ctx 3030 vs cz21 vs excalibur II

[gromu]

Hi

Im freshwater lake hunter from Poland. Im moving soon and I will live near Baltic sea. Im using garrett at pro now but I know it won't work in salt water. I need some advice on good beach and salt water detector. I compared ctx, cz21 and excalibur II on youtube tests and metaldetectorreviews.net Im little confused and I don't know which one I should choose. On metaldetectorreviews CZ21 has avg. depth rating much better than ctx and excalibur. From other hand cz21 is only two frequency detector and pretty old design. CTX is leaking and excalibur has pretty poor discrimination (saw youtube test where u can see excalibur won't see gold ring under iron nail). Anyone here used all 3 detectors and can help me choose? Beaches and waters in Poland are full of trash. Sorry for bad English.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[Sir Gala Clad]

Except for the fact the 3030 only goes 10' deep according to the specs. Do you guys take it deeper

Beware - you are putting your wallet and the CTX 3030 in harms way, by going deeper.
It takes far more than adding a thicker casket or multiple gaskets as there is the USB port that can leak,
and the visual display is not designed for depth.

You may get by with it, most likely not.
Use the machine as designed and be happy!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Duncan James]

what is reverse discrimination?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

what is reverse discrimination?

With the excal it is hunting in pinpoint mode then switching to discrimination mode to see if target is iron...PP mode is deeper....

 

[ScubaDetector]

With the excal it is hunting in pinpoint mode then switching to discrimination mode to see if target is iron...PP mode is deeper....

Silly question TH. If the Excal finds deeper items in PP mode, How do you switch it to discrimination mode to see if it is iron if discrimination mode can't pick up the target?

I guess I am a bit confused!! (Easily done though)

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Silly question TH. If the Excal finds deeper items in PP mode, How do you switch it to discrimination mode to see if it is iron if discrimination mode can't pick up the target?

I guess I am a bit confused!! (Easily done though)

You switch to desc to see if it sees it, if it doesn't you remove sand till it does see it, if it nulls in different directions in desc mode, N-S and E-W then it is iron and move on...

Many times I have to remove several scoops of sand before desc sees it.

 

[ScubaDetector]

Ahh, Now I see the picture. Thanks. I am glad I am not sanded in here in Michigan. Everything hits hard pan before it goes too deep, unless in muck and I can swing in muck.

I love the beaches down there though. Hopefully next winter I will be down for a week or two.

 

[adamBomb]

Excal vs CZ:

Depth:

I have seen tests where the CZ was deeper and tests where the Excal was deeper. I have seen tests where a standard CZ beats a heavily modded Excal and tests where a heavily modded excal beats a CZ. It seems like this depends on how well you know the detector, if its 'hot', and know how to get it to its max depth. Overall they are both probably equal.

Here are links to a few depth tests:

Test Results Data photo added - Friendly Metal Detecting Forums
CZ 21 Vs Excal 1000 air test - Friendly Metal Detecting Forums
Tom... question concerning CZ6a/CZ3d vs. Sovereign GT...

Do you want an automatic ground balancing unit ( Excal) or a manual gb unit ( CZ) ?

Automatic is nice because you don’t need to ground balance when switching from water to wetsand to dry sand. This is why many people prefer the automatic on the excal. But being able to ground balance can give you extra sensitivity which can translate to extra depth, which is why people prefer the ground balance on the CZ.

Do you like DD coils ( Excal) or concentric coils (CZ) ?

Perks of the CC:. If the mineralization isn't bad enough to where the DD might come into it's own depth and stability wise, then the concentric in theory should have slightly more depth right at the very center of the coil, and at that fringe edge of the field it should in theory also have excellent separation from any angle, where as a DD will have it's best at only certain angles. Contrast that though with a DD tending to have better left/right separation over more of it's vertical span into the ground.

Perks of a DD: Better stability/depth in mineralization after a certain point, better left/right separation, better coverage length wise at depth, though as said a concentric can have better depth at the very tight center of it if both coils are the same size.

Multiple tones ( Excal) or 3 tones ( CZ ).

The 3 tons CZ is probably easier for a beginner to pick up and go but the Excal tones can tell you a lot about the target once you get to know them.

