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Full Version: A New Detector Minelab perhaps?
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Well as Ed can tell you I kinda go through detectors and the F75 is great depth and all but this summer I'm thinking Minelab Safari or E-trac I mostly do trashy parks and I would love one that can get me a good solid 8 inches with vdi I would prefer 10 inches, by June perhaps something else maybe on the market not sure. I would love to hear more about Minelabs from the people here who use them I want to stay around 3-4.5 pounds if balanced and preferably below 1500.00 in costs. I had a minelab go-find 40 for awhile it was fun and most likely would of had it longer if It didn't have motion pin pointing. Also it does not need to be Minelab but I have yet to use a higher end one made by them. I should add 8-10 inches with semi stable vdi with a normal sized coil not a 15 inch monster to lug around Happy
To be honest, if you just want depth, the F75 is all you need. Especially if your soil isn't bad. It's one of the best detectors ever made. The problem is (if you want to call it that), is that the VDI is essentially useless after the first few inches. If you normally dig most signals anyway, no need to go Minelab, IMO. But if you want to cherry pick, that's why most guy's use the Minelabs for park hunting; excellent depth, handles bad soil with ease, and the VDI is extremely accurate...even at depth. Very few other brands (if any) excel in all 3 of the areas I just mentioned. You're mainly a clad hunter. Clad isn't that deep. I see no reason why the F75 wouldn't work wonders for you. If you said you were looking for a detector that can hit on a 9" dime AND properly i.d. it though, then my vote would be a ML. Based on what you enjoy hunting for however, I see no reason to buy anything other than what you're using now.
I still like hitting the silver just happens where I mostly hunt is small parks around the city but I do get into the Metro parks that have targets deeper either way I love a stable vdi the f75 is great depth I have dug some crazy small items at 7-8 inches but as you said that vdi is nuts I would think it would be an awsome Relic tool but some of these parks are 1912-1938 and I know some silver is hiding in them still Happy The Safari I think is closer to what i'm looking for I think I really don't need 10 inches stable vdi but 8 inches stable would make me pretty happy. Anyone using a Safari? Youtube is great for info but talking to people who are swinging it now really helps.
You must have short term memory loss, because I swung a Safari for a few years, and touted it here quite often, lol. I'm kidding obviously, but if you want to cherry pick deep silver, ML is the only way to go. And most guys will say the same thing. Remember when you posted about your new F75 a few weeks ago? I praised the machine because it is one of the best ever, but if you re-read the thread, you'll see where I said it's weakness is the VDI. Not on shallow stuff, but on the deeper items, unless they're large.

I did VERY well with the Safari, but you may not. It comes down to where you're hunting and your personal preferences. Based on what you said about the age of the parks though, and what you're after, I'd say a ML is the way to go. Safari, Etrac or CTX are what you should consider. I liked the Safari because it was turn-on-and-go, but had the same depth as the other units, and used the same signals. Since I don't like fiddling with settings, I got it versus the others. The Safari will do 95% of what the other machines can, but it's a tad slower and isn't as good in heavy iron. Or...

Just dig all of the deeper signals on the F75 (no matter how shaky the VDI is) and save yourself some money.
If you want deep coins with a ML, you gotta "wear" headphones. Otherwise there's too much surrounding noise to differentiate close tones. The standard Pro 11" coil is all around the best coil for all situations unless it's a real trashy or irony area. I use the 8x6 SEF a lot in the grass at the parks but it's actually a tich heavier by balance than the 11". I still prefer the 11". Joe uses the Safari and KILLS it in NJ. But it's a 40 digit VDI. The tones are what Joe uses almost exclusively. The major difference between the Etrac and Safari are the available discrimination modes. The Etrac outstrips the Safari by far in that venue. Plus the Etrac and the Explorer have many more user self selected programs. Or, in other words, you can play with the discrimination based solely on the ground conditions you find for your area and set the software up based on what you are specifically looking for. Plus a whole gamut of other options. My suggestions is to do what I did before I bought my Explorer Pro SE. Download the 2 manuals from Minelab and read and understand what they are talking about. Also, I've got the Andy Sabisch Etrac/Explorer book that you could borrow and read through. The instruction manuals combined with that can give you a good handle on what decision you might need to make. I also know a fella that uses and has used an Etrac for YEARS and SWEARS by it. I can give you his phone number and he can actually run you through it. He lives over on the West side too.

Ed
I will still be using the f75 for a few months and plan on putting alot of time in on it and Ed you have shown me how your minelab sings for silver Happy I am just considering right now the video's I have watched show the Safari more what i'm looking for I noticed the small 40 vdi but also how pretty stable it was and will be reading up more on it. I remembered someone had a safari Joe just wasn't sure who thanks for the added info and I remember your warning about after 3 inches the vdi is nuts. I am considering the next detector heavily it will be a larger purchase then I would normaly do but I so love this hobby and have yet to settle on a manufacturer so far I have tried Whites,Garrett,Bounty Hunter,Fisher,Makro Racer,Teknetics and the Minelab gofind40 when I first started.
I really think you can get by with the F75. Not trying to talk you out of getting something you want, but I don't want to see you spend money unnecessarily when the F75 can accomplish the same thing, albeit with a bit more digging.

Search Youtube for: Treasure Hunting Tips, which is my channel. I have over 40 videos on there, most of me digging deep coins with the Safari. I hunt mainly ghetto parks that date back from the late 1800's onward. Moderate/heavy trash. Silver generally starts at about the 5" or 6" depth mark. I'm not a big talker on camera, nor do I investigate each signal for 2 hours each like some Youtubers (lol), I just dig fast and deep after getting good hits. So no B.S.

IMO, if you only want silver as an offshoot, stick with the F75. If you want to start going after the deep silver on a regular basis, then the ML would absolutely serve you better...if digging more with the F75 turns you off.
You can always purchased a used one, they are good even when they get old. I am thinking of moving up too but to pay that much to dig coins is leading me to a used one but I haven't made up my mind yet.

You can always purchase a used one. I am thinking along those lines too maybe in a few months as well.
Thanks Joe i'll be watching all your video's and putting more and more hours on the f75 I am really not sure but Minelab is the only detectors I haven't done to much with then again I would love to see the new wireless at pro come out also... Its a crazy world. I usually purchase new the F75 was a gift and my Fisher f22 5 inch coil works on it so I have been using that in the parks and I am having fun and that is what I am after Just fun in the sun and shade. This time next month I may be on a Waterproof detector kick who knows. I do thank everyone for the Input given it makes the rainy/cold weather go by fast !
Clad ,
You're on the right the track with the Minelabs. The etrac is a real hound dog for clad and greatly overlooked when it comes to urban gold as well. I hunt parks mostly because there just isn't much old silver in these areas but there is lots of new silver and gold jewelry. Last year I recovered $950 in clad and dozens and dozens of silver jewelry pieces mostly with the CTX but often with the etrac. The Minelabs have the most expressive tones and the etracs(FBS) selection of coils makes them extremely versatile. I'm not familiar with the Safari but the etrac responds to different coils different ways,,,smaller coils seem to speed up the recovery time while larger ones cover alot of ground and still stay sensitive to small items. It doesn't handle a fast swing speed as good as a CTX but gets deep regardless of the coil and the ground with good VDI,,,not many detectors can say that.
If you keep your eyes open , for $1500 you might even score a lightly used CTX and with the 6" or 5x10 to compliment the stock coil , you will be set for years of happy hunting.
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