Hi Don,Funny thing... lots of first time visitors to the Alaska Gold Forum got the impression I'm biased towards White's. Anyone who has followed my posts over the years knows I give all the detector manufacturers hell for one reason or another. My bugaboo with the White's GMT has been the packaging. I think it is inappropriate for a nugget detector.
I have two biases in particular. I want more power at lower prices. In general we have been getting that in detectors, but nugget detecting has been the exception. Ever higher entry point, ever higher top-end prices.
Second, I want small, light, tough. My ideal detector is totally waterproof and weighs less than 3 pounds. Sound familiar?
Troy is scoring big with me because of that second bias. It's not waterproof, but it's close. Does the price reflect good value? Probably. But do I feel the X5 is a real steal of a price? Well, no, I personally do not. Just my opinion.
Let's face it... there is an extra finger in that pie.
On warranties, are you honestly telling me you think White's has had quality issues, or has not backed their equipment? Buy new main boards??
As to the Lobo, I believe the unit locks in the last ground balance setting taken in the all-metal mode when you switch to disc. The manual tells you to ground balance in all-metal before switching to disc mode. It also states ground tracking shuts off in disc mode. It is "fixed" but it is not "pre-set". So it is critical to ground balance the Lobo in all-metal before setting the disc mode, otherwise the unit may experience performance problems.
Any way, I do like the X5. I also like the MXT. I am particularly fond of my Fisher Gold Bug, Gold Bug 2, CZ-20, Garrett Infinium, Minelab SD2200D, and White's GMT (custom chestmount). And my father kicks butt with his Tesoro Lobo.
What is the best detector, anyway? Wish I knew... I would not have to own so many to get all the performance I need for different situations.
Steve Herschbach