Upgrading my detector?

[Bizzo]

Hey all, I've been metal detecting with my AT pro for close to a year now and I'm very happy with it, but I'm looking to upgrade. I have a few questions though. I'm mostly looking at the E-trac but I'm considering the deus too. I've heard great things about both but I have a few questions.
I mostly hunt very trashy sites, will the AT pro outperform the E-trac in heavy trash? I don't want to buy a new detector and never use it because my old one was better. I know the E-trac has much better ID at depth but considering I live in arkansas there's not many open farm fields littered with 10" Spanish silver. I know the Deus will be better than my AT pro in all areas, but I would really prefer the E-trac. So I guess my main question is regarding the AT pro vs the E-trac in heavy trash. Although if there's any Deus users here, try to talk me into buying one! I would love to hear everyone's opinion. Thanks!

 

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[cudamark]

With a small coil (5-6") and in two tone ferrous, the E-trac works very well in iron infested areas. Maybe not as good as the Deus, but, certainly better than the AT Pro. There are more coil options for the E-trac and AT Pro over the Deus also.

 

[Bizzo]

Thanks for the response. That's good to know, but will the E-trac still perform decent in heavy iron trash with a larger coil? Or will I have to carry multiple coils on every trip? And how easy is it to change coils?

 

[OWK]

"decent" performance is a very subjective thing...

One man's "decent" is another man's annoying.

any detector will perform better with a smaller coil, in iron trash.

If you plan on hunting trashy areas, and want to get the best out of your detector, run a sniper coil in the junk, and a bigger coil elsewhere.

 

[Sandman]

Anything is better then an AT Pro in my opinion. But adding a smaller sniper to help to get less iron under the coil will help. The Minelabs circuitry does not mask out the good targets while not reporting on iron. My Excel and Sov GT will report on coins and gold rings under a rusty railroad spike.

 

[Phantasman]

How can one be "very happy" with a detector and want to upgrade?

 

[Bizzo]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I'll likely be getting the E-trac in a month or two.

How can one be "very happy" with a detector and want to upgrade?

Haha I guess that doesn't make much sense but I'm like that with every hobby I have, I always want something better.

 

[dirtscratcher]

Hey all, I've been metal detecting with my AT pro for close to a year now and I'm very happy with it, but I'm looking to upgrade. I have a few questions though. I'm mostly looking at the E-trac but I'm considering the deus too. I've heard great things about both but I have a few questions.
I mostly hunt very trashy sites, will the AT pro outperform the E-trac in heavy trash? I don't want to buy a new detector and never use it because my old one was better. I know the E-trac has much better ID at depth but considering I live in arkansas there's not many open farm fields littered with 10" Spanish silver. I know the Deus will be better than my AT pro in all areas, but I would really prefer the E-trac. So I guess my main question is regarding the AT pro vs the E-trac in heavy trash. Although if there's any Deus users here, try to talk me into buying one! I would love to hear everyone's opinion. Thanks!

I would expect complete frustration at first but if you can stick it out fbs is incredible. They give a sometimes overwhelming amount of information but once it clicks its game on.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Its hard to ask which will do better in trashy areas. I hunt with a buddy that runs an etrac and somedays he finds more or better other days when i had my pro, i would tear it up. Learning the machine is peoples biggest downfalls. I ran my pro for 4 years and EVERY year got better and better even in old hunted spots. You will always keep learning something about what its telling you. I have a CTX now and got lucky the first few times, but there are still signals that sound good, good VDI , shows solid target in display and turns out to be junk.

if you dont have the 5x8 coil, you should try it out. Its like having a whole new machine

if my ATP didnt get fried at the beach, i would still be using it. But i am glad i got the CTX.

 

[RobRieman]

I think you would enjoy the Etrac over the AT Pro. I did, and I am thinking I may like it better than my V3i. Once you learn it you will see its strengths. It does very well in the iron infested areas I hunt, especially with the 6" Coiltek. The Etrac goes deep and the VDI's are very accurate if you use them to hunt like I do. One great feature is not having to do the endless ground balancing if your soil changes a lot. My V3i can drive you nuts GBing and I know I have missed deep targets because of it. Some sites I take the Etrac to it's like starting all over fresh again. I love mine.

 

[cudamark]

Thanks for the response. That's good to know, but will the E-trac still perform decent in heavy iron trash with a larger coil? Or will I have to carry multiple coils on every trip? And how easy is it to change coils?[/QUOTE
There isn't a detector made that will work excellent in all venues. Having a top notch all around detector like the E-trac along with a variety of coils is about as close as you're going to come. I got extra lower shafts for my coils so changing them is very easy.....takes me about 2 minutes......even in the dark! Without the lower shafts, it will take you a bit longer.....maybe 10 minutes in daylight. Using a shoelace to pull the cable through the shaft helps. I wouldn't want to try it in the dark however. It's hard enough to get the lower bolt through the coil, washers, and shaft in the daylight.

 

[RobRieman]

Thanks for the response. That's good to know, but will the E-trac still perform decent in heavy iron trash with a larger coil? Or will I have to carry multiple coils on every trip? And how easy is it to change coils?[/QUOTE
There isn't a detector made that will work excellent in all venues. Having a top notch all around detector like the E-trac along with a variety of coils is about as close as you're going to come. I got extra lower shafts for my coils so changing them is very easy.....takes me about 2 minutes......even in the dark! Without the lower shafts, it will take you a bit longer.....maybe 10 minutes in daylight. Using a shoelace to pull the cable through the shaft helps. I wouldn't want to try it in the dark however. It's hard enough to get the lower bolt through the coil, washers, and shaft in the daylight.

Boy that's for sure. You learn the string trick real fast without a spare rod.

 

[JOe L]

How can one be "very happy" with a detector and want to upgrade?

This is one hobby that I think most can be happy with what they own and still trade out or buy new. I see many, myself included, who have multiple detectors. I see many, myself included, who just like to try and learn something different. I am most of the time very happy with what I have and still trade out now and then.. I have found some that I hang on to, hence adding to the stable, and some that are trade out. I guess trying new things in my hobby is one of the parts I enjoy.
So, I understand.