I'm beginning to talk myself into buying an SE but some of the posts here are giving me pause...

[jbow]

Is there a problem with the new Explorer SE? I am now using a Sovereign GT, a T2, and a Tejon. Much of the ground here is really high in iron and trash so I was thinking of trying an SE to see if it will handle the iron better. I did not give a serious look at the EX II because of the weight but the SE look's to be a little lighter...
Should I wait a bit or what?

J

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

I did well with the Explorer II and am doing well with the SE. There is little to no weight difference...a little bit in the coil, but not much that you would notice. I'm having no problems with mine, but like you, have read this and that. Is there a problem? Not sure. Not for me.

 

[SNOWY]

Jbow,
yes there have been some negative posts regarding the SE.
It is very early days for this model,and as you have seen from some posts some people have had problems eg. Boony.
His machine has been rectified, and he appears really happy.
If you hang in there, you will see I'm sure that any others who may have this display issue,will have them sorted by Minelab,and go on to be happy SE operators...

This detector can be a turn on and go machine,
or you can get under the bonnet and change the settings,
and just like with an automobile you can have the tuning "out of whack" so to speak ~ and she won't run very well.

A "newbie" can find themselves in deep water at these times, and feel that the Explorer is not for them.
This when we all see some negative posts.

If you are not desperate,you might be happier to wait a while.

I feel that we're going to see more and more satisfied posters as time goes by.IMHO

HH

Snowy

 

[Jack(IN)]

I think that was a wrong word to use. Most who have shelled out those big dollars aren't happy when there are problems!! I agree when a new detector comes out there are going to be some problems and as good as Minelab is when there is a problem most will be very satisfied. I've owned four Explorers and just a hard detector to beat. Don't have the SE, just not feeling like I need to upgrade when I know and like what I'm using. I figure within a few months there will be no posts about weird screen or other problems. Just don't think when someone has a problem and posts them here its negative. If buying I prefer to know the good and BAD of the detector I'm getting and this forum puts it all out there for us to see and read!!

 

[Bob Lewis]

have fixed the problem and I will be a Happy Hunter once again.

 

[Hotcz70]

has been wonderful. Mine had a few glitches including the split screen and sticking numbers...etc.. I was told to send it back for a new SE so I'm excited again. Wish I had it here now in this unusual 60 degree weather...but oh well. Minelab customer service was friendly and very understanding and I'm confident I'll be a happy hunter when I get it here. Don't NOT buy an SE because it looks as though there has been some problems with a few of them. As long as you have the warranty Minelab will surely take care of you. There are tons of SE users who have had no problems at all and just a few including myself who have. Also if you are a new se user...there are many users who can guide and teach you along the way. Just look for their posts. Some who have helped me are Mike (Virginia Beach)...SNOWY...Erik...Tinfoil...James(ND)...and many others. They post GREAT belpful info as do many others on this forum. Everyone on this forum is good about posting their settings, opinions, etc. It really helps a new user get through the learning curve. I have every bit of confidence that the SE is a great machine and I'm looking forward to learning and using it. Happy hunting

 

[Mike Bearden]

Sure there will alway's be a few that slip thru the cracks and will have problems ... that's a given anytime a new detector is released. I have complete FAITH in Minelab to get everyone satisfied, they simply go the extra mile to take care of their customers.
I have several THOUSAND hours on the Explorer since they were first released and strongly feel the SE will prove it's worth. Those that buy and hang on to the SE long enough to actually learn what it has new to offer .... will be pleased with the results. It was the same way when the EXII was released. And YES my old XS will still hunt with the best of them.
Some folk's will stick with what they have and that's their earned right to do so.
One particular Explorer model won't out hunt the others simply because they have a few more bells and whistles ... it all boils down to location and the operators ability to use his or her detector.
I waited for a little while before getting the SE but feel it was well worth the wait. It's a SLICK looking machine that offers more than it's previous siblings and I hope to take full advantage of those extra bells and whistles in the future.
Just my 2 cents worth, take it with a grain of salt if you will.
Good Hunting
Mike

 

[jbow]

you said a mouthfull when you said..."Those that buy and hang on to the SE long enough to actually learn what it has new to offer .... will be pleased with the results".

