Minelab Explorer II
Street Price $1200 - Coin, relic
Number of Reviews: 58
on 9 pages.
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Minelab Explorer II
What am i doing wrong
Patrick in London -
Please if anyone can help i would appreciate help with settings as i went out the other day and all i got was chatter and faulse signals, dont get me wrong i love the machine i found a roman ring in hertfordshire but i dug forty holes to find it as the rest were mostly faulse signals i guess or to deep, tell me what am i doing wrong borgpanodrac@aol.com is my e mail all i want to do is dig deep but without all the chatter all the time, rating is difficult but 4 as i know it is the best but i need the info to make it 5
Jan 23, 2006
11 people found this review helpful.
A serious machine for serious detectorists!
K. Isaac in Midwest, USA -I was prepared to buy a DFX this spring but ran across a great deal on an Exp II and since a friend of mine had one and loved it I went ahead and got it. I was using a Whites IDX Pro and really liked it but wanted to step up to something more serious. The first couple times I took the Explorer out I was completely lost and confused. It was making so many noises with every sweep of the coil that I could not tell what was in the ground. I was seriously considering selling it or trading it for something else. After reading the manual a couple times and getting some more practice with the machine I am beginning to realize why this detector is bragged about so much. If you are looking to just go out and "have some fun " finding clad coins a couple inches in the ground go get a $100 detector at a discount store and have all the fun you want. If your idea of fun is finding the good coins and things those other guys are walking right over then you want an Explorer!
Jan 11, 2006
19 people found this review helpful.
Explorer, The Standard That All Detectors Are Judged By
R.L. Johnson in NE Ohio -It seems that all coin detectors are compared to the Explorer and I have done this many times in the past. I had an XS several years back and I made many outstanding finds with that detector, but I sold it and have tried many detectors since.
Last summer I bought a new Ex 11 and immediately had success. In three months, I found over 150 silver coins and close to 500 wheats. Also, many older nickles and IH's. Many of the coins were found 10 inches plus deep, with a silver half at 14 inches. I have no doubt that a big silver is capable of being dug at 18 inches. I bought a Sunray 8 inch coil and I can wade through the trashiest spots around my neck of the woods and find old coins. I guess I will have to eat my words and now say the Explorer is the gold standard. I now move the CZ3D to second place.
Jan 08, 2006
14 people found this review helpful.
OK, here is MY opinion, sigh !
BOB VALDEZ in Belgium -I started metal detecting 4 months ago. Started with a XP-GMaxx. A very good machine to start with. Found things the very first day, never stopped doing so.
After a few weeks, purchased a Minelab Explorer II.
Never ever could use it :
1. far too heavy to be fun (you know, fun ? That is what it is all about ; metal detecting, in my opinion : having FUN !)
2. it is EATING batteries
3. pinpointing ? Whàt pinpoiting ?
4. far too difficult to learn. Why spent months on learning a simple & stupid metal detector ? Why lose months of pleasure if you could just be out somewhere FINDING things with any detector ? How about learning to use your next car, bike, pc, gps, mobil, etc for months ? Come on, be serious ! It is just another tool.
5. NO (repeat : NO !) recovery speed. (of course not : 28 signals !) For me, THAT DID IT ; I cannot work without a (fast) recovery speed.
The explorer ii is still here, somewhere. Bought a Minelab X-Terra 50 and started finding things again. I don't think I'll EVER "use" that explorer again...
Why waste time on an Explorer when you can be having FUN ?????????
Jan 07, 2006
22 people found this review helpful.
Exp II
Joe in NY -I too read all of these review when I was looking to purchase a new MD. A great many "pros' about the ExpII but the few cons scared me a little... How could so many people absolutely LOVE it and yet, have those who couldn't even work it?
Well, I purchased one on some advice from people I know personally who use them. Here's my take on the "cons"
Heavy machine: Yes it's heavy. So, I bought a bugee harness. I'm 50, no weight lifter, yet I can swing this thing for hours at the park without the harness. The only time I use the bungee is at the beach (mainly so I don't drop it in the water). Between the 7 lb stainless steel sand scoop in my left hand and the ExpII in my right, my arms are lookin' good :)
Learning Curve: Yes, there is a learning curve. But it's only as steep as you make it. If you read your manual a couple of times, get Sabich's book, read the classroom forums, you can make it a lot easier on yourself. I read the manual way before I got the machine. This thing gives you a LOT of information, it just takes a little time to learn what it's trying to tell you. If you don't want to take the time to really get to know a machine, any machine, don't buy it.
Difficult to pinpoint: I don't find that to be the case at all. There are a few tricks that help you narrow it down very accurately. I dig very small plugs and more often than not, my target is right where I thought it was. One necessary accessory (although expensive), is the Sunray X-1. Can't leave home without it.
Plastic: Yes, it's made of plastic, just like everything else. I'm sure if I take care of it, it will last.
Reliability: I have it about 9 months and believe it or not the coil died about 5 months after I bought it. Stuff happens. I sent it to Minelab and they sent back a new coil the same day. Very helpful customer service.
Expensive: Yes :) But in my opinion, worth it. If something were to happen to the one I have, I would do what I could to get another.
Unbalanced machine: The coil mount is at the rear of the coil. This makes it top heavy. Simply shorthening the length of the rod, getting it closer to the front of your toes, makes it a lot better. Not something I think about.
I think that about covers the cons... The pro's? I will have to do that another time. Most have already been mentioned anyway. Bottom line is, if most of the clocks on your electronic equipment at home are flashing "12:00", the Exp II is not for you. If you like top of the line gadgets with lots of useful bells and whistles and awesome performance, the ExpII is one great machine. I know that I've found things with the Exp II that others simple could not find.
Jan 02, 2006
30 people found this review helpful.
How good or what?
Peter Abbott in Brighton England -As a novice to detecting I got to say useing this machine was rather daunting to say the least,but the end results are worth all the effort,read the books that are available and cds,this machine will out perform the rest.
I joined a club and i can honestly say that its the explorers that find the most on club digs, pinpointint is 100% and easy, there are lighter machines but I use a harnes so no problems there .
Even useing factory settings it out performs all other detectors, ok its expensive ,but you get what you pay for.
Nov 08, 2005
35 people found this review helpful.
Too Much Hype
John in AZ in USA -
The Explorer II is a good detector not as great as all the hype claims it to be. It's heavy and made out of plastic, very unbalanced and too slow on recovery. It masks targets that are too close to iron and very difficult to learn. It is however a deep seeking silver coin machine no doubt about that but no deeper than my DFX plus the DFX is killer on gold jewelry. I am glad I did not sell my DFX to get the Explorer II since I have decided to keep the DFX instead.
Oct 28, 2005
32 people found this review helpful.