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My 100% UNBIASED opinion of the E-Trac after field testing it.

H

Hotcz70

New member
I had numerous pm's and emails from many of you wanting to know what my final feelings are after putting some serious hours on "Heavy D's" E-Trac.

No way I can respond to each individual email...so I responded via this post. If you read my previous 2 or 3 posts and responses...then read this post...and still have something you want to ask...please feel free to do so. Please remember this post is ONLY MY opinion...and nothing more.

Here goes...The audio reminds me a lot of the explorer2 in the way it is very smooth...whereas the SE is on the edge of being unstable in some cases for me.

Now that can be a double edged sword for some...but not me. I absolutely love the RAW power the SE has..and instead of trying to harness it like some try to do...I just let 'er rip.

Using a smooth running machine means ZERO to me if it won't hit coins past the 8" level. That is NOT the case with the E-Trac though.

Heck when I was hunting in semi auto +3 with the E-trac...I had to keep looking at the probe switch to make sure I didn't leave it on.:smoke:..the audio is that smooth.

I wasn't getting any depth though either so I switched to manual...and it was still twice as smooth as my SE.:thumbup:...although I got some nulling. However the nulling doesn't bother me either as I have stated a zillion times before.

The E-Trac DID hit deep coins for me through a dead null just as the SE does. The null has become my friend just as the iron thud has become friends of many who hunt in all metal. Hey...whatever works for each of us is all that matters.

As for the screen...well I'm not crazy about it but there is a wealth of info there for those who like bells and whistles.
The two sensitivity bars are nice if you want to know exactly where the computer says you should be running your sensitivity at. One shows the setting you are running at...while the one next to it shows where you "should" be running at according to ground conditions.

I do not like the flashing ferrous/conduct numbers that are there above the smartfind screen though. On every coin I dug over 9"...those numbers were no help to me whatsoever because they varied so much they just confused me.

I also didn't like the size of the smartfind screen where the cursor is. It is much smaller than the Explorer screens I am used to. I am also accustomed to watching for the Explorer cursor "flutter" anywhere along the top when over deep silver...and I did not have the luxury on the E-Trac.

One funny note is that I have always read and heard that the E-Trac is NO EXPLORER...and was not intended to be. If that's the case...that's fine...but to me it functions and feels MUCH like my explorers do..and I liked it. I'm not sure why everyone was complaining when it first came out??...because you can take it right out of the box...turn it on...and find deep coins with it. I know...because I did.

It was like hunting with an old faithful friend that looked only slightly different...but had definitely learned a new trick or two...and those tricks weren't just smoke and mirrors. Actually they weren't "tricks" at all as there are some very nice upgrades such as the "trash density" feature just to name one.

If you want to consider it as "not an explorer"...well I can agree with that too...because there are many nice features not on the explorers. I don't have the time on the machine to benefit you in any way by trying to explain something I know nothing about. I pretty much left the E-Trac in the stock coin program and did very well. That speaks volumes right there.

I can state with 100% truthfullness though that the sandy area I found the 5 deep wheaties and the 11" deep quarter at...I have hunted that 20' x 20' square with the EX2 and the SE and used the Sunray x-12...10 x 12 SEF...and minelab pro coil. I had not dug a coin from there in the last 2 hunts...so for me to pull 6 keeprs from there really opened my eyes...and that's as honest as I can be.

Here is the link to that hunt: http://www.findmall.com/read.php?63,1137270,1137270#msg-1137270

Don't know if it's any better...don't know if it's any deeper...but I can tell you it is an EXCELLENT machine and DID find some stuff I missed with my Explorers. I don't know why and I am NOT QUALIFIED to tell you why because I only have about 50 hours on it. I am just giving you an unbiased and 100% honest assessment and opinion after putting some hours on it.

I will continue to use the explorers as my #1 machines...and that will NOT CHANGE...but the E-Trac intrigues me. I have acccess to one whenever I want so I would be foolish to not "piddle" with it some more. I plan on using it just as I do the various coils I have in my arsenal. While some coils are better in performance for me than others...they each have some unique qualities that do bring missed coins to the surface. The E-trac can be another weapon for me at my pounded sites...just as I use different coils for different situations.
 
Excellent report. Thanks for posting.
 
hey great post!you just about summed it up,I take the etrac for walks all the time and almost each time it is a learning curve but I know that this is the tool for the job.now if they would have made it waterproof could you imagine?
 
thanks for that review it was great. and i know now that i could get an explorer for a backup and still smoke the old coins with it.
that is a backwards compatible review and a good one at that
 
your welcome friend...and thanks for responding.

