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Explorer II or Safari???

JamesBondaka

JamesBondaka

Active member
Hello,

I trying to figure out which is better to buy and why. Can anyone give me some answers to this question. Thanks
 
Explorer II -- it has proved itself over and over again as the best Explorer of the Series (my opinion) The Safari is a simpler version of the E-Trac just like the Quattro was a simpler version of the Explorer. The Quatrro was nothing like an Explorer so I can only imagine that the Safari is nothing close to the E--Trac

So if the the Safari is not as good as the E-Trac and the E-Trac is not as good and the Explorer SE and the SE is not as good as the E2 (Very close just falses a bit more on deep iron) then I guess you can figure the rest out!! ;)

Just my opinion

Ron (CA)
 
Hi Ron! I enjoyed your use of hypothetical syllogism although I think you may have it backwards.....the SE > Exp II and E-Trac > SE ==> The E-Trac is the best machine of the series to date, although I agree that the Quattro and Safari are not the right choice :biggrin:
 
Yikes....thanks but I might more confused.....thanks for your opinions.......

Would you agree that the SE is faster than the exp II? I mean recovery speed not swing speed.

Thanks

:clapping: James
 
I have had both and It seems to me the recovery is a tad faster and I go just a bit deeper more consistently with the SE than the
EX-2 but it appears I dig significantly more deep rusty nails and "ghost" signals with the SE . So I kind of traded one for the other .
I haven't used an E-Trac , Quatro or Safari so I can't comment on them .I got my SE in a great trade deal otherwise I would still be using my Explorer 2 . If I had more time to detect and a few more bucks I would have kept both or kept one and got an E-Trac . I think with a little more time on the SE I won't be digging quite as many nails .Wether you get an SE or an EX-2 the Pro coil greatly
enhances the performance .

H H ,
George
 
The Quattro was a very slow recovery speed, but got great depth, the Safari is faster recovery and I would consider it more like the XS the First Explorer and from the reports on the frind of mine that has one and a XS says it is close to his XS. The Explorer II seems a bit faster recovery and has more options while the SE added a few more and seems to be a faster recovery yet in my opinion on using one. Then they added the Pro coil to the SE and called it the SE Pro which the coil made the SE even better. This same coil now comes on the Safari plus the E-Trac also which I find the best of them all for coin hunting. I like my E-Trac the best for my coin hunting while the SE or the Explorer II witht he Pro coil would be my second choice of the FBS detectors.The Safari for the price is also a good one for the price only if you dont need the back light or the ferrous numbers or rechargeable battery as it dont have them.
 
Thank guys for your comments and wisdom....you have helped me make my discision


Happy Hunting!:detecting:
 
Just my 2 cents worth, but I have the Explorer 2 and have never owned the Quattro or Safari, but I always hunt in Digital Mode where I get a digital reading in FE (Ferrous) from 00-31 and COND (Conductivity) also from 00-31. I find these numbers invaluable in helping me decide what is in the ground, and they play 1/2 the role in whether to dig. Sounds are also very important..... and I like having the choice whether to hunt with FE or COND sounds. I know the Quattro only gives you the COND set of numbers just like the early XS (So you are only getting 1/2 as much info as an Explorer.....) and I am not sure about the Safari....I believe it to be the same.

So, for me you get more bang for the buck with the Explorer 2.

HH either way!

:pulltab:
 
hello,

Thanks for the insite......all good knowledge to know....I will take anyones 2 cents.....in there head or on the ground.:detecting:
 
The E-Trac is a good machine--no doubt. I just did not see the need to learn a new machine that did not give me an advantage. yes it is quicker but I really did not feel that it would find me more targets. I compared hundreds of targets and feel that in the end my net finds would be the same with either machine. So I just went back to the Old Trusty Explorer.

---General comments aimed at no one in particualr----

Taking a new machine to a old spot and finding stuff is not enough to say it is a better machine.. I still take back the Explorer to sites that I have pounded and still fund stuff. Doesn't mean my Explorer all of a sudden got better between the hunts!! ;) It just means that there is still stuff in the ground that I have to pass the coil over, hear it and then determine that I want to dig it!! To many variables to say it is only the machine. Will the E-Trac do better in the iron-- maybe but it depends on who is using it and how they are using it.

You can give me the best golf clubs ever made and I still won't shoot par!! :)

Hey -- I tasted the Kool Aid too!! But I preferred my old drink!!

Ron
 
To be honest with you I have not had the time to use it very much at all. I liked the new egonomics and the fact that it has a PC interface...it would have been nice if they had come out with a machine that could go at least a couple inches deeper or sporting a fast Intel CPU that can run Java. I took some flack here when I bought the SE and reported here that I didn't think it out performed my trusty old XS. It seems there hasn't really been any significant improvement to the product line since 1999.....some spectral analysis in the user interface like what Whites is doing with the V3 would have been nice and if it had been done right on the E-Trac would have been a significant enhancement.
 
