Safari to v3i a good idea?

[oldmoney]

I'm thinking of upgrading from the Minelab Safari to the Spectra v3i wondering if anybody out there has both machines or had both machines and if this is going to be a tough transition or a fairly easy transition any information would be helpful thank you in advance.

 

[Elton]

A lot of adjustment on V3i .Turn on and go with really good results on the Safari. FBS to VLF transition for you. ....

The Safari has always been a little underrated in my opinion. For no more reason than there is upper models FBS available.
Many of us feel we must have the more expensive upper models for better operation. Not always factual.

I found the Safari to be much deeper on old silver than I found the V3i to be. Not apples to apples machines.

 

[PostalTwo]

With the v3i there can be a lot of adjustments made if u wish . However aside from the initial setting up of the machine my v is pretty well turn on and go now . A person new could use the stock coin and jewelry only changing 1 setting (filter to 5hz) and have very good performance on the first day. Ppl often make the v out to be harder than it is imo

 

[Tinfoil]

Got both. Don't do it. JMHO

 

[oldmoney]

Elton, so you don't think I'll get any better performance out of the V3i over the Safari?
Is VLF any better than the FBS?
I do more coin hunting around old houses but want the ability to hunt fresh water beaches as well.

 

[oldmoney]

Tinfoil, what's your reasoning? I want to make an informed decision, so all opinions are welcome.

 

[Wheat Cent]

Elton, so you don't think I'll get any better performance out of the V3i over the Safari?
Is VLF any better than the FBS?
I do more coin hunting around old houses but want the ability to hunt fresh water beaches as well.

Fbs will be deeper, and actually superior to VLF in most cases as VLF is usually 1-3 frequencies FBS is about a hundred so its far more sensitive to different targets. Its more versatile.

 

[PostalTwo]

Elton, so you don't think I'll get any better performance out of the V3i over the Safari?
Is VLF any better than the FBS?
I do more coin hunting around old houses but want the ability to hunt fresh water beaches as well.

Fbs will be deeper, and actually superior to VLF in most cases as VLF is usually 1-3 frequencies FBS is about a hundred so its far more sensitive to different targets. Its more versatile.

actually only 2 freq but analizes the harmonic freq (about a hundred ). the v transmitts and recieves 3 . i compare all the time with the 3030 and the v stacks up well. deeper? imo no i can get even the deepest targets that the 3030 can even tho im runnin the 10 Stock coil and the 3030 has an 11. imo the v is the most versitie machine on the market. slap the 13" ultimate coil on and she is a beast for sure. where the 3030 does better than the v is id numbers at depth its def better, but i dont rely on th numbers. if i got good tone and its small im digging anyway .

 

[Elton]

I think the Safari is ok... Just a opinion. I found it easier to use. Deeper in many instances.And it always ran well where ever I used it..
I didn't always have those results with the V3i ...

 

[oldmoney]

-- moved topic --

 

[Larry (IL)]

I agree with your analysis Postal. People who think they have to constantly adjust the V series simply don't know what they are doing. I haven't made a single adjustment on mine in at least three years. I might turn salt mode on when hunting fertilized farm fields but that is not an adjustment IMO.

As far as one detector over the other, it is a personal choice oldmoney.. boils down to what you like and don't like in YOUR ground with YOUR hunting style. The only opinion that matters to me is my own when choosing a new detector. Get a used V and give it a try, if you don't like it, sell it for close to what you paid for it........... a cheap education.

For what it is worth, I use the V3i and an E-Trac taking advantage of the strong points of each but if I could only have just one, the E-Trac would have go.

 

[mas0n83]

had the v3i for over a year got a safari and never looked back

 

[Welgund]

Get an XP Deus and forget about both of them. Lol

 

[RLOH]

oldmoney, I have used both of these detectors for an entire detecting season and feel qualified to speak on either one. Similar depth performance for both. More adjustability which can make the V3i better for different sites. So far as the V3i being a difficult detector to setup, I found the filters to be the one adjustment that sometimes needed to be changed. Other than that, just about a "turn and go" detector. But,if you are a tweaker, lots of setting to play with. The Safari is without a doubt, the easiest FBS detector made, but lacks some key features of other Explorers, the most prominent being gain. I liked the Safari alot with the tones being almost identical to any Explorer series detector. I did miss the screen that any Explorer had. Now for the single most feature that I liked on the V3i. I absolutely loved the analyze screens on the V3i. Some might call it a "gimmick", but I found it to be nearly foolproof, even on deep coins.You can use the Polar plot, but I never used that feature too much. I found the pinpoint screen with the dominant frequency display to be what sets it apart from the Safari. I would buy another V3i just for this feature. If money is not an issue, I would give the V3i a try.

 

[556baller]

I have both a V3i and a CTX3030, both machines are really impressive. However, I find the Minelab incredibly intuitive to navigate in terms of making adjustments to the programming. Both White's and MInelab build exceptional machines if you are familiar with firearms, it's like the GLOCK vs. 1911 argument that has been raging for the last 20 years...

 

[bigtim1973]

I have had v3i and the vx3. If you like to fiddle with adjustments then go for it. I would not have another one. If your minelab is performing well, I would just stay with that. What is the point of having all of those settings to adjust and not adjust them? Yes it can be a turn on and go unit but why spend that much for a turn on and go unit? If you like to fiddle with screen options, make settings, look at a target polar plot, exit the menu then re ground balance everything, this is the machine for you. If you want to make an adjustment on the fly and keep on detecting without scrolling through a menu screen, stay away from it. Do you want to metal detect or program a computer?

 

[Nauti]

These arguments are repeated time and time again with both camps saying one machine is better than the other.Who do you believe,some people who have owned both will say the whites and some will say the minelab,so its obvious both machines work well for their owners.
I believe that if you took both machines into the field over a season of metal detecting and compared them on the same targets,both machines would find the same amount of targets as the other.One machine may find a target the other wont but this would be balanced out by the other doing better on a certain target.
What i am saying is that if you think that swapping to the spectra will dramatically increase your finds rate,you may be a bit disappointed.These machines are so closely matched performance wise that one will not outperform the other overall no matter what people say about them.

 

[irnwrkr]

Ive had them both, me and safari did not see eye to eye. I had a ctx, loved it and had to sell to pay a bill. Now ive got the mx sport and v3i. Im done swapping detectors