Safari vs Explorer Vs E-trac

[creade]

I was curious what the real difference between these machines. The safari and explorer are in the same price range and seem similar.The Etrac has a usb interface and custom settings.Do they all get around the same depth? Thinking of picking one of these up but not real sure which one. Any help would be great!

 

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[Mach1Pilot]

There are a few similarities, but quite a bit of difference too.

Balance wise, the Explorer and Safari are identical... the Etrac has a slightly different handle and balances it slightly better. Either way, they both feel heavy to most users.

Speed wise, they would rank out in the order you would expect....the Safari being the slowest, the Explorer being in the middle (the latest versions are the fastest of those), and the is the fastest...

All three use the FBS technology. What that means in a practical level to you is that all three use the same mulit-frequency technology, and the coils interchange between all three models.

What seperates them is the discrimination.... the Safari uses a "standard" low to high conductivity scale to identify targets, similar to about 95% of the machines on the market. The Explorer uses Minelab's Conductivity vs Ferrous scale, as does the Etrac (and the latest iteration, the CTX 3030). In a nutshell what does is give the user a more refined idea if a target is a desired one... or not. It is particuarly good at telling you if the target is iron or worthy of retrieval. With the Etrac Minelab improved upon the way they presented the information, and made it much easier for a user to understand. Its not necessarily telling you anything different, its just in an easier to use format than the Explorer. I kind of look at it as the latest version of the Explorer. Combine the simpler to understand interface with the faster processor and you will find many prefer the Etrac over the Explorer. There also are a few fine little features that have been added though the years as you step up through the models....

Hope that helps get you started.

 

[Lifes A Garden...Dig IT]

I was curious what the real difference between these machines. The safari and explorer are in the same price range and seem similar.The Etrac has a usb interface and custom settings.Do they all get around the same depth? Thinking of picking one of these up but not real sure which one. Any help would be great!

Fort Bedford Detectors did a great job wrapping that up with good info. I will add to the fact that I personally swing a Safari and a Garrett AT Pro. In my honest opinion the Safari never got enough credit and is a great machine. I think the Explorer and Etrac models were raved upon and influenced onto everyone a little too much sometimes. In the metal detecting world a lot of times it seems that the most expensive and most "happening" models at the time is what everyone feels compelled to run too.
Entertain the thought of this for just once. A CTX3030 will run you generally around $2,500, an Etrac will run you around $1,500 or so, Explorer SE Pro - $1,300. I broke from the norm and got a Minelab Safari (Refurbished) from a dealer - like new for $700 in all it's original packaging just like a brand new one, there was not one cosmetic flaw, scratch, technical problem or anything. I would have sworn it in fact was brand new with the exception of refurbished sticker on box. Dealer said some of these are even better because they have been sent back to Minelab for a second once over from "Quality Control" dept. A clean up, tech check/tune-up, etc and they are sent back to the dealer for a discounted sale price. Lucky me . Now, hopefully your still following me here. I then purchased a brand new Garrett AT Pro from the same dealer for under $500. So now I have Minelab FBS technology combined with Garrett's well known history and customer serviced warranty mixed with all terrain capabilities. So to sum all this up I spent $700 on a basically brand new Safari (retails $999) + Garrett AT PRO $500 = Grand Total of $1,200......An Etrac by itself is $1,500 . Also included with my purchases I was packaged with some great free items thrown in such as a Garrett Pro Pinpointer, Lesche Digger, Minelab Storage/Carrying Bag, Grey Ghost Headphones, Garrett Land Headphones, etc. Neither of my machines do I have to learn graphs, bars, and charts . I have hunted next to my uncle with his Explorer, and while he is screwing around with his on-board computer and iron masking or discing out too much, I have already dug my relic and moved onto the next target. Just my $.02

 

[creade]

