Etrac vs. Explorer???

[bottlebum]

John Deere.........

 

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[tinpan]

the results of modern minelab technology with a learning curve of 12 months


tinpan Buy New

 

[tinpan]

keep an open mind and use your eye theres often other treasure that MDS cannot find scattered around sites

 

[bottlebum]

Nice finds Tinpan. I really like the old stoneware, ginger bottles etc.

 

[Digger]

I don't know about the first Explorers but I had the Explorer SE and it was not in the same class as the E-Trac. The E-Trac pulled 40 some old coins from the very same spot the SE had stopped producing. The E-Trac was also much more stable.

Of course you always have those that feel their 15 year detector beats the pants off everything made since. What ya going to do, some folks were made to drive a model T, and you'll never convince them there is anything better.

 

[Iron Patch]

I don't know about the first Explorers but I had the Explorer SE and it was not in the same class as the E-Trac. The E-Trac pulled 40 some old coins from the very same spot the SE had stopped producing. The E-Trac was also much more stable.

Of course you always have those that feel their 15 year detector beats the pants off everything made since. What ya going to do, some folks were made to drive a model T, and you'll never convince them there is anything better.

Sounds like the SE had a problem either tech. or user related.

 

[Digger]

Sounds like the SE had a problem either tech. or user related.

Ya that would be my excuse.

I'm sure it had nothing to do with a faster processor or upgraded software.

I've always felt my old 486 running Windows 3.0 was better than what they make today as well. It's just few other people realize it. Or agree with me.

 

[Iron Patch]

Sounds like the SE had a problem either tech. or user related.

Ya that would be my excuse.

I'm sure it had nothing to do with a faster processor or upgraded software.

I've always felt my old 486 running Windows 3.0 was better than what they make today as well. It's just few other people realize it. Or agree with me.

My excuse or your excuse? It appears you don't even use a Minelab so I think my 10 STRAIGHT years of ONLY using Minelabs probably (most likely) .... (no, without a doubt) makes me MUCH more qualified to understand ANYTHING about these more than YOU! Now put that in your 486 and process it!

 

[stasys]

if exporer se was with slim coil and your new etrac with pro -should be some different, put pro on explorer and check. personally dont have anything against etrac, just think its not very big improvements from explorer to pay more then used explorer. and again heavy like train. but if you DIGGER feel happy for your new etrac I can be happy toooo twice, to compensate Iron Patch

 

[Digger]

My Se had the PRO coil. The SE was a great detector without a doubt, but for me the E-Trac was better.

No I didn't have 10 years with the SE and I don't have 10 years with the E-Trac, but my personal experience has been years of experience doesn't equate to all-knowing-expert. I have a hunting buddy I have hunted with for at least 25 years who is about as good as you can get with his detector. He's just not real quick with new detectors. He saw me pulling deep coins out of a place we thought was clean, and when he checked the same target with his old faithful, he got nothing so he bought an E-Trac.

It took me several weeks before the SE started producing from hard hit sites, and that was just getting to know those iffy signals. The E-Trac was pulling hands full of old coins from the same spot from day one.

 

[Deepdiger60]

One of the guys out here has both detectors he says the only difference is a USB cord and price he,s been detecting 30 years and loves his Explorer over anything else Dd60

 

[stasys]

possible with discrimination etrac better or much more better, but how about without discrimination? what is different?

 

[Digger]

A few months back we decided to put a theory of mine to the test and drive to a nearby city that fit the same criteria for tot lots as our home town. While we were there we first ran into a older gent that was hinting a baseball field with an old battered Explorer II. This think looked like it had gotten plenty of use. Lots of ware and taped up stem. He told us he's been hunting around this town for 30 years. When I asked about the tot lots his answer was he don't hunt them because they would only hold kids stuff. Hum, 30 years huh? He may be very good with his detector, but clearly he's not very knowledgeable about some areas of detecting. And no he doesn't look just for old coins. He considered finding jewelry "icing on the cake"

At the next tot lot we found an older couple with 25 year old Garrett's. They hunted mostly tot lots and say they've found a fair amount of jewelry over their "30 years" of metal detecting. Nice couple, but boy had they missed a lot of gold. I paid for my new detector that day just from the gold I found at the tot lots in that city. Most of it had been there for quite some time.

