Think of buying a Minelab E-trac. Looking for opinions.

[rustyman9791]

I just started MD ing about a month ago and I'm loving it. I have been looking at the Minelab E-trac. If not the E-trac then what detector would you suggest? Right now I'm using a Bounty Hunter Landstar.

 

[Keppy]

Fisher puts out a good detector ... so does Garrett ... and Tesoro..and Whites.... the problem with Minelabs is there service is the worst it is bad takes for ever...... And they are not a product made in the USA..........If you are a made in the USA person then Minelab is not for you.......But then you see one's that say i only buy made in USA products and then you see them with something not made in the USA or driving in to Walmart.......

 

[NJ Marty]

Fisher puts out a good detector ... so does Garrett ... and Tesoro..and Whites.... the problem with Minelabs is there service is the worst it is bad takes for ever...... And they are not a product made in the USA..........If you are a made in the USA person then Minelab is not for you.......But then you see one's that say i only buy made in USA products and then you see them with something not made in the USA or driving in to Walmart.......

I started with 3 of the above mentioned made in the USA detectors,Whites was by far the best. Then I met my soon to be friend on an outing, he was using something made in Australia and kicked my but with it. I gave him one more outing against my best oregon made machine and kicked it even worse. I have gotten used to the minelabs starting with the xs and now have the etrac and did learn the minelabs well.
All the machines are good but some are better at sniffing out goddies in trash which is where I hunt.

 

[AdDicted2Ag]

I just started MD ing about a month ago and I'm loving it. I have been looking at the Minelab E-trac. If not the E-trac then what detector would you suggest? Right now I'm using a Bounty Hunter Landstar.

Etrac all the way.. From the first hunt, i completely fell in love..

 

[jeff of pa]

sorry no Political statements saying buy american from me.
no suspect putdowns on Minelab service from me either.

just the simple truth as I see & believe it.

going from bounty hunter to e-trac may be a culture shock.
actually going from anything other then an Explorer to an e-trac may be a culture shock

I have the Explorer SE

to Explain, I had the Explorer XS, was too complicated for my brain at first, didn't give it time & sold it.
then I was given a brand new Explorer 2. again was too complicated for my brain at first, didn't give it time & sold it.
recently received a new Explorer SE Pro am now starting to love it

the e-trac is an Explorer with extra features, & for it's price probably the best out there.

if you buy one as i said, be prepared for the culture shock, & once you learn it, have a long digger,
for the deep holes you'll need to dig for silver

(I was not a happy camper first time out with the Explorer series, they are very sensitive to everything,
and in high trash & goodies areas can overwhelm )

 

[treasurehound]

Call Woodland Detectors as he has a new Etrac still in the box with full warranty for an unbelievable price. I wish I had the money right now or I would have it. You will have to call before Thursday as Mike is going in for surgery and will be laid up for a few days.

 

[Mzjavert]

I've never used minelab machines. But one piece of advice is to read the operator's manuals for every machine you are considering. If the manual makes your brain hurt, then move onto another machine.

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_nf=1&gs_mss=minelab%20e-trac%20forum%20operat&tok=8h8ar4n8ZA5-zZOA2VPNtg&pq=minelab%20e%20trac%20forum%20owners%20manual&cp=16&gs_id=45&xhr=t&q=minelab+e+trac+owners+manual&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=minelab+e+trac+%5Cowners+manual&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=fc6f3bda556a6947&biw=1024&bih=537&bs=1

The first link is a pdf for the manual.

 

[rustyman9791]

Thanks that helps out a lot.

 

[SusanMN]

Not sure what your current detector weighs but e-tracs are one of the heavier detectors. I'd love to own one, but its just way too heavy for me.

 

[Johnlightning]

Etrac is the way to go. Have the finds to prove it from "hunted out sites". If your pocket book allows the new 3030 is a very nice machine.

 

[gleaner1]

You can't beat an Etrac with a ten foot stick. Well, you could actually, but you probably wouldn't.

