I have gold bug 2 and whites gm,
been metal detecting for 15 years and found lots of gold with them since
that is all I use them for.
My advice to all is to learn your machine and that takes time and practice. Read the material that comes with it. You will learn over time which setting work the best for you and you will know when to dig and when not to. Trust the machine, think positive and enjoy your time in the outdoors!
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Dave Breitweiser from
AZ
53
Whites tdi pro
March 02, 2014
Hello, I only use detectors with no screen because they suck battery power.
I think that detectors without a screen are more easy to use. Most people
spend all day staring at the screen. There could be a 4oz nugget on the
ground by their foot, but unless the screen tells them to look down, they
will miss it. Or a rattle snake you are about to step on, which happened to
me one day.
I feel the best detectors out there are the whites tdi...Minelab sovereign gt...Fisher goldbug 2, and the 5,000 minelabs.
On the beach, the sovereign gt and the whites tdi work the best. Wet sand, dry sand, in the shallow surf makes no difference. The tdi does detect a litter deeper than the sovereign but since its just sand, and you have one of the long handled scoops, its just a matter of digging with the scoop, till you find the target, all without bending over. The tdi and the sovereign gt are my beach detectors. And the tdi and the gold bug 2 are my desert detectors.
KS
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Keith from
Granada hills, CA
126
Depth and Service
February 12, 2012
Got my TDI on line with a head set issue. Sent to Sweethome OR for repair.
Got it back repaired and updated. Cost to me was ZERO and machine was well
cleaned. I was expecting to pay something. Picked up a 1/2 a BOBBIPIN at
17inches. If that was a nugget I would have no problem. This is my third
Whites. MXT, GMZ, and now TDI. You cant go wrong with WHITES.
Overall Rating
Ralphe Tylor from
Prince George BC Canada
266
Not for everybody
March 28, 2011
We use the TDI pro we live in E TENN we hunt silver coin in thash place.
you've got to take your time with this detector. We find coins in hard hit
place you can pick thru the trash we don't dig nail or pull tab or foil
with it you just got to set it up right. You get what you put in to it if
you want a turn on and hunt detector this is not for you save your cash.
Overall Rating
Little man from
East Tenn
376
Great to excellent unit
February 15, 2011
After owning my TDI for a couple of years now I just discovered what an
excellent service department Whites has, I really like the performance of
the TDI not only is it easy to use it goes very very deep on small targets
and picks up gold very well, I read some of the reviews about hunters
having a hard time trying to adjust the TDI this detector could not be
simpler to operate it finds targets that my vlf detectors won't even
respond to, you can coin hunt with this unit and just about anything that
metal detectors are used for, when this one is worn out I an getting
another TDI.
Overall Rating
Ron from
Clarkston,Wa
411
Deep Seeking Relic Machine
December 28, 2010
I just purchased a used White' TDI after doing some careful research.
There are many people who believe that a PI machine is only useful in
highly mineralised ground and that PI machines will not work in "good
ground" I live in Murfreesboro, TN where the ground is slightly
mineralised in some areas but nothing like the red dirt of places like
Culpeper, VA. The ground in Murfreesboro is considered "good" and VLF
machines do well here. I have hunted with a Tesoro Vaquero for 4 years and I am very happy with it. But I know it does not have great depth. Today I hit a field today outside the battlefield that has been heavily hunted by VLF machines for years. I have personally hunted this field with my Vaquero at least a dozen times and have never dug a single relic in this field.
TDI users claim that the TDI will find a layer of relics below the plow line that other machines cannot find and that there is no such thing as a "hunted out" field. I figured that this field that I had never found anything in would be a good place to test these claims and my new detector. While I did have trouble trying to decipher a bullet sound from a nail sound, I am confident I will pick this up with practice (this was the first tme I had taken this machine out in the field).
I was a little frustrated at first but I decided to switch to the low conductivity setting and kept hunting. Within an hour I had dug two grapeshot pieces, two artillery frags, an iron underplug, and three harmonica reed parts.
I know I had personally walked over these same spots with my Vaquero in the past without a signal.
One of the shell frags was 14 inches deep. This machine is not for beginners and there is a learning curve on the bullet sounds. The low conductivity sounds scream "dig me" on brass and big iron relics.
I can't wait to hit some other places that are supposedly "hunted out". People can go on believing that PI machines are only for heavily mineralized areas and I'll keep digging relics in this "good ground". Te MSRP on a new TDI is steep at around $1599.00 but you can pick up a used one for about $950.00. I do not like that White's only has a two year warranty on the machine because I am so used to Tesoro's liefetime warranty. But the TDI blows any other VLF machine out of the water on depth and ability to clearly identify low conductive targets.
White's machines are fairly heavy compared to the Tesoros that I am used to but this TDI has an after market carbon fiber shaft on it that really balances the machine so much better than the stock shaft. Overall, I am very pleased with the TDI thus far.
Overall Rating
Murfreesboro Digger from
Murfreesboro, TN
622
10 stars ++++++++
June 12, 2010
There is nothing wrong with this unit, to the guy in KT. that does not know
how to use a very very very simple machine that is extremely powerful, it
is a PI used mainly for gold nugget hunting, it is not made for ground that
is full of junk targets, although I have worked in that type of ground with
this unit and it works very well at picking out the junk targets a low
tone!! You have to set it for the low setting and ground balance it first, it is a very powerful machine it works like a champ, if this one ever breaks I will buy another Whites TDI they are just that good of a detector, once you learn how to use it the performance is very surprising 10 stars, a real keeper...
Overall Rating
Jeff from
Portland,OR
611
Over priced!!!
May 17, 2010
I rented this machine for 2 weeks. It does go deep and it well find items
but it also loves and I mean loves junk! If your out in an area like a
field or in the woods it works great but around homes and parks ect it's
worthless you spend too much time trying to adjust the thing! $1500 bucks
no way! Just another over priced machine.
Overall Rating
Bob from
Virginia
1987
Freeking Powerfull ! Easy to use and Really Happy!!!!
February 11, 2010
I am newer to detecting, had a brief tutorial on how settings work on the
TDI. They are not much different than a VLF. Gain for sensitivity,
Threshold for quieting faint constant tone and Ground balance that is very
easy to set. I actually think the TDI is much easier to use than VLF's. I
bought it for nugget shooting. The first time I took it out, I was finding
lead bullet frags fairly deep. We had a GMT with us scanning over the same
targets and they both worked well, but I have to give the TDI the edge as
it found the deeper targets loud. Trust me, I only had a brief 30 minute lesson indoors and found it very easy to learn. There is no digital display, but the sheer power of this unit easily outshines that!
I am told these units are becoming harder to find due to the gold rush in Africa, so If you can find one, I'd get it, you'll be glad you did.
Overall Rating
Mick from
Arizona
602