A bit disappointed in Minelab

[Don in SJ]

I wrote to Minelab back in early October, expressing my concern about the SE coil and that all the complaints that I have heard on this and many other forums has me concerned enough that when I replace my over 7 years old Explorer XS in 2008, that I was hoping the SE coil issue would be resolved, and I do sincerely believe there is an issue.

Well, I have gotten no reply, acknowledgement, nothing from Minelab, maybe that is their policy, but it would have been nice to hear some type of reply concerning the coil complaint issues.

I really think they bowed to pressure from all complaining about the weight and that is where the weight was in the original coil, so they lightened that to advertise a lighter detector but I think they gave up long lasting reliable good coil to do so.

The complaints were never such when the original came out or the EXII, only the cracked housing issue on the original XS was a major topic, but never performance. I am a heavy brush hunter, so I sure liked the original coils that are built like a tank and last for a long time...........

I won't go into details of what I said in my letter, but the way it looks now, unless there is a change in the SE, I will not be pursing a new Minelab in 2008.

Don in South Jersey

 

[bleeohio]

From reading your post, it doesn't sound like you have tried the new coil style. I have one, two hunting buddies have the se also. We all come from the previous expl.s so we have that experience. None of us have had any coil problems that i saw stated by a few early on. We have even compared with the expl 2's and really no difference as far as i can see. I actually like the new coil better, if its lighter i can't tell, but it is a tad smaller. To be honest i haven't seen anything from the se that i don't think the 2 can't do, but , if you want the latest i guess thats the route to go. Not sure why minelab hasn't answered you though, they are usually pretty good about that.. good luck..

 

[mattockman]

I second you on that one. I have been holding off on the SE purchase also....I definatly want a faster processor but am not ready to take the dip until I see this issue fixed. What I can't believe is the way Minelab can be such a leader in the detectors.....but have such issues as not so well built and cheap head phones, and weight and ergonomics of shaft. If I were the king cahoona of Minelab I would make sure it was the best before sending it out for the public to use. Just goes to show.....The Ark was built by the amatures......and the Titanic was built by the Professionals.......Hey that sounds familiar.....I like that quote!

 

[bleeohio]

If i never used a machine that someone said was junk, i wouldn't be detectin. Look, not tryin to stir the pot, but this happens on every new machine that i can think of. Some wild problems, not saying that there weren't a few bad coils in the bunch , there may have been. But by the same token, there are a lot of satisfied users also. I wouldn't base on what the se is over a few negative post. I know three se owners in my area, two have even switched coils from their expl.2's to see if there were any differences, none, and these guys know what they're doin. To me the difference between the 2 and the se are no where near the diff. between the xs and the 2. Although i hope no more se's come to this area I wouldn't talk anybody out of it because of the coil issue...jmho

 

[Mike Bearden]

I don't know why their emails seem to fall through the cracks but they DO !
Call and ask for Sandy and I'm sure that your questions WILL be answered to your satisfaction.
Minelab hasn't bowed to pressure or anything of the likes, they are dedicated to customer satisfaction and practice it on a daily basis.
Don't know if I'm reading your post right or not but from I get out of it you are a Explorer user and a POTENTIAL SE buyer .... correct ?
Call and ask for Sandy, you'll get results, she's a PRO and a class act ! ..... 1-888-517-2066

Oh yeah, I have thousands of Explorer field hours invested and can only give you my opinion of the new 10" coil on the SE .... I love it and it's every bit as good as the 10.5 where I hunt.
Mike

 

[JOHNNYBOY]

go to minelab site, click support. fill out support form. i e-mailed them and didn't receive an answer but when i filled out support form i heard from sandy (ask around,she's the best) the next day.i've done this on 3 occasions and always received prompt reply.....good luck...jb

 

[digitrich]

If neither of you have used an SE with the new Slimline coil, how would you know they're bunk?? Other than Nhbob's and Charles,New York posts; I can't remember anyone else who had problems with their SE coil. Now, I would definitely give Charle's opinion weight because hell, he builds coils for his Explorers, so here's a guy who definitely has a clue. I would ask him if his coil problems were resolved. I will tell you this much, if the other, I'll guess, 10,000 machines didn't have a problem with the Slimline 10, odds are You'll get a good one. Pretty good odds if you ask me. The other thing is the Slimline coil problems were on the very first few SE's made and seeing how the posts of people having coil problems dropped off the face of the planet in the last 6 months, I would assume Mine lab has addressed this issue; if it were ever an issue to begin with, which I, having two SE's and Two Slimline tens, have never had any such problems, and one of those SE's, was one of the first hundred made. I just got a Joey coil a short time ago that out of the box wasn't working right, I have to send it in for repair, but would that stop me from owning or purchasing another Coiltek coil, not as long as they fix it, no. I wouldn't let a couple of posted coil problems for the SE stop me from having VCO pinpointing and a faster recovery speed, especially since most your old coils will work with the new SE. And should you get a bad coil, which at this point, I would doubt, just send it in and get a good one. Or better yet, buy it from a local dealer and check it against his known working machine before you buy. Owning nearly 15 coils for my machines, I can tell you from experience, most coils on certain days, for some reason will false high when bumped on corn stalks and/or on a wet sand beach WHILE over iron. Especially if my gain is set above 7, my cover has dirt in it or if the soil is really saturated. But, that's with every coil I have and I own all of the ones that are available for the SE. The falsing if any is easy to tell from a real signal, because it doesn't repeat unless the soil is again very saturated and it's a very deep, bent rusted nail; which will happen with most Explorers at one time or another. So don't let others stop you from getting a better, faster Explorer... just remember, these same people are using their SE's while you're reading this, so I wouldn't give much weight to Slimline coil concerns.

