Making a change from my E-trac--Looking at options

[chiefdanaho]

Hey guys and gals, hope all is well today,

First of all I would like to say that Im NOT lookign for somebody to tell me what to buy, ultimately I will make my own decision..I am also not looking to start any pee pee contests about what is deeper on a peso inside a tuna can etc..I am asking for opinions and expert advice from what I think is the best detectorists in the world, treasurenet folks..
I bought my e-trac 4 years ago and could not have been any happier..It done everything I had ever wanted in a detector..But last july I had to finally put it down..It got to a point where I could not swing it an hour before my back starting killing me down my lower left side..I would wait a few days, feel better, go back out, and crawl back in the bed afterward..So finally,like I said,last july I just quit the hobby that I loved so much.. Well, anyway a few nights ago my 3 year old son came to me with my pro pointer{which i let him play with because he loves to find the nails in the floor} and said "daddy, we metal detect?" and that was it..So I am looking for a detector that has got power but is also light weight...
I hunt for coins/relics in -parks-churches-home sites etc..
I am in the peidmont region of north carolina
I NEVER beach hunt
I never water hunt
a Learning curve of a few months is fine, im very patient

I am selling my etrac, so my budget would be the cash from that plus i can put another $500- $600 in for necessary accesories..
Since I havent been in the market for a detector in a few years I havent looked at any others and therefore are way behind the curve on whats what but just off the bat Im looking at the t2 f75 or maybe the xpdeus or even something else im missing
Any and all input is GREATLY APPRECIATED,

thanks so much,
Ellis

 

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[Iron Patch]

Without question, in your shoes I'm going XP Deus! Never used one, but I like what I see. Getting away from Minelab I think most of what's left are similar, similar in that they are more alike to each other, than they are to Minelab, And my pick would be the Deus.

 

[Ism]

I have a sovereign. Its not an E-trac but my back would kill me after an hour or so swinging it.
I got the XP Deus. Glad I did. Plenty deep with the 11" coil and no more back pain.

 

[chiefdanaho]

Without question, in your shoes I'm going XP Deus! Never used one, but I like what I see. Getting away from Minelab I think most of what's left are similar, similar in that they are more alike to each other, than they are to Minelab, And my pick would be the Deus.

As always IP, I value your opinion and experience on anything related to this hobby..I am real sorry if you are having these same type of issues, there has been nothing more frustrating for me..
The xp deus looks to me like its technology is advanced enough to last a few years, which makes it attractive to me,Much like the first minelabs..Imo , even to this day,my first explorer would still be very,very close in performace to my etrac.. I consider that, getting my hard earned dollars worth..
I have always had an open mind though and am not brand loyal , i dont care what it is or who makes it or where it comes from, as long as it works for me and I feel I am getting value for my coin..
thanks

 

[chiefdanaho]

Im glad you got a solution Ism..
I started to swing left handed instead of right for awhile..Did you ever try that? It didnt work for me..I guess it was just the stress of the weight..

 

[Iron Patch]

As always IP, I value your opinion and experience on anything related to this hobby..I am real sorry if you are having these same type of issues, there has been nothing more frustrating for me..
The xp deus looks to me like its technology is advanced enough to last a few years, which makes it attractive to me,Much like the first minelabs..Imo , even to this day,my first explorer would still be very,very close in performace to my etrac.. I consider that, getting my hard earned dollars worth..
I have always had an open mind though and am not brand loyal , i dont care what it is or who makes it or where it comes from, as long as it works for me and I feel I am getting value for my coin..
thanks

I'm ok for right now, but have problems with both arms currently. It's more of an issue for me at the gym than detecting, but if it turns out to be a chronic thing and gets worse I very well might be right there with you.

 

[Jason in Enid]

The Deus is feather-light, lightning fast, and loved by everyone I know who swings one. If the E-Trac is too much to swing, I recommend the XP!

 

[chiefdanaho]

The Deus is feather-light, lightning fast, and loved by everyone I know who swings one. If the E-Trac is too much to swing, I recommend the XP!

Thanks jason, I highly value your insight as well..Holy moly that thing is light, i think my x-1 probe weighed that much lol..

I will tell you what though, there is no better feeling than hearing that wobble type sound from 2 directions and looking down at a 12-47 with the depth meter buried...

thanks ellis

 

[Ism]

Yeah Chief, I would use the other arm for a while and got fairly good with it, but always found myself subconsciously switching back to my dominant arm.
Using the other arm was mostly for when my shoulder would hurt. It helped the back some but not for long. I know I could have hip mounted the Sov, but I hate being tethered.

 

[fella]

T2, F70, F75, Deus, Vaquero, Tejon

You really can't go wrong with any of em. They're all lightweight, they're all deep, they all have good reputations, they all find great stuff from those that use em.

The Deus I had was great machine (once we got the mfg defected parts replaced). Just wasn't for me. I couldn't come to grips with the tones no matter how they were adjusted. The problem for me was how clipped the tones were. They lack a certain smoothness. Because of that, everything sounded like junk to me. To bad too because other than that it was a good machine. Light, easy to learn, fast, powerful and good disc. Little on the pricy side.

I'd bet the Vaquero was just as deep or deeper when supertuned, great disc, easy to set up & learn. If you can deal with single tone and thumbing disc knob (I'm not a big fan), the Tesoros offer the best value of any detector. Made in the USA and great customer service.

Top end First Texas machines. Again some of the best balanced machine on the market. Lightweight, as powerful as anything out there (vlf's). I like the idea of the added iron resolution of the T2 (I work a lot of iron infested sites). Never used a FT machine I didn't like…except a couple of cheap Bounty Hunters.

