Looking for unbiased opinion. Sovereign GT vs Safari

[JASONSPAZ1]

If I posted this question in the specific forum for each of these detectors I could predict the responses. I will try to articulate this as best as possible rather than asking generally which machine is better. I have a Sovereign GT and before that I had the Explorer SE. I got rid of the Explorer SE due to the fact that I hated navigating menu within menus to make an adjustment. Plus I thought that the Explorer SE was to slow for some of the junk sites I hunt. I think the Sovereign GT has better target separation than that of the Explorer SE and obviously it is easier to see what the settings are at all times on the Sovereign GT. However with the Explorer and the FBS technology (which I miss)I could tell that it hit harder and deeper on silver. Especially the small Spanish 1/4 reales. Now to me the Safari has just the right amount of menus to navigate serving up just the basics (ie) threshold, sensitivity, volume, etc etc. Plus I like the idea of being able to switch disc settings on the fly. The Sovereign GT drives me nuts with can slaw, and the small nip liquor bottle caps. Plus having the pinpoint switch under the arm rest is a pain to get to on the fly. I want to know if any of you have gone from a SOV GT to a Safari and do you regret it. Can I expect the same general performance from a safari as far as coin depth when compared to the Explorer SE or the E-Trac for that matter. And Lastly Since the Sovereign has the iron mask feature and the Safari does not, does that mean the Safari is more susceptible to iron trash than the GT was. Is the response and recovery time of a Safari faster than the Explorer SE and the Sovereign. Thanks so much in advance for any comments
Take Care
HH
Jason

 

[Critterhunter]

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?21,1268261

If you think the Explorer was slow wait until you get a Safari. Also, it will not achieve the depth of the Explorer or Sovereign.

 

[JASONSPAZ1]

Thanks Critter!

 

[Monte]

a somewhat 'biased' reply since you're comparing to different models. Oh, they are similar in many ways to a lot of us since they are basically a slow-sweep design.

I have a Sovereign GT and before that I had the Explorer SE. I got rid of the Explorer SE due to the fact that I hated navigating menu within menus to make an adjustment.

I have owned a couple of Explorer XS, a couple of Explorer II's and one SE and an SE Pro. I've also owned 3 or 4 Sovereign's like the XS and XS 2A Pro and 1 GT.

Like you, I am not thrilled with navigating menus when I'd rather just get into action at a site. The same applies to White's Vision/Spectra V3/V31 models. they are good, they can do a lot, and if adjusted specifically for what you like, they can perform rather well. That same 'IF' applies to the various FBS models from the XS to the II, SE/SE Pro and the E-Trac. Se them up right, since they have more adjustment control, and you can do reasonably well. Naturally, if a person doesn't make the proper adjustments then performance might not be as good.

Plus I thought that the Explorer SE was to slow for some of the junk sites I hunt. I think the Sovereign GT has better target separation than that of the Explorer SE ...

When I get into very trashy sites, especially nail infested conditions, I don't care for either of the BBS or FBS lines. Instead, I do a lot better with a quick-response/fast-recovery model that provides ample fine-tuning of the Discrimination. Of note, I currently use a Teknetics T2 or Omega w/5" DD coil (when very trashy) and have also had excellent results in densely littered sites with a good Tesoro w/7" concentric coil, or a White's IDX Pro w/6

 

[goodmore]

You won't get a better write up than that. Monte knows his detectors. I have two Sovereigns. An Elite and a GT. I like knobs. I like to keep it real simple. If you go with a Safari I would love to hear how it works out. I think about getting one once in a while.

 

[Monte]

that I also prefer knobs when possible. I like the depth and performance and ease-of-control of the White's XL Pro over the XLT or DFX or Spectra V3, and the one thing I favored about the Sovereigns to the Explorers was the quick-to-adjust knobs. You're right, that's a strong point. One reason why the Omega and Gold Bug/G2 and MXT and M6 are still some of my favorite models on the market today .... knobs.

Monte

 

[crazyman]

And spot on as usual. When hunting in iron fast response wide discrimination range wins every time.

 

[Carolina Phil]

I hope that Minelab will focus on the Sovereign as their next unit to be revised. They updated the Explorer model with the E-Trac version. They updated the X-Terra series (70 to 705, etc.). The Quattro has been replaced by the Safari. They discontinued the Musketeer Advantage. It seems that the Sovereign should be due for a revision.

I would like to see a physically revised Sovereign with the knobs and toggles on top of the control box, like a White's MXT. That way they will be easier to access, and less chance of a twig coming in contact with them and moving them out of adjustment. Also, a stand needs to be added to the underside of the control box to keep it out of the dirt. As far as circuitry goes, it would be nice if a two tone option could be added for relic hunters searching in all metal.

