Is the Excal all everyone says it is?

[UNCLENICK]

I really am wanting the Tesoro Sandshark...Good deal brand new, lifetime warr, light weight, good batt time... But I'm being told hold it!...save up a little longer and get an Excal. I would only buy a water machine new. Not used...what do you think? h H

Nick

 

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[JP]

Love my Excals, with the WOT coil I spliced on it I get great depth, I have pull up targets at 16" + on more then a few occasions..................I love it when people run their Excals with discrimination, it means they are skipping over gold.

How big of gold are we talking about here?
I keep mine on 2, not because I know, but because that is what someone suggested to me... I often get good signals that are too small for my 1/2 inch holes... I figure maybe a post of something.. But do I really want to dig signals of stuff smaller than what I already cant keep in my scoop? Are you saying that it should be as far counter clockwise as one can turn it, or are you saying that it should be ran in pinpoint mode all the time??

The 20 or so times that it happened to me, something that just kept slipping through the holes it turned out each time to be a dang grommet.

As a side note, I found a white gold ring last year that I didn't hear on disc mode, only in pinpoint. It wasn't deep, maybe only about two inches down. I only dug it because I hadn't dug anything else that day. When I went up to the dry sand I placed the ring down and scanned in disc mode and it was loud and clear....I know one of those unexplainable events.....

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Love my Excals, with the WOT coil I spliced on it I get great depth, I have pull up targets at 16" + on more then a few occassions..................I love it when people run their Excals with discrimination, it means they are skipping over gold.

How big of gold are we talking about here?
I keep mine on 2, not because I know, but because that is what someone suggested to me... I often get good signals that are too small for my 1/2 inch holes... I figure maybe a post of something.. But do I really want to dig signals of stuff smaller than what I already cant keep in my scoop? Are you saying that it should be as far counter clockwise as one can turn it, or are you saying that it should be ran in pinpoint mode all the time??

I use no descrimination at all. I do hunt in pinpoint (all metal) on occasion, but not usually. On my scoop, I added additional screening on the bottom cornor third of the scoop. I used the same aluminum screen you use to cover your gutters with. It is small enough to catch earring studs. If I notice something slipping through my scoop, I rescoop it and make sure scoop is tilted so it drains through the smaller screen......... I have found 2 gold earring studs with scoop so far using the screen, both 14K, I havent had a chance to test the stones to see if they are diamonds yet.

 

[stavr]

my favorite scoop "EVROEXCAVATOR" with holes 12,7 mm x 14mm (1 / 2 ")
for small finds when flying in a tight-fisted carrying a shield made of plastic mesh fine ... but I use very rarely.
productivity is very large, and in the water, and dry sand.
Today a little hunt ...

 

[syko]

Love my Excals, with the WOT coil I spliced on it I get great depth, I have pull up targets at 16" + on more then a few occassions..................I love it when people run their Excals with discrimination, it means they are skipping over gold.

How big of gold are we talking about here?
I keep mine on 2, not because I know, but because that is what someone suggested to me... I often get good signals that are too small for my 1/2 inch holes... I figure maybe a post of something.. But do I really want to dig signals of stuff smaller than what I already cant keep in my scoop? Are you saying that it should be as far counter clockwise as one can turn it, or are you saying that it should be ran in pinpoint mode all the time??

I use no descrimination at all. I do hunt in pinpoint (all metal) on occasion, but not usually. On my scoop, I added additional screening on the bottom cornor third of the scoop. I used the same aluminum screen you use to cover your gutters with. It is small enough to catch earring studs. If I notice something slipping through my scoop, I rescoop it and make sure scoop is tilted so it drains through the smaller screen......... I have found 2 gold earring studs with scoop so far using the screen, both 14K, I havent had a chance to test the stones to see if they are diamonds yet.

Wait, when you say you use no discrimination at all and that you use pinpoint on occassion, are you talking about the same thing?
What exactly do you mean saying no discrimination, isn't that running it in PP, or is it running at 1 I have sensitivity at auto,discriminate at 1 and am sure I need to change it for Galveston beaches.

 

[stavr]

I use:
Discrimination 1.
maximum sensitivity, but not automatic.

 

[Sandman]

SYKO, When you run it in disc or 1 and in Pinpoint (All Metal) the disc setting makes no difference. I usually run mine in Auto where I hunt with disc at 1 but never use the PP. Lately however the Excal sits in the house and I take the CZ-20. Sorry Cotton, I won't sell it. The same goes for my Tiger Shark. I am not sure the CZ-21 has the same guts as the 20. The same can be said for the Excal II. Mine is the Excal 1000 with the blue headphones, but I run a 1650 ah NIMH pak.

If I were a mite younger I would be swinging an Eric Foster Aquastar with a large Mono coil on those coastal beaches. Florida sand has hardly any minerals and PI's reach great depths there to find the gold that sinks in the sand.