Silent search (CZ) vs threshold (Excal)

The CZ will be silent until you hear a target. The Excal will emit a tiny buzz (almost like a mosquito) constantly until you hear a target.

Do you want the unit to null on iron in discriminate mode ( Excal) or do you want to hear iron ( CZ) ?

The excel will just be silent (null) when you go over iron. On the CZ you will hear the iron.

How do they perform in an iron infested area?

Some people prefer the excal so they don’t have to hear the iron and other like the CZ because they can hear the iron. The CZ has been known to false on rusted iron (like rusty nails). It is said this can be overcome by going over the target a few times and it should correct itself. The Excal takes longer to process iron so you will need to go slow so you do not miss good targets.

Tones on deep targets?

As the target gets deeper, discrimination begins to falter and cannot be relied upon. If the target is deep, one should dig regardless of tone. This goes for both machines.

Can they dig tiny gold?

The general belief is that multi freq machines are not very good on small gold compared to other detectors out there because they are locked in salt mode, which translates to masking out small gold. However no detector is really great on chains/earrings. That said you can still find small rings/earrings but I have seen videos of someone going over a gold chain with both machines and the machine not even making a peep.

Check out this link to read about the technology of these machines and how they detect gold. This post starts out about the CZ but discusses the excal and sovereign as well. And what they say applies to all 3 machines. - CZ owners - Salt training 101

Warranty

1 yr (excal) vs 2 yr (CZ)

Customer Service

CZ probably has overall better customer service. Now that kellyco fixes minelabs this may be pretty equal though.

Costs

Each is $1500. However the excal usually requires a straight shaft ($30-$120) and new knobs ($30) out of the box. So if you go excal expect to pay more $$$ right away. The CZ is ready out of the box. Also, be sure to contact the dealers they will offer discounts on these machines just for calling/emailing.

Modifications

CZ cannot be modded. Excal can be modded like crazy but its not recommended while under warranty. The mods can add a lot of functionality. If you like to 'tinker' with your toys then the excal is probably for you. If you do not want to mess with it get the cz.

Ruggedness

The CZ is known for being built like a tank. The Excal is known for being more fragile. However both should be taken care of and rinsed after salt water use. Taking care of each should make each last for years.

Battery

Excal includes a rechargeable battery that lasts about 15 hours. CZ requires 4 9 volt batteries which last about 40-60 hours.

Mounting

Each can be mounted. The CZ comes with a belt mount. Many people mount each on their belt/chest. I also see people just use both on the shaft. I use the CZ on the shaft and I have a friend that uses the excal on an Anderson shaft. If I were hunting all day I would belt mount my CZ but I usually only hunt for about 2 hours at a time.

 

[jeepGold]

Not a good debate since you completely left one of the runners out of the race. The 3030

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

With 15" coils on my excals I hit targets at 20"+ in all metal and I never dig iron... I will take a DD coil over concentric coil all day long becasue of the search pattern...

 

[ScubaDetector]

Not a good debate since you completely left one of the runners out of the race. The 3030

It is only in the running if you are detecting above 10' in the water. Otherwise it is a good debate on machines for diving

With 15" coils on my excals I hit targets at 20"+ in all metal and I never dig iron... I will take a DD coil over concentric coil all day long becasue of the search pattern...

This can be true. It also depends on location. Some of the trashy areas I hit around docks and swim areas you couldn't use that big of coil. I also think that BOTH coils have their advantages ands disadvantages.


The POINT is, you use what works in YOUR environment. If anybody thinks a CTX will work for me, let me borrow yours for about 10 minutes. I will prove it won't. And you will have a non working machine.

You can't compare a clean target free sanded in ocean beach to a beach on an inland lake. This just won't work. IF I was wading and needing more depth, I might try a CTX or a modified Excal.

All we can do here is to let others know the pro's and con's of each machine. Because we are NOT in the same environment they are in we CAN'T decide for them what machine will work for them.

I was in Florida for 3 weeks a few years back. I hit 688 coins and one gold ring. I found no cut. I had fun. I also waded with my CZ-21. Would I have done better with a modified Excal? Maybe. A CTX, maybe. A PI machine, maybe. The point is, unless you are hunting the same area as someone wanting a new machine NOBODY will know what will work for certain.

 

[jeepGold]

That's why I run a highly modified excal AND a ctx..