The E-Trac has a faster processor and upgraded software/firmware for sure. It does take a rocket scientist to understand what that CAN achieve. It of course doesn't guarantee better results for everyone, but I think it's hard to deny(with a straight face) that the potential is there for the person willing to understand and use it.

I think most of these people who are firm users of older technology are right as far as they go. They are much better with their old faithful than any new machine. I also believe if they were to dedicate the time and effort they put into their old faithful into a newer machine, they'd find they were only fooling themselves.

I'm not trying to be rude or disrespectful I'm simply telling it like it is because I was there once. I thought my Eagle Spectrum was the best machine ever made, even when I tried newer machines. Luckily common sense got the better of me and I took the time to give newer technology a chance. It kick the butt of my old faithful. The good part is I'm back to finding lots of goodies from the places my old faithful had stopped producing from.

 

[stasys]

digger you are real persuasive believer or maybe you sell minelab?, good luck in your business, i wish you good luck to found gold. personally i never wanted to say all you stupid why you buy etrac... its good detector and even better then explorer,but my point was, why to spend 1500$ if its not big different from explorer in design ergonomic and performance and heavy like train? your explanation is not very believable. Digger borrow me for month or two your etrac and i will try? I live in lithuania I can pay shipping

 

[Digger]

As far as my experience with comparing the SE and the E-Trac this is what I feel.

I sold my SE mainly because of weight. I could only swing it for a few hours before my back was done. I hunted with 2 buddies and I had to go so slow they were always done and waiting on me. I found it did go deeper than my DFX, but not by enough to make it worth the points I didn't like, plus my jewelry count went to crap. I can swing the E-Trac all day with no back problems. Although I still move slower than my buddies with the E-Trac it's not near as bad. I can return back to my hard hit city park and pull handfuls of old coins on every trip with the E-Trac. I've found more gold in the first month with the E-Trac than I found the entire time I owned my SE.

If these are not concerns for you then I see no point in upgrading.

 

[bottlebum]

E-Trac= Sovereign GT with display and larger coil with better target separating capabilities.

 

[tmanfromtexas]

explorer or etrac? in my opinion if you have money and before never used explorer buy etrac, but if you have explorer and use it without discrimination, stay with it and spend money for something else. before I was thinking too, how to get etrac, but after investigating some time in this mater decided to stay with my explorer xs. why I think sou? firstly etrac cost! it cost to to much! should be 700$ max, because its still improved explorer but not separate new invention and still heavy like hell! they changed handle angle,control panel with faster processor-but not much faster?? etrac still nuling?and coil. I cant really dont understand why they decided to go so short ? design from 1999 then s and xs was introduced! still 8 AA battery? still the same upper aluminum and lower carbon fiber rod with heavy and bulky plastic end for coil bolt? and all this construction with questionable conections?8AA battery 250g. if it can be just 100g. --even with the same battery case--why they not use new types battery like lithium-ion and other new type like in self phone or new electronics? coil a bit lighter and a bit deeper, but not so much lighter and so much better that etrac cost 1500$.
Iron Patch you very angry man

Not at all, and go check 99.9% of my posts. But if I say it you can believe I 1000% mean it and won't regret it! How's that for angry?

PS.... Haven't you caught on that making little changes is what makes the most money because many people rush to by the latest model. It's been going on as long as I've used an explorer which is pushing 10 years now. It's not about anything but $$$! So there's really no tough questions.

I can tell.....someone needs an E-Trac

No, I just need some sites that aren't beat quiet!

Just wondering... is that from just this year or the last 10 years? TMAN...

