Hi vaseeker'
I have had an SE for about two months, and while it had an issue with the display, Minelab replaced the display within one week and I have had no trouble with it since. While the display was faulty it didn't seem to have any effect on the performance of the SE, and I found it to be a slightly better detector than the EX II that I owned for about fourteen months. I say slightly better, because I have found that the SE appears to be a little more stable than the EX II, therefore allowing you to up the sensitivity a bit consequently searching a little deeper. The VCO pinpointing on the SE is certainly as good as the pinpointing on the EX II or maybe even a little better. The pitch hold I've played with a bit but is not something I would use all the time. I think the best assessment I can make of the SE is, that it is a slight improvement on the EX II, but if you are looking for MAJOR changes over the EX II you won't find them in the SE. If you want to own the latest and greatest by all means go for the SE but if your looking for a VASTLY better detector than the EX II forget it.
Hope this helps...Regards.....Boony