Big Boys Hobbies

Safari with me?

Pennypacker

Pennypacker

Permanent vacation
Joined
May 17, 2015
Messages
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Hello, I was wondering if anyone spent any time using the Safari and the Xterra?

First a little background, I know I should get the Etrac and have read that many times. I agree with this. The down side to this research is the Safari never gets much elaboration as the person usually goes for the Etrac, end of thread.

So what's my problem? Money, lol. I have already this summer purchased a new Excalibur, Stealthscoop and used tin boat for the water. I still need to rig up my trailer and get a motor etc...so while I "could" buy the Etrac, it is borderline irresponsible for me to do so lol.

When I purchased the Excalibur, I was real close to purchasing the Etrac instead, but I stuck to the plan and went with the water machine.

Now that I have tried the BBS, I got to have the FBS for a land machine, I can't shake the fever.
(The BBS is a good 25-30% deeper then my V-flex machine.)

When I purchased my Xterra, I did a lot of research and chose the 505 instead of the 705. I lost a little Disc resolution, backlight and auto GB by going with the 505, but I can say I never missed it or regretted my decision.
I saved a few bucks and put that towards extra coils.
(The down side to this is if I were to buy any more coils, I'm definitely into the Safari/Etrac type investment.)

So back to the Safari, word on the street is that it's slow, but is it unbearably slow?
I have watched some YouTube videos, it seems to be fine, but I am a bit apprehensive, I saw a chart on the internet that showed it to be one of the slowest detectors out there, but the chart did not have an Xterra speed for comparison.

Is the TID any better then the Xterra series?
From what I gather from the videos, it performs similarly to the Xterra (Tones etc)so I should be good with not having the abundant options of the Etrac, just wondering if I can expect some improvement in the TID in general, or at depth.

I read the depth is pretty close to the Etrac, so I don't think that is an issue.

I read the Etrac is better in dense trash then the Safari, but how would the Safari compare to an Xterra in the same trash?

I guess that's basically it, just looking for some feedback on the Safari vs Xterra to make me feel a little more confident about this decision.

P.S. I haven't ruled out a used Etrac, there is one a few hours away for $1400 obo, but that is close to the price of a new one. Also I am a little concerned about counterfeits floating around which is why I went with the new Excal instead of a used one. (That and the warranty)

Thanks
 
If I were you, I'd give serious consideration to a used Explorer SE. They can be had for less than a Safari, and they deliver more information (similar to an E-trac).
 
I will consider it. I found a few on eBay that I put in my watch list.

I gotta watch the customs and shipping, and the CAD is a little low right now but I will see what happens.
 
I like my Safari just fine. It is not slower than the SE or the etrac and is just as deep and just as good of a silver sniffer as the other two. It only lacks as much target ID and a backlight and that is about all. It has fewer owner custom discrim patterns also, but like it's more expensive brothers it is a heavy machine. Another plus is that there are a ton of good aftermarket coils available, all that fit the SE and etrac work on the Safari.
 
gunsil said:
I like my Safari just fine. It is not slower than the SE or the etrac and is just as deep and just as good of a silver sniffer as the other two. It only lacks as much target ID and a backlight and that is about all. It has fewer owner custom discrim patterns also, but like it's more expensive brothers it is a heavy machine. Another plus is that there are a ton of good aftermarket coils available, all that fit the SE and etrac work on the Safari.
Click to expand...

That is a refreshing opinion, thanks.

I was just about to say that I was going to think about getting the Etrac over the weekend, but now maybe I look into the recovery speed of the Safari compared to the Etrac in a little more detail.

How about it folks, is Gunsil's review pretty accurate? Is the recovery speed in the ballpark of the Etrac?
 
Surfchunker said:
just be patient and buy the Etrac
Click to expand...

I might. The plan is to get something on Tuesday.

I really need to prepare myself mentally for the purchase. Lol it took me a day and a half to get over plunking down $1700 for the Excal last month. I tried to read the manual but could only think about the money! lololololol.

It wasn't so bad paying almost $500 bills to get the Stealth scoop to Canada as my money hole was already stretched by the Excal.
 
I loved my Safari, I recently traded it for a Deus as I wanted to go lighter. I actually had both a Safari and an Etrac and I loved the simplicity of the Safari, tone wise they both sing that beautiful tone on silver, the Safari might have been a little slower than the E-Trac but not to noticeable IMO. The main advantage I could see was the E-trac has more customizable features Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Coyote65 said:
I loved my Safari, I recently traded it for a Deus as I wanted to go lighter. I actually had both a Safari and an Etrac and I loved the simplicity of the Safari, tone wise they both sing that beautiful tone on silver, the Safari might have been a little slower than the E-Trac but not to noticeable IMO.
Click to expand...

It eases my soul to hear that it is not much slower then the Etrac.

Coyote65 said:
The main advantage I could see was the E-trac has more customizable features Just my 2 cents worth.
Click to expand...

