Safari, Explorer, Etrac, Quattro

[jdeiana]

OK so: Safari is an Etrac without the bells and whistles - Safari is an upgraded Quattro - Etrac is an upgraded Explorer - - - on and on. You would think Minelab makes one machine and puts different stickers on each one. I think the only one that really makes sense is the Safari basically being an upgraded Quattro - nothing wrong with that though -

What I am trying to figure out is the difference between Safari and Etrac. Yes based on the same FBS technology. Some say very little difference - some say it is a lot. I wonder because I need to decide if an etrac is a possible upgrade someday - or if it is not worth the extra money for basically the same machine with more options. I did call my local "minelab guru" who works at the metal detector store that I buy from. He could have easily tried to sell me the etrac - but he didn't - He said - Different machines based on the same technology. He said 1. Depth is the same 2. etrac more programmable 3. conductivity plus ferrous numbers available etrac 4. slightly faster processor on etrac allowing for faster response times. - But that was it.

Are those facts worth making the switch - i am not so sure - if you like simplicity AND power, then the safari may be the better choice.

Any other feedback out there?

 

[hershey1]

I believe any minelab machine is a great choice. When I bought my Safari it was'nt a money choice it was a simple turn on and go choice. I purchased a X-5 and a X-12 coil and a Sun-Ray probe and feel very comfortable hunting anywhere. The explorer and E-trac have to be great machines because no body ever complains about them. If I was to upgrade I would go for the E-Trac but I am very well satisfied right now. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your choice. You can't go wrong with a minelab. HH

 

[Dan-o]

Are those facts worth making the switch - i am not so sure - if you like simplicity AND power, then the safari may be the better choice.

Any other feedback out there?

I agree with hershey1, even though I couldn't afford an Etrac, even a used one, I was afraid of having to spend too much time learning the Etrac and the Safari was basically a turn on and go machine with FBS technology and that is exactly what I wanted. If I had the money I probably would upgrade to the Etrac but keep my Safari just in case I didn't like it. The Etrac really does have a lot more to offer with TID and user settings.
But I am not at all disappointed with my decision to buy the Safari.
I don't think I would call a Safari an Etrac without the bells and whistles though.

Dan C

 

[jdeiana]

I do have the Safari - I and i think it is great. All Minelabs seem to be loved by their owners. Funny, (I am not bashing any other machines) - but I was on a new V3 forum today - and half the posts were complaints and issues with their machines. Go on almost any Minelab forum, and people talk mostly about how much they love their machine. Now that is a small sample. Like I said - I just snooped on the V3 forum once for a few minutes today - but that is what stuck out to me. Minelab folks just seem to love their machines. I am one of them. I am so happy I opted for the Safari. I am loving it.

 

[psyvad]

Well, I first purchased an E-Trac and then traded that for the Safari because I wanted a simpler interface. With the Safari, it's so easy to create, save and use custom programs.

Even though I didn't have a lot of hours on the E-Trac, there are several features that I wish were on the Safari like:

- a wider range of segment numbers
- it displays the sensitivity setting when in Auto
- backlighting

Overall, I am really enjoying Safari and switch off between it and my F-75.

 

[jdeiana]

Interesting you have an F75 - my local dealer tells me he sells a lot of F75's for coin hunters. I thought about one before I got the Safari as I hunt primarily coins. How does the F75 compare to the Safari?

 

[Cache Man]

if you hunt for coins the teknetics omega pro is the way to go, made to find silver, 7.8 mhz DD coil quiet 9" dimes 10" quarters no problem, try one you will be surprised, I am very pleased with mine.HH

 

[Southwind]

I was told my Volkswagen was a Porsche without the bells & whistles.

I was told from the Minelab people that the Safari was an upgrade to the Quattro and noting like the E-Trac.

