Tom_in_CA
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 20,755
Welp, now you did it. T-minus five minutes until Calabash Digger puts up a video about you.
I tried to warn him to repent !
Minelab E-trac still relevant and desirable???
- Thread starter Bonesquat
- Start date
I tried to warn him to repent !
coin pirate
Forum Supporter
"Friendly"
ollievon
Elite Member
In my humble opinion, the 705 is one of the best buys on the market today...whether your first, or an upgrade as a seasoned MD'r. The trick though is to get the 3 frequency NEL DD Tornado - it's the coil that really allows you to use all the power of the machine on the fly. Why pay for 3 coils when one does it all?
What was the major difference between the Explorer SE Pro and eTrac? They are both FBS, the only difference I could tell was the TID - Target Identification Number (anything UNDER 12 TID you dig on the Explorer, and anything OVER 12 TID you dig on the eTrac), otherwise, I couldn't justifying spending over $1,200 when I could pick up a used Explorer SE Pro for $500...but I'm also cheap all get out too, so....
coin pirate
Forum Supporter
umm...WHERE? never seen one that cheap anywhere ever.
coin pirate
Forum Supporter
Well that answers some of the reason, I don't do facebook.
woodbutcher
Forum Supporter
I agree that etrac and pretty much everything has taken a hit on the used shelf..Machines just don't hold value anymore, everyone seems to be giving them away.Ive personally seen good used etrac on these forums last year in the $550 range, and a few deus machines with remote in that price also.
I see a near new equinox 600 for trade for a AT max , been up for awhile and just crickets.
It's a buyers dream and a nightmare for a seller..
The simplex and vanquish just offer too much bang for the buck for guys who are looking to pass them up for a machine twice as much in price and don't bring much more to the table
I see a near new equinox 600 for trade for a AT max , been up for awhile and just crickets.
It's a buyers dream and a nightmare for a seller..
The simplex and vanquish just offer too much bang for the buck for guys who are looking to pass them up for a machine twice as much in price and don't bring much more to the table
TexHunter
Elite Member
Over the last 3 years, I've bought, and sold, 6 Etracs for an average of $666.94 each. Many of those included extra coils, aftermarket rechargeable batteries, various covers, diggers and SunRay X-1 probes, and all of them had remaining transferable warranties. $650 is about the average going price for used Etracs.
Greeat machines. I just can't deal with the weight otherwise it would be my first choice for deep silver turf hunting.
Greeat machines. I just can't deal with the weight otherwise it would be my first choice for deep silver turf hunting.
coin pirate
Forum Supporter
Problem with buying used electronic equipment, hard to know how it was taken care of. I'll probably bite the bullet and buy new when I get my E-trac. I wouldn't mind the Safari either.
Captain Silver
Elite Member
If it comes with extras, yeah...otherwise, I'd pay $250 for a II or $225 for a XS. I don't care for the Explorer SE.
coin pirate
Forum Supporter
Not sure which ones or if at all, but heard the Explorer(s) depth readings were kinda useless, really inaccurate.
woodbutcher
Forum Supporter
ToySoldier
Forum Supporter
These are the recent Explorer SOLD listings on Ebay. Most do not have additional coils:
Explorer XS
$300.00 free ship
Explorer SE Pro with 10" Slimline Coil
$449.99 free ship
Explorer SE 10" coil, 2 batteries, custom cuff & charger
$399.98 +50 ship
Explorer SE
$450.00 +20 ship
Explorer SE
$450.00 +20 ship
Explorer II
$439.99 +30 ship
Explorer 2
$425.00 (best offer accepted) +24 ship
Explorer II
$439.99 +30 shipped
Explorer II (with extra coil)
$437.11 +25 ship
Minelab Explorer II with 3 Coils & extras
$499.00 +28 ship
Explorer II
$399.99 +30 shipped
Captain Silver
Elite Member
That's e pay prices...Older Explorers have been recently bought and sold here on the forum for about the prices I quoted. Most I've paid here from a member was $325 for a clean stock Ex II that came also with a new 12x13 Tornado coil.
Jamflicker
Elite Member
Welp, now you did it. T-minus five minutes until Calabash Digger puts up a video about you.
I tried to warn him to repent !
Nooooo, haha! I'm so sorry for saying the truth of what I have observed.
