I have made some changes to my criteria for my first detector after looking through everyone's input and some feedback with experienced local detectors.
Hey everyone, I'm going to start out exclusively on Beach hunting, and although I have done my own research regarding which detector to buy, I would seriously appreciate input from all the pros out there in the forum!
I have made even further changes after researching on the various detectors and advice from you guys
Hey everyone, I'm going to start out exclusively on Beach hunting, and although I have done my own research regarding which detector to buy, I would seriously appreciate input from all the pros out there in the forum!
So, here are the considerations:
Price: down to 800USD. willing to buy used as long as condition is good.
Ground condition: Artificial beach made from imported sand. Salt beach, Dry Sand, Shallow(chest deep) Water. Due to close proximity to shipping routes, VERY HIGH amount of trash with iron content. small bits of rust, nuts, bolts.
Depth & Search Characteristic: As deep as possible. Superb Salt Beach AND Salt water detection is a must! Discrimination against IRON and fast Null recovery are highly valued. I have no need for a dirt detector.
Skill: Total Beginner.
So far I have ruled out all PI detectors, so the Pi DF, Pi Pro & Sand Shark are out. Excal II is out too since the price tag is too high, not to mention Sov GT seems to be of more value to me. I haven't researched the CZ-21, Sea Hunter Mark II or the Beachhunter ID, but have set my sights for either the MineLab Sovereign GT or the Garrett AT Pro.
AT Pro: Its very afforable for me, and I like that it is waterproof. I've heard that it has been compared to the Tiger Shark (Single Freq, VLF) and that it changed the detecting world when Garrett started selling it. What sold me on it was that it has been reported to have superb null recovery - apparently you can swing it fast in an iron infested area and still get hits. However I've also heard mixed accounts regarding its performance in salt water too - that it must be in Pro mode, manual GB every time the ground changes, and the possibility of losing depth.
Sovereign GT: I like it how the coils can be changed to the WOT/SEF and the possibility of adding an amp in the future. My main worry is reports of it having too long a threshold null - on iron infested beaches it may keep nulling and fail to get hits. Has anyone tried it in at such beaches before? Also is there anyway to waterproof the control box and mount it high up on my back (almost to the neck)? that way at least it has higher resistance to water when the "tides" come in. That way I don't need to pay a premium for the Excal II since I'm not diving.
"Tides"? Yea, this is our poor excuse of a tide:
I would just like to say that I acknowledge skill plays an even greater role than equipment in this hobby, but I would like to not shortchange myself by getting a weaker detector to hone my skills with, thus the research put into getting my first toy. Thank you so much to all of you for the input guys, I really appreciate the effort put into helping me get the right detector for the job!
Hey everyone, I'm going to start out exclusively on Beach hunting, and although I have done my own research regarding which detector to buy, I would seriously appreciate input from all the pros out there in the forum!
I have made even further changes after researching on the various detectors and advice from you guys
Hey everyone, I'm going to start out exclusively on Beach hunting, and although I have done my own research regarding which detector to buy, I would seriously appreciate input from all the pros out there in the forum!
So, here are the considerations:
Price: down to 800USD. willing to buy used as long as condition is good.
Ground condition: Artificial beach made from imported sand. Salt beach, Dry Sand, Shallow(chest deep) Water. Due to close proximity to shipping routes, VERY HIGH amount of trash with iron content. small bits of rust, nuts, bolts.
Depth & Search Characteristic: As deep as possible. Superb Salt Beach AND Salt water detection is a must! Discrimination against IRON and fast Null recovery are highly valued. I have no need for a dirt detector.
Skill: Total Beginner.
So far I have ruled out all PI detectors, so the Pi DF, Pi Pro & Sand Shark are out. Excal II is out too since the price tag is too high, not to mention Sov GT seems to be of more value to me. I haven't researched the CZ-21, Sea Hunter Mark II or the Beachhunter ID, but have set my sights for either the MineLab Sovereign GT or the Garrett AT Pro.
AT Pro: Its very afforable for me, and I like that it is waterproof. I've heard that it has been compared to the Tiger Shark (Single Freq, VLF) and that it changed the detecting world when Garrett started selling it. What sold me on it was that it has been reported to have superb null recovery - apparently you can swing it fast in an iron infested area and still get hits. However I've also heard mixed accounts regarding its performance in salt water too - that it must be in Pro mode, manual GB every time the ground changes, and the possibility of losing depth.
Sovereign GT: I like it how the coils can be changed to the WOT/SEF and the possibility of adding an amp in the future. My main worry is reports of it having too long a threshold null - on iron infested beaches it may keep nulling and fail to get hits. Has anyone tried it in at such beaches before? Also is there anyway to waterproof the control box and mount it high up on my back (almost to the neck)? that way at least it has higher resistance to water when the "tides" come in. That way I don't need to pay a premium for the Excal II since I'm not diving.
"Tides"? Yea, this is our poor excuse of a tide:
I would just like to say that I acknowledge skill plays an even greater role than equipment in this hobby, but I would like to not shortchange myself by getting a weaker detector to hone my skills with, thus the research put into getting my first toy. Thank you so much to all of you for the input guys, I really appreciate the effort put into helping me get the right detector for the job!
Amazon Forum Fav 👍
Upvote
0