V3i to Etrac- would like to here form thosehe switched

[lawsonland]

Hi,
I currently have the V3i. I would like to here from people who made the switch and have been using the Etrac for a while.
Likes and dislikes. I have only used whites machines but am on the fence with this V3i
Thanks
Jon

 

[pointer80]

Hi lawsonland, I had a v3i and to be honest I did not care for it at all. my main issue was I could not get it to settle down at times, I mean one day it would run stable and the next day it would go crazy and I'm talking about the exact same spot and same conditions. I never knew if I was missing targets or not. there is nothing worse than leaving a hunting spot wondering. I switched to the e-trac and within the first hour with it in the field I had more confidence in it than the whole time I owned my v3i. The last straw was when the whites dealer and his hunting partner came down to give me some pointers and they both brought their dfx's instead of their v3i's?? That did it for me, My v3i took a trip to ebay land and never returned. Now just remember this is my personal experience and I'm sure some people have had great success with there v3i, Just not my experience. Good luck and HH.

 

[Agseeker]

Jon,

I purchased and used the V3i for about a year. I found the V3i very frustrating to use because it seemed that I could never find the right set-up. No matter what I tried I just couldn't find a dime deeper than 6". I think, for me at least, that the V3i just has too many variables that can be adjusted making it too complex to use. I think White's introduction of the VX3 is a tacit admission on White's part of that fact. I'm not saying the V3i is a bad machine; my detecting partner uses one and loves it. The depth of the E-Trac is incredible. Yesterday I found a pull-tab beaver tail at 7" with no trouble (thought I had a silver dime for sure). The E-Trac has no problem finding a dime at 8". In a year detecting with the V3i I found 26 wheat cents and two silver dimes. In four months with the E-Trac I've found 44 wheat cents, three silver dimes and two silver quarters. That's four times the silver value in a third of the time. Which detector would you be using? I haven't used the V3i since I bought the E-trac.

 

[moose]

I bought brand new and used the V3-I for 5 months and my hunting partner " Father in law" hunted with the E-trac and he would smoke my a$$ with depth and coin quantity. I was a whites man too the end and after a very frustrating summer with the V, I bought the E and tripled my finds for the last 2 months of the hunting season. MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION OF THE V-3I, "makes a better oar". The confidence in the E is 10x that of the V-3I.
I could go on for ever with the struggles I've had with the V, but buy the E and you will write the same book I did...

Moose

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Jon the E-Trac is a much simpler machine to use overall. Holler if you have any questions or would like a great deal! Thanks, Bart.

 

[banditicey]

My husband had the V3i and used it for a year and yes, he hated it
All of the above were his complaints and all the compliments about the ET was his position too!

He also sold his V3i on Ebay

 

[nge]

WOWSER! Such testimonials for Minelab, I have had whites in the past but never a V3i, guess I made the right choice in the beginning. White's is going to have to up the ante with their T.V. commercials of the guy finding a silver half at 6 inches to finding a pirate's chest at 3 feet to keep selling their machines............NGE

 

[pghmole]

My v3i is collecting dust,I'm sure its good in experienced hands,but the e trac is my preference,I also like being able to tell if a Target is silver!!

 

[Southwind]

I've been a White's user since 1991 when I bought a Spectrum Eagle. I liked it so well I went to the XLT then DFX which I loved for 8 eyars. Of course my next step was the V3i. I bought a Vision, then V3 then V3i all different detectors. Back when I bought my DFX I also looked at the Explorere SE and liked it but found it to be nothing my DFX wasn't already. Some 3 years ago I tried the E-Trac and found it to be in a league all its own. For pulling silver and copper from hard hit trashy sites deep the E-Trac is second to none. The V3i can get to those same deep silvers and copper, but takes a bit more educating to get it done. The E-Trac is very accurate( on the CO/Conductive numbers) on very deep targets and that is its strong point. The E-Trac makes cherry picking deep silver and copper eaiser than any other detector I've tried.

 

[UtahRich]

Hi Jon,

If there is somebody in your neck of the woods that uses an E-trac, you could do some hunting with them and see if the E-trac is along the lines of what you anticipate. My hunting partner is a long time White's guy and is still in the process of gaining a command of his V3 and at times feels like some of those V3 & V3i hunters above; unsure if his detector is set properly for the location.

