Tesoro Sand Shark 8" or 10.5" coil?

[1treasurehunter1]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to buy a Tesoro Sand Shark for salt water beach detecting.

I'm stuck on whether I should get the 8 inch coil or the 10.5 inch coil. I have read that pinpointing is easier with the 8" and that the coil doesn't flip as easily as the 10.5 inch when in the water. I've also read that the 10.5 inch gives off weird tones and that the 8 inch has better tones. I've also read that the 10.5 inch might give about 1-2 inches more in depth and that it’s easier to cover more area with. Another thing I read about the 8" is that it’s more sensitive to smaller targets.

I will be travelling with the detector via plane whenever I go on my once a year weekly vacation.

Is there a tremendous difference between the 8" and 10.5"? Will I regret getting the 8"? Or should I go with the 10.5"? I'm a Whites M6 user and this will be my first PI water detector.

If you recommend the 10.5 inch over the 8" can you please explain why? and vice versa.

Thanks for your advice!

 

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[lost items recovery]

What target is that depth on?

Clad and rings to the best of my knowledge via tech comparisons research found online by detector research

 

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[lost items recovery]

I've been swinging the hottest beach and salt water machines and found that there's a lot of great machines out there but they all have different places out there on the beach. If you want depth and don't mind digging all including iron, then I'd swing a dual field pi. If you want the next best thing close in depth comparison and the option to discriminate or not then I'd swing an Excal! Don't get me wrong the shark in VCO will bring in quite a bit of targets as it doesn't miss much except a small amount on depth and constantly detecting iron which is more plentiful the jewelry. The Excal in all metal mode isn't hovering far behind the dual field at all maybe 3" on average and can null out on iron with the flick of a switch to keep on searching for the good stuff! Pi's rule the water world in depth but BBS is running right up there just a half a step behind with an advantage! If there's gold rings the dualfield with punch through deeply and let you know but you'll dig to china to get it, if it's a piece of iron, a nail, sparkler or a bottlecap your wasting time digging when just down the beach could be a nice ring! I've experienced this firsthand and it's not a good feeling spending 10 minutes digging with waves filling the hole repeatedly just to find that if you're stubborn enough to not walk away and realize you just busted your butt for a piece of trash. I prefer hunting in all metal mode with my excal and switching my modification toggle to discrimination to see if I should move on to the next target or not. There's a few different tones and once you're familiar with them you know what foil, bottle caps, iron, coins, gold or silver sounds your hearing. I like having what feels like two machines A all metal machine and a discriminating machine all rolled into one. I like many others have frowned upon the price but if you own one you'll be glad you do and feel its worth every penny of the cost! Less the time digging trash more time spent searching for gold! Just my 2 cents on this situation and not looking to bicker, simply expressing my feels on what I've learned 8 machines later!

 

[Fletch88]

I've been swinging the hottest beach and salt water machines and found that there's a lot of great machines out there but they all have different places out there on the beach. If you want depth and don't mind digging all including iron, then I'd swing a dual field pi. If you want the next best thing close in depth comparison and the option to discriminate or not then I'd swing an Excal! Don't get me wrong the shark in VCO will bring in quite a bit of targets as it doesn't miss much except a small amount on depth and constantly detecting iron which is more plentiful the jewelry. The Excal in all metal mode isn't hovering far behind the dual field at all maybe 3" on average and can null out on iron with the flick of a switch to keep on searching for the good stuff! Pi's rule the water world in depth but BBS is running right up there just a half a step behind with an advantage! If there's gold rings the dualfield with punch through deeply and let you know but you'll dig to china to get it, if it's a piece of iron, a nail, sparkler or a bottlecap your wasting time digging when just down the beach could be a nice ring! I've experienced this firsthand and it's not a good feeling spending 10 minutes digging with waves filling the hole repeatedly just to find that if you're stubborn enough to not walk away and realize you just busted your butt for a piece of trash. I prefer hunting in all metal mode with my excal and switching my modification toggle to discrimination to see if I should move on to the next target or not. There's a few different tones and once you're familiar with them you know what foil, bottle caps, iron, coins, gold or silver sounds your hearing. I like having what feels like two machines A all metal machine and a discriminating machine all rolled into one. I like many others have frowned upon the price but if you own one you'll be glad you do and feel its worth every penny of the cost! Less the time digging trash more time spent searching for gold! Just my 2 cents on this situation and not looking to bicker, simply expressing my feels on what I've learned 8 machines later! <img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=922885"/>

Dang Lost Items, when we going huntin? You've been killing it dude! I was on my way to the beach this morning and got called into work after driving 45minutes towards the beach.

