As a field tester for the X-Terras, I'd venture to say that I probably logged as many hours on them as nearly anyone has. And, when the new series came out, I bought a 705 for a couple reasons. I wanted sizing pinpoint so I could have TID in the pinpoint mode (opposed to using the Prospecting mode) and I was intrigued by the tracking GB offset. I liked to set my X-70 up a bit positive and thought having that capability in a tracking mode would be a plus. And, it is. I got my Etrac about 6 weeks ago. So I am by no means "fully educated" on it. I did, however, own several Explorers over the years and will say the Etrac is much better suited to my coinshooting needs. But is it better than the 705? I think it does separate targets better. I should say that it identifies those adjacent targets with more accuracy than the X-Terra (with it's conductive only readings). I also think that target separation is as much due to coil availability and the user as it is the detector itself. We all expect to sweep the Etrac slowly, allowing for excellent target separation. At $1500...... it better separate targets. For whatever reason, (price? weight? balance?), when most folks get ahold of an X-Terra, they sweep way too fast and don't overlap their sweeps nearly enough (for the concentric coils).
In response to your questions, yes I have used the X-70 and the X-705. And I did get an Etrac. But I still have the X-Terra and do not consider myself as having "moved on". Just like golf, it's just another tool in the bag. I have been using the X-705 and Etrac "side by side" during the past 6 weeks. I've been hunting some of the public places that have been beat to death over the years. I hunted these areas because I got the Etrac for it's target separation and depth capabilities. I could have taken any detector to a "virgin site" and it wouldn't prove a thing. In these parks, I've made a few nice finds that, for whatever reason, others have missed. (including myself with a multitude of detectors). But unlike some who get a new detector and put the old one in the closet, I take them both. First I'll hunt with the Etrac for 30 minutes, mark all the targets, and then confirm the targets with the 705. Then I'll hunt another area with the 705 and confirm the targets with the Etrac. So how did they do? Pretty much as I expected in that neither one found a target that the other one couldn't verify. So the question becomes..... did the Etrac snag a signal that the X-terra would have missed if I hadn't already known it's location? Possibly. But it wasn't because of depth as they both excel in the places I hunt. If for any reason, I believe it could be the slower sweep speed and addtional information on the display. So now the question becomes.... if you swept the 705 more slowly, and accepted the fact that you need to dig more of those irregular TID readings, could it keep up with the Etrac? With comparible coils, and using the multiple tones / all metal on the X-705, I believe it would. But those coil choices do not exist on the X-Terra. And again, people sweep too fast and don't overlap those concentric coils as they should.
Comparing two detectors........I have a theory....... we buy a new detector (such as Etrac) based on reviews and/or recommendations. When we have such a substantial investment, we are bound to pay more attention to details. We read all we can about it and in some cases, pull up a computerized model so that we know just how it will work when it arrives..........we take time to perform the Noise Cancel...... we sweep slowly and listen for all the tones...... we dig targets that we may have ignored with our previous detectors........ we overlap our swaths by at least 1/3 and usually by 1/2..........we run less discrimination that we might have with our other detectors, hoping to unmask those old coins.......... and we do all this to make sure we are getting the most out of our new detector. Did we do that with our last detector? Or did we become a bit complacent and just turn it on and go detecting? And if that is the case, is the Etrac foolproof enough to make sure that don't happen with it? With the Auto-Sensitivity, ground cancelling and preprogrammed hunt modes and quick mask, I think it just might be. And that ain't a bad thing! But for what they've proved to me, I'm keeping the Etac and the X-705! JMHO HH Randy
