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Hi,
I'm new to this endeavor and would very much appreciate your input so that I start off on the right foot. I am looking to purchase the "very best" relic/coin/jewelry detector, and price is "Not" an issue.
Does the Explorer II fill this niche?
Perhaps just as important, please list all Negative Factors regarding this detector. There must be some issues that "bug" users of the Explorer II, again don't be shy, I would like to have a full-picture of the machine that I am going to purchase.
Guys, thanks very much.
Jay T.</BIG></span><span style="background-color:#ffff00;"></span>
 
I've only got one complaint - it's heavy. That aside, nothing else compares. I use a bungy swing harness to take the weight off so it matters not to me that it's heavy.
 
its not that heavy you dont swing it like a xlt slow and consistent and listen
 
I figured to cut a fat hog and bought the shoulder/hip mount. Durn attachement for the wand is almost as heavy as with the detector mounted on it, but at least I have the screen close enough to see it, even while swinging the coil.
 
I've got arthritic joints so the weight is more important to me than it otherwise might be to someone else.......I wouldn't let it stop me from getting the Ex as there are ways around it regardless.
 
The Explorer probably goes the deepest of any detector out there. It does have a lot of extra's available to do a lot of different jobs. Lots of extra coils of different sizes and shapes for differing hunting conditions. I would compare it to a fine camera with different lenses. I think the other brands would improve a bunch if they offered a Double D coil as well and a concentric. But for the money and out of the box the Explorer is in a world of it's own. It is very expensive though so it's not for everybody. You can however go into most any public park that has been picked over by other machines for years and if you're the first Explorer there you will have a bag full of finds...
Buy something besides a cheap probe though as the EX finds a lot of problem targets that aren't exactly centered where they're supposed to be. It sees coins on edge as if they were flat but gives you a center where it wants to. (On edge coins are very creative as to telling you where they're centered at...) A good probe is a neccesity. I'll let these guys tell you which one to buy. They all have opinions.
Just my take... Guvner..
 
I agree with all the posts below. The Explorer II is great. OF course with all detectors it will take practice to find the deepies but it will happen. It is heavier than other brands but it does not weigh 10 pounds <img src="/metal/html/lol.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":lol"> I can swing mine for several hours without any support ( "Swingy Thingy" sold by DOC on this forum). I have read great things about it and will get one when my body starts to weaken. In the short time I have owned mine I have found more silver coins and other great finds than with any other detector. I hope this helps. HH and Good luck.
 
My brother has a Minelabs' Explorer and we've spent many, many hours detecting together. We find the same amount of good things, the same amount of junk, at the same depth. Period. (We are looking for coins, pretty much exclusively. I have no comment on using either machine for anything else, like relic hunting, prospecting, or whatever....)
I have NOT operated the Explorer, but the only (minor) differences I've noted:
Pinpointing on the DFX seems to be a little easier, perhaps due to the ratcheting option or just the hole in the center of the stock coil. My brother uses a probe on nearly every dig; I have no use for one.
I think the DFX seems to like a faster swing than the Explorer; which is better is a personal preference.
On a side note, I find it both interesting and amusing that owners of a particular manufacturer passionately want newbies to buy their brand. I suspect it gives them confidence that their (high price) purchase was justified.
Jim
 
quality stuff, typical of Whites.
if i didn't live near and hunt in ground that has very deep targets, i would never own a Minelab.
some parts of the country, depending on the soil make-up, don't have deep targets. if i lived near or hunted in ground like that, for sure i would be using a Whites.
used Whites for 20 years, good stuff.
just my opinion.
 
I like Cody, have both machines. The Explorer II IDs targets deeper. It's just the facts, with me. From 1-6 inches the DFX is fine, but in (normal ground) the medium (not to hard not to soft) the Explorer II will kick the pants off the DFX. Like most detecters, The DFX likes soft moist soil to get depth. The Explorer II in moist soil will go real deep. I mean real, real deep. Talking 14 inches plus. The Explorer II gets better depth in hard mineralized soil than the DFX. As far as Identifying a target, the FBS on the the Explorer II Has more tones and IDs a target much Deeper. I have used the DFX in Mixed Mode and have tried there deepest settings. It just doesn't go as deep. You also need to know the soil your going to hunt in. If there's allot of Iron and Mineralization I will use my Explorer II every time. Does this sound too one sided? It's not, it's just the facts. The weight is is a concern and I believe Mine lab on it's next Machine is addressing the problem. I hope everyone knows that I do think the Explorer II is the best, and the DFX is my backup. Thats just the facts.
 
<img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)">
 
Not at all. I owned and used a DFX for 2 seasons. Switched to the Explorer. The ID on the EX2 is far more accurate which leaves me digging fewer holes and generally the Ex2 is more stable. As for depth, who's to say. I am getting deeper coins on the whole but not by enough to brag about - yet. I think it's improving. I don't sell detectors or anything else related to detecting. I don't care about price since it's the least expensive past time one can have. The Ex2 has been far more accurate, more stable, slightly deeper, and more fun to detect with for me. Thats's just my opinion and my experience with no fluff or personal motivation. Don't matter to me.
 
Amen brother - I love an opinion straight from the gut. Hats off to you.
 
Guvner Question?........ You said in post up above that other brands would be better if they offered DD coil and Concentric? I hunt with several guys with other brands and they have multiple DD coils but I have no Concentric like them. I called Minelab and was told they dont make concentrics for Explorer and know of none out there. I heard of one guy finding one 8 inch concentric that works on the Explorer. I also heard several guys trying, on here, to make their own. Im still newbie....if you know of concentrics for Explorer let me knowI would love to try them. <img src="/metal/html/indifferent.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":|">
 
I like the Minelab II so much I had to buy a second one, in case one broke. The accessories I would reccomend are definately the X-1 probe from Sunray. A custom cover for the head of the machine in case you get caught in the rain or heavy dew from the trees (to protect the circuits). Maybe a "Swing Thingy" from Doc's Place if you tire fast. Extra coils are tools for your hunting conditions. The standard coil works great in general, but other sizes and designs work a little better in different conditions and soils (my opinion). Last winter I tallied just the coins I found (not all other neat and valuable items) and graded them from the "Red Book". If I were to sell the coins I found (I'm not) it more than paid for my first Minelab II in one year. Now I'm detecting to pay for my spare Minelab II <img src="/metal/html/grin.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":grin"> Oh yea, you really need an <STRONG>excellent</STRONG> pair of headphones. Sound is everything! Hope I helped. Good Luck and HH...
 
You have 2 to 3 years of enjoying the spots you know about with the double D. Worry about a concentric after you've beaten those spots to death and got over your learning curve with the factory coil. You'll start spanking many of your fellow detectorists when you get the hang of the Explorer. One thing to do for sure is ask them to call you over before they dig when they find something. I'd bet a lot of times when they call you over bragging it was just barely there with their machine you'll be wondering how you could miss it when you hear it on the Explorer... <img src="/metal/html/biggrin.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":D">
Guvner..
 
I see thanks.. <img src="/metal/html/indifferent.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":|">
 
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