E-Trac vs f75 Ltd

[1seeker]

I like both fisher, and Minelab ,has anyone field tested the f75 Ltd up against the E trac ,I know i am on a Mine Lab forum, easy guys , and my next machine is a Mine Lab in Feb. 2010. What are the major differences ,if you have used both ?

 

[go-rebels]

Uh, oh....

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F75LTD
Ace 250

 

[Nick A]

What I have heard is that the F75/T2 is a great relic machine, especially in Southern red soils. Build quality is a little crappy on the 75. I think to answer the question fairly, you need to let us know what kind of hunting you're doing (relics, old coins, new coins, jewelry, etc.) and what area of the country you are in. If you are seeking Civil War relics in the Southern US, the F75 is getting great results. If you're seeing old coins in New England or the Midwest, the E-Trac or Explorer is a great machine. If you're looking for modern clad any machine will do, so don't waste your money on a top of the line machine, it's overkill. The Minelab X-Terra series is an excellent all-around machine, as are most mid-range machines from White's, Fisher, Tesoro, and Garrett. If you're looking for jewelry/gold, get a machine that has a good reputation for gold. I believe the new V3 may have a real edge for gold, but I have yet to see this for myself or in anyone else's results.

 

[1seeker]

E-trac vs f75LTD (not the standard f75)

 

[Nick A]

My comments apply for either the 75 or the 75 Ltd. The Ltd machine seems to be set a little hotter and has a few other tweaks, but is still basically a 75.

 

[go-rebels]

It is easier to run the LTD "quieter" rather than "hotter" compared to the 75. Neither machine is setup any different than the other when run in one of the common modes. The two new modes offered by the LTD lengthen the recovery time while allowing for more sophisticated target analysis, both audio vs TID and DISC vs all-metal.

I sold my Explorer II when testing proved to me, in my dirt, that the LTD could be run deeper and quieter. Prior to the LTD the Ex-II was my flagship detector. I owned the Etrac for a short time but sold it due to iron falsing.

 

[jim tn]

I have heard the Etrac is a great machine and since I have not used one I don't know if it is built "crappy" or a "tweaked" something or other, Minelab. I have an honest 3,000 plus hours in with my F 75 and it has stood the test of those hours with no problems and never gone back to the factory for any reason. Now having the LTD, I can further attest that the LTD is a little something more then a few tweaks over the regular F 75. I mainly coin shoot and the F 75 is great for hunting in trash and has served me very well. And from what I hear, the Etrac is a great coin shooter and excells in the trash, as well. HH jim tn

 

[JohnTN]

I have probably 1500 hours on the Etrac, at least 1000 hours on the F75 and about 200 hours on the F75 LTD. All great machines but I believe the multi-tones on the Etrac make it shine above the F series Fishers for coin hunting in the trash. In my testing all three machines are very deep. The original F75 is a beast at picking between ferrous and non-ferrous targets in iron laden sites. The F75 LTD is basically the same as the Original F75 except for the two boost modes BP and CL. All I can say is when you go into the boost modes you will definately dig deep. I have dug mini-balls at 14" that sounded shallow. I prefer the Etrac's solid, ID's the tones never lie and the Screen is a bonus in making dig/no-dig decisions. To put it plainly: If I were going into a manicured lawn and had one chance to hunt it then I would grab the Etrac and cherry pick the high conductors. If I were going on a relic hunt where I was digging everything that wasn't iron then it would be the F75 or LTD if all the targets ran deep then the LTD.

 

[marcomo]

I have probably 1500 hours on the Etrac, at least 1000 hours on the F75 and about 200 hours on the F75 LTD. All great machines but I believe the multi-tones on the Etrac make it shine above the F series Fishers for coin hunting in the trash. In my testing all three machines are very deep. The original F75 is a beast at picking between ferrous and non-ferrous targets in iron laden sites. The F75 LTD is basically the same as the Original F75 except for the two boost modes BP and CL. All I can say is when you go into the boost modes you will definately dig deep. I have dug mini-balls at 14" that sounded shallow. I prefer the Etrac's solid, ID's the tones never lie and the Screen is a bonus in making dig/no-dig decisions. To put it plainly: If I were going into a manicured lawn and had one chance to hunt it then I would grab the Etrac and cherry pick the high conductors. If I were going on a relic hunt where I was digging everything that wasn't iron then it would be the F75 or LTD if all the targets ran deep then the LTD.

Excellent, John!

I always enjoy reading a report from someone who can base what they say on having used both machines extensively.

 

[1seeker]

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