I have read some very nice reviews of the V3 series on the Whites V3 forum, so I'm sure the detector is capable. The challenge is finding a good detector, putting in the time to learn it and getting to the point where you are comfortable and successful with it.

Best of luck in your decision.

Rich (Utah)

 

[Scortch]

I still own a V3i and enjoy it very much. However it just isn't as easy to use as the E-trac for coin shooting. I think the v3i is a more versatile machine in that it can be set up for relics or prospecting and works very well.
If you spend most of your hunting time looking for coins, especially silver, you just can't beat the E-trac That being said, if the budget allows, get both machines. You will be set for any detecting adventure.

Have fun!

Nathan (Idaho)

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

I used to have the E-Trac and I now have the V3i.

If I were to buy a detector and wanted a nearly hassle free learning curve I would go with the E-Trac. Why did I get rid of it you ask? I just wanted to try something different, that's all.

The learning curve with the V3i seems a bit more technical than what I experienced with the E-Trac, but I did own an Explorer SE prior to the E-Trac, so maybe the transition was a bit easier.

Being that I had never had a Whites machine could be the reason that the learning curve is a bit more difficult. I got the V3i in early August of last year and it has just started to click for me by October of that same year. The V3i took some time and tweaking that's for sure. I'm not used to the Whites tones and made adjustments to the Tone VDI so that the Nickles, Dimes, Quarters, and bigger silver reported in high tones. There is a whole lot more adjustments that can be made with the V3i and it is intimidating to say the least.

Hopefully this will help you in your decision, as you will be the one using it.

Read some of the other Forums out there and see what you can learn, that's exactly what I did when the E-Trac came out as well as when the V3 appeared on the market. Both are good machines, but I feel that the E-Trac was easier to learn.

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

I used to have the E-Trac and I now have the V3i.

If I were to buy a detector and wanted a nearly hassle free learning curve I would go with the E-Trac. Why did I get rid of it you ask? I just wanted to try something different, that's all.

The learning curve with the V3i seems a bit more technical than what I experienced with the E-Trac, but I did own an Explorer SE prior to the E-Trac, so maybe the transition was a bit easier.

Being that I had never had a Whites machine could be the reason that the learning curve is a bit more difficult. I got the V3i in early August of last year and it has just started to click for me by October of that same year. The V3i took some time and tweaking that's for sure. I'm not used to the Whites tones and made adjustments to the Tone VDI so that the Nickles, Dimes, Quarters, and bigger silver reported in high tones. There is a whole lot more adjustments that can be made with the V3i and it is intimidating to say the least.

Hopefully this will help you in your decision, as you will be the one using it.

Read some of the other Forums out there and see what you can learn, that's exactly what I did when the E-Trac came out as well as when the V3 appeared on the market. Both are good machines, but I feel that the E-Trac was easier to learn.

Sorry for any confusion. This was a reply that I had made to another post a year ago.

You won't regret the Etrac

 

[JMT Detectors]

I used to have the E-Trac and I now have the V3i.

If I were to buy a detector and wanted a nearly hassle free learning curve I would go with the E-Trac. Why did I get rid of it you ask? I just wanted to try something different, that's all.

The learning curve with the V3i seems a bit more technical than what I experienced with the E-Trac, but I did own an Explorer SE prior to the E-Trac, so maybe the transition was a bit easier.

Being that I had never had a Whites machine could be the reason that the learning curve is a bit more difficult. I got the V3i in early August of last year and it has just started to click for me by October of that same year. The V3i took some time and tweaking that's for sure. I'm not used to the Whites tones and made adjustments to the Tone VDI so that the Nickles, Dimes, Quarters, and bigger silver reported in high tones. There is a whole lot more adjustments that can be made with the V3i and it is intimidating to say the least.

Hopefully this will help you in your decision, as you will be the one using it.

Read some of the other Forums out there and see what you can learn, that's exactly what I did when the E-Trac came out as well as when the V3 appeared on the market. Both are good machines, but I feel that the E-Trac was easier to learn.

Sorry for any confusion. This was a reply that I had made to another post a year ago.

You won't regret the Etrac[/quote

Does your signature at bottom mean you only have an E-Trac now after owning a V3i? Just wondering...

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

I used to have the E-Trac and I now have the V3i.

If I were to buy a detector and wanted a nearly hassle free learning curve I would go with the E-Trac. Why did I get rid of it you ask? I just wanted to try something different, that's all.