Cool. I could probably live without the extra features given the price difference. I really don't even fiddle with the Xterra much beyond ground balance, sensitivity and maybe volume. I mostly hunt in All-Metal mode 99% of the time.
 
I was set on the Safari, then stumbled on some threads about how slow it is again last night. Arggh.

I woke up this morning and decided I am not going to do anything for the time being. I'm tired of thinking about it lol. Flip Flop.

The used market is virtually non-existent in my location so I can't try anything in the field.

I was starting to make myself nuts about it, preoccupying myself with it rather then enjoying the Excal I bought.

My Xterra has over 500 coins so far this year and a couple nice bits of silver, so I may as well enjoy it for the time being.

Perhaps this fall I will get something, or maybe next week I will consider that used Etrac that is a few hours away.

I really do appreciate the suggestions put forth.
 
FWIW, I have an FBS machine, and my 705 is still my go-to detector for what it can do.

And.....the CPU in an E-trac is much faster than either the Explorer or Safari, but it's also processing more information.
 
I think you made a wise decision. The Xterra will more than likely find what the other machines find with very few exceptions. I know what you mean about buying all the coils for the Xterra. I had more invested in the Xterra than I would have had in a used Etrac by the time I got all the ones I wanted. I have owned both the Etrac and the Xterra 705 and they are both good machines for what they do but if I was buying another Minelab (which I'm not) it would be the Etrac.
 
Heck the etrac is a slow machine itself. The recovery time of an ATPro is much faster and so is the Deus. When Minelab updated the Quattro to the Safari they upgraded the processor for more speed. Read all the etrac posts about "low and slow", these are NOT fast machines by any means. I really doubt the Safari is one micro second slower, and although I don't have an etrac I have switched with a friend who has one and neither of us saw any difference in speed. I think there are youtube videos comparing etrac speed to other makes, and usually the etrac is often the slowest. FBS detectors aren't about the speed, they are more about high efficiency in mineralized soil. That is what the multi frequencies were designed for.
 
I absolutely love my Safari! In Oregon soil, it totally destroys my ATPro in the depth department. Started off using the coin jewelery program until I got comfortable with it, then I switched to all metal and have never looked back. Found a '57 rosie yesterday afternoon with a small piece of iron and a pull tab in the same plug, so it works in trashy areas but it's slower going and takes a while to learn. I think the Safari is a great option for people who want a higher end machine but can't afford an Etrac.
 
gunsil said:
Heck the etrac is a slow machine itself. The recovery time of an ATPro is much faster and so is the Deus. When Minelab updated the Quattro to the Safari they upgraded the processor for more speed. Read all the etrac posts about "low and slow", these are NOT fast machines by any means. I really doubt the Safari is one micro second slower, and although I don't have an etrac I have switched with a friend who has one and neither of us saw any difference in speed. I think there are youtube videos comparing etrac speed to other makes, and usually the etrac is often the slowest. FBS detectors aren't about the speed, they are more about high efficiency in mineralized soil. That is what the multi frequencies were designed for.
Click to expand...

My next machine will be an FBS for sure. I don't think the Etrac would be to slow for me. I did have to slow down a touch with the Xterra compared to my LoBo, which feels quite zippy, but nothing major.
It was for the better too. Realistically if I want to pick out good targets that are inches away from trash, it's the slow wiggle that isolates the good targets from the trash.

NWLuke said:
I absolutely love my Safari! In Oregon soil, it totally destroys my ATPro in the depth department. Started off using the coin jewelery program until I got comfortable with it, then I switched to all metal and have never looked back. Found a '57 rosie yesterday afternoon with a small piece of iron and a pull tab in the same plug, so it works in trashy areas but it's slower going and takes a while to learn. I think the Safari is a great option for people who want a higher end machine but can't afford an Etrac.
Click to expand...

Nice going on the dime.
I agree with you on the Safari option. I want to love it, if it's not suited for me then it makes me wonder who it is for! lol
I will pick up something sooner or later.
I might stick some targets onto some cardboard and take it with me to the store. The salesman will have to hold the board while I try them both out.
I actually did switch on the Etrac last time I was there, but with the floor being full of re-bar I couldn't really tell what was going on. lol
 
Safari as I know, that's a wise decision....

:laughing: Went through the same thing before getting my MX 5.
​
Pennypacker said:
I was set on the Safari, then stumbled on some threads about how slow it is again last night. Arggh.

I woke up this morning and decided I am not going to do anything for the time being. I'm tired of thinking about it lol. Flip Flop.

The used market is virtually non-existent in my location so I can't try anything in the field.

I was starting to make myself nuts about it, preoccupying myself with it rather then enjoying the Excal I bought.

My Xterra has over 500 coins so far this year and a couple nice bits of silver, so I may as well enjoy it for the time being.

Perhaps this fall I will get something, or maybe next week I will consider that used Etrac that is a few hours away.

I really do appreciate the suggestions put forth.
Click to expand...
 
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