Some hesitancy about using my new Safari

[SC Dirt Fisher]

I bought a new Safari thinking that my DFX was broken, but the local dealer found the problem and corrected it before the Safari arrived. Now I am perplexed about whether to even assemble the Safari or just try and recover most of the cost by selling it NIB.
I would at least try it out IF I was fairly certain that it would perform better than the DFX. Does anyone on this forum have experience with both of these and could help me with this decision?
Many Thanks!

 

[Cos]

SC-

I have used many White's detectors in my 40+ years of metal detecting, but somehow missed on the DFX. White's detectors are indeed excellent metal detecting units. However, the DFX is no longer in production, so I have to believe that newer models from White's and others have exceeded the DFX technology. The Safari is still a relatively new unit from Minelab and is still in production which will enhance its resale price if you decide to sell it. You need to be aware, however, that the FBS technology built into the Safari results in a detector that is a different breed of cat from other VLF machines. Going from a standard 1 or 2 band VLF machine will result in a learning curve of one to two months at least. But the wait I believe will be worth it as the Safari is an outstanding detector with lots of depth and a special affinity for silver (coins and rings). With the Safari you need to go much slower than with a VLF machine, and learn what the audio (sounds) is telling you. Once you master that, I think you will be happy with the performance of the Minelab Safari.

 

[Elton]

[attachment 290852 imagesMPXGXGVK.jpg]keep the DFX for a back up............ I will not say specifically it will perform better. It will perform differently.

 

[Will1877]

My buddy has used the dfx since its release and has found awesome items with it. With that being said when we detect together he leaves the whites in the truck and uses my safari and I use the etrac. He found silver numerous times with it to. He loves it and says he is amazed with depth and simplicity of use.

 

[therover]

I have both a Safari and DFX. They are different animals, and they compliment each other very well.

Main thing is the DFX is lighter, can run in single frequency mode and be customized using recovery speed, filters, notching, etc. that the Safari cannot do. Also, the DFX can be swept much more quickly and do better in trashy environments when setting up filters/recovery speed settings where as the Safari only has minor adjustments in that area ( ie, the trash density).

The Safari is a deeper detecting unit right out of the box and does not need much setting up at all. You do have to sweep it much slower to get the optimal results. The Safari is a better wet salt sand beach unit in the sense of depth and the ability to get deep silver and copper. DFX has the edge for gold in my opinion and is a better dry sand gold jewelry hunter due to the ability to run in 15kHZ mode.

DFX is a better tot lot hunter using the Whites 5.3 concentric. Safari a better deep silver dirt hunter with stock and smaller after market DD coils.

Visual ID capabilities are better on the DFX due to the signagraph, tone ID better on the Safari.

There are more coils (both DD and concentric), available for the DFX.

Tough call on which one to pick if I only had to choose one. Being you are schooled in the DFX and the Safari would be a totally different unit, the DFX is probably your better choice if you had to only have one unit. Not sure what Whites would charge for repairs on a DFX if it needed tuning up or other things done to it, but Whites is great on service so there should be no worries there.

My 2 cents.

 

[SC Dirt Fisher]

therover,
Thanks for your reply. You have some very useful and valid points. One, that the DFX is no longer produced, and two, that the Safari is a better wet salt beach machine. My two favorite styles of hunting are wet beach and silver coin hunting. The point you an others make about the DFX and Safari being so different can only lead to believe I must at least try this Safari before making a decision. I can afford to keep both machines if I need to, and realize that if the DFX breaks it may not be repairable.
Also there have been times that I felt the DFX was not getting the depth that it was known for, but I won't know this until I hunt the same area with a detector that is supposed to get the same or better depth.
I have gotten over most of the DFX learning curve but sometimes think it would be nice to be able to "turn on and hunt" without so many settings to consider.
Yep, I may just allow the two machines to decide which stays out of the basement.
Thanks to all for your help!

 

[KinTN]

If your 2 favorite forms of hunting are wet beach and silver coin, AND you take some time to learn the machine, you will love the Safari.

 

[SC Dirt Fisher]

Thanks. I have read that the Safari is a bit deeper as a beach machine, but I do like the AUTOTRAC feature of the DFX when moving from wet/dry to dry/wet sand.

 

[therover]

Just remember to sweep slow in the wet sand. You will get some deep silver and other goodies that way. Just run it on the stable side and don't be afraid to turn down the sensitivity a bit if it's acting up. It will still go plenty deep.

