Not new to Minelab's X-terra's but new to the upper end units. I have read and watched some vids on the Safari and E-trac. It seems to me they are both running the same type of frequencies but report the info different. Seems like the E-trac gives you more info than the Safari. So is this the reason that there are more E-trac followers than Safari users? Or is there more to it than this? Really looking for a great salt beach/land coin shooter in one machine. I don't really want to buy two machines and like a TID meter. I have taken several single and 2 frequency machines to the beach with OK results. The best being a Fisher CZ-5 so far. I'm just doing some research on machines right now. Thanks.
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Safari vs E-trac
- Thread starter khouse
- Start date
I've owned both and both are excellent in my opinion- other than the depth being about the same - the etrac is a superior machine hands down. you will find more in the same areas with the etrac than with the safari. it just locks onto coins better especially in trashy areas - and you will dig less junk due to having a better idea of what is in the ground . there is a good reason it is a few hundred dollars more.
I own both machines and both are excellent. I find that the pinpointing circuit on the Safari is deadly accurate compared to the Etrac. I find the Etrac has better resolution due to the fact it also shows the ferrous content of the target and also sports "see thru" technology which the Safari doesnt. Both machines are a joy to operate, just buy the one you can best afford. Dont forget to include a Sun-Ray pinpointer with your purchase, its an invaluable tool to have in the field. I would never have a detector without one.
Kenny,
I hunted a few days with my dealers safari, and I wanted to buy one, UNTIL he put the etrac in my hands, they are not even close in my opinion. I had trouble pinpointing with the safari, the etrac is way more accurate if you use the wiggle pull back method. And the etrac is way faster at separating trash, better ID on targets etc..........
the safari is the starter FBS machine, and the etrac is the TOP FBS machine. Really no comparison. Spend the extra and get the BEST
I hunted a few days with my dealers safari, and I wanted to buy one, UNTIL he put the etrac in my hands, they are not even close in my opinion. I had trouble pinpointing with the safari, the etrac is way more accurate if you use the wiggle pull back method. And the etrac is way faster at separating trash, better ID on targets etc..........
the safari is the starter FBS machine, and the etrac is the TOP FBS machine. Really no comparison. Spend the extra and get the BEST
I've had both machines and I really enjoyed the Safari, but I'm in love with the Etrac! The level of customization that the Etrac allows is the difference. The Etrac is the first detector that I've attained such a level of trust with that I'm not even interested in trying any more.
Thanks Terry. Right now I'm just doing some ground work on machines. I have watched and read some on the Safari. It looks like I need to now look at the E-trac. If I don't get some things sold I may not get another machine. Hey on another note - That Ace 250 pinpoint video I made for you has 101,000 views now.
geodawn said:I've had both machines and I really enjoyed the Safari, but I'm in love with the Etrac! The level of customization that the Etrac allows is the difference. The Etrac is the first detector that I've attained such a level of trust with that I'm not even interested in trying any more.
I've never even seen a Safari, but the customization is also what got me to looking hard at it.
NebTrac
yeah it is a good video no doubt, I can still remember those days, you have helped me a lot!khouse said:Thanks Terry. Right now I'm just doing some ground work on machines. I have watched and read some on the Safari. It looks like I need to now look at the E-trac. If I don't get some things sold I may not get another machine. Hey on another note - That Ace 250 pinpoint video I made for you has 101,000 views now.
Well I have read the E-trac manual and watched some mlotv vids. I'm still leaning toward the Safari. It may not have the target resolution of the E-trac but it sure looks simpler to run. I really like simple. We will see if I even can go on vacation this summer. If I don't get to the beach I'll probably keep what I have. But it's exciting to look at all the models!
Like I said before - I started with the Safari - and only kept it about 2 months (hunting everyday for countless hours) - so yes i got to know it well in a short time - before selling it and getting the etrac.. For me the etrac is just as simple to run. I have found some great stuff on just the turn on and go out of the box program. It is best put this way - the Safari is simple out of the box, and does not have much room to expand- the etrac is simple out of the box with a lot of room to expand - IF you want to.
