Whites Spectrum XLT
Street Price $800 - Coin, relic
Number of Reviews: 30
on 5 pages.
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White's XLT has performance
Tom Woods in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania -
I used the White's Spectrum for 15 years. It still works very well. In April 2006, I bought the XLT. What a great machine. It's much lighter than the old one and hits coins and jewelry a lot deeper. It's all in the performance and White's has performance
Jul 19, 2006
37 people found this review helpful.
Excellent detector!
Shannon Matteson in Port St. Lucie, FL USA -I have had my White's Spectrum XLT since 1998. I bought it as a second to my Minelab Sovereign. Hunt Sovereign at the beach, hunt XLT everywhere else. Use what works for the situation, right?
Well the Sovereign was a superb machine, but mine got "disappeared" shortly after I bought the XLT when I loaned it to a friend's fiance, and then they split up before I could get back in touch and both disappeared in the process. But the Spectrum I had wanted since I was in High School in 1992, and I have never regretted buying it.
It's got almost everything you could want. The only down sides I can see are:
- It's definitely not made for wet sand hunting in highly mineralized areas, such as the beach.
- It's not the deepest detector I ever had. The Sovereign took it to town on that point.
These two reasons are why I give it 4 stars, instead of five.
That said, I don't know about you, but I dig things at 11" and more using this detector, and quite frankly, that's about all the depth I have patience for. And speaking of digging, if you know how to properly use a handkerchief, a screwdriver, a steak knife and a trowel, you'll never see lawn scars or detectable holes again.
Setting this machine up was very easy for me because I like having complete control of the settings and I did my homework. Not really much homework to do, actually... if you want a turn-on-and-go machine, or you want to customize it down to the eye-teeth, this machine can do both.
If you want to switch modes, it does require that you stop and fiddle. But if you just de-notch everything in Discriminate mode, you can see what the VDI is, and decide whether to dig or not. You see everything, and no mode switching. How hard is that?
I absolutely love being able to "train" this machine, too. I can tell it specifically what to ignore, or I can tell it specifically what to accept.
This is a detector you absolutely can't outgrow unless you are a demon for depth - or you need a beach hunter more than anything else. I do miss my Sovereign, but I'm very happy with my XLT until it pays for the next machine, which will probably be a Minelab - but I would be unhappy if I didn't have my XLT, too.
May 10, 2006
40 people found this review helpful.
XLT Cracking Bit Of Kit
Chriso in Nottinghamshire Uk -Hi I have been using the Whites xlt for about a year now and am I am well pleased with it.While most people in the club of which I am a member have the Explorer 2, they dont always make the best finds. I think You only get the best out of a detector when you get in tune with what it is telling you and the xlt is no exception in this respect.Another of the xlt users in the club has found a hoard of coins worth over £40000 from the time of William The Conquerer, with the xlt.So while it can take a little while to master it can certainly find the goods as a beginner I have found many coins and of those a couple of hammered coins from the 14th century.
While I agree some conditions are more testing for the xlt,such as wet sand, areas of hot rocks or heavy ground mineralisation for instance.But various alterations and settings tweaks can soon deal with this.
Apr 13, 2006
16 people found this review helpful.
Pinpointing Targets
Rick Nickolaus in Federal Way WA USA -My (other brand) metal detector was stolen. It was a model I was very happy with. It had good depth qualities and pinpointed small targets nicely. This last Christmas my wife surprised me with a new metal detector.
Because she didn't want to spoil the surprise, she didn't ask me what brand name I preferred. She just bought what she was told was the top of the line. The metal detector she bought was your XLT model. To be honest I was alittle disappointed. The last Whites detector I owned, plus two others I tried, had good depth qualities, but pinpointing coins and other small objects was difficult. This led to unnessary digging, not to mention lawn scars. In the standard mode, I found my new XLT detector to be not that much better. But then I discovered the VCO mode. Pinpointing small targets became a snap. And my only real complaint against your detectors disolved.
For whatever its worth, I would strongly recommend that you move the VCO mode to the standard format. It really takes the guess work out of pinpointing. For many, it would certainly cut down on unneeded digging and lawn scars, not to mention customers, such as myself, having preconceived ideas about what turned out to be an excellent metal detector.
Dec 31, 2005
41 people found this review helpful.
XLT Fine By me
John Tewell in Columbus, Ohio -I have had my White's XLT for about a month. At first I was a little worried about all the programs and settings. I have not learned them all, but I have found the more I just calm down and read the manual and other literature, the easier the machine is to work. With a little practice the pointing is right on. I am finding things deeper than with my old detector. I am anxious to keep learning the settings and what other coils have to offer. I also hear good things about Minelab, but the best unit they have is almost twice as much money as the XLT. Even if the Minelab is a little newer and goes a little deeper as some claim, I know it won't go twice as deep, so I am not inclined to spend twice the money. I have become addicted to metal detecting and love the XLT. Jt
Aug 26, 2005
27 people found this review helpful.
Garrett Deepseakers Lasting Quality
Gil Garcia in Northern California -In a recent article in a well respected treasure hunting magazine the author mentioned the outstanding depth performance of the Garrett Deepseaker (ADS, Groundhog, etc.) detectors of the '70s and 80's. Having been involved in this hobby for the past 32 years I have learned a thing or two from being out in the field using various models of metal detectors. New top of the line metal detectors from respected manufacturers have incorporated the technological advances of our time which bring greater advantages to recreational coin and relic hunters. That being said, this technology has its price. The fact that the capabilities of the Deepseaker models is still being referenced in comparison to all metal detectors speaks volumes about their quality.
I have owned a Groundhog ADS and it was a sophisticated piece of electronic equipment and not basic metal detecting circuitry being passed off as a metal detector. Since these machines are old school technology they can be purchased for a fraction of their original retail costs ($25-$75) and are truly found treaure when one can be aquired. I highly recommend these detectors for someone wanting to explore the hobby without spending a fortune up front to start out. A cheaper new detector may not have the capability to deliver the performance that is the Garrett hallmark. The Garrett Ace series are reasonably priced high technology and are also great introductions to this hobby. The inroduction of new metal detectors does not overshadow the fortune in finds that was uncovered by earlier models. The quality of these detectors has survived for decades beause of the results they have achieved in the hands of users with various levels of ability. I am not a metal detector dealer nor do I have a personal or financial connection to Garrett electronics. My other detector is a Bounty Hunter.
Aug 05, 2005
11 people found this review helpful.
XLT is a Great Detector!
Bluemax in Holyoke, Massachusetts -I've run the XLT now for only a month and really am impressed with the overall quality and useability. I coinshoot in parks with alot of trash 60% of the time and with the 5.3" Black Max coil I have a hot set-up. I originally was set on getting the MXT but after talking it over with my local dealer I went with the XLT and don't regret my decision. Much quieter in trashy areas and finds stuff as deep as I would care to dig. Proven custom programs are available at various websites on the internet and work well but so do the 5 programs permanently loaded in the XLT. Definitely gives you the option to power up and go or when I feel like it I can customize the settings. The whole fear factor around adjusting the programming is way overblown and doesn't even have to be used if you care not to. The only concideration for me when I purchased mine concerned whether I liked the push button menu screens or whether I would like rotary knobs for settings instead. I got used to the screens and using the shortcuts for common adustments within the first couple of days. Go with the XLT you won't regret it
Jul 26, 2005
26 people found this review helpful.