Why do you like Minelabs???

[D&P-OR]

Without getting into (a whole lot of) specifics--what is your "bottom line" reason you own, use & like Minelab machines? (mainly Etrac/Explorer).----I have a saying that I have said for years--and you talk about speaking in generalities--but it HAS BEEN AND IS so true--"I like Minelabs because I can find stuff with them"--I just do well with them.----I bought the XS back in '92 & have had them all (Explorers/Etrac) since then & done great with all of them.----I have this "sickness" you see--and I have owned & used more detectors (and coils) than probably 10 people (over the years)---that is also why I'm so poor!! -----But I have ALWAYS & FOREVER come back to the Minelabs (actually I never got rid of them in the first place--always have had 2 or 3 Minelabs in the "arsenal" since they became available).----I own & enjoy useing a few other detectors also but my "main man"--"top dog" is and I'm sure always will be the Minelabs.----Is that "blood & guts" or what?? Just speaking my thoughts & I hope they don't "throw me off" the other (detector) brand name forums for saying this as I enjoy useing 2 or 3 other "brand name" detectors & visiting with the members there also. --------Del

 

[marchas45]

I like them because I know how to use them.LOL as for the others their just sitting around hoping I pick them up, like my Garrett LS but I prefer my Excalibur, my whites MXT but I prefer my e-trac, my Fisher75 only when my arm gets tired,LOL My Scorpion just sits and looks at me all day long and cries. LOL

 

[weston]

oh, this is gonna get good! i love minelab detectors because when you get one and open the box you can tell their all AWESOME detectors before you even use them! then when you use them you find out their even more awesome than you thought! plus they stomp ever other detector into the ground hands down! MINELAB IS TOP DOG! GO MINELAB!!!

Weston

 

[Jack Flynn]

I've had 5 ML's and 2 Tesoro's and tried 1 White's detector. Personally I like being able to discern what is there by sound and TID. None of the others I tried gave me anywhere near the information. Most all the rest are essentially beep and dig with whistles seems to me.

 

[Critterhunter]

Read my signature file at the bottom of this message for my reasoning, though for me my Sovereign GT performs better/deeper than any of my Explorers did in my ground. Still, any of the "big three" Minelabs are no question heads and shoulders above anything the competition has to offer. There are a few machines that come close (Aint none of them Whites, either) but only in lower mineralized ground.

I'd say if I could only have one machine the list would go something like this...

GT or Etrac
Explorer
T2 LTD
F75 LTD
T2 or F75
M6 or possibly the new MXT version coming out.

If the QXT Pro had larger coils (12" or larger) and they were DD's I'd probably put it right below the GT and Etrac. Never found a Whites that went deeper on silver or copper coins using the same (9.5") coil. That low frequency machine would probably really punch down there with something larger like an SEF coil. None too impressed with the DFX or V3. Highly unmatched frequencies for good "multifrequency" hunting for a specific hunt, like say for either coins or gold rings. I'd much rather see them allow you to assign those 3 or 4 frequencies to any range you wanted. Hunting for old coins? Then say 1.5khz, 3khz, and say 6khz. Hunting for gold rings? Then set them to say 12khz, 14khz, and 18 or 24khz for the third. Strip off many of the useless controls that often hurt you more than help and then Whites would have something there. Just glad the Minelabs give you all the frequencies running at once, and without all the micro tweaks you have to get just right for very specific sites on the flagship Whites.

I'm looking into the Techniques models right now as a backup to my GT. Different beast all together but light and very fast for specific situations. I'm no fan of high frequency machines but I hear they are near Minelab in depth in better soils. I'd like to see them make a low frequency version for maxing out old coin depths.

 

[D&P-OR]

Correction to my initial post where I said I bought the XS in 1992---it should have read that I bought it in 2002.---Sorry about that, my (typing) fingers got to out running my brain! ------Del

 

[Critterhunter]

Here's a link to a thread in the Sovereign forum from a month or so back called "Here's Why You Own A Minelab!". It runs along the same theme as your thread, and I've done plenty of ranting there on why there is no other choice if you want to find the goodies at "worked out" spots.

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?21,1206635,page=1

 

[TURNMASTER]

The darn things (yes I own 2) cost an arm and a leg. I HAVE to make finds to justify the expense. It was not nearly as important whan I had a $125 machine, not as much pressure to perform. LOL

 

[in the woods]

Unsure why I settled on the X50 to start. But, I liked the swing.
The Etrac had great reviews. I knew a couple of owners that swore by them, so I decided on it.
I did test out a Whites, but hated the swing. Kept hitting my digger and pinpointer with the BOX. Drove me nuts. Liked the machine but would never own one because it felt uncomfortable swingin'
Tin Pan Man

 

[Jack Flynn]

Once I really think about it. Noise cancel or ground balance and you are off to finding virtually anything and about everything out there. Works for me...............

 

[dirt doctor]

I like the Explorer's tones , depth ability and the way it homes in on silver .Never had an E-Trac but had an Explorer 2 , X-Terra 50 and presently own an SE ,
Sold the X-Terra 50 and the Explorer 2 ( I wish I would have kept the Explorer 2) .The SE is here to stay now though , It along with a few other detectors I have that meet all my different ways of hunting . I am tired of buying ,selling and trying different detectors . The biggest factor in successful detecting is having a spot with targets left in it and being familiar with your detector .

 

[captn_se]

1. Best deep coin hunting machine in the turf!! No doubt about it!

2. Ahhhh, the tones. Love to hear those deep, fluty-tooty sounds!!

3. I don't have to constantly tweak the machine...it's already dialed in to find the deepies.

 

[grubeda]

Call me crazy, but I love fine-tuning all of the settings. The deeper and more complex the menus are, the better! I used a Whites Classic for many years, which was relatively a very simplistic detector. I love playing around with all of the options, bells, and whistles on the E-Trac, depending on the area, what I'm searching for, and how I want it to behave. Other than that, I like my Minelab for the same reasons as everyone else: It performs really well!

 

[utahshovelhead]

All about the accuracy of the machine. That is if you can take your eyes off her wicked look and vocal range. But all in all shes powerful, well built, accurate, easy to use and makes me happy!

utahshovelhead

 

[bcoop]

n/t

 

[moseng]

I would like to say it's because I scientifically narrowed it down and found Minelabs to be superior detectors.... But the truth is I started because all of you posted good stuff with them! Now, it's because "I" find good stuff with them!

 

[UtahRich]

RESULTS . . . . . .

 

[Neil]

etrac/explorer/sov: smooth as silk from dry sand to wet sand, excellent depth and sensitivity, very well made(good sturdy materials).

best Ive ever used.

Neil

 

[montanagold]

I use minelab because nothing comes even a speck close to what I expect out of a detector.

 

[stevew]

I would perfer everyone but me to use whites machines that way the silver/gold magnet can run wild etrac until the ftrac as the saying goes second place is first loser so i tell everyone other than sight I wish I got a dfx lmao

steve