Best PI machine for Salt beach

[dirtdigger1581]

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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[Terry Soloman]

On Long Island you have two equipment stores - Both push Whites machines hard. Most folks on the Island that swing Pulse Induction machines are swinging Dual Fields as a result. I swing a Tesoro Sand Shark PI. On the Island, a pulse induction unit is your friend. LOT's of gold..

Nate, great question.
What do you think I should buy for salt water hunting.
Wet sand and in the water.
Everyone now just tell me why you like your machine for the
above conditions.
I don't care why you dislike any other machine just why you
like your machine.
Tell me with less words rather than more words.
Tell me how many hours you have logged and
how much, total, pure GOLD gold you have found.
If you all would be so kind do this it would
greatly help me make up my mind.
Thanks and play nice.

 

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[mcogan / L.I. Mongo Mike]

Nameless, Craig, Terry,
Thank you three, now you have given me some direction.

 

[Craig-PI]

I was hunting a beach last fall and Gary Storms biz partner Carter was swinging a TDI he waterproofed at the beach I was going to detect... he found a gold wedding band and I found gold and silver with my GT in the wet rocks... he was digging some deep nickels with that sucker out in the water... there is so much competition out there you really need the skills and as good as a machine you can afford that will work good in the salt and minerals...

Yeah, the Sov GT and Excalibur are great machines. We are just arguing about which PI machine is the deepest on the beach. The Whites TDI would probably beat them all...

 

[garrettsurfhunter]

I just picked up a garrett sea hunter mark2 and i cant believe how deep i find the smallest things. I go over a heavily hunted beach and find coin after coin. Still waiting for the water to warm up to head to deeper water.

 

[Octopulse]

Sorry, but 24" is impossible...any machine.
I have the GT with Amp and 15" is the limit. My 10" stock coil is deeper than my WOT.
Tony.

With Sov GT i found coin its 2 fet of deep. View attachment 632860

 

[Octopulse]

I just picked up a garrett sea hunter mark2 and i cant believe how deep i find the smallest things. I go over a heavily hunted beach and find coin after coin. Still waiting for the water to warm up to head to deeper water.

I recently picked up the Sea Hunter and I am very impressed with it's sensitivity on smaller stuff.
Very well constructed machine and the 14" x 10" is the coil for me unless in the wave zone.
Tony.

 

[Native Floridian]

Terry.... you get very defensive... proof is you having to show and talk about your finds whenever someone doesn't agree with you...

Where did I say the Sand Shark wasn't a good machine? I said in the correct hands its a very capable machine...

I can't speak for Terry, but you told me the SS wasn't a good machine. I looked to you as a PI expert and PMed you for an opinion on buying one. You told me that even though it was much less expensive than the White's Dual Field that you didn't believe it was worth the money. You recommended I pony up and buy the White's. You were quite detailed in your explanation, which truthfully as a rookie, much went over my head. What didn't go over my head was your telling me not to buy one. You are also a vocal critic of the machine on your home forum site, but not here where you are giving it much more credit.

I'm confused by your varying opinions. For those of us who are interested in the SS, has your opinion changed? If so, why?

 

[U.K. Brian]

The Sand Shark is a good buy if you can't afford any better. Simple as that. As for the Sovereign finding rings at two feet the secret of the super depth claims is always down to poor pinpointing. People dig past the coin or ring then it falls down the bottom of the hole. If not why can't any of these detectors manage to match the performance claims when a test peg or even just a ring on a length of string is used ?

People should understand that many just want to encourage others to make the same mistakes they did or make them dissatisfied with what they already have. Must give some sort of perverted pleasure. If your not "Billy No Mates" its fairly easy to gather all the leading beach detectors together and do your own test on your local beach to find out what's best for you in your area.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Everyone has an opinion, but bashing one of the best, most affordable PI machines on the market shows an obvious bias. The Sand Shark performs JUST AS WELL, as any other PI machine costing $1,200.00 or less. No hype, no extra bells and whistles to give the excuse to charge more for it, just a lifetime warranty and a superb price. There are a few folks out there with agendas. I do not sell machines, I'm not a paid spokesperson, I am an Uber-Fan! You can't find anything with a Dual Field or an Infinium ar Seahunter, that you wouldn't find with the Sand Shark. That is the simple truth.

The Sand Shark is a good buy if you can't afford any better. Simple as that. As for the Sovereign finding rings at two feet the secret of the super depth claims is always down to poor pinpointing. People dig past the coin or ring then it falls down the bottom of the hole. If not why can't any of these detectors manage to match the performance claims when a test peg or even just a ring on a length of string is used ?

