I have been detecting on or off over many years and that no matter the technology used, the only true facts about detecting that I have found are the following:
1) A user needs to learn and hopefully master the machine they are using.
2) Luck and research play a big part in detecting.
3) Location, location, location.
4) Patience is a virtue and detecting requires lots of patience.
5) Detecting is a hobby and like fishing, if you don't first succeed, try and try again.
6) As in all hobbies, it is meant to be enjoyed, not broken down into minute detail over every little facet.
You can detect with the simplest machines out there and still find great finds but without the above, even the most technologically advanced machine doesn't guarantee that you'll find squat.
That is what I find funny about those who go out and buy the fanciest latest greatest machine and then complain that they dig all trash and rarely find anything worth noting. They get frustrated and sell the machine to buy the next fanciest latest greatest machine. Repeat the above.
My take on discrim and notching and all that ilk, is that there are times when to use them and times not to use them. I detect the beach so unless I want to be digging up lead weights, hooks, barettes, bottle caps, bloody juice lids, bobby pins, tin foil, etc, etc, I get by with the default and a custom discrim patterns pretty successfully. I am sure other users enjoy that facet of "dig all" but hey with miles and miles of beach to loot, I'd rather take my chances and just aim for the known good stuff. Also, one of the main reasons why I don't use a PI machine around here.
btw, personally I don't find the Explorer that difficult to use. The advanced features are nice to have and the versatility of the varied settings just makes it, well, more versatile but in the end, even the default settings work for me tho I have over time tweaked my machine to suit my needs and detecting conditions. I can see why the machine if learnt over time, will consistently yield the good stuff in the kitty bag.
cheers...Keith