Best PI machine for Salt beach

dirtdigger1581

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2011
591
270
Chesapeake, VA
Detector(s) used
Minelab E-trac, Minelab Excalibur II 1000, Garrett AT Pro, Teknetics T2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I'm thinking about buying a PI machine for hunting the wet sand and shallow water(up to chest deep) of a salt water beach. I'm wondering what the opinions of everyone here are as to what PI machine is best for this application. I currently use an Excal II for the beach and it's been great, but I've heard there is a big depth advantage over the Excal when going to a PI machine. How deep can they actually get compared to the Excal? I don't mind digging a few more targets while on the beach if it gets me a few more goodies that are missed by the Excal. What's everyone's take on this? And what does anyone have experience with? Thanks for your help!

Happy Hunting!

-Nate
 

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mineralized_miner

Full Member
Dec 2, 2013
133
46
Maryland
Detector(s) used
Coinmaster GT
Fisher F2
Bounty Hunter Discovery 1100
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have a limited money supply.
I am young, and don't mind digging everything up, so discrimination does not matter too much to me. I have a Fisher F2 for land hunting, so I am debating about the Tesoro Sand Shark for christmas.
I am simply going off price, but I have seen mixed reviews, some saying that the sand shark is like a godsend for beach detecting, and some (mostly comparing it to more expensive machines such as the Excalibur and the White's waterproof detectors, as well as the Garrett Sea Hunter), say it is worse for finding metal than a magnet on a stick.
(obvious hyperbole)
So, should I snatch the Sand Shark used, or spend a bit more than I should (if I can throw $600 at a detector, I can throw $750) to get a potentially superior or potentially inferior (can't seem to get stable reviews for either side) machine?

Thanks for the help,
mineralized_miner
 

G.I.B.

Gold Member
Feb 23, 2007
7,187
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North Central Florida
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Treasure_Hunter

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Jul 27, 2006
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Sand Shark is a very good PI detector.

You say your young and don't mind digging, with a PI if your hunting a dirty beach you will do a LOT of that, time spent digging iron means less time looking for gold.

I'm not a PI owner but I have had hunting partners who were and they got tired of digging tiny pieces of iron 24 inches deep, they especially hated it when I walked by, sweapt it once with my excal and told them "you do know your just digging iron".

If you were a personal friend or family member I would say look for a good used excal, buying used it will have already lost most of the depreciation and you can sell it 3-5 years from now and get most if not all your money back....

If your bound and determined to get a PI, the Sand Shark is a very good choice.....





We will NOT go quietly into the night!
 

Last edited:

Terry Soloman

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May 28, 2010
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30,017
White Plains, New York
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Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
The following is My Opinion:

The Tesoro Sand Shark is just as good or better than the Infinium; Seahunter; Dual Field; or any other beach PI costing twice as much. Easy to use, lighter, built like a tank, with a lifetime warranty. Did I mention it is built by Americans in Prescott, Arizona?


 

OBN

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Dec 30, 2008
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Maryland Waters
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I have a limited money supply.
I am young, and don't mind digging everything up, so discrimination does not matter too much to me. I have a Fisher F2 for land hunting, so I am debating about the Tesoro Sand Shark for christmas.
I am simply going off price, but I have seen mixed reviews, some saying that the sand shark is like a godsend for beach detecting, and some (mostly comparing it to more expensive machines such as the Excalibur and the White's waterproof detectors, as well as the Garrett Sea Hunter), say it is worse for finding metal than a magnet on a stick.
(obvious hyperbole)
So, should I snatch the Sand Shark used, or spend a bit more than I should (if I can throw $600 at a detector, I can throw $750) to get a potentially superior or potentially inferior (can't seem to get stable reviews for either side) machine?

Thanks for the help,
mineralized_miner

What waters are you planning on Hunting will make a big difference in Maryland. Bay, Rivers, Lakes, Ocean?
 

mineralized_miner

Full Member
Dec 2, 2013
133
46
Maryland
Detector(s) used
Coinmaster GT
Fisher F2
Bounty Hunter Discovery 1100
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All Treasure Hunting
Thank you for the replies, and I think the Sand Shark may be the only option for my budget. When I say I don't mind digging, I mean it. I hada 7+ foot hole in the back yard I dug, but my parents made me fill it in. I wouldn't mind finding iron really deep at all. That just means that no one will step on it inn the future!

Anyway, I will be using it (mainly) on salt beaches, and shallow water (salt, fresh, and maybe brackish if I do the chesapeake). I'm not sure I want a VLF, as I had tried the Fisher CZ something and the Excalibur when I rented them last year on a vacation to Florida, and the Fisher was unstable at its lowest sensitivity, and the Excalibur was too expensive. I would like a PI machine, mostly because I need it to ignore all or nealy all mineralization, and I want it to be pretty deep. I understand there are some great machines out there that are VLF, but most of them are WAY out of my budget. If I were to get a new detector, my parents would pay for half of it and I would pay the other half, and I get like $500 for christmas and $150 for my nearly approaching birthday. I also need to stache money for college. When I get a job, maybe in a year or two, I can get some beach machine.
Another thing about the sand shark is that it is said to compete with the Excalibur II and other high end detectors, and because of my budget, I will hope that this is true. I'm kind of nervous about buying used, because I brought a new mountain bike on craigslist after I broke the frame of my old one off a jump, and it arrived with a broken seatpost and gears. I'm especially nervous about buying used electronics, because I never know what is wrong with it before I buy. It may be fine, but it may be a dud. I don't really want to take that risk. If it is a dud or a fake, I cannot do anything myself about it, and I'm $600 in the hole.


