The term BEST is relative in that opinions vary, depending on the success each person may have had with a specific detector. The reasons I like the Etrac better than the Explorer or the Sovereign are partly electronics and partly ergonomics. Electronics....... if we are talking about target separation and identification in those trashy areas, the Etrac and Explorer offer both Conductive and Ferrous information on the TID. The Safari offers conductive only. The Sovereign also offers a conductive reading, which can be provided on an accessory meter. The Safari offers conductive discrimination in a notch format. The Sovereign offers conductive discrimination in a variable format with notch segment capabilities and the Etrac offers conductive notch discrimination and ferrous notch discrimination. The response time (reset between targets) of the Etrac and Safari seem to be much quicker than the Explorer or the Sovereign. Coils are interchangeable between the Etrac, Explorer and Safari. The Sovereign uses different coils than the FBS units. The Etrac offers more audio choices (one tone, two tones, four tones or multiple tones), which can be set for either ferrous or conductive properties, for those of us who like to "hunt by ear". The Safari offers a conductive or ferrous audio response, the Explorer offers a constant or multiple freq response on either conductive or ferrous. And the Sovereign offers a tone that gets higher in pitch as the conductivity increases.
Ergonomics.........We know the design of the Sovereign housing is much different than the Explorer, Safari or Etrac. Minelab altered the Etrac ergonomics (compared to the Explorer) by changing the angle of the grip by 15 degrees. If you haven't tried one, you wouldn't believe how much difference that 15 degrees makes in an 8 hour hunt!
I think those who have tried the Etrac appreciate how it performs in trashy environments for all of the reasons listed above. The balance is easier to manage for long periods of time. And, the balance allows for more precision in those slow sweeps intended to separate targets. The Etrac provides a numeric representation of what most of us consider to be the ferrous properties and the conductive properties. The processor speed is much quicker than earlier models, allowing for faster reset between targets and a much more "forgiving" sweep speed than earlier Explorers, Sovereigns or the Quattro. And, the multiple tone options of the Etrac allow users to hear their target without having to "break their stride" unnecessarily. Those things, combined with the new coil designs that have been introduced since the Etrac made it's appearance, all contribute to why some think the Etrac is "best". Frankly, although I like the Etrac for what it is capable of doing in nasty trashy areas, I still like my X-Terra for wide open hunting where I need more speed and don't need the ferrous property information. If the targets are really few and far between, I'll even pull out my XLPro now and again! The tone response on it is like having coin radar! JMHO HH Randy