Ron, I usually do not comment too much on posts of this nature but your reply is right on!!!!!!!

Taking a new machine to a old spot and finding stuff is not enough to say it is a better machine.. I still take back the Explorer to sites that I have pounded and still fund stuff. Doesn't mean my Explorer all of a sudden got better between the hunts!! It just means that there is still stuff in the ground that I have to pass the coil over, hear it and then determine that I want to dig it!! To many variables to say it is only the machine. Will the E-Trac do better in the iron-- maybe but it depends on who is using it and how they are using it.

You can give me the best golf clubs ever made and I still won't shoot par!!

Hey -- I tasted the Kool Aid too!! But I preferred my old drink!!

Ron

I agree 100%, and of course I am still an original XS Explorer user, and my finds have been exceptional, year after year with the XS..............And yes I do go back to spots over and over again and do get pleasantly surprised every now and then.

Don
 
Hi Don! Yes you sure have made some excetional finds with your XS and as I mentioned I never thought my SE was really any better than my XS....but (and there always seems to be a big but :bouncy:) have you done a controlled side by side with the E-Trac to see if the E-Trac will perform even better for you? Of course, I understand that it's very hard to make a scientific comparison whenit comes to MD'ing in the field as the luck of putting your coil over a good target is involved. I have the ET, SE, and XS.....we should get together and give them a run for their money (no pun intended :thumbup:)
 
So you feel that quicker is not better? I to have done quite a bit of testing and have found several silver coins with the E-Trac that experienced SE users called iffy at best while I called them as silver dimes .This was side by side testing in the field and the dimes were in very heavy nails at around 8" depth.Pro coils on both machines.I have also found that my E-Trac is way more stable than the SE at most of my sights.If all else were exactly equal the ergonomics of the E-Trac over the SE would shift the ballance for me.
That being said I still have my SE with pro coil as backup.
I am also of the opinion that the EXII was better than the SE except for the improved pinpoint mode.As for the PC interface on the E-Trac,I could care less and mine has never been out of the package.
Of course this post is not doing much to answer the question that JamesBondaka posed at top of thread and for that I opologize,Ray.
 
Yes, I agree that just taking another detector or even the same detector to a previous site and finding thing doesnt have an accurate conclusion. It does tend to hint that something is better. Either another detector and/or settings is better or could be swing time or conditions of soil. The only way to come close to an accuate appraisal of a detector capabilities is to do a head to head test with various targets and to repeat them several times. Nothing is for sure in life...except for Hlllary Clinton to be on tv but I think this is close to getting the true view of a detectors colors...so to speak.
 
Thanks ray for noticing.....all knowledge is good!
 
Just so you know.....I considered all the information I received, read, watched videos, talked to companies and techs. For the money, I chose the Minelab SE. It has everything that the safari has and gives you more information.Yes, safari is easier but if you want easy...just go to the bank and get your coins there....and its not as dirty. Some might argue that its slower. than other brands...Im talking about recovery speed not swing speed. I dont care about swing speed because if really doesnt matter how fast you go....if your missing targets. Is it not better to be reasonablly through on detector objects in the ground, rather than how fast you can go and possibly miss targets. In lots of things...speed kills...I think this is one. Its possible that it could be faster than the safari too. Jury still out on that one. I had a friend to some test with his exp II. It was close to the safari and SE but slightly not as fast. . E trac could be better yet but considered the extra cost. I haven't seen anything credible that shows e track is greatly better.. I was slightly concerned about the age of some detectors..they might be great detectors but.....If you should need service for an older detector...there might be problems in getting it fixed from the manufacture. All things considered...I chose the SE. One thing to note....whatever the detector you have...with all the bells and whistles...the key is sound. Electronics dealing VID is greatly evolving but you need to listen. The sounds don't lie. I think its entirely possible with someone with reasonably good detector and good hearing, to out do someone with a really expensive detector or at least hold their own. I like the visuals but count on the audio and use visuals as back up.

I will be doing many head to head tests and will post my results.



Thanks




Viva La Diggo
 
Slight error in that....I consider the recovery speed to be extremely fast but swing speed could be slow....and thats fine with me.
 
Hi James,

Sounds like you really did your homework on this one and made a very reasoned decision on your choice of detectors based on your own factors -- good for you! I enjoyed reading about your thought process and would say that I agree with your choice of the SE since cost was a factor. Please consider getting the pro coil and the X-1 probe for it right off the bat and you'll have a much more enjoyable detecting experience. Best of luck with it -- I'm sure you'll really enjoy it!

Best, Erik
 
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