Re: Which Detector is the best, V3i or E-Trac

[SunkenJewels]

Hi Folks,

I am so confused right now, I cannot start to tell you. I have been doing so much research and reading postings online within different forums, I am at a loss for words. I am burnt out.

I have owned a lot of detectors. Now, I see the E-Trac, the CTX-3030, the V3i among a few of the new ones.

Now, I live in Rhode Island, the beaches are full of Gold, Silver, Relics and more.

I have no clue what to purchase. I am sick of wasting my money testing each detector ending up selling them all at the end of the week because I hate what I bought.

I once spent over 5 hours on a beach going in the salt water and on the dry beach sand with my Excal II, with a 10" coil, I didn't even find a penny. I sold the detector.

I purchased the Garrett AT Pro, I took that to the beach, I was going insane, the detector could not handle the sand. It was so erratic, I went home and put it online and sold it.

I have been detecting for over 25 years so I know how to use most detectors, I do not know it all but I do know enough to get started.

The best find I ever hit on was with my White's Surf PI. I was all set to leave the beach with my wife, she laughs at me thinking I will not find anything good, I was walking the shore line
and I got a very faint buzzing sound. I stopped and went back over the area, I kept getting the same sound but it was faint. I said, let me dig it. I could not believe what I pulled,
it was a small antique diamond and sapphire ring, a beautiful one. I still have it, I will give the ring to my little girl when she is bigger.

Now with this said, I always did very well with my White's detectors.

I never found anything good with my Garrett 2500, I was so mad at that detector, every time something hit the coil, it would go off like it was a target. A lot of times, when I swung the
detector from side to side, the detector would go off like a target was found, I would stop, go back over the area, nothing. Yup, I sold it.

So, here you have some of my true stories, now, I am asking for some help. Can anyone point me to the right detector for everything, beach, gold, silver, and more...?

Should I buy the White's V3i or the E-Trac...or well, this makes me sick thinking about it, the CTX-3030 which I think, my own opinion, the detector is over priced.

I spoke to a sales person at Kellyco, I was told the E-Trac has so many issues with learning curves, they buy them in Europe and sell them as fast as they get them because the E-Trac
is so hard to understand. This came directly from a long time employee at Kellyco, he was not trying to sell me the detector but telling me the truth.

So now what do I do....I know that with every detector I will need to learn an entirely new machine but with what I am hearing and reading, everyone is mixed with the detectors out now.

Any help would be appreciated...

I wish White's would add some features to the Surf PI, Discriminate, Threshold, and Sensitivity, the detector would be probably the best on the market if they added these three features.

Wishful thinking I guess....

Thank you for your help, happy hunting folks...

P.S. Pray for the folks in Oklahoma, I cannot believe what is happening to that state, how sad....

 

[BH_Landstar_]

The reason you found nothing is because someone (3 or more detector users) beat you to the prize on that day.

There is no 'best' detector, each to their own, you just got to find one that clicks with you for what you want it to do and stick with it.

 

[SunkenJewels]

Hi,

Thank you for your response.

I am debating now between the White's 300 in which I also owned before and the AT Pro.

Something is telling me the 300 will find more on the beach.

I am so confused.

Thanks again!

Have a nice weekend...

 

[Merlin cadogan]

It sounds to me like you've given up on machines because you didn't find anything,, but the machine can't magically find things. I hunt many times and find nothing, if it's not there you won't find it with any machine. I use an excalibur1000, if there is gold there I'm confidant I'll find it. Just enjoy your detecting, if you find stuff great. If not don't sell the machine, try another area, or another day. If you've been hunting 25 years you know the deal! Enjoy it. It's best to stick with a machine and learn it really well, not swapping all the time. Give the Excalibur another chance, it does me proud. What ever you go with I wish you good luck and happy hunting

 

[Larry (IL)]

Though you say you have been hunting for over 25 years and know how to use "most" detectors, your inexperience glows brightly. You are right that a Surf PI with discrimination would be nice but they have not been invented yet. The White's MXT 300 and Garrett AT and most others are single frequency detectors that are well known to not do well on the wet salt beaches, you will want to invest in a multiple frequency detector for wet sand and water hunting. Most of the single frequency detectors work OK in the dry sand though. The Minelab SE, E-Tracs are very popular in the wet sand with the Excal being the King of the Beach for the water and beach hunters. The CTX 3030 is a great compromise for a wet and dry hunter. On the White's side, the DFX 300, VX3 and V3i are very good choices for wet/dry sand hunting.

You really need to give yourself more than a week to learn a new detector and beach hunting, especially dry sand hunting is very competitive, if you are not out hunting at sunrise or earlier, someone else got your treasures but if your beaches are really full of gold, silver and relics........... any detector will find them.

A White's 300? 300 refers to the coil size.... 300mm which is a 12 inch coil. Some detectors come with the 300 coil.... DFX, MXT, BHID while others, the 12" coil is optional.

 

[oneon]

All I got from this is I should be in Rhode Island right now.

 

[SunkenJewels]

-- moved topic --

 

[SunkenJewels]

Hi,

Thank you for all your responses and feedback.

I just do not know what to buy. I know more hybrid detectors will be coming to market.

The main issue is when and while I wait, I could be detecting.

White's is due for something I hope, they are so far behind in the hybrid detectors field, Garrett
with the AT Pro and AT Gold is eating many companies alive.

Like I said in an earlier post, the only option I like about the AT Pro is the fact that it can be
taken in the water other than that, I did not like the way it acted on the beach.