People should understand that many just want to encourage others to make the same mistakes they did or make them dissatisfied with what they already have. Must give some sort of perverted pleasure. If your not "Billy No Mates" its fairly easy to gather all the leading beach detectors together and do your own test on your local beach to find out what's best for you in your area.

 

[dewcon4414]

I think a lot of these PI issues again comes done to skill and where they are being used. Here in Fl theres not a lot of minerals or even iron like the North East guys deal with. As far as bad advice.... you are a big boy spend your money the way you want to.... if you make a mistake lesson learned. Personally im going to listen to someone who has years of experience in the water with the type of machine i intend to use. Ive been full time water hunt for about 9 months... i mean full time... yet i find everyday what i thought i know may have just changed. You can learn to hunt with any machine a do GOOD.... but its not always the best machine if you havent tired others.

Dew

 

[Can Slaw]

Everyone has an opinion, but bashing one of the best, most affordable PI machines on the market shows an obvious bias. The Sand Shark performs JUST AS WELL, as any other PI machine costing $1,200.00 or less. No hype, no extra bells and whistles to give the excuse to charge more for it, just a lifetime warranty and a superb price. There are a few folks out there with agendas. I do not sell machines, I'm not a paid spokesperson, I am an Uber-Fan! You can't find anything with a Dual Field or an Infinium ar Seahunter, that you wouldn't find with the Sand Shark. That is the simple truth.

I hope you will continue to push the use and sales of Sand Sharks. Hopefully many of them will be here on FL beaches. That will be a win-win situation for both of us.

 

[Aka Nameless]

Everyone has an opinion, but bashing one of the best, most affordable PI machines on the market shows an obvious bias. The Sand Shark performs JUST AS WELL, as any other PI machine costing $1,200.00 or less. No hype, no extra bells and whistles to give the excuse to charge more for it, just a lifetime warranty and a superb price. There are a few folks out there with agendas. I do not sell machines, I'm not a paid spokesperson, I am an Uber-Fan! You can't find anything with a Dual Field or an Infinium ar Seahunter, that you wouldn't find with the Sand Shark. That is the simple truth.

Oh give it a rest, the Sand Shark is mediocre, the only thing going for it are the price and the warranty. It is not even in the same league as the Dual Field on large targets, or Infinium on small targets. We have already proven this with video tests. Get over your sub-par machine, stop trying to fool newbies into buying a Sand Shark.

Like U.K. Brian said above, if you want to buy a low priced PI with a lifetime warranty, that is decent, that Sand Shark is fine, but you aren't getting the deepest PI. I would go for a Sea Hunter Mark II over the Sand Shark every time, screw the warranty.

 

[Native Floridian]

I think a lot of these PI issues again comes done to skill and where they are being used. Here in Fl theres not a lot of minerals or even iron like the North East guys deal with. As far as bad advice.... you are a big boy spend your money the way you want to.... if you make a mistake lesson learned. Personally im going to listen to someone who has years of experience in the water with the type of machine i intend to use. Ive been full time water hunt for about 9 months... i mean full time... yet i find everyday what i thought i know may have just changed. You can learn to hunt with any machine a do GOOD.... but its not always the best machine if you havent tired others.

Dew

Dew, I totally agree. The problem is that Craig changes his opinion depending on which forum he's posting to. I'm not sure how much of that has to do with his going after terry or the fact that the SS is better recieved on this forum than the other. Regardless, here he gives the SS credit for being a good machine. Yet, in a PM to me he was emfatic, don't buy it!!! On freindly he has gone as far as to bash the SS. So, while getting expert advice is the way to go that advice can be a bit hard to follow when it changes from place to place. And there is little doubt that when it comes to PI, Craig is an expert. Which is why I sought his advice to begin with.

 

[Aka Nameless]

Native Floridian, I have owned the Sand Shark, and now own the Infinium. The Sand Shark's performance isn't even close to the Infinium's performance. The dual field/HH PI seems to be the deepest on large gold rings, and Infinium is deepest on tiny gold, the Sand Shark isn't deepest on anything... Terry just feeds everyone a bunch of B.S. to sell some machines for his buddies at Tesoro.

The Sand Shark gets decent depth on larger gold, but on small gold like 2 grams and under, it drastically loses depth.

 

[bigscoop]

Bottom line....the right detector is like the right pair of shoes.....if it fits you comfortably and gets you where you want to be then it's the right detector for you. Live and let live and let's go hunting.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Terry, I respect you but your wrong about beach hunting, sure anyone can buy a detector and to the beach and swing it, just like anyone can buy a land detector, go to the Az desery look for gold, the thing is neither will be very successful at what they are doing A good beach hunter has to know how to read a beach, look at the water to see what it is telling him as water acts different when it flows to shore over holes, shadows in the water tells you where holes are, knowing which sand bar will affect the water close to shore, being able to spot holes from rip currents.