 

[NH Bob]

First 2 machines were so erratic it was no fun to use them. Plus the screen started breaking up on the first one. Called Minelab and they said turn the Gain down to 3. (they were shooting in the dark to find a solution) That would really make for a deep seeking machine now wouldn't it.
When I got the third SE I also ordered the 1050 or stock coil for the XS II a short time later and used it on the SE. Every once in a while I put the Slimline on to be sure in my own mind that the problem was in the coils. I use the FBS 1050 when I'm not using the ML 800 and find it is a completely different machine. Much quieter and all around better performance.
The Slimline falses badly in wet grass. The Slimline should NOT be scuffed on the ground PER Manual. As it will cause falsing. The Slimline is more sensitive to outside interference and causes falsing.
The only way to combat these problems is to turn the sensitivity way down or change coils. Guess what my friends?
You keep on enjoying the slimline and I'll stay with the FBS 1050. If none of you experience the falsing issues, then more power to you.
These are just my thoughts and they make for a more professional and productive hunt.

 

[John LA]

Works okay with 3 other coils.

 

[Big Fang Coin Biter]

Probably the best example is beach hunting on Lake Michigan. With the Explorer II, I could run 32 sensitivity and rarely get a false signal. Sometimes if I was moving the coil in and out of the edge of the water, it would give a false.

With those settings on the SE, the Slimline would give lots of false signals anywhere near the waters edge. Quite a difference. I do admit I mostly use my Sun Ray 8" coil though. The beach is the last place I used the Slimline. My serial number is in the 5000's so I don't think it is a problem limited to the first runs.

I am sending in my SE into repair in hopes of getting a machine that will outperform the Explorer II. I used my SE for a season but never could trust the conductive tones like I did on the EII. Tried the EII again and realized that my SE sucks, comparatively speaking (that is $1000+ worth of sucking).

Send it back if it does not work properly - the thing is too expensive to not work perfect!

HH - BF

 

[Tinfoil]

I will be sending mine in also as soon as I get back to Louisiana from vacation. Been beach hunting and doing some testing on some machines and some different coils on different machines on this black sand beach I hunt. Maybe you can get the same depth with the SE at a lower sen. without the falsing. Just a thought. : : Jerry aka Tinfoil

 

[bleeohio]

Good move to send it in if you think you have a problem with it. That is what i didn't understand ,why someone would spend 1200bucks on a machine and not send it in if they thought they had a problem with it. Minelab will take care of it i'm sure. Another thing i'm seeing is, most are setting the SE up the same as their 2's and expecting the same results (myself included). I'm beginning to believe there are more differences between the two than just color. One , the presets are set higher than the 2, not sure if thats to give the illusion that it is hotter , or if it really is tweaked a little. I think that is the new trend in detectors, give you enough sens. to turn the grass brown if ya want... Anyways, good luck with the se

 

[NH Bob]

The SE has lots of new features. But the coil issue is a real issue for the serious treasure hunter. And it's not a petty issue. It needs resolving.

 

[bleeohio]

That you know of,, who knows what software changes have been made,I find it hard to believe minelab would put out a new machine with all eyes watching, and it would be the explorer2 with just a higher gain setting. If someone at minelab tells me thats the case, well , then i'll believe it. Till then i don't put much stock in most bashing post. As i said earlier, no problems with mine or the others that i know, But, if i did have a problem i hope it would be as simple as sending it in and getting it fixed. And i certainly wouldn't steer someone away from the Se because of a few coil problems...hh

 

[NH Bob]

COIL

 

[bleeohio]

I wouldn't be to sure about the number of minelabs owned either. And just because you've owned em doesn't mean you know all there is to know about them. I can't understand you say you went through 3 se's to get one? What did you do with the bad ones. Why not get the first one fixed if you knew it was faulty? Just because i don't post much doesn't mean squat, i don't have to toot my own horn every time i dig something, or act like i know everything there is to know about a machine. I bought a new eldorado a few years back, when i got it it wouldn't even power up. Does that make em junk? No , i got a bad one. Sent it in , got it fixed, used the hell out of it. End of story. Have a wonderful day....

 

[NH Bob]

You are absolutely right. 116 post means no more than 1400.
You probably have had more Minelab products than I have. Infact, you probably know a hell of a lot more than me about this hobby.
I might even venture to say that being God is more of a job than either one of us can handle.

 

[bleeohio]

I guess we will agree to disagree, thats all i have to say on the matter. People can make up their own minds. Good luck, (i'm givin you a cyber wedgie) I'm takin my ball and goin home.....

 

[NH Bob]

Someone told me once that chatting on the net is hard for everyone. We can't see body language or hear tone of voice.
I'll see you on the playground another day.

 

[JAB/Oregon]

n/t