White TDI SL


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Hey Roger,

Well being a Minelab dealer, I won't get any slack for answering your question, they are both good units, but I know the GPX-5000 is superior when it comes to overall comparison.

I guess my answer is, when someone like myself has used the Minelab PI's since day one and know their performance, it's hard to use anything that will not perform to at least the GPX-5000's standards. This my own personal standpoint only. For end users that have a limited budget, health issues or starters, others units might be best.

Just my thoughts.

Rob Allison

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Hi Rod,

I did a side by side test of the GPX 4500 and the TDI back in 2010.

Read the results here.

My personal opinion is, If I were buying a "gold" detector on a budget I'd get a good VLF, and save up for a ML GPX.

A good VLF will find most of the gold that the TDI will, at half the price. (Ironically this is the same type of argument that TDI fans use to justify purchasing it over the GPX.)

Whatever you chose the most important thing for success is location.

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I've been out with a friend with a 4500 when I had my TDI pro a did a few comparisons. Basically he could hear a 3 dwt nugget at 15" and I could hear it at 6" tops. I use to have an SL before the pro and the pro gets better depth than the SL, so...

Has anyone done any comparison tests between White TDI SL and Minelab GPX 5000?

The Razorback You Tube videos (very biased) show the TDI SL as being an inferior unit.

Appreciate any feedback.

Rod

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Hello All,

I have a few other points I would like to say. Just so everyone is clear, I owned and operated a White's TDI. A customer traded one in for a Minelab PI, but felt if all the information was true about it, then it would be nice to have around. That being said, I done some extensive testing between the GPX-5000 and the White's TDI with the same coil. There was no doubt, the Minelab was superior on depth. When it came to smaller targets, the GPX-5000 also got much more depth on smaller pieces.

Where I seen the TDI stand out was on smaller specimen gold or very porous (not much density) type gold nuggets. Playing around with the delay you could allow certain types of gold stand out better. The TDI also seemed to have good mineral immunity to Graphite type bedrock and also some volcanics.

I was going to keep the TDI for my wife, but she felt it was much more complex to operate than what she was used to (Minelab SD2100). I eventually found her a SD2100 so she is now happy with a turn-on and go unit.

I think a TDI is a great starting PI and the price is very resonable for what you get. I have heard some mention that they were getting more depth with their VLF over a TDI, but I'm pretty convinced the TDI is a bit more superior on depth and mineral immunity over any conventional VLF on the market today.

Just my personal experiences and thoughts.

Rob Allison

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Rob's post below pretty well sums it up. I field tested the early "hole" TDI with the standard dual 12-inch circular open frame mono for the 2009 Silver & Gold Annual.

I found it pretty easy to use as I just used "Digger Bob's" simple recomendations... except I kept the gain less then half-way. Within about two hours while hunting on the West End claim located on the north slope of the Rand Mountain about two miles north of Randsburg (CA), I found a nice nugget on the edge of a rivulet where the caliche was exposed. It was only about four inches down.

However, I will now mention, this immediate area has... and still is, being well pounded by metal detectors over the 20 or more years that W-E has held this claim.

Was it a fluke that I found one with the TDI? Especially, as it could have been found by most any detector. But then I was out nugget hunting, and being first is everything. And the dual 12 inch covers a lot of ground per swing.

Still using Digger Bobs settings (with less sensitivity) I worked under the High Tension lines w/o any emf... very stable and quiet. As I'm pretty deaf and the area quiet I used my hearing aids and the control box speaker was (to me) loud enough. Thus, I started to hunt under the High Tention lines as found within two other club-associations where I'm a member, and found several more nuggets.

Like wjbell mentions, my early "hole" TDI was able to give the high- low tone regarding the small plus grain to pennyweight nuggets I found.

Also, as nvchris mentions, I will agree about a VLF.... (specially if it is the Fisher Gold Bug Pro, as the bargraph and Phase readings do work pretty good in the metalliferous epithermal volcanic areas) as now sells for new at about $500 with the standard 5-inch coil...

But then again my early "hole" TDI was a factory reconditoned one that cost me about $1000, and being hand wired it could be modified, but at this point I do not intend to have it modified.

Most likely, from what little I have seen, the more serious minded Whites TDI (and also Garrett Infinum) may go to a used Minelab PI, but also keep their TDl or Infinum..

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