 

[Sandman]

I like to learn all the detectors and try to offer help to others when I can. For me the fun is in the learning, but I can't seem to wrap my brain around the V3i. It must be age or having too many detectors and so don't need to learn all the menu's. I have my favorites and now they lean more toward the lighter weight ones or just the water detectors.

 

[hikeinmts]

I have the Minelab Sovereign Elite. The best detector I have ever owned, and I have been hunting for almost 40 years. I have owned a Garretts, several
Whites, and several other brands. All good/very good detectors. You got to practice and learn your machine. But, with the Elite's 13 inch head, I had
to buy a new SHOVEL to dig deep enough to get to my finds. (OK OK....exaggerating a little.) But, it goes so much deeper than any I have ever had. And,
I thought that I would lose some of the very small metal things with the large head.....not so. Need the smaller head for nugget hunting. But, for coins/
rings/etc.....the 13 inch does the job.
All the big name detector companies got to be big names, because they put out quality outfits. My Elite just is the best that I have owned. (BTW, I live/
hunt in South Korea. Some areas, so full of scrap.....other areas, very scrap-free.)

 

[Gator01]

ETrac is not bad, a bit heavy,and its not hard to start off with it. Dont know what type of detecting you do but it has its ups and down just like the rest of them and is a general purpose detector like the rest of them.
Like I said, it has its pros and cons. It hits good on silver and I love its screen, and it is very good at iding deeper coins.
But,I also like other machines just as much as my ETrac, I dont salt water hunt so I cant go there. I like to relic hunt, so that involves hunting in spots loaded with all sorts of old iron. I didnt find I like the ETrac in that sort of hunt, I had problems with a lot of iron false signals (even with smaller coils on board). I like a faster responding machine, which so far , I have enjoyed the Fisher F75se, and there are others also suited for this type of hunting.
When I park hunt (for coins,not jewelry) or old house hunt in town, loaded with modern as well as old trash, I grab the ETrac and a small coil. The Pro Coil is good at seperating, but, a small coil is best in nasty spots.
Whatever you do, read the manual and give it a lot of hours to learn in the field.
Im sorta like Sandman,Im liking units that weigh less. I dont think Minelab listens to any of its customers as they have been screaming less weight for years now,lol.
Good luck,
John

 

[wwace]

Call Woodland Detectors as he has a new Etrac still in the box with full warranty for an unbelievable price. I wish I had the money right now or I would have it. You will have to call before Thursday as Mike is going in for surgery and will be laid up for a few days.

Highly recommend Woodland, the Etrac is a great detector, but is very complicated so you must put in the time to learn it. If you want something easy get a Garret AT Pro, great powerful detector for the cost and easy to learn.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

People talk about the weight of a detector, for $20 you can get a good shoulder harness to use hunting, it takes at least 75% of the weight off your arm and puts it on your chest which has no problem supporting it....... I hunt with a harness all the time now, it is second nature............

 

[Grizzly13]

I personally have a E-trac and a garrett 2500 both are wonderful machines, although I admit I use the E-trac almost exclusivily. As far as the weight, come on my grandmother use to use a old goldmaster that must have been ten pounds , three times as much as the newer generations of MD's and she never complained. Other then being fisically handi capped they should be ashamed. Ya know what they say " use it or lose it " maybe if they would have, they could handle three pounds now. There are many good MD's out there, its how well you get to know your equipment. No matter what machine you have they can't find goodies without us !

 

[CoinFetcher]

E-TRAC minelab World's Best Metal Detection Technologies BRAND NEW

Is this the latest version? Are their older, less desirable Etracs?

I found my first silver, and want to upgrade.

 

[Johnlightning]

Etrac is a great machine. I love to hunt in hunted out sites with mine. Ctx 3030 is now the big brother to it with a price tag to match. Get an etrac, learn it and be the talk of the detector club with your finds.