I hope it is better than the Sovereign GT. I went out in the yard today, really I had all three of my machines out there cleaning them and I decided to hit a couple of targets with all three and then dig them. First I used the GT and found two targets that were good on the tone and the TID and still signalled good after pinpointing in all metal. Then I used the Tejon and it also was able to hold a tone all the way up the disc. Next I hit them with the T2 and it said, junk.... or iron.
So I dug them. The first target was a pinched steel crown bottle cap and a sheetrock screw in one hole. The other one was a. electrical connector with a crimp connector on one end and a loop for sliping over a bolt and fastening with a nut.
The only machine that got it right was the T2... I get a lot of this with the GT and I am hoping that the Explorer SE is a better machine as far as telling me what to dig or not dig.
I'm not saying that I don't find things with the GT because I do, i found an eagle button with it yesterday and I certainly find stuff with the Tejon but it is fairly useless at an old homesite because of all the odd junk.

Maybe the SE will be the perfect compliment to the T2 and the Tejon.

Thanks again,

Julien

 

[jbow]

n/t

 

[jbow]

Thanks

 

[jbow]

A question... how well does the SE do at target id? Does it fool you a lot or do you have a pretty good idea if you are going to dig a good target or a maybe good target or a high probability of junk? Is it easily fooled by square nails and steel crown bottle caps?

Thanks,

Julien

 

[raptro5618]

I do not have a great deal of time on the SE after using a Quattro but so far I think that it will cut down on how much junk I dig compared to the Quattro. I have been hitting the same site so everything is more or less equal but my ratio of junk/empty hole to good target is up in just the short time I have it.

the site it go to has lots of garbage and so far I have not gotten a signal that says one thing and was another. Every dig so far was something that could be one or the other and my decision was to dig. So I either found what I thought or it was the other object. Never iron when I thought it was coin.

Happy with my desions so far. Also I think some posts in here were negative. A few I saw seemed to dislike all the noise the SE makes and other features that are just the nature of the SE. They also seemed to be unwilling to give it time. The quattro is similar in some respects and it took a while before I could make sense out of everything. That machine is simple compared to the SE so had I started on the SE I am sure the beginning would be just as frustrating if not more so.

 

[Frank in NH]

n/t

 

[jbow]

That is exactly what I wanted to hear!!! I like a noisy machine as long as the noise is signals of some kind or another. I also am hoping for a machine that is better at discerning between iron and good targets. I don't mind digging a square nail as long as the ID is iffy. I don't like to dig a square nail after getting an ID that is positively good. That happens to me a lot with my Sovereign GT. My T2 is noisy but powerful and those kind of signals are iffy as they should be but if the Ex SE is a better detector... I want one! Actually there are three machines on my want list right now... The Explorer SE, the Nautilus IIB, and a Tiger Shark... then I will be happy for a while... sigh.

Thanks again!

Julien

 

[SNOWY]

The SE is a great machine!
Its ability to be finely controlled to operate in various situations makes it a formidable instrument.
But I must say that when I read the Explorer manual for the very first time ~ I was somewhat intimidated...

Takes time huh!

 

[raptro5618]

I think that phrase low and slow is really the key to discrimination with the SE, maybe others as well I didn't know. But my method so far is to go pretty slow in AM and listen to the tones more than watch the screen. When I get a good tone then I will go over the spot trying to hone in on what I heard. With the two numbers you can get a good idea of what is going on as well as the way it sounds which in some cases is what seals the deal as far as dig or not to dig.

With the Quattro I would often get iron when it said silver or coin. That was especially the case if the metal was pretty big and deep. I have not gotten that with the SE yet. I would assume that it may.

But if you get a good signal that does not bop all over the place in the same location then so far I have yet to get something totally unexpected.

So far every dig got me something that normally is in the ID range. When air testing I did note that a coin on end plays some tricks with the ID. In the range but not what it would say if it were laying flat. Sounds sort of like a bigger piece of crumpled alum.

My opinion is that this SE is about as good as it gets for ID'ing things. Soil, the way it sits, what is around it and all the other variables seems to make it impossible for any machine to be dead on every time. That just is the way it is in my opinion. But this does a great job for me in terms of raising the probability up that what I am digging for is actually what I find.

I didn't have it long but so far my ratio seems to be perhaps 3 or 4 to 1 in terms of what I was after to garbage. Often the garbage sounded like garbage but was close enough to warrant a dig or came when things were slow. I do not think I could ever be nearly perfect unless I let a lot of stuff go. Yes some of the iffy ones turned out to be good stuff so I dig when it is close.

