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Explorer or E-Trac?

A

alex74

Member
hi folks,


after several years with another brand, i intend to buy a minelab again. my last minelab was an explorer xs in 2000. have the explorers become better since then from the xs to the II to the se? and is the e-trac now the pinnacle of he explorer evolution? or is the explorer se the better machine?
what are the main differences between the explorer series and the e-trac? could the e-trac be called explorer IV or is it something totally new or different? is the e-trac worth the extra $$ or do the explorer II or se the same good job?

regards, alex
 
I've got my 7 year old XS and 10 month old Etrac. They are both great machines. You can prob. pick up an older Explorer series machine at a decent price if that's a concern. I get my moneys worth out of my machines by using them, and keeping them for an extended period of time. I'm not as good with the machine as a lot of guys on these forums, but either machine will find silver and gold, if you are in the right place. As far as which is best, that can of worms has been batted around many times on this forum over the last several months.......I like both machines, but basically it's whatever works for you.
 
I have both. I prefer the E-Trac. I firmly believe the detectors are equally matched. My opinion is the Explorer is better for relics and the E-Trac is more of a coinshooters dream. Both will find the same stuff, but the E-Trac has some added features and the interface is better for coinshooting. No lie, used Explorer SEs are a bargain. The Pro coil is fantastic and I would not be without it (or the 10x12 SEF)
 
Hi Alex,

Like Nick A. I have both an Ex 2 and E-Trac and I would generally concur with his well expressed comments.
I am not about to sell either machine as they share the same coils and complement each other nicely.
The display of both Smartfind and Ferrous/Conduct numbers on the E-Trac is a really nice feature rather than hopping screens on my Ex-2, and conduct numbers are way more stable on the E-Trac, also Quickmask dual coordinate disc is a nice touch.
That said I do prefer the audio characteristics of the Explorer, particularly on silver, that sweet flute music is tough to beat!
What follows is just speculation:
A thought that keeps nagging in my mind is that Minelab will or may be coming out with a machine in response to Whites new Spectra V3, I anticipate an Explorer 3 with color screen, E-Trac type Quickmask and combine features,etc is in the works.
After all other than replacing the slimline coil with the pro coil the Explorer series is overdue for its 3 year update cycle and if, (as Minelab avows) the E-Trac is not an Explorer, or its replacement, and my prognostication turns out to be the case, then a used Ex-2 or SE, or SE Pro could leave $ for an upgrade in near future.

Just my rambling thoughts Alex, good luck with whatever unit you choose!

Drew.
 
I don't buy into all of the marketing hype and even Andy's matra about the E-Trac not being and Explorer....so they re-mapped the screen a little, upgraded the software, put in the pretty lame E-Trac Exchange software and all of a sudden it's a different species?!?! It uses the same coils, transmits the same 28 frequencies, same batteries, looks almost the same....don't expect any other Explorers to come out - ever. This is IT. You'll probably see an E-Trac 2 that adds some of the innovative stuff that's the V3 has added regarding visual DSP and IF Minelab ever listens to me regarding sonification they will have a really kick @ss mchine!
 
What do you want to bet that the E-Trac II will have a color screen ?

It might even have that super secret hidden analyze screen right up front.

I agree with you that it is not a new species and shares a LOT of the Explorer parts ... but that is a good thing ... all those coils, shafts, battery's, and other accessory's are interchangeable.

Look how different the battery's are in the Sovereign line.

The Explorer SE to E-Track is no different than the Quatro MP to Safari ... what is in a name anyhow!
It is a great detector no mater what they name it.

Willee
 
Maybe because he is not looking for a generalized answer .If you want to know about Explorers & the E-Trac common sense dictates you would ask questions on their respective forums.
 
Ray-Mo. said:
Maybe because he is not looking for a generalized answer .If you want to know about Explorers & the E-Trac common sense dictates you would ask questions on their respective forums.
Click to expand...

Just opened this thread and I thought the same thing. Why would someone suggest asking a question about the E-Trac compared to the Explorer on a general forum where most of the readers have used neither??????
 
Alex: Well here is another opinion, for what it is worth. I have been detecting with the explorer series since the first one came out. Great detectors and improvments all the way. Are you needing the ability to hook your detctor up and tweek programs from downloads or just a straight detectorist out to find coins and relics at great depths? The SE and the E-trac are very evenly matched with the edge on coinshooting going to the E-trac. Sabish book is the bible right now and upgrades are inevitable weather it would be color screens or other screen ID's. What do you want to do as far as programming ,manual or downloaded? To bad you switched to another brand,left more for us to find. Hope this helps
:detecting:Hardrock
 
somebody said:
Maybe because he is not looking for a generalized answer .If you want to know about Explorers & the E-Trac common sense dictates you would ask questions on their respective forums.
Click to expand...

:laugh:

I'm impressed with the responses here - things have seriously calmed down since the E-Trac's release where it was being defended as the best device since light bulbs.

The difficult question he asked is which is better? I know of three other threads where saying the Explorer line was excellent and upgrading (or buying a new one vs. a used Explorer) was unecessary got angry folks posting mean things. :sad: Inevitably someone will ask why.... and someone will answer .. and before you know it, a melee about the FE12 remapping has broken out :starwars:

If I go on the Fisher forum and ask if they like the F75 - what kind of response do you think I'll get? Post these things on the Metal Detecting Forum or another similiar one ... logically you'd be more apt to get unbiased answers.

Alex - I have the Explorer II and haven't seen a reason yet to "upgrade".

Ray-MO don't hate :wiggle:
 
I don,t hate you or anyone else on here for that matter.I may have a strong differing of opinions once in a while.Also I am not one to run down any detector and I still have an SE and an F75 and do not plan to sell unless the economy gets even worse and I get desperate for cash or a newly released machine.I kinda wish I had kept my Explorer II instead of the SE as far as that goes.I am just very happy with my E-Trac because it works better for me for old deep coins than any of the many other machines I have used around southern MO. If a person has an ace 250 and they are happy with the results they get with it that is all that should matter.However if not and are looking for a better machine I would suggest the E-Trac with a very clear conscious because of the great success I have had with mine,Ray.
PS The Explorers would be my second choice and then the F75.
 
Ive used the Se for 2 years.Have had Superb results.I decided id try out the E-trac.Ive had it 4 days and used it twice.I think the angle on the handle,The faster proccesor ,Better discrimination .vdi on the same screen as smartfind and the easy user menu Make the machine a cadilac.So if you wanna drive the truck with the standard shift...Go SE..If you wanna drive the Hummer and go thru some deeper mud in style....Go E-trac..They will both get the job done,Its just abit easier and sweeter with the E-Trac.Either way,if you learn your machine you WILL get the Deep stuff.Good luck in your choice...HH
 
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