This is the reason I am wondering about going back and buying the White's Beach Hunter 300.

It is a multi frequency machine and a lot of people love it. I liked mine, I should have kept
half the detectors I owned in the past but I get itchy and want the new technology so I sell
everything.

My problem is the fact that I have been in business for so long, I sell old technology to buy
new technology before I lose a lot of money holding the old. I just keep dishing out money trying
to keep up with all the new products that come to market.

This brings me to the big question, do I go for the so over priced CTX-3030 or buy the WBH 300.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend.

Sunken Jewels, L. L. C.



So, again I thank everyone who responded. I am again, pushing towards the White's BH 300.

 

[KinTN]

You need to buy ONE detector that is built to hunt where you want to hunt with it and then hunt 100 hours MINIMUM with it before even considering getting rid of it. And you should do this 100 hours with your choice within a month. I don't think you are giving any of your machines a fair test and I wish I lived near you so I could have bought some of those machines cheap from you when you gave up on them.

You seem to have the most confidence in the Whites PI. Get it. Confidence in your machine matters. I KNOW that if I get my Safari over a target, it will tell me about it. That doesn't mean I am the baddest hunter on the beach or in the park. I have to do my part too. Also, I don't know how much you study your manual and learn from the internet about your machines, but work there pays off on a hunt too.

fwiw, my next machine will be a Excalibur as I intend to do more beach hunting. If you get one of those and don't like it and want to get a small part of your money back, PM me!!!

 

[GKMan]

Sunken your Sinking too much money and not enough time into your machines.....Give them a chance man! You can visit any one of the forums on here and and see how well people are or are not doing with their respective detectors...I know I am echoing what Larry and Kin said but that is only because they/we are all trying to offer you some good advice...

 

[DonM]

If you want a reasonably priced detector for the beach - you may want to consider a CZ series detector- you can't go wrong if you are working salt water beaches.....I have dug targets at 12" to 14" on a sandy beach...would you really want to go any deeper?

 

[SunkenJewels]

Hi,

Thank you again for the feedback.

I called Kellyco today, many know me at the company, I asked about buying
the White's 300 or the Minelab GT, no good answers accept the GT can go on both the beach
and dry land with no problems but he did not think the White's 300 was as capable
of finding as much.

Essentially what he told me, the GT is the Excal II without being waterproof.

With that said, I think I just found what I will buy Monday morning.

I watched some YouTube videos with the GT on the beach and dry land, the amount
of coins and jewelry found were amazing.

So, I again want to thank everyone for the help, responses and feedback.

Have a nice weekend and happy hunting....

 

[Roscue2]

I agree with Larry. You are never going to learn a detector if you sell it in a week and then go out and buy the next md. I don't think the V3i or Etrac will help you at the moment because you don't give the machines you buy a chance. Honestly, it is hard to believe that you have 25 years experience, and yet go through metal detectors like college kids go through romen noodle and mac and cheese.

 

[KinTN]

SJ, best of luck and keep us updated on how youre doing with your new machine!

 

[DirtAngler]

If money is not a problem, the overpriced CTX 3030 seems like the obvious choice. It has the ability to hunt every place you mention and is waterproof to some degree. As stated, whatever machine you choose, take time to learn it before giving up on it. It takes many, many dedicated hours on any machine to learn it. JMHO.

 

[Jedi]

The more you spend doesn't always translate into the more you will find. Sounds like the U.S. government style of metal detecting. I feel like if you would pick one and stick with it until you know it inside and out. You would be just fine. I'm sure if you give either the e-trac or V3i a week you will be displeased. It takes most people months to master any of the more highly adjustable detectors.

 

[SunkenJewels]

Thanks for your responses...!

One question, if you could pick the Minelab Sovereign GT
which is a discontinued detector or the White's Beach Hunter
300, what would be you pick and why?

I like the fact of putting the detector under the shower and
Cleaning the salt off it and I am afraid to bring the Minelab
GT to the beach and worry about sand or salt getting in the
Detector.

How does the Beach Hunter 300 stack up against the GT
as far as finding coins, silver, and gold?

How deep can both detectors go? Which one is deeper?

I have been still researching articles on both machines
and it is not an easy decision.

Thanks again for your help.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

 

[Steve O]

I agree with DirtAngler, the Minelab 3030 is the front runner. It's a great all around unit. If you hunt old homesteads, the unmasking abilities in iron, are one of the best. It HAS to be learned through use and experiences from others as it can do things I don't think even Minelab knows about. Some guys will play and experment with their machines to learn these tricks of the trade so to speak. The 3030 gets my vote.

 

[Nauti]

SJ,you sold the best beach detector you had and that was the excalibur so why are you now looking at the GT.I have a GT and for the beach it is about as good as it gets but it would not find anymore than the excal which is basically the same machine but with the bonus of being waterproof.You say you used it for 5 hours and never found a thing.....perhaps there was nothing to find.....there are other detectorists that search the beach and there are also times where finds can be very few and far between, even on busy beaches.Sorry to sound harsh but you strike me as the kind of person who wants instant results without putting the effort in.I don't know where you should go from here as you have already rubbished the best beach detector on the market.....it's not because the machine was sub standard but because you as the machine operator were clearly lacking in patience and effort.......get a grip,put in the effort and the rewards will come......it's that simple.

 

[KinTN]

I Really think you shouldn't worry about depth at this point. All the good machines will go deep enough for what you are doing.