EDITED BECAUSE: Spell checker thinks that didn't should be changed to dint. I just hit accept and when I looked I saw the same thing in at least two places.

 

[SNOWY]

Hi again Raptro,
I quote you ~
"My opinion is that this SE is about as good as it gets for ID'ing things.
Soil, the way it sits, what is around it
and all the other variables seems to make it impossible for any machine to be dead on every time."

I agree with what you say about the type of soil,the way the coin sits,and what is around it effecting the ID abilities of ANY detector...

Coins, jewellry and other goodies ~ plus the mineralisation of the soil we are searching in are detectable to our detectors.
I think of our problem with detecting and soil mineralisation ( trying to "SEE" through this mineralisation,) as being like driving an automobile on a moonless night,in a heavy pea soup fog.
( The fog is our mineralisation ~ the road we are trying to see further down is our target...
First you switch on your headlights to see your way ~ then you try to see further down the road by putting your lights on HIGH BEAM.
MUCH WORSE NOW!!!
All you can see now is a wall of white fog (only a few feet in front of us!)
We actually see much further with LESS light.

Sometimes I have checked for my maximum sensitivity capability in a spot by finding a "target clear" patch of ground at a site that I want to detect in, then I back my sensitivity way back to maybe 4.
Step by step I INCREASE the sensitivity up, and up (all the while I am swinging, or circling the coil just above the ground.)
I keep going until things ( display,and sounds ) start getting the wobbles ~ ie unstable.
I then "back off" the sensitivity until things get stable again.
I believe that at this point I am running the Explorer as HOT as I can for that area ~ while still detecting with MAXIMUM stability.

If you like you can "edge" the sensitivity UP step by step ~ ( if you are one of those guys who like to detect on the HOT upper edge of stability,) ~ until a small degree of instability starts again.
Personally I like travelling smooth and stable...

HH

Snowy

PS. Sorry about the long winded reply post!!!
But I love the Explorer.

SOMEBODY STOP ME !!!

 

[metalmiester]

I am not going to tell you what to do but I have read alot of shit here in the last month about this. I would say wait it out because they will release a totally new type of machine. That is my gut feeling thou. follow your heart and do what feels good to you. But ask your self is what you are using unsuperior. I think not

you know your machine and stick with it.

you are not missing out on any finds. they are there and just be patient and go slow you will be amazed at what you wil pass up if you are in a rush. Like Snowy says. And it is true! low and slow is the way too go!
I have a learning tool if you want to learn something.
I can teach you what works for me. Not that I am anybody special but be opened minded. You never know?

 

[metalmiester]

If you own one of these then you already know the benifits. The periscope is a probe that goes under ground. It will go through most soil conditions. Did you ever wonder about those iffy singnals that you were to lazy to dig and were sure that in the past it was junk? Better think again. Most of my good finds are comming out of areas that have been pounded to death. You don't have to take my word for it but you will learn some thing. that is what separates the men from the boys sorry to say. contact me any time and I will show you what I know. I do my research around here but owe my sucess to the periscope for showing me the way. believe it or not. Scott

 

[raptro5618]

Guess my last post went into never never land. Oh well. Snowy I think you are dead on. Almost nothing works at its best when it is pushed to its max. Next time I am out and things are not working as good as I would like I will think about turning sensitivity down.

Metalmeister, I hope you post what this periscope is. I never heard of it and would like to hear more.

Lastly I think when selecting a detector there is not going to be a best detector for everything nor for everyone. I like the way the SE works because I believe it is effective and I like that a big part is figuring out what all the noises and number mean. I have seen where some find this very annoying and distracting.

I found things with a 10 dollare Bounty Hunter so it is possible to use virtually any detector out there I would think. I think the key is learning the detector you have or get. I think that you can very quickly learn enough to go out with the SE and find things so in some sense it can be used as a turn on and go out detecting machine. But someone who spends times learning all the little secrets it reveals will be much better at finding things that are more difficult to detect. That goes for any detector I would think.

I just think that some of the negative is pointing out things that are the nature of the SE. All the different sounds it makes is just its nature and I think a key to really deciding if you dig or dont dig. I think it is like finding fault that a horse acts like a horse.

I am not saying that the SE is a do everything detector because so many others with far greater knowledge than I have explained how other detectors can do some things better in some conditions.