Fort Bedford Detectors did a great job wrapping that up with good info. I will add to the fact that I personally swing a Safari and a Garrett AT Pro. In my honest opinion the Safari never got enough credit and is a great machine. I think the Explorer and Etrac models were raved upon and influenced onto everyone a little too much sometimes. In the metal detecting world a lot of times it seems that the most expensive and most "happening" models at the time is what everyone feels compelled to run too.
Entertain the thought of this for just once. A CTX3030 will run you generally around $2,500, an Etrac will run you around $1,500 or so, Explorer SE Pro - $1,300. I broke from the norm and got a Minelab Safari (Refurbished) from a dealer - like new for $700 in all it's original packaging just like a brand new one, there was not one cosmetic flaw, scratch, technical problem or anything. I would have sworn it in fact was brand new with the exception of refurbished sticker on box. Dealer said some of these are even better because they have been sent back to Minelab for a second once over from "Quality Control" dept. A clean up, tech check/tune-up, etc and they are sent back to the dealer for a discounted sale price. Lucky me . Now, hopefully your still following me here. I then purchased a brand new Garrett AT Pro from the same dealer for under $500. So now I have Minelab FBS technology combined with Garrett's well known history and customer serviced warranty mixed with all terrain capabilities. So to sum all this up I spent $700 on a basically brand new Safari (retails $999) + Garrett AT PRO $500 = Grand Total of $1,200......An Etrac by itself is $1,500 . Also included with my purchases I was packaged with some great free items thrown in such as a Garrett Pro Pinpointer, Lesche Digger, Minelab Storage/Carrying Bag, Grey Ghost Headphones, Garrett Land Headphones, etc. Neither of my machines do I have to learn graphs, bars, and charts . I have hunted next to my uncle with his Explorer, and while he is screwing around with his on-board computer and iron masking or discing out too much, I have already dug my relic and moved onto the next target. Just my $.02

I also have a pro.Is the safari a better machine or are they just different? Does the fbs really help,in your opinion?

 

[DeepseekerADS]

When I came back into detecting after a long lapse of over 20 years I still had my trusty Fisher 1260X. And then I figured that technology had changed so much that even a an entry level detector would be better than my 1260X. I was thinking the ATP, but at the time I really did not know whether I would continue in the hobby or not. So, I bought an Ace 250.

Bad move, my 1260X blew it away in all respects, and that's a machine I bought circa '84.

The Ace really disappointed me, not even worthy of being labeled "Toy" in my book. Where I had previously trusted Garrett machines, I just did not want to go there anymore - at the time.

So, deciding to stay in the hobby, I looked to "real" technology which would be a step up - thus gave the Ace to my brother and bought an Etrac. Extremely impressed with that, I stumbled into a deal for the CTX and added that to my stable.

However, the 1260X is not collecting dust. I still use that for simple quick hunts needing real detecting power = and it now really belongs in a museum!

FBS really help? In my opinion, absolutely. It makes good sounds far more discernible from junk. And the fast processors do help you find treasure in the midst of junk where with a slower processor that's not always possible.

Every tool for a reason.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

FBS really help? In my opinion, absolutely. It makes good sounds far more discernible from junk. And the fast processors do help you find treasure in the midst of junk where with a slower processor that's not always possible.

That's an excellent description of why FBS is desireable.

 

[Lifes A Garden...Dig IT]

I also have a pro.Is the safari a better machine or are they just different? Does the fbs really help,in your opinion?

Creade, It would be unreasonable to say that the Safari is better than the AT Pro. They are two totally different animals, and work great for me for multiple reasons. The AT Pro is a nice, very capable, all-terrain machine that allows me to hunt in multiple terrains and does a great job. It has not let me down. The Safari has allowed me to have FBS technology turn key without all the learning curves of the higher end machines. Therefore arming me with a pretty powerful and able machine that allows me to hunt pretty much everywhere with exception of underwater (submerged) hunting. Love the response and sound of the Minelab when I get over a target and she goes crazy on pinpoint. So, the whole point was to recommend or entertain the thought that someone could very easily diversify their choices and end up with two great machines from two great companies with numerous capabilities literally for less than what one machine might cost.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello Life A Garden...,

I like your thinking on the Safari and AT Pro. I also have two White's; DFX and V3i that are different, but are a pleasure to work with in the field. The White's do require a bit of tweaking, but I love this feature.

Regards,