My "Final" Purchase Decison (long)

I appreciate the attention that everyone on this forum and several other forums gave me in making a decision on buying a underwater unit. I had appx. 20 to 30 people assist me in my decision through private e-mail and "open debates" on forums. It finally came down to two units that fit my needs for wading freshwater and salt water. Never the thoughts of becoming a diver so the PI units were eliminated. My experience in wading and general hunting is...I was trained on sound only by using Tesoro units; later I purchased a CZ7a Pro for myself and then another for my wife. The two units came down to--the Minelab Excalibur and the Fisher CZ20. I came to the decision after hours and hours of agonizing punishment to myself to purchase a CZ20...these are the reason why I made the decision to purchase a CZ instead of the Excalibur.

1. I am new at the underwater hunting and the expertise required to become good at it is a new learning experience; I am familiar with the Fisher units as I already own them. If I purchased the Minelab I would have two learning curves to learn...the unit and the water.

2. I received a number of e-mails from individuals who had bad experiences with the physical side of the Excalibur and then the unsatisfactory reports of the slow and expensive repair cost of the Excalibur. I will have to say that the Minelab owner did give or report superior or better results using the Minelab in their words to me; although the reports and items submitted to me were items--jewelry/rings photos...it was a toss-up between them as the reports were about the same. The reports on the operation of the Excalibur and the tect. behind it were excellent just the physical make-up and service was faulted and the warranty is not very long. The Fisher was given by all excellent as descriptions were "strong built as a Sherman Tank" and a lifetime warranty to go with it. Minelabs owners seems stronger "brand loyal" to me but that is my words on their reports.

3. The machines seem to be about the same weight and I was given several tips on how to make items to make the Minelab waist mounted or chest mounted and I already had the chest harness for the CZ 7a pros so I needed no extra things to make or buy.

4. Batteries: I was told by several to buy the extra battery pack for the Excalibur so that when in the water and the 15 to 20 hours of charge goes out you will have a spare battery pack... The spare battery pack is $150 and that influenced me also as that makes the unit that much more expensive. Also I was advised to purchase for an additional $129.00 a light weight alum additional pole to balance the unit better. Now we are getting into serious money with the cost of the unit, a spare battery pack and the light weight better balanced pole. The Fisher unit was getting less expensive and it was never less expensive at the new price. 9 volt batteries are on sale at Sams Warehouse quiet often and I buy in bulk at most of the time $1 per battery. $150 can buy 150 batteries and that is many hours of use. Right now at Sams (well last week anyway) you could buy eight 9 volt Durcell Alk. batteries for $9.24 and if you bought two packs you got an $8 rebate from the factory...I bought a bunch and the check is on the way. This was not an advertisment for Sams...just the facts...

5. Sensitivity: I was told several times the Excalibur was more sensitive to small gold and the Fisher is weak in this area. Since I did not have either unit to test I could only go by the e-mail and posts directed to me and both showed small gold items found with both units. I could test the Pro units I owned and my wife helped me here. Her mother died several years ago and my wife produce the most delicate small gold ring of her mothers that her mother had owned since a small girl... This is a very delicate ring and would bend if I tried I am sure...high quality gold for sure and dainty. I put both CZ7a that I own in salt mode with the sens on 4 and 6 with no notches activated. Both units sounded firmly on the small gold ring in all metal and ID mode. Now in the water I do not know...but I felt much better on the Fisher and the small gold weakness issue as I have bought the CZ20.

6. I was told the Excalibur had to be swung in s-l-o-w sweep speeds... This was not a factor in my decision as swinging fast in the water is not possible by me at my age...I remember my youth and I do not believe I could have had fast speed sweeps then either....Mute Point. I was told that the Excalibur igrored the iron and the Fisher does not. I was in the ocean with my CZ7a Pros and iron and wading was not a problem on over 17 beaches in Florida and not a problem in the State of Washington at the sea shore....so this was not considers as a factor...I was not buying an underwater unit for use on land; I already own 4 land units of which two the Tesoros are great on the iron infested areas....

7. I am accustom to the sounds of the Fisher and I am not afraid of the new learning experience of the Minelab but to learn the freshwater and the ocean learning curve and learn a new unit together...did not make sense to me. Quiet honestly the negatives of the slow return of the repair department, the extra expense of the extra goodies to go with it and less warranty with the people who expressed problems with their units....made the decision for me.

I want to thank you people who expressed their thoughts on these different units to me. Several expressed that they were in the business and a number we not but all were very honest with their thoughts and I do appreciate you all. I promised I would post my final decision and I have. Again I really am so tickle to have the ability to sit in my house and share the time with the quality of people I have come to know on these forums...Years ago a man could only have bought a "Pig in the Poke." Thanks again all ....Frank Hamill Chattanooga, Tennessee