 

[Iron Patch]

explorer or etrac? in my opinion if you have money and before never used explorer buy etrac, but if you have explorer and use it without discrimination, stay with it and spend money for something else. before I was thinking too, how to get etrac, but after investigating some time in this mater decided to stay with my explorer xs. why I think sou? firstly etrac cost! it cost to to much! should be 700$ max, because its still improved explorer but not separate new invention and still heavy like hell! they changed handle angle,control panel with faster processor-but not much faster?? etrac still nuling?and coil. I cant really dont understand why they decided to go so short ? design from 1999 then s and xs was introduced! still 8 AA battery? still the same upper aluminum and lower carbon fiber rod with heavy and bulky plastic end for coil bolt? and all this construction with questionable conections?8AA battery 250g. if it can be just 100g. --even with the same battery case--why they not use new types battery like lithium-ion and other new type like in self phone or new electronics? coil a bit lighter and a bit deeper, but not so much lighter and so much better that etrac cost 1500$.
Iron Patch you very angry man

Not at all, and go check 99.9% of my posts. But if I say it you can believe I 1000% mean it and won't regret it! How's that for angry?

PS.... Haven't you caught on that making little changes is what makes the most money because many people rush to by the latest model. It's been going on as long as I've used an explorer which is pushing 10 years now. It's not about anything but $$$! So there's really no tough questions.

I can tell.....someone needs an E-Trac

No, I just need some sites that aren't beat quiet!

Just wondering... is that from just this year or the last 10 years? TMAN...

If I could do that every year I'd open my own museum. So yes, 10 years worth. But that definitely isn't all of it. All my coins are in the picture, but 99% of my buttons aren't... the rest are mostly plain ones which would number in the thousands. That's my better iron except for maybe a few pieces, and there would have been many misc. iron relics. What really would have added to the picture is if I had included every misc. relic... meaning if it was actually something, and not just melted lead or a piece of brass. That would be a lot of stuff and all added up I probably could have took a 2nd similar picture.

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Just wondering... is that from just this year or the last 10 years? TMAN...
[/quote]


If I could do that every year I'd open my own museum. So yes, 10 years worth. But that definitely isn't all of it. All my coins are in the picture, but 99% of my buttons aren't... the rest are mostly plain ones which would number in the thousands. That's my better iron except for maybe a few pieces, and there would have been many misc. iron relics. What really would have added to the picture is if I had included every misc. relic... meaning if it was actually something, and not just melted lead or a piece of brass. That would be a lot of stuff and all added up I probably could have took a 2nd similar picture.
[/quote]

Thats a nice haul. I dont look for relics or buttons much in the area I hunt. I mostly look for coins and silver jewelry. I have been using an etrac since September of 2008. I have pulled 397 silver coins, over 2000 wheaties, 27 indians and 16 silver rings during that time. I know some Explorer users that have similar totals that have been using them for years. This was my first Minelab so I cant compare the different models but I do know that once you learn your machine, no matter what kind of Minelab, you will be successful. TMAN...

 

[Iron Patch]

Just wondering... is that from just this year or the last 10 years? TMAN...

If I could do that every year I'd open my own museum. So yes, 10 years worth. But that definitely isn't all of it. All my coins are in the picture, but 99% of my buttons aren't... the rest are mostly plain ones which would number in the thousands. That's my better iron except for maybe a few pieces, and there would have been many misc. iron relics. What really would have added to the picture is if I had included every misc. relic... meaning if it was actually something, and not just melted lead or a piece of brass. That would be a lot of stuff and all added up I probably could have took a 2nd similar picture.
[/quote]

Thats a nice haul. I dont look for relics or buttons much in the area I hunt. I mostly look for coins and silver jewelry. I have been using an etrac since September of 2008. I have pulled 397 silver coins, over 2000 wheaties, 27 indians and 16 silver rings during that time. I know some Explorer users that have similar totals that have been using them for years. This was my first Minelab so I cant compare the different models but I do know that once you learn your machine, no matter what kind of Minelab, you will be successful. TMAN...
[/quote]


You've done great for silver! The nature of the sites I hunt don't allow numbers remotley close to that, and just hitting 5-10 is a good year, but when they do show they are usually pretty good.

My silver count wasn't too bad back in the beginning but I'm no where close to your total. I'd probably be lucky to have 200.