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Hi, Currently thinking in investing in a used Quattro but have been put off by few reviews describing the machine as *Quirky*. Anyone any experience with one? any help mightily appreciated.

Hi Jonola  :) I have used a Quattro my first machine, its good on the beach and pasture, very slow recovery in iron! Have you considered a second hand Explorer?

Have considered it but they appear to go for about 200 to 300 more but that would take a bit more time to get the readies! ;)

Wellcome to the site Jonola,well you asked and i will reply,but i would'nt want to put you off,i can honestly say the Quatro was the worst detector i have owned,had one for 14 months and ended up part-ex'ing it for a T2 and never regreted it for a second.To be fair the Quatro does have it's devotees,and some great finds have been made with them,if your going for second hand try and get an Explorer it's a much better machine,but not as easy to learn.The new minelab Safari seem's to be an improved Quatro which leads me to ask why change the name instead of calling it a Quatro (mark 2) are they admitting they got it wrong first time.
Quatro's have slow recovery speed,target id is not very acurate,there is'nt much differance in weight to an Explorer,so if your set on minelab my advise would be to try and get an Explorer.
Hope this helps

Very helpful thanks. The only thing that interested me in the Quattro over an Explorer was price. Explorers seem to hold their price...too well if you are after a secondhand machine!

Bought my Quatro for £395 and sold it for £425 both prices were from dealers,bought a secondhand Explorer xs for £260 privatly so i don't think the prices are that different,if you are after a Minelab the Soverign range are very good but a bit on the heavy side,have you considered other makes Jonola ?.

I have a Sovereign XS- 2A Pro but was looking for something different. Was going to use the Sovereign as a back up machine. Seems that the Quattro would be the back up though! Not quite the way I would like it. I am open to other detectors but (And I don't want to rile people :o ) most detectorists I talk too see a bit Minelab fixated. Perhaps I am wrong in this?

No i think your right .after all what suits one might not suit another.Both damn good machines but too much weight thats why i changed mine to a x-terra 70 and i havent looked back ;D :) most machines are good in the right hands!

No i think there are a lot of Minelab userer's,had the Sov Elite,Quatro and Explorer ,i suppose you tend to stick with what your used to,the X-terra 70 would be an other good alternative,but once you move away from Minelabs other than depth i can't see any advantage in them,just my veiw.I've been using a Technetics T2 and a Gold max power for some time,and the weight differance and recovery speeds are brilliant compared to a Quatro.

I must admit that recovery speed seems the one constant that runs through most peoples reasons why the Quattro is a bit *Quirky* .

 hi moderator can you tell me if i am in the rallie for the 14 march as i need to know so i can arrange a lift thanks drewson

Hi Drewson

Yes your on the list so id start looking for a lift if i was you ;0)
you,ll get the more Details Friday night Via Personal message

Dont forget to say Hi Saturday!

all the best Phil Jones

ok my list of detectors worth buying..
first quattro is good depth and heavy
explorers better depth inland than quattro heavy but worth it.
hawkeye easy to use and light land drysand only .
most good detectors come with id numbers which help to determin what metal it is .
you will find you have to learn whichever you decide you have too use a quattro in all metal to work its best and also explorers but the descrim pattern settings are super for minelab to find good stuff switch on and use .
hawkeye also turn sens up as far as you can turn to all metal have threshold easily heard not too loud though and dig all with id above 6 easy .

Have had a Quattro now for 16 months and have had no problems at all. Found stuff at depth and have no problem in pinpointing in trashy sites. Spent time setting up and learning its capability and have had no problem since. I only detect on ploughed and pasture and have found it a comfortable easy machine to use. Whatever you do it will be your choice and get what you feel is right. If you ask twenty people using twenty different detectors they will all tell you why theirs is best.  :)

I am new to this hobby and no expert by any meens. I just got the new Safari and have been useing it in the fields around my home. I must say that the recovery time on the Safari is FAST!. Although the history here in the U.S. is only about 150 years I hope to make many finds with the Safari!. I do know there are many videos on the Quattro and the Safari on U Tube so check them out when you get the time!

Well I am a bit relieved to read Paul has had no problems with his Quattro as I am now the proud owner of a Quattro myself! Bit the bullet ! My first detector was a C-Scope in the 1970s so I am more a returnee to the hobby than a beginner. But technology has marched on and I wouldn't know the difference betwen an E-Trac and a railway track with modern detectors. Thanks for your input everyone. Very much apprecated.

Jon (Jonola)

 ;D well done Jon m8 ,glad you got your detector just get to know it and you will soon pick up good advice of the guys on here who i know will help you the best they can .. including me  ;D  and of course enjoy the great hobby m8.

Good luck with your new detector Jonola  :) When I had mine I used it in all metal and dug everything down to -3, If I had one now I would use the conduct option for the audio. There is 4 pre-set programs already set.  :)

Thanks for the good wishes. Now all I need is the myriad of bits and pieces associated with our hobby. I feel palpitations at the expense of it all...hahaha...

WooHoo...!!!! Quattro arrived. Now all I need to do is work  out how to put it together >:(   Then I am off out to find a hoard.

Yes, I can vouch for the Safai having a very fast recovery speed! I got one and love it.

I think the Quattro is fine as long as it's used in ALL METAL mode and you just did the "+" numbers.

I had a Hawkeye machine once (as many other single frequency ones) and it was very good.

I doubt I'd go back to a single frequency machine now as multi ones are absolutely superb at avoiding
coke and hot rocks which I found hard to avoid with single frequency ones.

It tells you something when 60% plus members of my club are using Minelabs Muti-frequencies.
The ID is superb and besides not digging hot rocks/coke one doesn't dig much iron either. Also
they pick up the minute stuff such as cut hammereds etc!

i had the quattro for about a year

as its been said use all metal and dig everything over -4

its a really good machine