Used safari for first minelab?

[nagant]

Kinda like what I've read about the safari & FBS so far as I'm a tone guy (Tesoro golden µmax). Anyway newbe to Minelab and would this be a good machine for me. Mostly old yards, overlooked sites and hoping to get permissions on old town site. Time to upgrade but moneys tight so that's the used reason. What accessories should i look for, batteries, phones, anything that would be considered necessary. Also not ready for the equinox, rather wait and see how it pans out. thanks

 

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[IDXMonster]

Would it be good for you? I’d have to ask you why you think your Tesoro is NOT as good as a Safari might be? You would have to know what it is that you want to find,or find more of.
It is no secret that FBS/FBS2 powered machines are exceptionally adept at finding highly Conductive coins. That’s NOT an opinion,this is backed by sheer numbers of old deep copper and silver coins reportedly found. IF this is what you want to find,then the Safari is the “entry level” FBS machine that you likely want. Not only is it every bit as deep as it’s bigger brothers,the Explorers,eTrac and CTX(so I’m told) but it also has the capability of using ALL of those coils that are out there for FBS,including the X-1 probe should you consider one later on.
Still awake? Well,you should be. If there’s a stock Safari for sale and it’s clean,complete and fully functional,then I say go for it. I’d imagine a price of 300-400 would be pretty good,assuming it’s just the machine. Obviously any other “add ons” that might be included would be a bonus.
Headphones? Personally I use Killer B phones exclusively. Sunrays are reportedly great,as are ALL of the coils they make.

 

[nagant]

Hey thanks for the reply, good info. The golden isn't known for exceptional depth but is a great coin sniffer and i found a few gold rings. Looking for something that will get 8" depth + and drag my but into the twentyteens tech wise.

 

[sprailroad]

I use a Safari a lot. Took some time to get use to and understand the "flute like" spectrum of sounds. I use a SEF 8" butterfly coil on it most of the time, in general I really like it, a little more in ways then my AT Pro. But that is kind of comparing apples to oranges. As far as "Entry" level, for $1000 new, I myself will remain entry level. However, if as IDX said, if you find a clean and solid one for $300-400, sure, you would just need to take time to understand it, but that goes as well for any detector of any make and model. Also again as IDX pointed out, nothing wrong with your Tesoro either, seems the biggest success with any detector is "location". And so, IF you do have a Safari, the only addition I would really add is a small coil. Either way, so many to choose from, it's often a hard decision to make. We all hope for the most bang for our buck.

 

[clv]

If you get the safari, the three main things you should get is
1. Rechargeable battery pack like the RNB
2. A bigger shovel because it will really find those deep targets.
I mostly use the stock 11 coil, but a smaller 6" to 8" coil will help in the areas that have lots of trash, like fire rings etc.
3. A sling (about $25 new) the machine weighs 4 lbs. Then you can hunt all day.
I regularly dig up coins 12 inches +deep on the beach.On the damp sand pennies to 14"

 

[Happa54]

Nagant.... Listen to IDX, he knows what he is talking about.

Read my reply post in "etrac upgrade and question".

Have any questions on the Safari, please feel free to ask

 

[nagant]

It is no secret that FBS/FBS2 powered machines are exceptionally adept at finding highly Conductive coins. That’s NOT an opinion,this is backed by sheer numbers of old deep copper and silver coins reportedly found. That's what I'm after mostly, and a few tokens and such. Good info appreciated thanks. When i started MDing i hit a beach along the mississippi and found about ten nickles. That beach was gone over by two guy's with minelabs, always remembered that.

 

[fmrUSMC_0844]

I had a Safari. I liked it but coming from a Whites machine I found the Safari to be extremely slow when it came to getting the threshold back after it nulled out on iron or a rejected target.

