Minelab Safari

Baja Vinnie

Elite Member
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
660
Location
Southern California
I am thinking about buying a new Minelab Safari. Does anyone on this site use one? if so, what are your thoughts on this machine? My Fisher F5 struggles with the minerialized soil and hard packed clay we have here in southern riverside county. I already own an Minelab Excal 1000 for the beach, so I'm looking for a really good coin killing DIRT machine. All comments are welcome, "thanks" in advanced.

BV
 
I am thinking about buying a new Minelab Safari. Does anyone on this site use one? if so, what are your thoughts on this machine? My Fisher F5 struggles with the minerialized soil and hard packed clay we have here in southern riverside county. I already own an Minelab Excal 1000 for the beach, so I'm looking for a really good coin killing DIRT machine. All comments are welcome, "thanks" in advanced.

BV

Gidday Baja,

I also use an Excalibur 1000, but also own the Minelab Quattro, and from the reviews I've read, the Safari is kind of an upgrade from it. The "Minelab Times" states that the new Safari features:

An 11 inch waterproof coil (Quattro has 10.5 waterproof coil), improved target ID in High Trash Density, improved discrimination, improved audio response and improved depth gauge. It has new VCO style pin point mode, better balance and faster start up.

It has the same operating modes as the Quattro: coin, coin & jewelery, relic and All metal. It mentions that you don't have to press any "salt" switches or make adjustments from land to sea detecting, so I'm assuming what it's saying is that you no longer have to noise cancel or 'ground balance' between the different detecting conditions as you detect. If that's the case, it probably also applies to detecting near other detectors, as with the Quattro, soon as you come in close proximity to another detector, and I mean a few feet, you noise cancel, and that stabilises the detector when detecting near others. Have to check that out further. Toggling between the modes is as easy as with the Quattro, and you can still create your own disc patterns to overcome trouble with junk.
The Safari still utilises the FBS (Full Band Spectrum) of 28 frequencies so no problem with digging deep targets and sensitive ones.
I imagine it functions pretty much like my Minelab Quattro, with a few obvious improvements. But for me, I don't know if up-grading to a Safari will really improve my detecting in any way. For someone like yourself starting off on an entirely new relic/coin detector, it's a step up from your cheaper detectors, with a considerable learning curve that goes with it, like the Quattro. It'll take time, patience and persistence to master it as do the earlier models of the Quattro, Explorer series. I don't know if there is a manual brought out by Andy Sabish, but if so, I'd get a hold of it, as it'll be better than the manual that comes with the detector, as he'll cover more questions and go into a little more depth, going by the Explorer and Quattro manuals written by him.
All the best with your choice, and hope this info has helped somewhat.
Golden;)
 
Gidday Baja,

I also use an Excalibur 1000, but also own the Minelab Quattro, and from the reviews I've read, the Safari is kind of an upgrade from it. The "Minelab Times" states that the new Safari features:

An 11 inch waterproof coil (Quattro has 10.5 waterproof coil), improved target ID in High Trash Density, improved discrimination, improved audio response and improved depth gauge. It has new VCO style pin point mode, better balance and faster start up.

It has the same operating modes as the Quattro: coin, coin & jewelery, relic and All metal. It mentions that you don't have to press any "salt" switches or make adjustments from land to sea detecting, so I'm assuming what it's saying is that you no longer have to noise cancel or 'ground balance' between the different detecting conditions as you detect. If that's the case, it probably also applies to detecting near other detectors, as with the Quattro, soon as you come in close proximity to another detector, and I mean a few feet, you noise cancel, and that stabilises the detector when detecting near others. Have to check that out further. Toggling between the modes is as easy as with the Quattro, and you can still create your own disc patterns to overcome trouble with junk.
The Safari still utilises the FBS (Full Band Spectrum) of 28 frequencies so no problem with digging deep targets and sensitive ones.
I imagine it functions pretty much like my Minelab Quattro, with a few obvious improvements. But for me, I don't know if up-grading to a Safari will really improve my detecting in any way. For someone like yourself starting off on an entirely new relic/coin detector, it's a step up from your cheaper detectors, with a considerable learning curve that goes with it, like the Quattro. It'll take time, patience and persistence to master it as do the earlier models of the Quattro, Explorer series. I don't know if there is a manual brought out by Andy Sabish, but if so, I'd get a hold of it, as it'll be better than the manual that comes with the detector, as he'll cover more questions and go into a little more depth, going by the Explorer and Quattro manuals written by him.
All the best with your choice, and hope this info has helped somewhat.
Golden;)

Wow, very nice write up Golden. Nice read, I enjoyed it very much. "Thank you" for taking the time to do this. It will certainly help in my decision. The Fisher F5 is not a bad machine, It's just not on the same level as my Excal 1000. I really want a machine that can do in the dirt what my Excal can do in the wet sand and water. I'm really liking what the Safari has to offer, as well as the SE PRO and E-Trac. But where do you draw the line in cost? Do you really get more machine with the SE Pro and E-trac for the money?? The more I read the more it sounds like the Safari is as advertised. And cost friendly. Cost is an important issue as well. Last but not least, one phone call to Fisher Labs resulted in a phone call back in 10 minutes. 3 calls to minelab and still no call back :?:. Customer service is also very important to me. Thanks again for the write up. You've been a big help!

BV
 
Go with the Safari, and if your not skittish, you can get a very clean used one on eBay for around $750
 
Safari - go for it

You will not be dissapointed and follow the used one advice, you can get some really neat deals. I had gottena quattro and loved it so much wanted to upgrade to the Safari which scans a little faster than quattro and has the pinpointing ability changed as well as the coil. You get a much better coil with the safari. Excellent machines, finding deep and worthwhile targets in areas that have been heavily hunted
 
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