The T2 performs well, is very light and you can cover ground quicker with it. The Minelab has the greater learning curve if you want to get the best out of it, isn't the best weight/balance wise, though the E-Trac is better. Searching a set area of land takes longer which could lead to less finds at the end of the day.
When it comes to wet salt beaches the Minelab has a marked advantage over almost all single frequency detectors including the T2. The T2 can be made to work on the wet but not as well as 2,3 or multifrequency detectors.
I always feel the T2 is the more fragile of the two especially if used with a bigger coil. Both machines had build/design problems in the early years that have largely been solved in the last few years. With an older Explorer I think you should budget to buy either the later Minelab Pro coil or a SEF coil which will add to costs.
As to which is best, in Europe many have both an Explorer and a faster recovery speed single frequency detector such as a T2, F75, XP Goldmaxx or Deus. Their respective strengths and drawbacks compliment each other.