Phil

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I've used a Sovereign with the smaller Tornado coil with good results in heavy thrash parks.Both a blessing and curse the Sovereign hates iron and will null in iron thrash.If you don't like the Explorer I doubt the Safari with a face menu is going to make a difference.FBS series have the same recovery speed are deep and a little more difficult to pinpoint with than most detectors.The one detector I'm impressed with in thrash is the F75.Monte always gives great advice you may want to consider one of the detectors he mentioned.Good Luck

 

[JASONSPAZ1]

Mr Monte.

In the back of my mind I had hopes that you would reply.
Thanks so much again for the excellent advice.
Your the best.

Jason

 

[montanagold]

I used the Safari when my SE was in the shop for a month or two and found it every bit as good as the SE. Not sure about the sovereign as I have never used it.

 

[hershey1]

Critter you are wrong again I have a Safari and hunt with friends that have Explorers and E-Tracs. They have more bells and whistles but as far as depth goes the BBS technology is the same. They are slower than some of the machines Monte mentioned but nothing hits on silver like a Minelab.Now I have no idea where you are hunting but if powerlines hydro-electric dams or any high output EMI sources are nearby might consider a Minelab because you can hunt any-where with them. If you don't have much EMI problems a F-75 or a Tecknetics machine might be your ticket. I like them but just too much racket around these dams and high-voltage switchyards in this Tennessee Valley area. You might try to find a club nearby and try out some different machines. Or a dealer will usually have some demonstrators. But before you go out and spend your hard earned money on a detector try some different machines out. I'm not brand loyal but I sure know what works for me in my area and if something else comes along that works better I'll get it. By the way I got burnt out of fooling with knobs on Whites and Tesoros. But a Soveriegn machine is the best knob job you can get. JMHO HH

 

[Critterhunter]

If you do a search in the Sovereign forum there are further comparisons of the Quatro/Safari to the Explorer/Sovereign. The Quatro/Safari will not achieve the same depth of either one. Slightly more sensitivity to small hammered coins on the SE is due more to the sensitivity of the Pro Coil to smaller items than machine electronics. A 12x10 on your Sovereign will more than even the odds in that respect.

Note the depth comparisons of the Explorer to the Quatro/Safari using SEF coils...

http://www.minivideos.co.uk/ja/sefcoils.pdf

If the above link is trashed then use this one. Paste into your header and then remove the "X"...

http://www.mXinivideos.co.uk/ja/sefcoils.pdf

 

[jbow]

I have never had a Safari but I have a SovGT and an E-TRAC and if I were you I would NOT bother with a Safari, either get an E-TRAC or a SovereignGT they are both the best in their class. If you have mineralized ground either one will serve you well. If you have low mineralized ground you may want to take a look else where like at the Omega-8000 or AT-PRO...

The Minelabs will work anywhere and they will work well in low minerals but they really shine in mineralized soil. The GT is a slower swing and is a nuanced detector, the E-TRAC swings normal, IMO and excells at unmasking. The biggest problem people have with the ET is trying to make it too complex, it is a simple machine and I like it best with a minimal dsc pattern like the "relic" pattern and the set it in Ferrous sounds and 2 tones. Then rely heavily on the CO number,,, it will not deviate, it will remain true on both shallow and deep targets, masked targets may give a one way signal but the CO number will be steady from that direction and the FE number wont stray too far. For clad or other coin hunting I sometimes use CO/multitones but I usually still use the relic pattern and then null the 01 line and disc back in 41-43... however Ferrous/2-tone using the relic pattern will stop almost all falsing and the relic pattern will null out most iron. 4 tones will false and using too many tones to begin with will confuse most new users (that goes for almost any machine) not for the Sovereign, it's multitones are multi but still single tones. Most multi tone machines will give a number of tones on a shallow target, sounds like an arpeggio. Not the Sovereign, it has a tone for each number but a shallow target will not sing to you, it will just give you it's single tone, if you're hearing more than one tone you have more than one target.
Both are excellent machines but the E-TRAC is better. IT is much better than the Explorer... many Explorer users got the ET and immediately became frustrated because since much of the ET resembles the Explorer... it is NOT and Explorer andpeople who try to make it be a better Explorer just get frustrated. It is more like a sophisticated Sovereign than like a better Explorer. It also has the "pitch hold" audio that makes the Sovereign so good by grabbing a faint audio signal and changing the threshold pitch to that tone, thereby alerting you to it's presence.

Ramble on...

J