 

[lost items recovery]

Dang Lost Items, when we going huntin? You've been killing it dude! I was on my way to the beach this morning and got called into work after driving 45minutes towards the beach.

Correction! I was killing it until beach dredging came into play during an unbelievable time of constant finds 10ft deep of sand later and they buried that dream plus work has become a constant nuisance ! Lol!

 

[sandnut]

That dreaded plague of work. When will it ever be eradicated. So man and women can enjoy the pleasures of endless days of uninterrupted detecting bliss

 

[Crusty penny]

I started with a vibra tector 730. I found 1 platinum one silver and two golds w it. I up graded to SS and found 6 more gold on first batteries. One of them was a 3/4 carrot diamond ring and also found gold chain too. I found a gold band so small that I couldn't believe it. I use the 10.5" in heavy current and it's fine. If it's really strong surf I put the lower rod in upside down and make it go back from rod rather than forward. I like this set up and have not gone back since.

 

[Boatlode]

Save your money and buy an Excal. You'll get similar depth on gold rings, better depth on small gold.......and you'll dig 85% less junk.

Umm................no. Excal can't touch the depth of a SS.


To answer the OP's question, if you're gonna be in the water, get the smaller coil. Even the 8" coil has some drag, sometimes in moderate surf I wish I had a 5" coil.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Depends on the excal, I hunt with 15 inch coils with reverse descrimination mod on hand grip, switching to descriminate when target is located. I am finding targets 15-20+ inches using this method and still digging no iron unless I chose too. I hunt in the water with 15 inch coils only.. if beach is trashy you can't beat the excal. I have skipped digging well over a 1000 holes just from the nulls I didn't dig. .

 

[Terry Soloman]

8" Coil on a Sand Shark is all you need. By the way, what does a new 15" coil run for a $1,500.00 Excalibur these days? LMAO!!!

 

[bigscoop]

Umm................no. Excal can't touch the depth of a SS.

I'd rethink that statement. With everything else being equal, Power output is what ultimately determines depth. In PP mode the Excal might even be deeper.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

8" Coil on a Sand Shark is all you need. By the way, what does a new 15" coil run for a $1,500.00 Excalibur these days? LMAO!!!

How many iron holes does someone dig with Sand Shark, Excal digs none......LMBO

I have less than a $1000 in each of my excals

 

[Boatlode]

I'd rethink that statement. With everything else being equal, Power output is what ultimately determines depth. In PP mode the Excal might even be deeper.

I was referring to discriminate mode. Why would anyone spend $1000 on a discriminating machine and use it in all-metal mode? Might as well save yourself $500 and get a Sand Shark.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I was referring to discriminate mode. Why would anyone spend $1000 on a discriminating machine and use it in all-metal mode? Might as well save yourself $500 and get a Sand Shark.

Don't think you understand the purpose of the remote pinpoint mod, you still use descriminate.

You hunt in all metal, when you hit target you hit the thumb switch to descriminate, if it nulls you scan 90 degrees off once more to be sure there is no gold with the iron, if it still nulls you move on.

The advantage is there are times when you don't get signal in descriminate that you get in all metal because it is too deep to see in descriminate, you continue to dig till it tones in descriminate. If it nulls move on, if it tones good, continue to dig. This allows you to recover deep targets and yet still dig no iron......With the 15 inch coils we are digging good targets at 20+ inches but still not digging iron.

The mod puts the all metal/descriminate switch on the hand grip as a thumb switch.

Imagine a PI with a iron descriminate thumb switch that allows you to eliminate all iron.... Well excal owners with this mod don't have to imagine it now....[emoji3]

 

[Boatlode]

Don't think you understand the purpose of the remote pinpoint mod, you still use descriminate.