The learning curve with the V3i seems a bit more technical than what I experienced with the E-Trac, but I did own an Explorer SE prior to the E-Trac, so maybe the transition was a bit easier.

Being that I had never had a Whites machine could be the reason that the learning curve is a bit more difficult. I got the V3i in early August of last year and it has just started to click for me by October of that same year. The V3i took some time and tweaking that's for sure. I'm not used to the Whites tones and made adjustments to the Tone VDI so that the Nickles, Dimes, Quarters, and bigger silver reported in high tones. There is a whole lot more adjustments that can be made with the V3i and it is intimidating to say the least.

Hopefully this will help you in your decision, as you will be the one using it.

Read some of the other Forums out there and see what you can learn, that's exactly what I did when the E-Trac came out as well as when the V3 appeared on the market. Both are good machines, but I feel that the E-Trac was easier to learn.

Sorry for any confusion. This was a reply that I had made to another post a year ago.

You won't regret the Etrac[/quote

Does your signature at bottom mean you only have an E-Trac now after owning a V3i? Just wondering...

That would be correct.

 

[Vikesboy]

I do not own a V3I, however my partner (my father) whom every time I go hunting with does. The biggest, two most glaring differences I've noticed between the V3i and the E-trac is the V3i's ability to identify what type of coin is in the ground better than my E-trac, and the E-trac's ability to pick coins out of trash. This may purely because of my, and my fathers skills, or where we hunt, but I do see this regularly with OUR SETUP. Also, after watching Goes4ever's pinpointing video, I'd be willing to bet that there's no other machine out there I could use to pinpoint as speedily and as accurately as I can with the E-trac. Also I get a kick out of when we unload the truck, and have already started digging a coin, to peer over and see my father pumping his V3i to accurately program it. Lastly, is the customer service end. The V3i IS American made, and White's ( from what I've read) has the best customer service of all the manufacturers, whereas Minelab ( again, from what I've read) has some pretty slow, and often unreliable customer service, I have no personal experience with either, that is just what I've collaborated from reading 100's of threads when I initially made my decision between these 2 TOP OF THE LINE detectors.

 

[banditicey]

I do not own a V3I, however my partner (my father) whom every time I go hunting with does. The biggest, two most glaring differences I've noticed between the V3i and the E-trac is the V3i's ability to identify what type of coin is in the ground better than my E-trac, and the E-trac's ability to pick coins out of trash. This may purely because of my, and my fathers skills, or where we hunt, but I do see this regularly with OUR SETUP. Also, after watching Goes4ever's pinpointing video, I'd be willing to bet that there's no other machine out there I could use to pinpoint as speedily and as accurately as I can with the E-trac. Also I get a kick out of when we unload the truck, and have already started digging a coin, to peer over and see my father pumping his V3i to accurately program it. Lastly, is the customer service end. The V3i IS American made, and White's ( from what I've read) has the best customer service of all the manufacturers, whereas Minelab ( again, from what I've read) has some pretty slow, and often unreliable customer service, I have no personal experience with either, that is just what I've collaborated from reading 100's of threads when I initially made my decision between these 2 TOP OF THE LINE detectors.

Well Said

FYI got a call from Brian from Minelab about my ET in for service
He was very nice and went through all the stuff that was corrected
The ET was shipped out today
Turn Around is about two weeks..Not Bad

 

[JamesBondaka]

Yes, whites v3i can be screwed up pretty easy if you dont know what you are doing. I do like the v3i better in trash because I tend to dig more good stuff and less trash, because of what its telling me on the analyze screen.......The analyze screen is to me the best selling point of the v3i....I can for the most part accurately tell what is good from bad...cant always tell if its coins or jewelry but can tell it from trash. Emi can be a problem in certain areas but can be it helped if you know what to do. In heavy trash areas....the etrac is good picking out targets but sometimes on older/ pull tabs cant tell if its that or a nickel or better. Deeper ones usually bounce. With the v3i....I can go quickly from target to target that have the same number ID and tell the good target from the bad, with analyze screen. Ive always said....."Now, if I could have a E3(half etrac & half v3)....that would be a great machine!" Both are the only 2 I use on a regular basis.

Bottom line for me is....if I dont know where Im going or what Im digging....I take the etrac.....if Im going to a trashy area...its the v3i.