 

[TomH]

It is my understanding that the difference between the Safari and the Etrac/Explorer machines is in the analysis of the signal. All three machines use the same FBS technology and the same coil, so essentially the "send" part of the signal is the same. The difference comes in when the signal is returned to the machine. Both the ETrac and Explorer have much more sophisticated analysis programming to allow the machine to provide you with more information about the signal. Also, both of the upper machines have more fine tuning available to allow you to tailor the machine to a specific ground condition. However, in relic hunting we frequently set the machine to All Metal mode with the sensitivity at or just above stable based on the belief that increased discrimination results in less depth. Civil War relic sites have been hammered since the beginning of time (Metrotech 1950's) and it is rare to find anything less than 8 inches deep, so depth is a major factor.

The Safari has much less analysis capability and forces the user to finetune their ear to listen to the characteristics of the tone to determine what the target is. I have dug alongside ETracs and Explorers in different types of soil and am convinced that neither will find a target that the Safari in the hands of an experienced user cannot. I am frequently amazed at the amount of info that can be gotten from the tone on the Safari, the difference is that you have to train your ear to recognize the differences, while the two upper machines do quite a bit more of the analysis for you.

I recently dug a cuff sized pewter button, standing on edge and buried from 8 to 10 inches down in decent soil. The signal was quiet and very short duration, but the tone was enough to tell me to grab my shovel.

BTW Southwind... I did put a Porsche 914 engine in my Volkswagen!!!

Again, a humble opinion,
TomH

 

[jdeiana]

TomH, I think your analysis is spot on from all I have researched and read. I am convinced I should start trying all-metal. to increase finds.

 

[TomH]

jdeiana,

The belief that discrimination reduces depth is an old and firmly held belief among relic hunters, dating back to the early analog machines. I do not know if it applies to the digital machines like the Safari/F75 and really have no evidence that it does. If I am hunting in good soil I frequently scrim out -10 through -8 and +40 to reduce false signals. I use ferrous tones and high trash density and generally switch between auto and manual sensitivity. I still find targets from 8 to 12 inches with regularity, even when discriminating. If I am in bad, highly mineralized soil I will switch to All Metal and ignore the lowest tones and dig everything else.

The bottom line is that with the increase in interest in coin hunting many companies now produce machines specifically aimed at that market. Most of the "interpretation" programs deal with coin sized targets and are intended to reduce the number of bad holes dug by the coin shooters. Just look at the icons on the newest crop of machines, all oriented for the coin shooter with few exceptions (the Whites Vision has a set of icons that includes images of Civil War relics but frankly I have never seen one call a target precisely).

If you want a machine that reduces the probability of digging bad targets and your interest is predominantly coin shooting then the upper machines may be the way to go. If you are a relic hunter looking for more depth then I believe there really isn't any reason to upgrade to a higher horsepower analytical computer aimed at coin shooting.

Again, a humble opinion,
TomH

BTW: When did relic hunting become the bastard stepchild of the metal detecting world

 

[jdeiana]

I am going to do some tests with the Safari to see if I can help settle the all metal mode being deeper. Like you said, I am sure it was on the old analog machines - but I would like to try it on a new digital machine like the Safari. I'll post the results when I am finished. The 2 possible advantages I can see in all metal - is 1. possible increased depth, and 2. avoiding the possibility that the detector is not recovering fast enough next to discriminated targets thus cancelling out good targets in close proximity.

 

[edjcox]

The detector will never be any better than than the grey matter between the headset earphones. Get a machine, join a club or cirle of freinds and learn from them. Wait till the replace the Etrac and by the new machine then.

God luck to you...

 

[SeniorSeeker]

HAVING BEEN A MINELAB PREVIOUS OWNER, VIA THE X-TERRA 70, I UPGRADED TO THE MINELAB SAFARI BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT ALL 'THE BELLS & WHISTLES' NOR DID I WANT TO SPEND THE EXTRA $500 FOR THE 'EXTRA'S'. I SIMPLY WANTED A 'TURN ON & GO' MACHINE WITH FBS AND SAFARI FITS THE BILL. I'VE ONLY OWNED IT FOR A SHORT TIME BUT I CAN HONESTLY SAY I LOVE THIS MACHINE! IT DOES ALL I WANT IT TO DO AND THEN SOME. THE LEARNING CURVE CONTINUES...

