Used E Trac value?

[Nuke em]

Bell Two , I understand all you have said . I don't think the balance is a design flaw but was done on purpose but I think it was a wrong move.
Lots of people don't have the strength to use a heavy machine like the CTX and also don't like being strapped to it. Minelab should have made a simplified and updated ET that was much lighter , it could have been cheaper too. I still feel they were trying to show off with all this GPS stuff. As for the main workings of the machine that seems fine but it was too much of a change from a machine that I loved and wanted a lighter version of. XP did it in the Deus from the Goldmaxx Power , also the redundancies at Minelab recently (Des Dunne) and others show that they may have had their eyes off the ball a bit and Fisher and XP have taken advantage of it.
Minelab should have started replacements for their lower machines first , Terra , Sovereign , then the ET then brought out a new CTX but now that the CTX is out they are trapped under that machines capability and I think that they cannot replace the ET with a similar capable machine that could take orders off of the CTX . If they are not going to replace the ET then the gap between the Terra and the CTX is a very big one that many other makes will take advantage of to Minelabs loss.
I class myself as a Minelab user through out but without a new ET by 2016 I will be wondering if I will buy another top ender from them , only time will tell!
Richard

 

[Southwind]

I guess you could say detectors are like cars in that you just never know what they other person likes. I see some of the cars others drive and think why would you buy something like that, and they are probably thinking the same about me.

Personally I felt the CTX seemed lighter than the ET and more balanced. I never had any problems with parts breaking either. I never used it in places where my ET was still able to find stuff. My hunting buddy and I spent 4 years cleaning the city park out with our ET's until now where it is basically void of finds with the ET. I bought the CTX and I could again go to the park and come home with keepers consistently.

 

[Nuke em]

I guess you could say detectors are like cars in that you just never know what they other person likes. I see some of the cars others drive and think why would you buy something like that, and they are probably thinking the same about me.

Personally I felt the CTX seemed lighter than the ET and more balanced. I never had any problems with parts breaking either. I never used it in places where my ET was still able to find stuff. My hunting buddy and I spent 4 years cleaning the city park out with our ET's until now where it is basically void of finds with the ET. I bought the CTX and I could again go to the park and come home with keepers consistently.

Look at what a Fiat Multipla looks like then you will have seen the most ugly looking mutant of a car in the world , would look good in Total Recall .

The CTX is just balanced to far back and that's why it feels lighter but its a pain when you have to keep taking your arm out of the arm cup strap, when you are digging a contact at a rate of 1 per 10 to 15 seconds it slows you down .
As for breaking parts , that is post warranty and at the CTX price I would want it to last many years and not replace again after 2 or 3 years.
In my experience I could always find a target that either could find using either machine so why spend 2K on one when you can spend 1.2K , both are even at depth and have almost identical capabilities .
If you did miss something on day 1 with the ET then it may well be found the next .
Also it depends on the settings and the amount of screen discrim you have and where.

 

[bik-il]

Had both, sold both. Sold the ET for the CTX, sold the CTX cuz I needed cash for a new furnace.
Both served me well but I bonded a tad better with the ET, likely due to the sheer number of hours I put in compared to with the CTX. I enjoyed both immensely and still wish I had both, as for the type of hunting I do they are two different tools and in hindsight I don't feel they were replacements for each other and it was an 'either-or' thing (except for the money)
If the ET had one change and it were the ability to assign the high tone to the nickel range is be all over it!

 

[fsdigital12]

I went from Etrac to CTX back to Etrac.

I couldn't justify double the price, to me it wasn't double the machine.

I saw a lot of people with water leakage issues, and that scared me. Yea there's a warranty, but what happens when it expires and you dunk the machine under water, possibility of a very costly repair.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Sounds like the old - my Ford's better than your Chevy argument.
From everything I've read so far - it seems like both machine's have their strong and weak points.
The real bottom line is - they are both great machines - to each his own.

I'd really like to have a waterproof machine - so I don't have to worry about getting caught out in the bad weather.

But I agree with "Goes4Ever" 110% - I hate arm straps - a real hassle to use in the warm weather - and even worse when your wearing winter clothes.
I bought a custom made cuff / stand for my machine from the guy in NY a few years ago - it's 3" taller than the factory stand - keeps the back of the machine up out of the mud & snow.
When it arrived - I took the cuff out of the box and threw the arm strap in the garbage.

 

[enst4eternity1]

Did the etrac sell? If not I'm interested.

 

[hershey1]

I also own both machines and like both. The E-Trac has more coil choices and the X-1 probe option which I like. The CTX has much better ID at depth and you can assign whatever tone you prefer for the targets you want. CW relic hunting is a no contest with the CTX. I also beach and water hunt and prefer my Excall in the water but the CTX is a very close second. It all comes down to what a person has the most confidence in and makes them happy. There is no wrong choice. HH

 

[bottle collector]

#1 that Nuke em said was a HUGE deal breaker for me, I hate arm straps with a passion.........and I mean I HATE them, I NEVER use the etrac strap, it drives me crazy and I can swing my etrac for 8 hours with zero arm fatigue, but after just a mere 2 hours swinging the CTX my forearm was so sore I hated it. It is poorly balanced, a bad design in my opinion, making it so back heavy was a big mistake IMHO.

A lot of you might think this is no big deal but I have tendonitis and carpal tunnel in both arms. I had my right arm fixed two yrs ago, still have it in my left, so balance and weight distibution to me is a HUGE deal.

What? My etrac has an arm strap? I will have to go check to make sure you guys aren't pulling my leg.