Gentleman, I came on this Forum few years back when the EXPII was the big thing. Let me tell you, it was a big thing! I have only read a little about the SE. I have two gardens and have done much work for years with ExpII. The first thing I would say, about the decision to buy an SE, is remember this. The Exp XS, II or SE must be learned over a LONG period. The learning curve is a mean one. Learning your machine is what every veteran detectorist across the country advised me. Man, they were right! My first thought when I popped on this forum and heard about the SE was...doesn't matter what little tweeks are on the SE, the learning of the machine is what you must decide you are ready to take on. If you are new to these machines, I would get a great deal on a Exp II. See if you can learn the machine and decide after several months. The SE will still be here. Also, be careful of your shoulder with bigger coils. I would bet my life if I had an SE, that guys like Mike Moutray and Charles (Upstate New York), would out hunt me all day with their XS or ExpII, no doubt in my mind. Just my 2 cents.
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
New SE buyers..remember this!
- Thread starter helmsdeep
- Start date
What A Totally Negative Post!!! Thanks for sharing it with us !!!
I will have to be my own judge of this in a cpl days..
Maybe some people who have a Problem with this unit May Themselves Have a Learning Disability and Not know how to Multi Task or something.....
Or my be just Frightened or overwhelmed with Tech..
I will have to be my own judge of this in a cpl days..
Maybe some people who have a Problem with this unit May Themselves Have a Learning Disability and Not know how to Multi Task or something.....
Or my be just Frightened or overwhelmed with Tech..
Didn't mean to sound negative. However, I guess I do. Ill try again, The ExpII is my number one machine. I can pretty much do it all with it. I was just trying to say that new users should be aware of the time needed to learn. I have hunted for years now, with four other guys , all with ExpII. So many will give up before they learn the machine. I don't have a problem with it, im not learning disabled or have a problem with multi-tasking. You can be as excited or positive as you like, but it takes time to learn this puppy. Maybe all four of us are learning disabled, but we still are learning, trying new things and settings and brainstorming . However, nothing better than getting good with the machine. When you start calling ..thats a small tab, cracked, broken at 7 1/2 inch. Its starts getting interesting. 
Mike (Virginia Beach)
New member
The flaw in your premise is the thought that somehow one would be more easily able to master the "mean" learning curve of the Explorer II better than that of the SE. The machines are operationally the same. There are a few refinements that have been made that make the SE even better but they are so close that either of the machines are as familiar as an old friend to user of the other.
As for the learning curve, it has always been overplayed with the XS and the Explorer II and it's still overplayed. The machines are "turn-on-and-go" in the factory coin mode. And when the user grows the Explorer is equipped to grow with them.
My two cents...
As for the learning curve, it has always been overplayed with the XS and the Explorer II and it's still overplayed. The machines are "turn-on-and-go" in the factory coin mode. And when the user grows the Explorer is equipped to grow with them.
My two cents...
LMAO I hear ya!!! I rekon as with everything there is a Learning Curve.. Everything!!
I say learning disabled because No 2 people are alike There are many where it takes them some Xtra time to learn things... Some maybe tooo long...
and some people just can't comprehend the easiest and Little thing's when they can conquer the Hardest.... Go Figure
I say learning disabled because No 2 people are alike There are many where it takes them some Xtra time to learn things... Some maybe tooo long...
and some people just can't comprehend the easiest and Little thing's when they can conquer the Hardest.... Go Figure
gobble-gobble
Member
n/t
I agree, I felt I was indicating the ExpII had some tougher learning curve than the SE. I'm sure thats not the case. Guess I was trying to say, heck I see ExpII for way way cheap! However, I like your earlier post of the SE 4 year warranty...you can't beat that!
I just felt , like so many of us back years ago, as a new user you better understand this takes learning and frustration. Only a few veterans emailed me and set me straight. We have set up every type of garden you can think of, compared other machines and kept the most massive records of settings and results. The machine still surprises us and still we learn. Just me.
But I'll be out there on the frozen ground today..just listening to deep targets I can't dig!
I just felt , like so many of us back years ago, as a new user you better understand this takes learning and frustration. Only a few veterans emailed me and set me straight. We have set up every type of garden you can think of, compared other machines and kept the most massive records of settings and results. The machine still surprises us and still we learn. Just me.
But I'll be out there on the frozen ground today..just listening to deep targets I can't dig!
Mike (Virginia Beach)
New member
Well, I had the Explorer II and now have the SE. To me, it's like having the same machine but with a few welcome enhancements. But I would think that side by side, performance is pretty much the same. I would equate the difference between the Explorer II and the Explorer SE as roughly the same as the difference between the Ford Explorer XLT and the Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition. It's got a few upgrades but it's still an EXPLORER. 
You also got the four year warranty. 
I hunted in England last year . I had a trash target I thought at about 9 inches. My friend,who is big distance running coach back there, scans over my target. He said no way that is a coin. What! It was in lower left far left part of screen. They had the most strange discrimination set up that caused certain coins to ..get caught in a section of screen. He was right. However, it was only 7 3/4 inch. Interesting stuff.
