B.H Land Ranger vs Minelab Explorer II

joseramon

Greenie
May 6, 2006
10
0
I have a Bounty Hunter Land Ranger. I bought it on january 2007, but now, want to change :o :)
Ive found coinc, jewlery and other stuff realy deep with the Land Ranger; have to say its the best metal detector ive had ever.
However, im looking for something bigger, something with which I can be sure not to leave anything behind me when detecting.
Im thinking on buying a Minelab Explorer II, a second hand one. Ive seen posts in other forums where people agree its the most deep and more complete, in all aspects, metal detector.

What do you think? ??? ;)
 

birdman

Gold Member
Jan 28, 2005
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Choctaw Beach Florida
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Equinox 800 and ORX, tesoro Cibola with garret,whites and minelab pinpointers
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All Treasure Hunting
From what I have read and seen the Explorer is one of the deepest machines but I have never used one. People switch to the explorer almost daily due to their performance. Their are alot of great machines out there that are not as costly .I would do a lot of research first. Metal detector reviews.com is a good starting point. Good luck and HH.
 

Michigan Badger

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Oct 12, 2005
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Northern, Michigan
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willow stick
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joseramon said:
I have a Bounty Hunter Land Ranger. I bought it on january 2007, but now, want to change :o :)
Ive found coinc, jewlery and other stuff realy deep with the Land Ranger; have to say its the best metal detector ive had ever.
However, im looking for something bigger, something with which I can be sure not to leave anything behind me when detecting.
Im thinking on buying a Minelab Explorer II, a second hand one. Ive seen posts in other forums where people agree its the most deep and more complete, in all aspects, metal detector.

What do you think? ??? ;)

I agree with birdman the ExII and SE are reported to be about the best for all types of soils.
But be forwarned that the learning curve is steep. These are most definitely not "beep n dig" detectors.

I'm just starting to learn the Minelab Sovereign GT and it will probably be next summer before I'm highly productive with it.

A super deep machine for mild soil that's simple to master is the Silver uMax fitted with the big 12x10 concentric coil. I've been using it and digging coins at a land fill sight. Yesterday I dug a silver war nickel at nearly 12 inches deep. That Silver uMax is hot. But, it can't compete in all areas with the likes of the Sovereign or Explorer models (so I'm told).

Badger
 

hollowpointred

Gold Member
Mar 12, 2005
6,871
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Minelab Explorer SE/Garrett GTI 2500/ Ace 250
the explorer is a very nice machine and has the reputation it has for a reason. keep in mind though that there are other nice machines out there as well. it all depends on what you like.
 

teverly

Hero Member
Mar 4, 2007
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central ohio
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MINELAB E TRAC x 2 xp deus
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Metal Detecting
I would say if the bounty hunter is working for you stick with it.....If your finding deep stuff now and know your detector then you are good to go.
 

Michigan Badger

Gold Member
Oct 12, 2005
6,797
149
Northern, Michigan
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willow stick
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I don't know about the BHLR but the Explorer II and SE rule the THing community.

There are many excellent brands and models out there today and they all will find lots of good stuff if used in the right places.

But after having put a decent amount of time into the Minelab Sovereign GT I must say (in my opinion) Minelab is in the lead.

The Sovereign is simple to use and has a very small learning curve if you're a long time detectorist. I can move along at a good speed until I get a positive signal than I must slow down and carefully check it with slow swings.

My Sovereign air tests extremely well and does excellent in ground. That IRON MASK and AUTO sensitivity are worth more than gold. The notch works perfectly and sure knocks out those pesky broken tabs.

Before the GT I could dig a dozen nails every trip. Since the GT I've dug zero nails! I find that a real time/energy saver.

I'd say the Explorer II (once learned) should even be better. I've been told it gets a good 3 inches more depth than the GT on a silver quarter. But the GT gets about 11 inches on a buried quarter so that's not bad.

No, there's no doubt about it, Minelab's the company but many others will also make great finds. That Tejon, MXT, Deleon, DFX, Nautilus IIB, F-75, Ace 250, BH, etc., ...man! There are loads of great machines out there! But a few have those extra bonus points like strong iron discrimination and extra depth.

Badger
 

OP
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joseramon

Greenie
May 6, 2006
10
0
Thanks to everyone for your posts. I finally bought a Minelab EXPLORER II. Ive had 4 detectors before this one, and I can say that this oneis with difference the best one. Its completely different compared with ounty Hunter or Garret. Its a mini-pc. The first I used it I found a gold ring, but i think it was just luck, (I think I could also find that ring with the land ranger). Anyway, I have two detectors now, but I only use Explorer II
 

hollowpointred

Gold Member
Mar 12, 2005
6,871
56
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE/Garrett GTI 2500/ Ace 250
joseramon said:
Thanks to everyone for your posts. I finally bought a Minelab EXPLORER II. Ive had 4 detectors before this one, and I can say that this oneis with difference the best one. Its completely different compared with ounty Hunter or Garret. Its a mini-pc. The first I used it I found a gold ring, but i think it was just luck, (I think I could also find that ring with the land ranger). Anyway, I have two detectors now, but I only use Explorer II

congrats on the explorer! it takes a while to learn but it is without a doubt one of the finest machines you can buy.
 

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