 

[S.S.Tupperware]

Depends on the water, I also hunt with a PI, I have used a few excalls, and while they do null on iron, where I hunt there isn't much. Bobby pins are pretty easy to tell, I managed 5 rings this weekend with mine... but I didn't have to deal with much iron. The key thing I believe makes the difference is the hunter. Ya need to be able to get it out of the ground and move on as fast as ya can... its a game of odds. Oh and buy 2 since if one goes in the shop you'll have one to use due to their long wait times.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Love my Excals, with the WOT coil I spliced on it I get great depth, I have pull up targets at 16" + on more then a few occassions..................I love it when people run their Excals with discrimination, it means they are skipping over gold.

How big of gold are we talking about here?
I keep mine on 2, not because I know, but because that is what someone suggested to me... I often get good signals that are too small for my 1/2 inch holes... I figure maybe a post of something.. But do I really want to dig signals of stuff smaller than what I already cant keep in my scoop? Are you saying that it should be as far counter clockwise as one can turn it, or are you saying that it should be ran in pinpoint mode all the time??

I use no descrimination at all. I do hunt in pinpoint (all metal) on occasion, but not usually. On my scoop, I added additional screening on the bottom cornor third of the scoop. I used the same aluminum screen you use to cover your gutters with. It is small enough to catch earring studs. If I notice something slipping through my scoop, I rescoop it and make sure scoop is tilted so it drains through the smaller screen......... I have found 2 gold earring studs with scoop so far using the screen, both 14K, I havent had a chance to test the stones to see if they are diamonds yet.

Wait, when you say you use no discrimination at all and that you use pinpoint on occassion, are you talking about the same thing?
What exactly do you mean saying no discrimination, isn't that running it in PP, or is it running at 1 I have sensitivity at auto,discriminate at 1 and am sure I need to change it for Galveston beaches.

I run it in discrimination mode, with discrimination set to 1 (lowest setting possible) which is basically no discrimination... If you switch to pinpoint your in all metal, the discrimination knob no longer matters, since your now hunting in all metal mode.

I adjust the sensitivity for the current conditions, I start off in auto, but I do adjust it to stablize the detector. On most beaches I hunt it is usually set any where between 11-1 o'clock position on the dial. ( I have the old version Excal) I have seen next to no difference between running it in auto and set to the 1-3 o'clock position, I have pulled up nice targets at 14-16 inches many times when sensitivity was set to the 3 o'clock position....

I have spliced a WOT coil on my Excal, it goes a LOT deeper then the stock 8" or 10" coil.....I also spliced on a nice new set of Team OrcaSound headphones that "The Buligarian" sells, love the headphones too......

 

[syko]

Gotcha, got confused figuring out that you meant disc set at 1 means basically no discrimination. I knew PP would pickup everything
including iron, I don't use that, sometimes when I'm messing around in my yard.

Thanks guys

 

[UNCLENICK]

I'm most likley going to get the Sandshark...I can deal with digging all targets in water/beach...not on land though. It would be wise, I think to dig all, on the beach, water anyway...would'nt most of you agree If your digging/scooping everything, what could you miss Thank you for the advice...its nice for everyone to give their opinion, and still get along...Thats rare in this world today... Thank you all, HH

Nick

 

[JP]

I think you're making a good choice, honestly to find the good stuff you have to dig it all. Good luck.

 

[GreenMeanie]

I like the Excal for it's Multi Tones.

 

[steve from ohio]

If you want a first hand demonstration as to why so many swear by the Excalls, borrow an Excall and place a few coins or a gold or silver ring on a large piece of iron and try to accomplish a clear target tone with anything else.

Oh come now Bigscoop.... Now really, just how many times is that scenario going to happen My lord.. A PI person can just as easy say "Just go to a beach that has been sanded in, and try to find that gold ring at 18" with a VLF machine"...
I suppose that if money werent an issue, and someone only wanted one machine, I would have to vote for an Excal... BUT... People find plenty of gold with an ACE 250, and I just dont think the Excal deserves this almost insane reputation... Mine found plenty of gold in it's short life, but my MXT has found a load of gold too... Even on the beach... I see one (Excal II) on ebay right now that is almost 6 months old, no warranty transfer, and it is sitting at $1100 with 4 hrs left... A new one is $1198 and free shipping on ebay.. Tell me that is not insane??
It really comes down to people losing stuff, and anyone with a detector being in the right spot at the right time.. Albeit, there are extraordinary situations that come up, such as what you describe, but most of the time, gold is lost, then it is found by a lucky detector..
I am very glad to be having both a VLF and a PI machine... The best of both worlds..

I could be wrong, but I believe that Excalibur was modified with a straight shaft, an extra battery pod and a few other goodies. So $1100 for a used Excalibur II with all the goodies it has is not out of the norm.

You may not think it deserves the reputation....and you could be right.....but you also could be wrong. I have owned many detectors over the years and the Excalibur II 1000 with the WOT coil is one hot setup. One of the best set ups that I have ever owned.

I've more than paid for my machine and coil in the first week I had it with six gold rings found. One was down in the wet sand at almost 20 inches. What a pain in the butt digging in wet sand that deep. But it was worth it as it was a men's large gold 18K ring.....I got $650 for it.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

If you want a first hand demonstration as to why so many swear by the Excalls, borrow an Excall and place a few coins or a gold or silver ring on a large piece of iron and try to accomplish a clear target tone with anything else.

