Sea Hunter II - Infinium LS - Surf PRO PI - Which is best @ SALT water beach ?

Buff4

Full Member
Feb 14, 2012
162
3
Rhode Island
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ-21 - W/Stealth 8 - Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
Other
Hello everyone. Getting ready to lay down some cash and I'm in dire need of some experianced advise. Budget minded (but not cheap) what are your opinions on these machines for heavy mineralized New England beaches, both dry sand and in the water to say chest deep. I am aware that a PI on the dry beach instead of a VLF will have me digging trash forever, but I can live with that. My choices in order are as follows. 1) Garrett Sea Hunter II - 2) Garrett Infinium LS - 3) White's Surf Pro PI - 4) Minelab Excalibur 1000 or II (if I find a used one). I like the idea of auto ground balancing, but if I had to I could hopefully live without. I also like the idea of multi frequency. SH II (22 freq), Infinium (96 freq). THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND INPUT.
 

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Smoogle

Hero Member
Jul 24, 2011
814
261
North Coast NSW.
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark, Stavr Krepish II Scoop, Plugger Balanced Shaft.
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
dug a bobbypin today that was at about 6 inches in surf - very loose soft sand, sounded crisp and small - thought I was onto a good one - it sounded just like an Aussie 5c / ring - just goes to show that PI's have multiple sounds for the same target (bobbypins normally have a double twang so to speak) so dig it all - it works in reverse too, I have posted here a number of times about finding an 18ct ring with a very iffy iron type signal. I'll bet there are multiple Infinium owners digging everything and could have saved themselves big $$$ by getting a seahunter or sandshark.- my 20c is all
Yesterday I hunted my old river site at knee deep low tide and slowed right down and pulled a 1943 Sixpence, 1945 and 1950 Half pennies - all gave a good but low signal that got better as I scooped each load - and if a Seahunter is deeper than a Sandshark - lordy people must be digging halfway to China!
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,408
30,017
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hello from White Plains, New York! I have used the Infinium, Surf Pro and the Excalibur II. I bought the Sand Shark. I now have about 300-hours on it, and it paid for itself and my RTG scoop in 62-hours. If you want a solid, wet sand - in water detector, get a PI machine. If not the Tesoro, get a Whites Dual Field. Both of these machines will outhunt the Excalibur in depth. Good Luck! :thumbsup:

Buff4 said:
Hello everyone. Getting ready to lay down some cash and I'm in dire need of some experianced advise. Budget minded (but not cheap) what are your opinions on these machines for heavy mineralized New England beaches, both dry sand and in the water to say chest deep. I am aware that a PI on the dry beach instead of a VLF will have me digging trash forever, but I can live with that. My choices in order are as follows. 1) Garrett Sea Hunter II - 2) Garrett Infinium LS - 3) White's Surf Pro PI - 4) Minelab Excalibur 1000 or II (if I find a used one). I like the idea of auto ground balancing, but if I had to I could hopefully live without. I also like the idea of multi frequency. SH II (22 freq), Infinium (96 freq). THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND INPUT.
 

Aka Nameless

Full Member
Aug 13, 2008
132
29
West Coast
Detector(s) used
Infinium LS, Tejon, F3, CZ21
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The high/low or low/high tones on the Infinium can be used as a form of disc, which other PI's can't. It cant disc out iron, but you can skip digging all copper clad and above (including silver..), and just go for the gold by only digging high/low tones (low conductors). Then you can narrow it down even more by only digging small sharp single beep targets, to avoid bobby pins/rusty nails.

I wouldn't trade the Infinium for any other PI... I used to own the Sand Shark, and thought it was super deep, until I got the Infinium.. scary deep.

Looking at getting a CZ21 or maybe an Excal one of these days.
 

tnt-k9

Bronze Member
Mar 28, 2010
1,259
1,209
Dutch Caribbean
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
"SEA HUNTER MARK II"

Turn it on and go find treasures that you can sell to pay for all the mods you'll have to do after you buy the Excal.

I purchased a SH MK II last year specifically for the water and when it was "sanded" in. It quickly paid for itself several times over. I really enjoy the turn and go aspect of this machine and since you're willing to dig everything, you've got the right mind set. The more you dig the more you find.

The SH MK II is less than half the price of an Excal II.

I had a great deal on an Excal II and took the leap. Personally I think the electronics are top notch but I have yet to "get it". So many tones, you end up digging everything anyway. It also seems to be the most after market modified machine I have seen on the forums.

Now I have found some nice little bits with the Excal, so I'm not knocking it completely. I like having it as a back up and to use when the surf is just too rough to get in the water. But...

You have to replace the shaft, head phones, and knobs (only if you want to keep them from wearing out).

The other plus to the SH MK II is that the head phones and coil can be replaced easily, not that I've had to do that yet. But they are not "hard wired" into the control box.
 

stevemc

Bronze Member
Feb 12, 2005
2,121
277
Sarasota, FL
Detector(s) used
Whites Surfmaster PI Pro and Whites Surfmaster PI, Minelab Excal NY blue sword. 2 White's Dual field pi, Garrett sea hunter pi II (but don't use it for obvious reasons) 5' x 3 1/2' coil underwater Pi
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
tnt-k9 I have to agree with you the SH II has some good features like the changeable coil and headphones. They upped the pulse rate after the White's PI Pro got upped. I have an old SH xl 200 and it wont find gold jewelry, neither will the 500. They are good, glad they finally fixed the pulse speed. I would get one if I was going to get another PI.
 

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Can Slaw

Sr. Member
Nov 20, 2007
461
47
So Gulf Coast, FL
Detector(s) used
Excalibur, CZ-21 Sov. GT, Sea Hunter MK II, CZ-6a, Troy X5, MXT, Ace 250
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
:laughing9: :laughing9: :laughing9: Have you heard anymore good jokes?

Terry Soloman said:
Hello from White Plains, New York! I have used the Infinium, Surf Pro and the Excalibur II. I bought the Sand Shark. I now have about 300-hours on it, and it paid for itself and my RTG scoop in 62-hours. If you want a solid, wet sand - in water detector, get a PI machine. If not the Tesoro, get a Whites Dual Field. Both of these machines will outhunt the Excalibur in depth. Good Luck! :thumbsup:

Buff4 said:
Hello everyone. Getting ready to lay down some cash and I'm in dire need of some experianced advise. Budget minded (but not cheap) what are your opinions on these machines for heavy mineralized New England beaches, both dry sand and in the water to say chest deep. I am aware that a PI on the dry beach instead of a VLF will have me digging trash forever, but I can live with that. My choices in order are as follows. 1) Garrett Sea Hunter II - 2) Garrett Infinium LS - 3) White's Surf Pro PI - 4) Minelab Excalibur 1000 or II (if I find a used one). I like the idea of auto ground balancing, but if I had to I could hopefully live without. I also like the idea of multi frequency. SH II (22 freq), Infinium (96 freq). THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND INPUT.
 

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