It is a nice thought to know we can have a backup still capable of pulling coins from 10"+:thumbup:
 
Bryce

Thanks for taking the time and patience to do a more accurate comparison and report on your findings. I have seen posts where 2 buddies hunt together, one uses machine X the other uses machine Y. Then one of them posts the results of a weekend hunt stating Y machine found more good targets than X. Now guy using machine X wants a machine Y because it found more stuff than X. Not an honest equal comparison by no means.
Then people that are looking at purchasing a detector or getting back in the hobby read these posts and think I better get machine Y because it is better than machine X. I know most of us know that you can take 2 guys with equal experience with same machine and settings and someone is still going to come up with better or more finds than the other. In other words not all ground your coil swings over is created equal, you have to swing over the target that is lost to find it. Your comparison is far more accurate and involved alot of work on your part.

Thanks for sharing

Bill
 
Bryce,

You did a great job with the evaluation. I, for one, find real world usage a big help when it comes time to make decisions as to what to buy and why.

I think, from reading a lot of your stuff is, it takes a lot of actual usage to not only know your locator, but the conditions where you plan on using it. But, people have to have somewhere to start gaining that knowledge and you and many others, both using written and video, have helped many people make informed decisions.

Thanks,
 
I'm sorry, but I don't understand your review at all. You knock it, then you praise it. You say it found coins you couldn't find before, but your going to keep using your other combinations. Why the comparisons to the explorer's. You make it sound like the explorer's are the standard by which all other detector's should be judged. Why not just evaluate the E-Trac on it's own.
"Don't know if it's any better...don't know if it's any deeper...but I can tell you it is an EXCELLENT machine and DID find some stuff I missed with my Explorers"
"I will continue to use the explorers as my #1 machines...and that will NOT CHANGE"

You weren't getting any depth in auto , but in manual it goes deep?
"I wasn't getting any depth though either so I switched to manual"
"The E-Trac DID hit deep coins for me "
"Using a smooth running machine means ZERO to me if it won't hit coins past the 8" level. That is NOT the case with the E-Trac though."

you think the E-Trac screen has bells and whistles? (Sens., depth & ID) What do you want? just a meter
"As for the screen...well I'm not crazy about it but there is a wealth of info there for those who like bells and whistles"

Just my opinion of your review
 
Thanks Bryce. Good points on both sides (pros/cons). Being an E-Trac user, and never using an Explorer, what I got from your posts is that I shouldn't worry too much about cranking up Manual Sensitivity. I think the stopping point is when you lift the coil up say 6" or more, but yet the machine is still chattering due to EMI*. Sure I'll have to deal with some additional chatter with the coil on the ground, but if you're correct then I shouldn't worry about incremental nulls masking out a good signal. My guess is those incremental nulls are caused by deeper iron being detected due to increased Sensitivity.

Note I rarely find my depth meter indicating a target beyond 6" in Golden Gate Park, and that doesn't correlate with the age of the park (1800s) and its sandy soil which cause coins to sink deeper. The only plausible explanation is that I'm not using enough Sensitivity AND there a few guys that have E-Tracs or Explorers before me that haven't been afraid to crank it up. The proof to this approach is in the results, so stay tuned!

-Alex

* I believe there's an Explorer demo video, where Des Dunne uses this approach to set the sensitivity in manual by swinging the coil several times above the hip and adjusting the sensitivity higher until it begins to chatter then bringing the level down until it stops.
 
Pro 77,
Brice is the Moderator of the Explorer Forum and I don't think he is going to jump ship. I do agree with you about him finding coins in an area with the E Trac he couldn't find with the Explorer. You would think that would be enough for him to to switch to the E Trac. Believe me when I tell you Brice is kind of a legend with the Explore, and that's why Andy S. put him in his book. "Each to their own" :thumbup:
 
I wanted to give an unbiased opinion of the E-Trac...and that's exactly what i did.

If I wanted to evaluate the E-Trac on it's own...that's what I would have done. Obviously that wasn't the case huh??...but as you stated...you didn't understand the review at all.:cool:

If have found over 500 silver coins the last 3 years with the Explorers and am always looking for a way to bring some more to the surface.

If I can use another machine in conjunction with my current machine...along with a vast array of coils...to bring more coins to the surface...does that really need explaining??

Not sure why you would have a problem understanding that fact?

I use different coils and they ALL have qualities that bring some coins to the surface that the other coils didn't.

I was hoping to have the same results with the E-Trac...which I obviously did.

I wasn't "knocking" the E-Trac at all...only stating what I liked and did not like.

I wanted to do a side by side testing with MY machine to see how it compared...and I was pleased with the results. Again...not sure what there is to not understand?

To quote YOU quoting me...You weren't getting any depth in auto , but in manual it goes deep?
"I wasn't getting any depth though either so I switched to manual"
"The E-Trac DID hit deep coins for me "
"Using a smooth running machine means ZERO to me if it won't hit coins past the 8" level. That is NOT the case with the E-Trac though."