Oh come now Bigscoop.... Now really, just how many times is that scenario going to happen My lord..

How many times does it have to happen to pay for itself, it only has to happen once!.....I found a gold ring that nulled, but then gave me a good tone when I sweap it from a different angle, it turned out it was a gold wedding ring, could have just as easily been a very valuable diamond ring......... Some beaches have very little iron and it does not matter as much, other beaches are full of iron and it is a major advantage....

I hunt using the WOT coil on my Excal, I have pulled up targets over 14+ inches using it....It goes deep. I have hunted with 3 different partners who switched from PI to Excal because of the times I would walk over to where they were digging and sweap their target and told them it was iron, but they insisted on still digging it.....I was right, or rather the Excal was correct....

 

[TheTreasureAddict]

Hey,

I have a Sandshark and Excalibur. I grab the Excal 99% of the time. The PI detectors have their place. Hunting with the 24/7 isnt it. Needs to be a certain day and place where the sand is nice and open and you need to get those extra inches in. Both detectors are nice but the Excal will always be the beach machine chosen by the masters!

CB

 

[FLauthor]

I started water detecting before there were water detectors available. I float mounted a Garrett ADS and bought a 3 inch coil with a 9 foot co-ax cable mounted on a long shaft. I hunted like that for a few years until I acquired my White's Amphibian which didn't look anything like the ones used today. It was only waterproof to 6 feet. I graduated finally to a Fisher 1280X and fooled with the False signals that saltwater gave for a few years. Then in 1990, a dealer showed me the NEW Excalibur and like Sandman said place a nail and gold ring together and pass it under your current detector and both will be discriminated. Excalibur ignores iron but hits solid on the gold. I've owned it since 1990 and has been rebuilt a few times that only the shaft is the original part,. The Fisher 1280X belongs to someone else.
I do own a back up called a Garrett AT3 and I wish Garrett still made them. It is a rugged little machine and even though its over 20 years old still pops the coins out of the sand.

 

[Smudge]

I'm most likley going to get the Sandshark...I can deal with digging all targets in water/beach...not on land though. It would be wise, I think to dig all, on the beach, water anyway...would'nt most of you agree If your digging/scooping everything, what could you miss Thank you for the advice...its nice for everyone to give their opinion, and still get along...Thats rare in this world today... Thank you all, HH

Nick

Now if Tesoro would get off their backside, stop the endless delays and start making the darned things again. Sure, I want them to do it right, but they've been saying "we're close" for nearly a year now.

Tesoro: Stop teasing us! If you're not close, just say so.

Personally, I'm a little spooked by the new Excals. Those with the 1000 series seem to love them, but the newer generation seem to be having a lot of problems and trips back to manufacturer. And personally, I can't afford two beach machines in order to have a backup. I need my machine to work. Take a look at the other posts on the Excals. People really like them...when they work.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I'm most likley going to get the Sandshark...I can deal with digging all targets in water/beach...not on land though. It would be wise, I think to dig all, on the beach, water anyway...would'nt most of you agree If your digging/scooping everything, what could you miss Thank you for the advice...its nice for everyone to give their opinion, and still get along...Thats rare in this world today... Thank you all, HH

Nick

Now if Tesoro would get off their backside, stop the endless delays and start making the darned things again. Sure, I want them to do it right, but they've been saying "we're close" for nearly a year now.

Tesoro: Stop teasing us! If you're not close, just say so.

Personally, I'm a little spooked by the new Excals. Those with the 1000 series seem to love them, but the newer generation seem to be having a lot of problems and trips back to manufacturer. And personally, I can't afford two beach machines in order to have a backup. I need my machine to work. Take a look at the other posts on the Excals. People really like them...when they work.

You can buy 2 good used Excal 1000s for the price of a new Excal II....Warranty on Excal II is only good for a year, why not look for a good used 1000.....

 

[Smudge]

I'm most likley going to get the Sandshark...I can deal with digging all targets in water/beach...not on land though. It would be wise, I think to dig all, on the beach, water anyway...would'nt most of you agree If your digging/scooping everything, what could you miss Thank you for the advice...its nice for everyone to give their opinion, and still get along...Thats rare in this world today... Thank you all, HH

Nick

Now if Tesoro would get off their backside, stop the endless delays and start making the darned things again. Sure, I want them to do it right, but they've been saying "we're close" for nearly a year now.

Tesoro: Stop teasing us! If you're not close, just say so.

Personally, I'm a little spooked by the new Excals. Those with the 1000 series seem to love them, but the newer generation seem to be having a lot of problems and trips back to manufacturer. And personally, I can't afford two beach machines in order to have a backup. I need my machine to work. Take a look at the other posts on the Excals. People really like them...when they work.

You can buy 2 good used Excal 1000s for the price of a new Excal II....Warranty on Excal II is only good for a year, why not look for a good used 1000.....

That's a decent idea, if you can find one that hasn't been used to death. I wish Minelab would go back to making the 1000's again, with the same level of quality. I know its a pipe dream, but still.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I have bought 3 used, everyone worked perfectly, I could have bought 2 this past month if I was interested, but I have 2 excals now....