Product Review

[G. I. Digger]

I am a newsletter editor for a RC club located here outside Pittsburgh and I constantly as if various members will write a product review regarding a recent purchase as to any positive remarks or not so positive remarks. So here is my review of my new Sand Shark. We recently returned from a two week vacation in Cocoa Beach Florida where I unleashed my new Sand Shark. The machine was very easy to assemble and I used the hip mounted assembly. Previous to the machine arriving I purchased a hip mount pouch to hook onto my belt. The learning curve was easy and this was my first attempt with a PI machine. I set the unit to the VCO mode and the other three controls to the one' O'clock position then hooked the unit to the rear of my back (kept my shorts from falling down!). The machine performed great and again remember this was my first time so I say great as I do not know the difference. I did not find much but I learned a great deal from fellow detectorists that were on the beach. Time of day, tides, where the people were the day before and a whole lot more was a excellent education. The coil did float a great deal and collected sand on the beach and had to constantly shake off, no big deal though. The floating coil was a bit cumbersome though and everything is hardwired.
I was pleased with the machine but we are going back to Cocoa a few times next year and I will let my wife dabble with it as her first machine and she got the detector bug! Next year I plan to purchase either an Excal II or a CTX 3030. I like the 3030 reviews but I also read many articles on the Excal II so it is a toss up at the moment. A few folks that had the Excal's stated that they tend to get very heavy. However, I will buy a Stealth 920i scoop as I found out that the scoop is just as important as the detector!! Any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

I'm really confused about your "floating coil" problem, as Sand Shark coils do not float. A Whites Dual Field coil floats, but not the Sand Shark. Collecting sand on the coil also confuses me a bit.

 

[G. I. Digger]

Wow, the water really affects the coil as it acts like a ledge and that also is where the sand lies on top of when you detect out of the water and up on the sandy parts of the beach. I also forgot to add that I am looking into the wireless 3030 as the wire leads are cumbersome as well.

 

[redcobra8u]

I have the Excal II and use the hip mount. Mount the unit on my back and haven't had any issues. Some will say this puts stress on the cables but only if you don't mount it correctly. I've tossed the idea of the CTX around a couple times but I really enjoy the Excal. Plus I like not having to worry about it being wet? It's a easy machine to learn as well.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Hey G.I.

The Excal shaft is similar to the Etrac in terms of positioning, and my Etrac killed my elbow after about a half hour.

When I purchased the Excal II, before I even used it I purchased a straight shaft with the electronics mounted behind my elbow from Plugger, and I can swing that in the water all day long, period!

penzfan (a member here) sells an extension to add to the Excal shaft in order to place the electronics behind your elbow for around $20, where my plugger shaft was around (I forget) $100. I haven't used my extension from penzfan as I immediately went to the straight shaft, but that should serve your purposes.

So, if you choose to go Excal, you won't be disappointed with the electronics all behind your elbow. I found that rear mounting actually gave me one heck of a lot of leverage swinging that coil underwater.

Now, as for your scoop.....

I have the Stealth 920iX (beefed up structurally), and since you're hunting fresh water you'll be scooping some mud. That stuff is heavy, period! Especially with a 9" scoop versus their 7" model. So you need to look at the structure you'll be hoisting with a load of mud.

In rocks, that V bottom is also a bit difficult. Friday in the lake water with targets crevised between rocks, I was scooping 10 times to get the target.

Hope this information gives you points to ponder.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Also, if you go with hip mounting - and even if you don't, cable tie the coil and control cable tight with flexibility to the terminations. That keeps the movement/tension away from the termination points and avoids stress. You don't want those critical connection points stressed = Minelab repairs!

 

[RVRoamer73]

Excal2 or CTX ,,,both 720i great scoop !!!

 

[cudamark]

If you plan to do ANY land hunting, get the CTX.