Troy Shadow X5
Price: $1000
Avg. Score: 
3.87
Based on 23 reviews
3.87Based on 23 reviews
Avg. Durability:
5.00
Avg. Ease of use:
3.50
Finds a lot of iron!!!!
May 04, 2009
You will have to dig a lot of iron with this machine, if you discrim out
iron fully , you will loose gold.
Overall Rating
Peter from
Hove Sussex
2125
Simple and the best
May 09, 2007
I have owned more than twenty detectors of other brands ,during 10 years of
THunting this detector was one of my best and favorite , all terrain
detector - it's true , one of the deepest and the lightest machines , fast
response , I love it......
Overall Rating
Jevgenijss from
Europe
4511
Shadow X5
December 15, 2006
The X5 I bought was a well built detector but condsidering there are
detectors available at half the price that perform as well or better the
performance didn't come close to justifying the price.
Overall Rating
Ron from
Irving, TX
3242
Shadow X5
October 18, 2006
I have been detecting for quite some time and decided to buy the X5 after
using a cheap Minelab Musketeer,and after 7 months out every weekend with
it ,my finds rate dropped like a lead balloon,i seeked the help from other
X5 owners and even phoned Troy himself to help on certain problems,the
biggest being its liking for Iron,trouble is you have to dig just in case
it is something good.The build quality is like a Rolls Royce,but that does
not produce quality finds,alas it had to go,lucky i was able to sell it on
for a very small loss,and have since bought a Whites DFX.Sorry for being negative,but it just did not live up to its cult status.
Rick.....
Overall Rating
Rick@UK from
London UK
4346
Shadow X5
September 24, 2006
The Shadow X5 is a well built detector and is very good in moderate to mild
mineralization. However, it doesn't do well in areas of higher
mineralization, it's noisy like the Fisher 1266 and doesn't reject iron
very well at all, not nearly as well as most other detectors I've used.
It's overall performance is no better than most of the detectors I've had
in the last 10 years, not as good as some I've had, and certainly not worth
the price I paid for it. The X5 would be a decent buy for half it's price
but it was way overpriced at close to $1'000.
Overall Rating
Randy from
USA
2930
X5
January 25, 2006
Perhaps the best build quality of any detector, but given the cult type
devotion and hype from dedicated X series users the performance was a
disappointment. Depth and target sensitivity was typical of detectors in
it's frequency range--good on low conductors, average on mid range
conductors and poor on high conductors. A second X5 was tested to insure
the first one was operating correctly, both had identical performance. A
decent buy at half its price, not so at full price.
Overall Rating
Roger L. from
Grove Hill, AL
3029
The Porche Speedster of Metal Detectors
November 07, 2005
When I was a kid, my father had a '54 Porche Speedster--one of those
"bathtub" convertibles. It was painted bright red. It had a very simple
panel--just the basics--and a modest engine. But it would pass anything
in a tight curve--it loved curves, and the driver could really feel the
road. Well, the Troy Shadow X5 is a lot like that car.I've had my X5 for two years. I do coin shooting in parks and dry beach sand and some relic hunting. Sometimes I take the detector backpacking. It's wonderfully light weight and rugged, and the single 9V battery lasts for three long, eight-hour days of detecting.
The X5 is very good for small targets, perhaps because of the relatively high 19 kHz frequency. It finds small jewelry, lead shot, and similar items. As you'd expect, the 7 inch coil is particularly good for this, but I also do well with the 9 inch if the soil is not too trashy. Push the VCO/no motion mode button and X5 pinpoints very well.
I've used it in black sand and highly mineralized soils and it worked reasonably well. I even used once to hunt for gold nuggets. While I didn't find any gold that day, the very small lead shot and mineralized rocks I did find makes me believe that if there had been a large nugget, I would have found it. BTW, like all TR VLF detectors, it does not work in salt water.
On larger targets, it will go deeper than I usually want to dig. Every manufacturer claims their detectors go the deepest, but the X5 has not disappointed me (in the conditions around here--beyond that I can't say).
I've owned several other detectors. I gave my last target ID detector away when I bought the X5 and I would do it again. Every feature on the X5 works exactly as advertised, and I can't think of anything I would change to improve it. But no one detector is right for everybody.
The performance of the X5 depends a lot on the driver--maybe that's why reviewer's disagree. The more you use it, the better the results will be. But you have to be willing to really listen to the signal and to use the Target Check switch effectively.
Unlike some detectors, the X5 is very predictable, stable and fast, so it gives you consistently good information. And since all the information is audio and all the controls can be worked by touch, you can keep your eyes on the road (and watching where you step). But it's up to you to do the driving.
Is it worth the money? That depends. If you plan on doing a lot of detecting, or carrying your detector long distances, or you want a rugged unit that won't let you down, then yes. If you like to use a different detector for each situation, or you like to fiddle with menus, then obviously the X5 is not for you. Or if you're on a tight budget.
One last point: make sure your headphones have a volume control, becaues the X5 doesn't.
Overall Rating
Mark R. from
Santa Cruz, CA
467
Shadow X5
October 08, 2005
The X5 is a well made detector but like the John N I found it to be way
overrated. It has great depth at some places and barely average depth at
other places. It also makes lots of noise like a Fisher 1265 I had. I
talked to Mr. Galloway on the phone and he told me to set the ground
balance different. I did like he told me but it still makes lots of noise.
It cost too much too. It would be okay for a third of what it cost but is
not worth $985.
Overall Rating
Allen M. from
Chatanoogo, TN
2931
Troy X5..Too much hype!!
September 29, 2005
The Troy X5 is a nice detector. It has an excellent manual ground balance
system that is both easy and qucik to set. It has decent depth but it just
didn't deliver the deep detecting, that many people raved about. In parks
especially, where the ground was nasty it was just average. The build
quality is excellent but then again it's built by Fisher and is on par with
the CZ series of detectors for build quality, it even has the same
identical battery clips as found in the CZ 70 ... so nothing special here.
I took it for a two week holiday on the Oregon coast and Washington State
beaches and it's beach mode and beach disc... was far from adequate in any
wet/salt mineralized areas. It may be ok in the non mineralized wet salt
sand of Florida but not here!! Finally , there is the price....for a non
metered single frequency metal detector it is just too high. Sure I know I
bought one and paid the price (also bought the X3) but I wouldn't do it
again. There are just too many other well made machines with more features
that perform very well for alot less money. If it was priced at $300.00
less I would say it's getting you your money's worth. But as it stands,
look extra close if you plan on getting this one!!!
Overall Rating
John N from
Vancouver, Canada.
3130
Worth every find
March 01, 2005
I hold a metal detecting outing on the second sunday of every month. so i
get to see how everyone uses their detector.I am the only one in the county
with a Troy X5 or at the clubI have had my X5 for about 11 months now
I was really impressed with how light it is.
( bad back)
I was impressed with how easy it was to learn beyound the factory presets.
and the best part.
I found gold with this X5 last summer. so i can say confidently that this detector runs true to its name ATD( all terrain detector)
The X5 has a beach setting that allows it to go where others have a problem, Like wet beach sand, or hot ground or high akaline areas.
Its a little pricey, but if you consider that some people have one detector for the beach,one for the park, another for the mountains, in the long run you will be saving money
I own a whites GM II, GM III also a DFX
the GM II and GM III are my back ups
the DFX is for sale :-)
Overall Rating
Frank from
Santa Rosa, Ca USA
3815