randy
Forum Supporter
Here's an interesting side note that just came to mind. I have one of the older Etrac's that was made in Ireland, before Minelab moved production to Malaysia several years ago. Some of the Nox guys I hunt with, "SWEAR" my Etrac is super hot. They think it has better electronics and higher quality control tolerances than Malaysia made Etracs. I have no idea if that is true or not, but if true, maybe I'm experiencing a different level of performance than many other FBS/FBS2 users, potentially skewing my viewpoint.
I also have one of the very old E-Tracs, and concur. Unless you compare the Malaysia unit side by side, there is no way to know for sure, however.
I am disappointed with my Nox, but will reserve final judgment until I have 100 hours on the machine. I'll admit I'm a one trick pony -- deep silver is all I care about. I don't really care that the Nox is supposedly good with nickels; around here, the soil is so acidic that the nickels come out toasted (as do the coppers, but they are still fun to dig). Perhaps the Nox is also better on gold coins; as much as I'd love to dig one, not much of a worry for me.
Just as I compared the E-Trac and the V3 side to side back in the day, I intend to compare the E-Trac and Nox side to side after I learn the latter better, and see which is better for what I enjoy hunting for.
If you are lucky enough to afford to own 2 machines at once, I think that side by side comparison is the only way to go, as we all have different goals, and all have different dirt.