 

[SC Dirt Fisher]

Rover, thanks again for the tips. I'm glad I posted on this site and fortunate to have someone knowledgeable of both detectors. It may be a couple of months before another beach hunt, but I'm hoping to get in some good C/J and relic hunts soon.
This forum is more informative than others I've visited.

 

[old lobo]

As I'm typing this, 2 posts below this one is a post by Goldstrike called: gold ring.... come to poppa. Look at that ring he found with his Safari. I currently use a Minelab Sovereign GT, and found a couple of engagement rings, one 14 k gold and the other platinum, both over 2 scoops deep in the wet sand, with a very strong signal. The reason I'm reading this forum is because I'm thinking of getting a Safari because of the meter. I spend way too much time digging corroded zinc pennies that others with a meter are leaving in the sand, and with my bad hearing I can't hear the difference by just sound. I can tell you this, here in S. California with our black sand beaches, 90 percent of the people doing the wet sand that are using a vlf machine are using a multi frequency Minelab because they are by far the best for our type of beaches.

 

[therover]

The stock 11 inch Pro Coil may be a bit big for coin and jewelry hunting in parks ( if that's where you are going to hunt for them). The smaller Sunray X-8 is almost as deep, yet is less prone to masking and easier to swing.

Thought if you wanted to try it out to see how a smaller coil works on the Safari before you might decide to get one, I can lend you mine.

All you need to do is pay for the shipping when you send it back. Probably in the $10-15 range since I ship USPS priority.

Send me a PM with your info if you are interested.

John

 

[SC Dirt Fisher]

John, that's a very kind offer, and I'll probably take you up on it later on.
First I have to find the time to get it out of the box and just get used to it instead of the DFX. In reading some of these posts for the Safari, it looks like the Safari is a little more difficult to use when pinpointing. I hope this is just part of the learning curve since I'm used to digging very small plugs when coins hooting in parks with the DFX. I guess this could be another reason for using the smaller coil also.
I'm really excited abou getting out for the first time with it, I just need a few more days to recover from this severe respiratory infection I've had.
Until then, happy hunting to you!

 

[old lobo]

I could have put more thought into the post I made above, so let me try again. The DFX and the Safari complement each other. The Safari is a slow sweep machine, the slower you go the deeper it will find silver and copper coins. It will find gold rings fine, but does not do well on very small gold items. The DFX work fine as a fast sweep machine, does not go as deep as the Safari on silver, but is better on small gold. If you were going to do property that you can get back to from time to time, I would use the DFX first and get all the coins down to 6 or 7 inches, because that machine works fine at a fast pace and you can cover more ground in a given amount of time. Next, I would go back over that same area with the Safari, using a very slow sweep speed and getting those deep (and hopefully silver) coins. Also can tabs and foil usually don't sink below 6 inches, so any tab or foil signals deeper than that have a better than average chance of being a gold or platinum ring.

 

[SC Dirt Fisher]

Old Lobo,
Thank you so much for the summary of the capabilities of the two. I am really chomping at the bit now, because I have two inland sites that I feel positive must have silver on them. One I have worked once (an 1875 church) using the 950 coil. I was digging everything and found a few modern coins and little trash. I was going to hunt it next with the Super 12, hoping to find some deep silver. Of course we never know for sure, but the people in the community say it's never been hunted before. Now, thanks to your post, it sounds like a once over with the Safari may be more appropriate to see if there is any silver there for sure. The area on one side of the church had much more people traffic and activity than the other, but unfortunately now has an overhead power line running through the center. I'm hoping the Safari will do a better job in this EMI area than the DFX.
The other site is an elementary school site circa 1900 that was rebuilt partially around 1970 and still in use today as a subsidized daycare center. The older part is fenced for which I'm attempting to gain permission to hunt.
The only reason I'm writing this now instead of being out hunting now is that for the last few weeks I've been recuperating from a virus infection I caught between a round of chemo treatments. Today was my first partial day back at work, so I'm definitely getting back!
Thanks again for the advice. I'm sure I will be posting here a lot more soon after I get out with the Safari!

 

[Will1877]

One thing I learned early with Minelab equipment is they are much more stable in enviroments then the whites detector I used in the past. One example of this was hunting near an electric fence with the whites xlt I could actually hear the fence pulse in my head phones and could not hunt. Did not have this problem with the safari. The only show stopper for me on the safari once was a shallow under ground invis-a-fence to keep pets in the yard. Couldn't hunt at either site that had this. Any tips on how to combat this please let me know.