Thanks again and Happy hunting!
mineralized_miner
 

mineralized_miner

Full Member
Dec 2, 2013
133
46
Maryland
Detector(s) used
Coinmaster GT
Fisher F2
Bounty Hunter Discovery 1100
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I tried Jones beach one time with my F2, and It was all falses and a few bottle caps.

I guess terry got it al!!!
 

OBN

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I think if your young the PI will be fine for you, just don't get discouraged because some places in Maryland are just total waste dumps, Specially the Bay. Must say I was at Sandy Point Saturday and It could have went either way on what was needed, PI or VLF. At the Ocean you should do fine, just some spots you will learn to avoid. The main thing is not depth when it comes to beach detecting, it's knowing your machine and being able to recognize the best hunting conditions, then taking advantage of them while they are open. Good Luck....
 

mineralized_miner

Full Member
Dec 2, 2013
133
46
Maryland
Detector(s) used
Coinmaster GT
Fisher F2
Bounty Hunter Discovery 1100
Primary Interest:
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So with beep-and-dig, what should I look for? A short repeatable signal from all sides? Should I avoid large signals?
Because most likely all I will be looking for is the jewelry, coins, and fishing stuff. While I don't mind digging deep for small stuff, WHat should I listen for before digging a signal?
 

benchthis2012

Tenderfoot
Jun 24, 2012
8
0
Manteca Ca.
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Compadre
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Anyone have feed back on how well the Tesoro handles wet salt sand, just dry sand and how anyone tried them on land? Just curious
 

jcobb

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May 23, 2008
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Ft. Worth Tejas
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CTX3030...AT Pro & Garrett Pro Pointer
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I don't want to read all the posts on this thread... So what PI machine should I buy for salt water and wet sand????
 

sponge

Bronze Member
Nov 15, 2012
1,691
685
Florida
I have been beating the heck out of a Sank Shark for just over a year. You dig all or wonder what it was. Yarrrrrrr
 

Fletch88

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Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I don't want to read all the posts on this thread... So what PI machine should I buy for salt water and wet sand????

Sand Shark IMO is the best value for a PI with Lifetime warranty. I would buy the 8" coil if you plan on using it in surf. The 10 1/2" has a little too much drag in the water.
 

Sir Gala Clad

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Jul 9, 2012
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Only you can decide, which detector you should buy.
On the end (pun intended), it does not matter what other(s) use.
What matters is the one that fits you best and you are most comfortable with.

I don't want to read all the posts on this thread... So what PI machine should I buy for salt water and wet sand????
 

Treasure_Hunter

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Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,301
54,443
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Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'm thinking about buying a PI machine for hunting the wet sand and shallow water(up to chest deep) of a salt water beach. I'm wondering what the opinions of everyone here are as to what PI machine is best for this application. I currently use an Excal II for the beach and it's been great, but I've heard there is a big depth advantage over the Excal when going to a PI machine. How deep can they actually get compared to the Excal? I don't mind digging a few more targets while on the beach if it gets me a few more goodies that are missed by the Excal. What's everyone's take on this? And what does anyone have experience with? Thanks for your help!

Happy Hunting!

-Nate

If your beach has a lot of trash your not going to like a PI, if not you will.....

I am getting 16-20 inches on my excals with either 15 inch WOT or SEF 12x15" Butterfly coils and I don't have to dig any iron at all ...

Just how much deeper do you really want to dig....?

On my Sovereign GT with the SEF 15x18 Butterfly coil I get over 22 inches.... Next time your at beach take a tape measure, dig a 20 inch deep hole and decide how much deeper you really want to dig....








American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......
 

Last edited:

Fletch88

Silver Member
Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
If your beach has a lot of trash your not going to like a PI, if not you will..... I am getting 16-20 inches on my excals with either 15 inch WOT or SEF 12x15" Butterfly coils and I don't have to dig any iron at all ... Just how much deeper do you really want to dig....? On my Sovereign GT with the SEF 15x18 Butterfly coil I get over 22 inches.... Next time your at beach take a tape measure, dig a 20 inch deep hole and decide how much deeper you really want to dig.... American by birth, Patriot by choice. I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......
22" without digging bobby pins, screw caps, foil and all the other junk is good enough for me TH. I'll take discrimination over any extra depth any day. I can pickup targets with Excal in pp mode that I never am able to reach when out in chest deep/ waist deep water anyway.
 

WaterWalker

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Jan 31, 2007
523
671
Cape Cod, Massachuestts
Detector(s) used
Garrett (Infinium, ATPro, ATX), Minelab Excalibur, Tesoro Conquistador, Whites (Surfmaster PI, Quantum), JW Fisher 8X, DetectorPro Underwater 8", Minelab Equinox 800, Manticore, Pro-Find 35
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
No one I saw offered up the new Garrett ATX. I have only 30 hours with mine in the salt waters of Massachuesetts.
I got to say it is heads above my Infinium. Check out the ATX forum. I would never recommend a XYZ PI...WHY? I DO NOT OWN ONE! And I have never used one it is NOT because it is not a good machine or that I have had a bad experience with one.

Now you ask "which PI is best..." It is the one you know how to detect with and the last one that found you gold.
Each machine VLF or PI have there nitch. You just have to find the one that works best for you.
 

Treasure_Hunter

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Jul 27, 2006
48,301
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Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
22" without digging bobby pins, screw caps, foil and all the other junk is good enough for me TH. I'll take discrimination over any extra depth any day. I can pickup targets with Excal in pp mode that I never am able to reach when out in chest deep/ waist deep water anyway.

I have the pinpoint mod on both my excals.. I hunt in pp all the time....






American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......
 

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