 

[jdeiana]

I have a Safari - and now also an etrac. Safari is a VERY good detector. I have not used the etrac long enough to get the most out of it - but tests in my coin garden reveal the Safari is every bit as deep. I am letting the Safari go because i can only afford one at time - but it WILL be missed.

 

[fg121798]

HMMMMM.here is what i had and used.

Bandiddo umax II, tesoro tejon, next the cibola, then, whites eagle spectrum, then the MXT whites XL pro, fisher F5, Xterra 70, xterra 705 minelab safari and the teknetics T2. Garrett 1350.
Right now I don't have any as I sold them all but this is spring and I will get another soon.
Just don't know if I want something cheap like an omega 8000 or another safari.
I never bought the minelab GT but I might get it next-just undecided with so many good deals in the forums lately.
Which one did I like the best-by far the Safari-I liked what you could do with it and the personal programs you could set up and especially that little trick from andy's book,
all ferrous and non ferrous. one is low tones and the other high tones. Of the whites the XL pro was the best and then Believe it or not and I don't want you to throw up but it was the fisher F5.
I bought it used but it had a problem and I sent it in and they not only fixed it but upgraded the software and tried and tested it before they sent it back to me for free. They must have set it up for my soil (68-70) because I could turn the sensitivity and gain way up where before I could hardly turn it up at all before it went crazy. OK here is the part you won't believe-after I got it back from fisher I tried in my yard naturally and I got a dime reading and I dug and dug.
after almost the whole length of the lesche digger went in I thought it was one of those faulty signals but I didn't give up.It was my yard so I got out the spade shovel which is 12" from tip to the hozzle it still read in the hole.
at 14"--2 inches past the hozzle of the shovel I got it.
It was a shirt snap that they used in the 1950's and 60's. it was about 1/4 " in size.
Nothing has ever equalled that since.
I also found a bolt about 12" down. What did I do,----Like a jerk I sold it figuring I could get something better.I made up my mind I was not going to believe anybody and try different makes myself on my journey up to the ETRAC..
I still have to get the sovereign GT and then the ETrac. the only thing is the fisher was like a lot of others in that price range and that is after 4" and sometimes five it was not accurate. The safari was the best and then the fisher for depth and finding anything and the the XL pro which was very accurate on nickle's and dimes.
I might just get another safari also-one more thing is minelabs definitely look and feel like Quality machines.
David F

 

[synthnut]

Anybody who has never used a Minelab machine, and they are use to other machines, will be more than happy with a Safari .....They are Great machines .....If you are using a Safari, and you are hunting next to someone who runs an E Trac , and you are hunting parks that have been hunted to DEATH , you will see a noticiable difference .... When you are getting an iffy signal , and you see those silly Icons popping up on your screen, and your numbers are jumping around , and your buddy comes over with his E Trac , and can read a solid signal , and has both Ferrous and Conductivity numbers right in front of him and he casually looks over at you and says " Dig it " " it's a silver dime 8 inched down" and you do , and it is, you will know the difference between the Safari and the Etrac ....... Can you still dig great targets wtih the Safari ? .....You bet your bippy you can !!!..... It's like a lot of things that you can buy in your lifetime ....You can buy a really nice Corvette and have a ball with it , and fly down the road at 150 mph and be thrilled with it , and then your buddy throws you the keys to his Lamborghini and you go down the same road at 200 mph .... It's that icing on the cake that makes the E Trac that much better .....A lot of people are intimitdated by the learning curve ....Actually everything is already done for you .....It's all just a push of the button away .... and most of it is right there in front of you !!!.... The layout, the filters, the raw HP of the E Trac , is everything that folks say it is ..... The Safari is more simple and more of a "turn on and go" machine for folks who don't care if they get that last couple of inches during their hunt ..... They are BOTH great machines for what they do , and what they are intended to do .... If anybody finds that they are overwhelmed with their E Trac, and they wish they had a Safari for and easier time of things, I have a nice Safari that I will gladly trade, and give extra cash for a nice E Trac ..... We'll both have what we want !!!....Jim