Seems pretty self explanatory to me...and obviously everyone else too.

However...I'll try and explain it again just for you...."You weren't getting any depth in auto , but in manual it goes deep?"
My response: YES for me it obviously did.

""I wasn't getting any depth though either so I switched to manual"
My response:...Kinda' speaks for itself doesn't it???:cool:

""The E-Trac DID hit deep coins for me "
My response...Pretty self explanatory isn't it??:)

""Using a smooth running machine means ZERO to me if it won't hit coins past the 8" level. That is NOT the case with the E-Trac though."
My response....Not sure what is so confusing about the statement??:lmfao: I obviously stated the E-Trac is smooth running AND will hit coins past the 8" level.

"you think the E-Trac screen has bells and whistles? (Sens., depth & ID) What do you want? just a meter
My response...The CHOICE of whether or not I view ONLY smartfind.....or ONLY numbers..and thanks for asking:rolleyes:

""Don't know if it's any better...don't know if it's any deeper...but I can tell you it is an EXCELLENT machine and DID find some stuff I missed with my Explorers"
My response...EXACTLY as stated...and again...not sure what is hard to understand.

""I will continue to use the explorers as my #1 machines...and that will NOT CHANGE"
My response....Seems pretty clear to me...and apparantly everyone else to. Problem is...you left out the part that I stated after that for some reason that CLEARLY ANSWERED YOUR OWN QUESTION. :nono:
Funny how that worked:cool: but here is what i stated...."but the E-Trac intrigues me. I have acccess to one whenever I want so I would be foolish to not "piddle" with it some more. I plan on using it just as I do the various coils I have in my arsenal. While some coils are better in performance for me than others...they each have some unique qualities that do bring missed coins to the surface. The E-trac can be another weapon for me at my pounded sites...just as I use different coils for different situations."

I apologize to the rest of you fellers' viewing this post...and most of you know I'm one of the easiest goin' fellers' around. I felt this response from pro778 needed addressed...and I did just that. Ray...my friend...if you feel you need to delete this post...please do so. i just felt like I had the right to respond accordingly.
 
First...thanks for the kind words.

I have no intention of switching...but I have FULL intention of using both machines.

I prefer the SE in iron believe it or not...and could not hit some coins in the iron with the E-Trac that I could with the SE. Before you ask:clapping:...yes I did compare signals with both machines.

Now it could be because I know the SE better...and my personal settings help me with the SE. Not sure...but regardless...it is what it is for me and I know the results I got.

I have some coils that I prefer over others...but they EACH have a quality that can bring some coins to the surface that I missed with other coils.

If I have a way I can find coins with one machine that I can't with the other...and visa versa....I would be a fool to switch from one to the other.

I can use them both...and that's exactly what I plan to do.:super:

Take care John.
 
Bill...thanks a lot for the comments. I am glad you took what you did from my report...'cause that is exactly the pont I was trying to get accross..

Take care...and good luck in 2010
 
Bryce, thanks for your unbiased post. I enjoyed reading it. I agree about the numbers being all over the place on very deep coins. I discovered that in my test garden in the backyard. I hunt in multi tones and I am learning to rely more upon the tones than the numbers. On my last hunt (January 23rd) I found two Mercs. The signal on the second Merc was super iffy. It was nulling most of the time with just a few high toned peeps every now and then. I switched to the all-metal quickmask mode and the ferrous & conductivity numbers were all over the place. For example, the ferrous numbers varied between 9 and 35. The conductivity numbers bounced all around between 40 to 48. I switched back to the discrimination mode and got a lot of nulling with occasional high pitched peeps. The numbers on those peeps were all over the place. I swung the coil 39 times from two directions. The threshold nulled on all but a few swings where I got either a high pitched peep or a whisper of a peep. The signal sounded so iffy that I walked away from it. But something told me to go back and dig. It was those high pitched peeps whispering through the nulls. After I flipped the plug back and checked the hole with my probe, it sounded very nice. It turned out to be a 1926 Merc about 6 inches deep. The fact that it sounded so good after flipping the plug back tells me now there was an iron target in the plug over the dime. Judging by the numbers in quickmask, I believed the target was iron. The nulling in the discrimination mode also made me think the same. So I walked away. However the high pitched sound of those peeps breaking through the nulls convinced me to go back and dig. I'm glad I didn't go by the numbers on that one.

Eventually I'm going to get an Explorer for the same reason you use an E-trac. How can one go wrong with both of those weapons in the arsenal?

For anyone interested, here is the video of the hunt. I'm talking about the 2nd dime in it:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsuQcfTf6Og[/video]

Take Care,
Dan
 
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