You hunt in all metal, when you hit target you hit the thumb switch to descriminate, if it nulls you scan 90 degrees off once more to be sure there is no gold with the iron, if it still nulls you move on.

The advantage is there are times when you don't get signal in descriminate that you get in all metal because it is too deep to see in descriminate, you continue to dig till it tones in descriminate. If it nulls move on, if it tones good, continue to dig. This allows you to recover deep targets and yet still dig no iron......With the 15 inch coils we are digging good targets at 20+ inches but still not digging iron.

The mod puts the all metal/descriminate switch on the hand grip as a thumb switch.

Imagine a PI with a iron descriminate thumb switch that allows you to eliminate all iron.... Well excal owners with this mod don't have to imagine it now....[emoji3]

Ah ok, now I understand, very nice. There is one beach I know that is full of nails, that feature would be useful. I have learned (by digging a lot of holes) to identify nails by the sound.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Ah ok, now I understand, very nice. There is one beach I know that is full of nails, that feature would be useful. I have learned (by digging a lot of holes) to identify nails by the sound.

Your probably younger than me, I'm too old to dig holes for iron at a beach...[emoji12]

 

[Terry Soloman]

Don't think you understand the purpose of the remote pinpoint mod, you still use descriminate.

You hunt in all metal, when you hit target you hit the thumb switch to descriminate, if it nulls you scan 90 degrees off once more to be sure there is no gold with the iron, if it still nulls you move on.

The advantage is there are times when you don't get signal in descriminate that you get in all metal because it is too deep to see in descriminate, you continue to dig till it tones in descriminate. If it nulls move on, if it tones good, continue to dig. This allows you to recover deep targets and yet still dig no iron......With the 15 inch coils we are digging good targets at 20+ inches but still not digging iron.

The mod puts the all metal/descriminate switch on the hand grip as a thumb switch.

Imagine a PI with a iron descriminate thumb switch that allows you to eliminate all iron.... Well excal owners with this mod don't have to imagine it now....[emoji3]

I STILL disagree with your premise. I'll walk behind an Excal with a 15" WOT any day and have many times. The PI is deeper and more sensitive to deep gold.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Disagree all you want terry, I dig No iron, l repeat NO iron and pulling targets at 20"...

 

[Terry Soloman]

Uh-oh.. Now we're down to 20" and no iron. You Go Boy!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Terry ask Bigscoop how he does with his. There is a difference between hunting in discrimination and hunting in all metal with WOT...


I am not trashing the Sand Shark, I'm only speaking of the abilities of the excal with the customs mods...

 

[bigscoop]

I use both machines, this being largely dependent on my mood and the conditions to be hunted. The Sand Shark is light, simple, easy to use, and once you tame the coil planing/control it creates very little drag in the water. BUT, and there's a lot of people who aren't going to like this opinion, the Sand Shark is still your basic 10" hunting machine and the stock headphones have to be the worst for shielding out noise that I have ever used. Having said this, it's my personal experience that the Excal in PP is the deeper machine, but I have "a lot" of hours on the Excal VS the Shark and my Excal also has a great set of headphones. (thanks to, OBN!)

Since I purchased my Sand Shark I spent a lot of time comparing the two machines in shallow water and in the wet sand and the Excal routinely responded to deeper targets that the Sand Shark missed. In most test the Shark was capable to about 9 - 10 inches, but this can no doubt be improved upon with better headphones.

15-20 inch range, this is really exceeding the practical depth of most machines for anything within the common target range. Large coils can get you there but for the most part these recoveries are the rare exception rather then the rule.

I like the Sand Shark for all of the reasons I mentioned and for the money it's a capable beach machine that's a joy to swing. But is it in the same hunting class as the Excal? NO. In PP the Excal is just as deep and it also has the added advantage of disc mode and multiple returns so the target can be further evaluated before digging. If the Sand Shark had all of these same very useful features it would probably cost over $1000 as well. So when we look at cost, there's really no comparison. The Excal obviously provides more machine, features, and performance for the $$$.

And to clarify, 9-10" range simply meaning, "easily identifiable targets".