You could run the etrac with the out of the box settings, and never mess with any of the settings, and have a great simple machine that will find a lot of good stuff. Fact for me was - the etrac out of the box with factory settings is superior to the safari out of the box with factory settings. You will miss things with the Safari that the etrac will find - especially in trashy areas. I would not like the feeling that a guy with a etrac is cleaning up behind me. If you are spending 1K plus for a top end machine - get the best one. I regretted not getting the etrac almost immediately after i decided on the safari.
Etrac IS NOT complex unless you want to get into all of the different settings which you do not have to - but you will someday. If you want the simplest machine - then get something like an ACE 250 and save some dough. If you want a simple GREAT machine, then get an etrac. A great machine like the etrac makes metal detecting simple by giving you information about what is in the ground so you know what to dig. To me complicated detecting is having no idea what is under the coil. No - I do not work for Minelab or any dealer - but I am a good position to give advice on this since I just owned one after the other. Hope this helps - if the extra few hundie is not an issue - then get the etrac!
You could run the etrac with the out of the box settings, and never mess with any of the settings, and have a great simple machine that will find a lot of good stuff. Fact for me was - the etrac out of the box with factory settings is superior to the safari out of the box with factory settings. You will miss things with the Safari that the etrac will find - especially in trashy areas. I would not like the feeling that a guy with a etrac is cleaning up behind me. If you are spending 1K plus for a top end machine - get the best one. I regretted not getting the etrac almost immediately after i decided on the safari.
Etrac IS NOT complex unless you want to get into all of the different settings which you do not have to - but you will someday. If you want the simplest machine - then get something like an ACE 250 and save some dough. If you want a simple GREAT machine, then get an etrac. A great machine like the etrac makes metal detecting simple by giving you information about what is in the ground so you know what to dig. To me complicated detecting is having no idea what is under the coil. No - I do not work for Minelab or any dealer - but I am a good position to give advice on this since I just owned one after the other. Hope this helps - if the extra few hundie is not an issue - then get the etrac!
I hear what your saying. I have ran some high end machines with lot's of options. I didn't mess with the options too much. I just feel that if I'm not a tweaker then why get all the options. But now since you say comparing factory settings to factory setting the E-trac is superior - well I may look more closely at the big boy.....
I am not much of a tweaker either. The only setting I really mess with is the sensitivity level which is what most people mess with on the Safari too. The key difference for me is that somehow the etrac circuitry sees through junk better than the Safari - therefore I got solid coin signals in trash with the etrac that i was not getting with the safari. Both on factory settings. Maybe as a result of a faster processor - or using more criteria to evaluate the signal. I don't know why. I will defer to the more experienced detectorists on this forum for that topic.
Well, I'll chime in here with a vote for the Safari, and also mention that I wouldn't classify myself as a 'technical detectorist' who likes to tinker with a bunch of different settings. I first bought an E-Trac and was happy with the performance, but wanted detector where it's quicker and easier to set custom discrimination patterns. So I traded my E-Trac for a nice used Safari plus some cash and have been very happy with it. It would be nice if it had some of the E-Trac features like a wider range of target IDs, displaying the actual sensitivity when in auto, and a backlight option, but I love how easy it is to create, save and load my own custom patterns. Safari Tip I learned a few weeks ago: an 8 gram platinum ring with about 2 carats of diamonds 'rings' up at an 11.
CONDUCTOR7E
New member
Both great machines.I have owned the both of them.For the down and dirty detecting that I do in the ultra trashy sites that I detect.....There is no comparison-Go with the E-Trac.I could go on and on as to why I feel this way but everybody else has already summed it up for me.If you want the best with the best performance then you must pay for it.
CONDUCTOR7E
New member
Thanks for the kind words buddy! You're doing pretty good yourself!