Jamflicker
Elite Member
Good points Tom on the flagging points. Dan and I always compare targets and we both do say from time to time I don't know if I would have heard that if it wasn't flagged and we were just swinging. These are the tests in which NOX users I have hunted with say I don't hear anything and Dan and I both un plug our headphones and say listen. I agree that the Etracs/Explorers maybe aren't the best for high iron sites but in parks they can't be beat.Watch out there Jam-flicker. You will be "tarred and feathered" if you try to make that claim on some forums ! Where the 800 is the "cat's meow" for every single venue. Repent !
But seriously now : Your observations are exactly what a buddy and I, who did a few side-by-sides, have concluded, in flagged test comparisons in turf. And with "flagged testing" , that eliminates the "experience factor", IMHO. Because when you KNOW where a suspected deep coin is, and you have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD to play-with-the-settings, then: No added amount of years experience is going to change those results. When you honestly have to tell yourself: "I would not have heard that, and no additional user-option-changes is helping".
HOWEVER, I have to admit that my buddy with the 800 has very-much-impressed me in ghost-townsy nail/iron-riddled sites. Because, since the 800 is better at low conductors, then by default: It will tend to see through and around iron better (depending on the user settings). So, for example, my buddy showed me a flagged signal, that I had to admit I probably wouldn't have heard. It turned out to be a deep piece of lead, that read in the mid-conductor range, and was about thumbnail size. I was very impressed. But then again: It's no secret that there are better machines than Explorers for ghost-townsy iron-ridden sites.
But for turf, I haven't seen anything that compares with the Explorers.
medicchief
Forum Supporter
$650 at the least (last I bid on and didn't win), for an average condition eTrac and it was plus $50 shipping. One right now with a starting bid of $499, BIN $850. LOCAL PICKUP ONLY.....Timing is everything though, you can see that from completed listings. Like the Safari's (in good condition) are going for half of a new one. I thought about one, but the reviews and videos didn't impress me.....could be wrong. Anything positive with the Safari over the Explorers?
ToySoldier
Forum Supporter
As ChrisMD also responded, $325 isn't a common price for a clean Explorer II on here either, much less one with an extra coil. I searched the sold forums on here and these are the recent sales:
450 shipped
365 shipped
250 shipped (the one you sold with an XS coil and taped shaft)
380 shipped
I wish I was already looking when you were selling. That was a great deal. A buyer will be waiting for awhile for a clean one in the low 300s, and had better be quick.
Tom_in_CA
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 20,755
A "must-have" accessory is the Sunray in-line probe. If any of those included the probe, that is a great package.
The SE pro suffered some criticism, among long-time Explorer user fans, in that : It tried to speed up the recovery speed, which had the net-result of compromising depth. Thus, whereas , with the XS and the II and the Etrac, you tended to "get the correct hit" on the first pass over the target. Yet with the SE pro, you had to "coax" the correct TID out of the targets. Ie.: more-easy to miss them, and ignore them as deep iron or whatever.
I bought an SE pro one time, merely to get the Sunray probe off it. And to have it as a spare for my II, thinking they were essentially the same. Then one day I decided to use it on the wet salt beach. I started hearing some nail-grunts, which tells me I'm in the correct zone where mother nature is grouping targets. So I started circling around, yet only heard more deep nails, not conductive targets. FINALLY I got a hint of conductive off of one of the targets. Lo & behold it was a dime, yet had only been 7" or so deep. Hmmm, that should have sounded better, eh ? So on a hunch, I went back and re-swung over some of the other "nails" I'd passed. And after some coaxing, found that they too had some hints of conductive. And each of them turned out to be deeep coins too. HHHmmmm. I had the distinct feeling that if I'd been swinging my Exp. II, they have been more of a resounding "yes" on the first swings over them . Hhhhmmm
I posted my observations on an md'ing forum, and several long-time Exp. fans chimed in with the exact same observation: That the SE pro had a depth issue, when compared to the others in the incarnation line-up.
This is because: Whenever you go to speed up recovery, that means you risk compromising the deeper signals. Because the machine will start to try to treat whispers, as part of the background noise or ground matrix. Ie.: filtering them out, before they've even had a chance to beep, if that makes any sense.
medicchief
Forum Supporter
I hear ya. eBay can be frightening! Yeah, that mint price would have been a no brainer for me last month too!
You're right, the forums are the best place to get a good deal on one in good condition.
jack&jill
Elite Member
Not only is the E-trac relevant it is still a very efficient machine Rick. I can say I found a lot of success and would still have it if I would not have gotten such a great deal on the CTX. I can also say that having and using it reduced my learning curve on my CTX. By the way it is very nice to see a post from you as I have always enjoyed your writings. Trapper
