Minelab Safari vs Minelab Etrac or Explorer Line Anybody Have Experience with Both??

bigtim1973

Hero Member
Oct 12, 2007
751
216
Middle Tennessee
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have always been kind of interested in the Safari. I have always been curious about this machine. I know the explorer series and etrac has a somewhat of a large following. So who can chime in and give some thought between a Safari compared to the other Explorer generations machines?

I know since the equinox has came out everybody has seemed to gone to that and there just does not seem to be as much action on minelabs flagship units.
 

Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,425
Massachusetts
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett: AT Pro, AT Gold & Infinium; Minelab: Explorer SE, II; Simplex; Tesoro: Tejon & Outlaw; White's: V3i
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Hello bigtim1973,

I use the Minelab Explorer II and SE Pro when looking for old silver coins (usually at old homes and parks). The beautiful sound (tone) the machine delivers over those high conductor targets is unmistakable. They are heavy and slow, but they really produce the deep silver coins. When a place is "hunted out" I set the sensitivity on manual max and listen for the faint whispers. In trashy areas, I use the Sun Ray small puck coil to separate the waiting coins! In cleaner areas, I may use my 15" (trash can...lol) coil, but that adds another pound to the weight.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting,

Doc
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,421
30,104
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
New tech. Multi-frequency is no longer $1,000.00 or more. The Sovereign and Safari were go to machines "back in the day," but Minelab has come up with improvements and brought the price WAY down. Do your research and watch some Youtube.:occasion14:
 

OP
OP
bigtim1973

bigtim1973

Hero Member
Oct 12, 2007
751
216
Middle Tennessee
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hello bigtim1973,

I use the Minelab Explorer II and SE Pro when looking for old silver coins (usually at old homes and parks). The beautiful sound (tone) the machine delivers over those high conductor targets is unmistakable. They are heavy and slow, but they really produce the deep silver coins. When a place is "hunted out" I set the sensitivity on manual max and listen for the faint whispers. In trashy areas, I use the Sun Ray small puck coil to separate the waiting coins! In cleaner areas, I may use my 15" (trash can...lol) coil, but that adds another pound to the weight.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting,

Doc

Hey Doc I appreciate your input. I have been around a couple of explorers and have played with one myself but have never taken the time to ever learn one. I have been wanting to try out one but have hesitated doing so due to the weight of the machines. But I still kind of want one. Thanks for your input.
 

OP
OP
bigtim1973

bigtim1973

Hero Member
Oct 12, 2007
751
216
Middle Tennessee
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
New tech. Multi-frequency is no longer $1,000.00 or more. The Sovereign and Safari were go to machines "back in the day," but Minelab has come up with improvements and brought the price WAY down. Do your research and watch some Youtube.:occasion14:

Yes I have one of those new tech minelabs that are cheap too. However, having a top of the line unit that can give a lot of info before you dig is very intriguing to me. Low and slow sometimes is better than turn on and go.
 

Akb082317

Jr. Member
Aug 10, 2020
31
71
PA
Detector(s) used
Anfibio multi
Simplex +
Ctx-3030
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have used both machines. Having said that, both are fantastic at coin shooting. I feel like both machines performed very well, the e-trac I feel has a little more learning curve to it with some better customization options available. The safari is like an easier to use e-trac. The one thing I remember most about using the safari is I ripped through batteries very quickly. Both machines in my opinion are excellent if you take the time to learn the ins and outs an understanding of how they operate. I remember not using the pinpointing feature on either machine but that was just my preference. I have found silver with both machines in heavily searched “dry sites” at good depths. I think both machines are great performers. If I was to compare the 2 I would say the e-trac to safari comparison is similar to a dues to orx comparison. Both machines are well built and will give you solid performance.
 

Adrian SS

Sr. Member
Dec 7, 2008
363
73
Canberra
Detector(s) used
LST, BDHI,Infinium,Sov XS,6000DI Pro SL,Scorpion,V-SAT,Spectrum XLT,Gold Spear,Scorpion,Sand Shark, Compadre,Sierra Madre,Safari, SDC2300, Sea Hunter,CS4PI,TDI OZ Pro, Vallon VMH3CS. Gardiner 202A
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
The main problem I find with my Safari is that it does not perform well in moderate iron mineralisation and requires the sensitivity to be wound down quite a lot to lessen the ground noise.... At the beach it is excellent in and out of the water.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top