 

[gunsil]

I agree with those who say go for the used Safari. I have one myself. Like all the Minelab FBS machines it IS a deep silver sniffer. I mostly keep my Sun Ray 8" coil on it and have found colonial era silver over 10" deep. They are chatty, if you are in an area with lots of targets you will want to turn your sensitivity down a fair amount. I have hit silver dimes over 8" with the sensitivity turned down a few or more notches. I don't find it all that slow and use a faster sweep than many do and get that nice clear high tone over silver anyways.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

When I returned to the hobby after decades away, my next machine was a Safari. I think its an excellent choice for a first Minelab. My intent was always to sell it and get a more powerful FBS if it panned out, but even after I got a CTX, I couldnt bring myself to let the Safari go. Its a excellent loaner/backup machine for me.

If you are hunting trashy areas, get a small coil. I wouldnt advise a larger coil- if you are ready to do that, its probably time for a different machine.

 

[BrettCo124]

I’ve used a safari for years now. I am the one who constantly promotes the machine because I can say without a doubt that it’s a monster. Listen to what everyone has told you on here. It’s all great advice. The rnb battery and a good pair of headphones are the only things I would consider necessary. You will not be disappointed. After a few weeks of using it, you will begin to understand it’s language. That’s why it’s so powerful. It literally begins to tell you what you are over. It’s also a monster on salt water beaches, and my sand is highly mineralized.

I hope you find one for that cheap, but I checked and they still go for around 500 used. But keep an eye out since the equinox is almost out. That will drive down the price.

You can’t go wrong. I hope you go for it.

BrettCo

 

[Ogre1190]

I, too, have a Safari. Good machine. The only drawback for me is pinpointing...my old Blue Box Whites n my newer Minelabs (SE Pro n Etrac) spoiled me. They were/are dead on...never need to dig a plug wider than 3-4". Safari drove me nuts trying to pinpoint. But it sure does find stuff! 😁

 

[nagant]

thank everyone going to recover from Christmas overgifting and then start looking hard.

 

[sprailroad]

The Safari? Ogre mentioned the pinpointing, I found mine to be "Dead on" for that, at least for the small coil, and FmrUSMC mentioned the return of the threshold being slow to come back? sometimes that is so true, but I found that to be in some areas more than others, I don't know, and about the nickel's? I would about bet the others had pull-tabs and or foil cancelled out, OR, they simply missed that one square inch that each nickel was hidden. As to your question in the start, a used Safari? Even as BrettCo said, $500 is not out of line, but time IS on your side, I'll always keep the Safari, but I am waiting for user comments on the Minelab EQ's.

 

[George (MN)]

Kinda like what I've read about the safari & FBS so far as I'm a tone guy (Tesoro golden µmax). Anyway newbe to Minelab and would this be a good machine for me. Mostly old yards, overlooked sites and hoping to get permissions on old town site. Time to upgrade but moneys tight so that's the used reason. What accessories should i look for, batteries, phones, anything that would be considered necessary. Also not ready for the equinox, rather wait and see how it pans out. thanks

The Minelab Equinox detectors should be available to all by Feb or Mar and they are the best for getting deep with accurate IDs for the price. The Equinox 600 is only $649, yes it is lots of money, but if one uses it regularly for a few years I expect they will more than pay for the cost.
Then they can sell it if they want for a few hundred, if they can stand to part with it.

One of their field testers has been releasing a great deal of info, very honest & smart guy. He is reporting silver dimes with accurate ID in his highly mineralized soil 20%-40% deeper than anything else he has tried (using 800). The 600 should produce equal results more often than not. These detectors most can afford that will make their "cleaned out" places worth trying more.

I think Minelab warranties are now 3 years transferrable, so you can even wait for a good used unit if $649 is too much to spend, or if you need to wait for additional favorable results.

The Safari was designed many years ago, it is quite heavy and lacks some of the Equinox features that can lead to success. I'm not saying the Safari is a bad detector, only that some better detectors have been designed since. The Equinox detectors can go in shallow water, which is where most gold rings are detected without so many pulltabs. The Equinox detectors can get coins close to junk, and can be swept faster in less junky areas, with no loss in results.