You REALLY don't need to spend the whole bankroll to get the same performance you are use to. Any one of those machines will do the job and some for much cheaper.

 

[chiefdanaho]

T2, F70, F75, Deus, Vaquero, Tejon

You really can't go wrong with any of em. They're all lightweight, they're all deep, they all have good reputations, they all find great stuff from those that use em.

The Deus I had was great machine (once we got the mfg defected parts replaced). Just wasn't for me. I couldn't come to grips with the tones no matter how they were adjusted. The problem for me was how clipped the tones were. They lack a certain smoothness. Because of that, everything sounded like junk to me. To bad too because other than that it was a good machine. Light, easy to learn, fast, powerful and good disc. Little on the pricy side.

I'd bet the Vaquero was just as deep or deeper when supertuned, great disc, easy to set up & learn. If you can deal with single tone and thumbing disc knob (I'm not a big fan), the Tesoros offer the best value of any detector. Made in the USA and great customer service.

Top end First Texas machines. Again some of the best balanced machine on the market. Lightweight, as powerful as anything out there (vlf's). I like the idea of the added iron resolution of the T2 (I work a lot of iron infested sites). Never used a FT machine I didn't like…except a couple of cheap Bounty Hunters.

You REALLY don't need to spend the whole bankroll to get the same performance you are use to. Any one of those machines will do the job and some for much cheaper.

Hey Fella,
thanks for info..The T2 is being seriously considered since its possible that I could pick up a used unit..The f70-75 looks just like the t2 also, do you know what,if any, differences there are that may not be showing up on paper? thank you very much

 

[TNGUNS]

chief danaho,

I hear lots of great stuff on the Deus. Ed at Treasure Mountain has some vids on his site if I am not mistaken. They are extremely light and have great ergonomics but I can honestly say I haven't tried one yet, but have heard many great reviews. I hunt with a T2 Teknetics and love the detector. The ergonomics are the best I have actually used and couldn't be more pleased with the performance. If I were hunting a mixed bag of relics and old home sites I give the T2 edge with it's wider range of iron discrimination. If coins are the primary target the F75 would be my top pick. Feel sure my post is just a repeat of what your investigations have already lead to, but just wanted to reinforce that as a user of the T2 with over 20 years at the hobby it is the first detector I have owned that I have been totally pleased with.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You can put a harness on it for $25.. I have been using a harness for 6 years....






American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......

 

[fella]

Hey Fella,
thanks for info..The T2 is being seriously considered since its possible that I could pick up a used unit..The f70-75 looks just like the t2 also, do you know what,if any, differences there are that may not be showing up on paper? thank you very much

They all share the same basic architecture and all have similar performance with like coils. The T2 & 75 have a trigger PP whereas the 70 has a button. The 70 came out later than the 75 and probably has benefited in the tweaking of the programing.

Hopefully Woof will chime in on this.

However there are plenty of topics re: these vary machines that can keep you busy for some time.

 

[dirtscratcher]

I have the t2 and am very happy with it, the only thing that makes me wish I had bought the f75 is they make a sunray probe for the f75 and not the t2.

 

[steve1357]

They all share the same basic architecture and all have similar performance with like coils. The T2 & 75 have a trigger PP whereas the 70 has a button. The 70 came out later than the 75 and probably has benefited in the tweaking of the programing.

Hopefully Woof will chime in on this.

However there are plenty of topics re: these vary machines that can keep you busy for some time.

imho, when the F70 came out with its DE-default and SL-boost modes, it was hotter than the F75/T2 being produced. After discovering the issue, they started building T2/F75 models with "boost" mode. I have a F70 and F75LTD (boost mode).

One difference for me is the F75 has a ground balance you can adjust while the F70 is only ground balanced by pressing the ground grab button and pumping the coil. And I like the functions using the trigger switch.

Depth is about the same as far as I can tell between the two.

 

[chiefdanaho]

thanks everybody,
very helpful..Ive done numerous searches and watched a few vids but NOTHING beats in hands expierence from EXPIERENCED users, and I am gratefull..
Ill update when I make a decision..

 

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

Like you, I had an E-trac that caused back pain to the point of my not wanting to use the machine at all. This spring I decided to trade it in for something else and ended up getting a Whites V3i and a CTX 3030 (I also traded in a Tek G2). I decided on the CTX because I do like to hunt the beaches (salt water) - but was worried about the balance of the machine (given my experience with the E-trac).

I bought the Pro-swing harness thinking I'd need something to counter the balance of the two machines (both seem to weigh about the same as the E-trac) but haven't needed the harness for the intended purpose. I do use the harness though - as I find it an easy way to carry everything else I use when detecting (I just don't use the rods and don't connect the detector to the harness).

Despite the weights being close to the same for all 3 machines, I've found the V3i and the CTX to be much easier to swing (with no back pain). I think they are balanced better (compared to the E-trac) and both are very capable machines.

I do wish I had kept the G2 - it was very light, fast, and simple to use - but I could not be more pleased with the two machines I ended up getting. I mention the G2 because it is a machine that I suspect would work very well for your intended purposes and it is very light weight. Another, much less expensive, option is the Tek Euro Pro; it's very inexpensive, very light weight and seems to be a very capable machine. I bought one for my wife and have used it only a few times, but I am quite impressed with it thus far.

Best of luck in your quest for the right machine and good hunting!!

 

[NeilinFR]

Garrett AT Gold or AT Pro w/8" coil.
Real nice machines and fun to use.

 

[skarmajunga]

Op
im in the same boat as you, what did you end up getting ?