I hunted in England last year . I had a trash target I thought at about 9 inches. My friend,who is big distance running coach back there, scans over my target. He said no way that is a coin. What! It was in lower left far left part of screen. They had the most strange discrimination set up that caused certain coins to ..get caught in a section of screen. He was right. However, it was only 7 3/4 inch. Interesting stuff.Hi Guys;
Having had an EX II and now an SE I can't say I had a problem learning either, I hunt in all metal Ferrous and anything that gives a high sound I dig with the exception of crown caps, I still dig some trash like pulltabs and aluminium bottle caps but there is very little difference between aluminium and $2 coins and of course if you don't dig pull tabs your missing gold rings and ten cent coins. As Mike stated it's a turn on and go machine. Before I dig I try to nominate what the signal is and 85% of the time I'm right, so I have to disagree that the EX II and the SE are hard to learn, just turn them on and get into it.
All the best....Boony
Having had an EX II and now an SE I can't say I had a problem learning either, I hunt in all metal Ferrous and anything that gives a high sound I dig with the exception of crown caps, I still dig some trash like pulltabs and aluminium bottle caps but there is very little difference between aluminium and $2 coins and of course if you don't dig pull tabs your missing gold rings and ten cent coins. As Mike stated it's a turn on and go machine. Before I dig I try to nominate what the signal is and 85% of the time I'm right, so I have to disagree that the EX II and the SE are hard to learn, just turn them on and get into it.
All the best....Boony
The Minelab is only as hard as YOU want to make it. At first, I was intimidated and worried about notching out this and that and learning tones and sensitivities, and whether to go fast or deep. Once someone showed me that it can be real simple, I got down to detecting and pretty much left the controls alone. Of course, the type of hunting I do warrants that I can run it pretty simple. I don't hunt parks or schoolgrounds, so I can run it almost wide open. I still have a bunch of learning to do, but anything done well takes practice. Ron
Hard Nosed Dave
New member
I've only been at it a couple of months & feel VERY comfortable with my ability to do well...granted I AM still "Learning" little tricks & techniques here & there...learning the different sounds is also not hard...just takes a "Little" practice...All told, I have rather enjoyed learning what I have so far & believe it will only get better with time...I WILL agree that a SEASONED XS or ll user would probably "SMOKE" me if we were hunting together in the same area, but the same could be said for just about any detector...The more you use it & learn what it's telling you the better operator you become....TT
My EX-II has factory preset for turn on and go. The learning curve I found is not hard, just takes a little time to find out what I like and don't like as far as settings go. I think I had the six (S-1 to S-6) custom programs filled in a week. I like the advance learn and edit features to customize how I want. If I can only handle simplicity, I would use non other than my ACE 250 for now. Sometimes that's what I want, so then I use the 250. But having the ability to tweak settings on my EX-II is half the fun of this machine. I'm still learning on the EX-II and still have more combinations of the settings to try. My only problem has been my finds have been nill lately, but that's me and not the machine. [ I don't know everything on my computers either - I'm still learning computers but the first one didn't stop be from advancing little by little]. Keeps me from getting too bored sometimes, or I get out of yard work. Yea - that's better....
Charles (Upstate NY)
Well-known member
Here's the thing, there are multiple levels to reach in terms of learning this machine. But that said the initial learning curve to reach a point where you are making eye-popping finds isn't that hard. I'd say 3-5 hunts with an experienced Explorer coach along to locate some good and bad targets for you to sweep.
The pals I have coached on the Explorer can and do out hunt me. They seem quite pleased with themselves when this happens I might add. I take it in stride if they keep it down to a dull roar. Just don't get us older timers riled.
The pals I have coached on the Explorer can and do out hunt me. They seem quite pleased with themselves when this happens I might add. I take it in stride if they keep it down to a dull roar. Just don't get us older timers riled.
This is not in response to any particular post....
It's all relative. Sure, it is turn on and go somewhat, but someone who has had one for a couple of years is going to out hunt you...because he knows his machine. I don't liken the time it takes to get accustomed to an Explorer as the "learning curve", it is more of an "absorbtion curve". If you have used Explorers, sure the "learning curve" on a different one (i.e. another model of Explorer) is small. If you have never used one, it will take some time for your brain to adjust to what it is telling you.
I think I understand what the initial poster meant...if you've never used one, buy a XS of ll and save your money if money is an issue. If you've used one and know your way around one, upgrade if you want or keep using what you have because you have pasted the "absorbtion curve"......
If you have a lot of money..........buy all three!!!
HH
Chris
P.S. I learned on an XS. Used a ll after that. Tried the SE...sold it and bought a new Exp. ll with a 4 year warranty and used the extra cash for accessories. I CAN find anything with the ll that I could with the SE. That was my choice. Later.
It's all relative. Sure, it is turn on and go somewhat, but someone who has had one for a couple of years is going to out hunt you...because he knows his machine. I don't liken the time it takes to get accustomed to an Explorer as the "learning curve", it is more of an "absorbtion curve". If you have used Explorers, sure the "learning curve" on a different one (i.e. another model of Explorer) is small. If you have never used one, it will take some time for your brain to adjust to what it is telling you.
I think I understand what the initial poster meant...if you've never used one, buy a XS of ll and save your money if money is an issue. If you've used one and know your way around one, upgrade if you want or keep using what you have because you have pasted the "absorbtion curve"......
If you have a lot of money..........buy all three!!!
HH
Chris
P.S. I learned on an XS. Used a ll after that. Tried the SE...sold it and bought a new Exp. ll with a 4 year warranty and used the extra cash for accessories. I CAN find anything with the ll that I could with the SE. That was my choice. Later.
