Looking for a new Beach detector?

[geckokid]

I am looking to get a new beach detector.
I narrowed it down to these Pulse Induction Metal Detectors.

Tesoro Sand Shark
Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II
Whites Surf PI Pro

Are any others I should consider, the price range no more than $800.
Would like to hear comments about these Metal detectors.


Shaun

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[JOe L]

I have a new Sand Shark and I wish I could comment, Will not be hitting the beachs until Mid Apr but, I sure know there are some deep things in my back yard that my XT70 only whispers about...

 

[BEACH-HUNTER]

If you decide to go with a MULTI-FREQ. Detector with Visual/tone ID Beach Hunter ID is in your price range...You can get the SUPER 12 on it too.. good luck in your hunt

 

[guzz1]

Just bought a SandShark Love it ... It loves gold chains from what I hear ..I haven't one yet , but I did find a busted up Silver Chain with it .. Its a Pi so your gonna dig some junk , but among the junk could be gold . I use mine in the water and wet sand (less trashy areas ) I don't use it in the dry ,,I have a sov Gt for that . ... Big bang for the buck $$$ SandShark all the way......goodluck HH Guzz1

 

[labradoodle of pa]

I bought a new Tiger shark last fall used it a few times in fresh water lakes can't coment on the salt water beaches yet all these posts I got the fever so bad the next warm days we get I am taking a couple days off work and heading to the beaches in Md. and Delaware then I will be able to comment on the tiger shark for now all I can do is sit here in cold Pa. and be jealous of everyone at the Beach Bob

 

[bootybay]

correct me if I am wrong..isnt the sand shark the one thats great in and out of the water and dry land too...and the tiger is mostly beaches wet only? or do I have it backwards?

 

[JOe L]

correct me if I am wrong..isnt the sand shark the one thats great in and out of the water and dry land too...and the tiger is mostly beaches wet only? or do I have it backwards?

I know the sand Shark is sealed and submersible to 200 feet and works great in salt water and on wet sand.
And I do believe the Tiger Shark is the same on being submersible but its not a PI and hunts dry land much better.

Sand Shark
600 pps Operating
Frequency
8” Searchcoil, Printed Spiral
220-450 Hz Audio
Frequency
Stereo Piezo Headphones
Weighs Less Than 4-1/2 lbs.
Eight AA Alkaline Batteries,
Drop-in Compartment,
10-20 hours typical
Modes: VCO Motion All
Metal, Adjustable Frequency
All Metal
Maximum Depth: 200 ft

Tiger Shark
Interchangeable Coils
12 kHz Frequency
Normal & Salt Operating
Modes
Expanded Discrimination
Eight AA Alkaline
Batteries, Drop-in
Ground Balance Control
Waterproof to 200 feet
Built-in Headphones
8” Waterproof Coil

 

[MoTwister]

The Whites PI will find any and all metal that may be on a beach and very deep too. I dug some impressive holes in Florida last summer to find fish hooks, can lids, aluminum and coins. The only problem is iron which it finds in abundance. I have never used the Garrett but Robert Gecy of the Conquistador uses the Garrett, look under the post "Who wants to dive for treasure" where he did several posts about them, or you can probably e mail him and ask him about them. I have seen the Whites PI sell for 3-400 dollars on EBay so you may be able to pick up a used one and save yourself some money over the cost of a new model.

 

[DaChief]

I own a Garrett Infinium which is the big brother of the Sea Hunter Mark II. I can't be more pleased with the quality of the machine. I have also owned a White's PI and I still own Tesoro Land Machines. They are all good machines. I believe it comes down to personal preferences of the finer minutia related to varied machines.

The positives of the Garrett are that you can change coils on the spot at the beach. I don't believe that you can do that with the other two. The Garrett also allows you to switch between land headphones (much more comfortable when hunting the surf without getting your head wet), and water headphones for the obvious times when the surf is high or you decided to scuba or snorkel. The Garrett also has a discrimination capability. In the case of the Sea Hunter you get two modes of discrimination one of those is adjustable like any land vlf detector. I believe the Tesoro has that also, not sure about the White's ID although I know it does have that ID feature which is in the same ball park.

I don't believe you would be disappointed by either of the three. Once you get in the water and start finding stuff, you fall in love with whatever is in your hand. (Hopefully it is a detector!!!!!) YUK YUK

I would just say to read the reviews written by actual users. I believe you will find that many posts in other areas of the internet have some bias writings from dealers, etc. You can usually pick them out quickly. No detector is perfect so if you find that type of post, your either dealing with a dealer or someone who is in denial. They all have something that you can gripe about, just some much less than others. If you read enough of the posts of true users, you can get a pretty good idea if the machine has the features that you are looking for.

I hope you get what your looking for! The other advice given by MoTwister is true also. You can get a good deal on EBAY. Just make sure you buy from someone with good feedback and make sure that you ask all the questions you want about condition, whether it is their personal detector, how old it is, how many times used, what accessories come with it, will they throw in any accessories not mentioned like a scoop they have laying around, a pouch, a digger, etc. (I get some freebies this way regularly). I got my Infinium, almost new, with two extra coils and other accessories for 725.00 and free shipping! That was about 700 dollars cheaper than I could have bought it all from the wholesale dealers!! It is almost a year old and no problems so far other than sending it back to Garrett to get a computer update on the chips inside for 65 bucks.

Garrett and Tesoro have great service departments and great customer service. My White's lasted me forever without ever having to try the service folks.

Good Luck!!!

Jim

 

[Born2Dtect]

I have a Whites PI Pro. Use it at MD & DE beaches. Works great, stable and deep. I know you say you want a PI but, I have found out two things whiles using the PI Pro. One you will find a lot if trash and you will dig deep. I have never found as many bobby pins on the dry beach with any other detector. Also the deeper targets in the surf are harder to retrieve, the waves beat me to death. I may sell mine or at least buy a discriminating detector for usual use. If you plan on hunting the dry sand primarily I would want a discriminating machine, I use my EXP II in the dry sand and get good results.

Ed D.

 

[geckokid]

Thank for all your replies, I let you know which one I decide on. When my Tax Rebate check comes in May.
I wish it was earlier Because I will be going to SW Florida for Vacation. I will be using my Tesoro Eldorado looking for gold and silver or what ever I swing my coil on to.



Shaun

 

[Cynangyl]

smart man....researching early! Good luck with whatever machine you decide to buy! Have tons of fun and find lots and lots of goodies!

 

[geckokid]

I just wish the rebate check got here NOW!!! I want to get a PI machine before I go on vacation

 

[Cynangyl]

lol I hear ya....I hate waiting once I decide I want something.....well unless I actually have to go to a store! rofl I am one of those that despise shopping and will put that off as long as possible. Thank God for the internet!