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Whites V3i, VX3 or E-trac???

I just moved from Garrett to Etrac. Actually, today will be the first hunt with the Etrac. I'll review it later. I think I need to look at a Whites. I have 3 other MD'ers in my house (kids) so I have an excuse for extra machines. I always hear rave reviews for the V3i. Everybody seems to love them and they're less expensive than an Etrac. Either way, I don't think you can lose. HH.
 
Thanks coin nut. Yes, please post after your hunt! :cool:

I just moved from Garrett to Etrac. Actually, today will be the first hunt with the Etrac. I'll review it later. I think I need to look at a Whites. I have 3 other MD'ers in my house (kids) so I have an excuse for extra machines. I always hear rave reviews for the V3i. Everybody seems to love them and they're less expensive than an Etrac. Either way, I don't think you can lose. HH.
 
I own both a V3i and a E-trac. The more I use the V3i the more I like it. It is a depth monster for sure. I don't have as much time on the E-trac yet, but it doesn't pick up coins in my test garden as deep as the V3i. I am sure as I gain more time on the E-track I will find deep stuff too. Both are great machines IMHO.
 
Honestly Whites and Minelabs are so different in general you would be better off trying both of them out. Chances are if you like one you will hate the other because they feel and sound so much different. It's hard to judge any machines depth capabilities by word of mouth because everyone has different soil conditions, different hunting styles, more or less expereince on certain machines, and others just exaggerate. :D I've heard stories of 14in dimes etc. on this or that machine but i've been detecting 17 years, owned all the "deepest machines and coils" and have yet to find a 14in dime so maybe my soil just sucks or I am a bad detectorist but chances are... :roll:
 
It gives you more tools than the E-Trac for determining whether a target is gold or junk.

I think it would be safe to say that people with E-Tracs dig far less gold than other MDers. Whether it is because of that or E-Traccers preferring silver coins, is up for debate. The reason I have not found any gold with the E-Trac is park luck and part that the machine has spoiled me so much on coins, that it has become hard to dig mid range targets. You get rewarded 90% of the time with a quarter on 12-47s, but on 12-14 to 12-28 you get junk 99%+.

With a BH or an Ace you get a lot more junk across the board. If the white's gets that junk range pct down any, it would help immensely.
While yes this is very true it depends on which sounds you are using. I use mine with the Multi and the Variability cranked al the way up. I am still digging some trash till I find the good stuff, but now a nickel has a very distinctive sound over casings and tabs, I know when I hit one. Im thinking it will be the same for the other lower tone targets as well, once you hit one you will learn that sound.
 
I think the generally consensus for as long as I can remember is

Minelab = Deep silver
Whites= Parks/Jewelry
Fisher= Relics/deep coins

While not always true most hunters for those specific hunting styles use those machines. Don't get me wrong I've used Whites for Relics and Minelabs for jewelry but in most cases the above machine/hunting styles hold true.
 
Makes sense Coil, thanks.

I've been watching some YouTube videos, there's a good one on the E-trac (lost the link, not a Minelab video). The guy is showing the E-trac's ability to identify targets using the two numbers, I think one is ferrous the other conductivity(?) he was easily able to accurately identify pennies, quarters correctly before digging.

The E-trac looks to be a good machine for separating targets, picking out good targets in trashy areas.

There's another video where a guy used an E-trac to find some targets, mark them with a golf tee, then go back with the V3i to see how they ring-up in comparison...


Honestly Whites and Minelabs are so different in general you would be better off trying both of them out. Chances are if you like one you will hate the other because they feel and sound so much different. It's hard to judge any machines depth capabilities by word of mouth because everyone has different soil conditions, different hunting styles, more or less expereince on certain machines, and others just exaggerate. :D I've heard stories of 14in dimes etc. on this or that machine but i've been detecting 17 years, owned all the "deepest machines and coils" and have yet to find a 14in dime so maybe my soil just sucks or I am a bad detectorist but chances are... :roll:
 
The E-Trac will find gold. The key is to run the unit in a more wide open pattern. It won't find much gold in the standard coin pattern, or beach pattern for that matter. Running almost wide open with only a few bottom bars blacked out to null on very small iron, the E-Trac will find it's share. They key then is to listen to the mid tones and then check where they ID.

But, using both an E-Trac and a V3i as well as a DFX, I have to say in my experience, the Whites units are more sensitive to smaller gold. Running the V3i in single frequency 22khz or the DFX in 15kHz mode will trump an E-Trac on gold every time. Just the nature of the beast.

Getting an accurate ID to depth or being able to sniff out deep silver and copper among trash, the E-Trac wins.

All 3 machines mentioned are great units. If coin hunting is going to be your main forte, an E-Trac with a 5 or 8 inch coil will be hard to beat. And I know it wasn't mentioned, but a properly tuned CZ will go toe to toe with an E-Trac coin hunting any day of the week.
 
The V3i is a well built machine.But it doesn't even come close to the E-trac in depth or accurate ID.
I'm very fortunate and usually get to hunt 20 to 40 hrs a week. I really wanted my V3i to be my number 1 machine. But after a few hundred hours with it.I decided it's just a waist of time.I've used all of Fox's programs, followed Alberts set ups. But no matter what I tried it's as good as an average detector with way to many options.
The E-trac is such a joy to hunt with. Turn on hit noise cancel. That's it, go find the goods.


Best of Luck no matter what you pick!

Ken

I bought an e track and am new at detecting. I am not sure why it gives off so many false signals when the ground is very wet. I have probably only used it for 15 hours total so I am not very familiar with it. Do you have any time saving tips for a new e track user? Thank you.
 
Thanks for all of your posts, I think the V3i wins, I’m going to try to find a used one then maybe I will get both!!
 
Thanks for all of your posts, I think the V3i wins, I’m going to try to find a used one then maybe I will get both!!

An excellent choice. The V3i will be the last machine you'll ever need! Be careful on used ones though never know if you'll get a dud. Check with some of our sponsors here 1st, to avoid that.
 
I bought an e track and am new at detecting. I am not sure why it gives off so many false signals when the ground is very wet. I have probably only used it for 15 hours total so I am not very familiar with it. Do you have any time saving tips for a new e track user? Thank you.

You are doing something wrong. The E-trac won't false because of wet ground. You either have EMI or something is set wrong.
 
I just purchased a Tek G2. It's supposed to be a gold machine but I haven't had it long enough to find out. Does anyone have any experience with it for gold, or anything else for that matter?
 
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