Xterra 705 as Poorly Balanced as Etrac?

MetalDetectorDude

Full Member
Oct 9, 2013
113
25
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Silver Umax, AT Pro, Etrac, Ace 350
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I love the Etrac but hated the balance even more. I know I could have bought a strap but I tried that and I just didn't like it - felt limited in movement. The 3030 is out of my reach (moneywise).

Does the Xterra 705 suffer the same poor ergonomics design as Etrac?
 

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SusanMN

Silver Member
Jun 1, 2007
4,534
4,098
Minnesota
Detector(s) used
Tiger Shark, Xterra 705, Makro Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The Xterra is much lighter than an Etrac and well balanced with the standard stock coil. A little heavier and off if you buy the bigger DD coil.
 

christo000

Silver Member
Mar 17, 2013
3,765
812
mass North Attleboro
Detector(s) used
Xp Deus,m-6 pinpointer, technetics t2ltd (had, whites v3i,minelab xterra 705,atpro,prism 4,sunray probe minlabe profind,garret propointer, f75ltd and many more)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have a 705 can't give you to much of an opinion but so far its pretty impressive 2.9lbs, like Susan said with the stock 9" coil it is very well balanced, menu is straii forward ability to change frequencies by just a coil change is nice, with a good selection of coils, also has noise cancel,3 different ways to ground balance, beach & prospecti.g mode even backlit. All in all a very versitle detector
 

dirtscratcher

Bronze Member
Mar 18, 2009
1,877
1,350
Columbia falls Montana
Detector(s) used
Minelab Sov GT Explorer XS Tesoro Vaq t2se x705
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The only thing I find uncomfortable about the 705 is the placement of headphone jack.
 

christo000

Silver Member
Mar 17, 2013
3,765
812
mass North Attleboro
Detector(s) used
Xp Deus,m-6 pinpointer, technetics t2ltd (had, whites v3i,minelab xterra 705,atpro,prism 4,sunray probe minlabe profind,garret propointer, f75ltd and many more)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ya I don't mind it myself I tried some wired headphones, didn't bother me & now it really doesn't with the wireless ones I'm using
 

Tired Rooster

Hero Member
Nov 6, 2011
710
706
Alabama
Detector(s) used
Minelabs and Tesoros
Several of them....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Very light....very well balanced.....very good detector.
 

christo000

Silver Member
Mar 17, 2013
3,765
812
mass North Attleboro
Detector(s) used
Xp Deus,m-6 pinpointer, technetics t2ltd (had, whites v3i,minelab xterra 705,atpro,prism 4,sunray probe minlabe profind,garret propointer, f75ltd and many more)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
What's comparable to the 705
 

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MetalDetectorDude

Full Member
Oct 9, 2013
113
25
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Silver Umax, AT Pro, Etrac, Ace 350
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For a heavy machine, the Etrac is delightfully balanced.

I'm an average height person (5'11) and I would have to hunt with the Etrac cuff nestled against my body (elbow completely out of cuff and nestled to the outside of the cuff) to get ANY comfort with it. It's horrible x 10! I can't, for the life of me, understand how Minelab can continue to produce, year after year, their flagship detector without fixing the extremely poor balance on it. That wouldn't be difficult.
 

dieselram94

Gold Member
Jun 17, 2011
9,174
6,675
Mid Coast Maine
Detector(s) used
Xterra 705, Tesoro Sand Shark, Garrett Pro Pointer (mine). Fisher F2 my son's
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
I love my xterra! A little unbalanced with my dd coil but not bad at all. But then again I am not spleeny...

Sent from my SCH-R930 using Tapatalk 2
 

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gleaner1

Silver Member
Feb 1, 2009
4,495
1,038
Gateway to the 1000 Islands
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Sometime(s)
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Other
There's a difference between heavy and balanced. You could have a heavy detecter but not be well balanced. You could have a heavy detector and be well balanced (like Etrac). You could have a light detector but not be well balanced. You could have a light detector and be well balanced. Now let me say again, Etrac is delightfully balanced.
 

Fletch88

Silver Member
Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
If they made the Etrac on the same platform as the CTX, keep it waterproof, forget the other bells and whistles, keep it around the same price, it would be a perfect machine. I have found the Etrac with a Sunray X8 coil feels much better balanced and has plenty of separation for running TTF, and still large enough to cover more ground well. Most members on here say the 705 is a great balanced machine.
 

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