You read the poles in the sand to tell how much new sand is on the beach, what direction is the wind blowing to shore will tell you which beach you would have a better ckance, what direction the surf hits the shore line.

We have no catus, but we do have broken glass, medical trash as in hypo needles that wash ashore, several different kinds of jellyfish whose sting will put you on the ground, stingrays whose still will make impossible to walk with out a major limp and sharks.

Next is surf, learning how to recover a target in the surf is a whole another ball game, knowing how to stay on target fighting the waves, current and sand filling in your hole as fast as you take it out. You also have to know how to read the beach after everyone has gone home to know where the zones are for the beach for that day as they change twice a day every day.

There is a lot more to being a good beach hunter than just walking the beach swinging a detector.

 

[Terry Soloman]

LOL! Have you actually found anything worth posting? Because if you have none of us have seen it.

Native Floridian, I have owned the Sand Shark, and now own the Infinium. The Sand Shark's performance isn't even close to the Infinium's performance. The dual field/HH PI seems to be the deepest on large gold rings, and Infinium is deepest on tiny gold, the Sand Shark isn't deepest on anything... Terry just feeds everyone a bunch of B.S. to sell some machines for his buddies at Tesoro.

The Sand Shark gets decent depth on larger gold, but on small gold like 2 grams and under, it drastically loses depth.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Like everything else there is a learning curve, but seriously, reading a beach takes a person with average intelligence less than an hour to learn - try that with geology. Beach detecting is expensive - that is the only barrier to most people. Why do you see so many overweight guys out swinging their Excals? Because there is very little bending to one knee, or digging with your wrists. All these "guru's" that write entire books on reading beaches and water technique have a pretty good racket. They prey on new hobbyists that ALWAYS overthink things. Sorry, but a Navy SEAL taught me how to read a beach in about five minutes, and with my experience as a dirt hunter, the beach is a piece of cake.

I appreciate your points and experience, but the beach is childs play if you have the right equipment. You don't see a lot of fat people in the goldfields - they are all at the beach.. To be a successful beach hunter, the most important thing you need is a good beach where MILLIONS of people gather each year, and the ability to get IN the water. That's it!

Terry, I respect you but your wrong about beach hunting, sure anyone can buy a detector and to the beach and swing it, just like anyone can buy a land detector, go to the Az desed look for gold, the thing is neither will be very successful at what they are doing A good beach hunter has to know how to read a beach, look at the water to see what it is telling him as water acts different when it flows to shore over holes, shadows in the water tells you where holes are, knowing which sand bar will affect the water close to shore, being able to spot holes from rip currents.

You read the poles in the sand to tell how much new sand is on the beach, what direction is the wind blowing to shore will tell you which beach you would have a better ckance, what direction the surf hits the shore line.

We have no catus, but we do have broken glass, medical trash as in hypo needles that wash ashore, several different kinds of jellyfish whose sting will put you on the ground, stingrays whose still will make impossible to walk with out a major limp and sharks.

Next is surf, learning how to recover a target in the surf is a whole another ball game, knowing how to stay on target fighting the waves, current and sand filling in your hole as fast as you take it out. You also have to know how to read the beach after everyone has gone home to know where the zones are for the beach for that day as they change twice a day every day.

There is a lot more to being a good beach hunter than just walking the beach swinging a detector.

 

[Native Floridian]

Native Floridian, I have owned the Sand Shark, and now own the Infinium. The Sand Shark's performance isn't even close to the Infinium's performance. The dual field/HH PI seems to be the deepest on large gold rings, and Infinium is deepest on tiny gold, the Sand Shark isn't deepest on anything... Terry just feeds everyone a bunch of B.S. to sell some machines for his buddies at Tesoro.

The Sand Shark gets decent depth on larger gold, but on small gold like 2 grams and under, it drastically loses depth.

I really don't care about anyone's differences with Terry. The success of at least one SS user on this site seems to back up a lot of what terry says. What part is bs?

I realize that spending more buys me more machine, the question is how much more machine would i really be getting? I own a vaquero. i think it keeps up with Safaries and Explorers just fine at 1/2 to 1/3 the cost. it's not the toy some would write it off to be. The question is now SS versus the higher cost machines? How much more machine would i be getting?

 

[bigscoop]

Took me nearly a year to figure out the ever-changing east coast Florida beach thing out, and I'm still learning every day....... not sure where this lands me on the I.Q. scale but according to Terry it can't be good. Dang, now I have a real social complex to deal with on top of everything else. Thanks Terry! But I still love ya, man!