squirrel1
06-27-2011, 09:02 PM
I'm new here on the forum and thought i'd post my comments on my new etrac. After a full week of use, all I can say is, I'm delighted. I got into detecting back in Feb this year after watching a gent use his whites Xlt. I purchased a v3i in Feb and then the etrac a week ago. I'm retired USAF with a work history in aircraft radar and radio navigation systems. I really like the etrac. Even with my limited detecting experience I can say the etrac is by far the better machine. Etrac's strengths over the v3i are as follows:
etrac rod can be adjusted to a precise length, not so with v3i. I find this handy when detecting around slopes and need small adjustments to keep my posture correct.
etrac target ID superior to V3i especially on 5-6 inch and deeper targets
etrac is superior when hunting in trash, it actually outdoes the v3i in trash with a one inch bigger coil
etrac is a lot quieter to hunt with, my v3i seems to always have a bit of noise and definitely more falsing even after trying all the tricks of the trade--and yes my d2 coil is good plus I have a sef 10x12 for it
etrac buttons are very nicely laid out and located meaning everything is a 1 hand operation except for loading disc patterns..V3i is hard to tune with just one hand using freq offset
Using etrac you will dig far less trash as opposed to V3i, which tranlates into more actual time on the stick detecting for the good stuff
V3i does have some advantages over etrac:
better viewing screen with color and different background colors,
slightly lighter and balanced a bit better than etrac
I have dug 3x times silver in a week with the etrac than i did using the V3i for 4 months.
Overall, I believe an etrac is the clear winner in the field
etrac rod can be adjusted to a precise length, not so with v3i. I find this handy when detecting around slopes and need small adjustments to keep my posture correct.
etrac target ID superior to V3i especially on 5-6 inch and deeper targets
etrac is superior when hunting in trash, it actually outdoes the v3i in trash with a one inch bigger coil
etrac is a lot quieter to hunt with, my v3i seems to always have a bit of noise and definitely more falsing even after trying all the tricks of the trade--and yes my d2 coil is good plus I have a sef 10x12 for it
etrac buttons are very nicely laid out and located meaning everything is a 1 hand operation except for loading disc patterns..V3i is hard to tune with just one hand using freq offset
Using etrac you will dig far less trash as opposed to V3i, which tranlates into more actual time on the stick detecting for the good stuff
V3i does have some advantages over etrac:
better viewing screen with color and different background colors,
slightly lighter and balanced a bit better than etrac
I have dug 3x times silver in a week with the etrac than i did using the V3i for 4 months.
Overall, I believe an etrac is the clear winner in the field