WHAT IS THE BEST SALT WATER BEACH DETECTOR ?

[TORRERO]

I would like everyones opinion on what they think is the best beach machine in wet salt water sand.
I have been hunting for more than 20 years and don't hunt beaches often but when I do
I would like a metal detector that is the most sensative, to the most small pieces of gold in wet saltwater sand.

I used a CZ6 quicksilver in the past and it was good on coins but you would walk right over
gold chains and small bracelets and ear rings in the wet sand....

On the other hand I had a Tesoro Stingray that would pick up just about anything even a
semi fine gold chain without any type of medallion on it...
including some small earrings....

but that was 10 years ago, and the weight of the machine and its design did not work so well for
long periods of time.... (underwater machine with weighted coils)

I wonder what everyone here uses and for how long and what you find consistently,
in the "Wet Salt Water Sand"

Thanks in advance.
Richard

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[Dixie Digger]

for me its the Excal ll....iv used them all and for overall use in salt water/sand nothing performes as well. PI's have a little better depth but im too old to dig every bobby pin from here to China! with my Excal,i just null the Iron and go.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

That is like asking what is better, blonds or brunets, Ford or Chevy....

Just my own personal opinion, but I would go with Minelab Excal, with the Excal you will not be digging holes to China for bobby pins like you do with a PI. I know when it nulls it is iron, I use to dig all the nulls when I got my first Excal, never once was it anything other then iron. I have dug good targets next to iron and it still told me there was a target there beside the iron. I got a null followed by a slight signal, usually brokern but still a signal and still told me something was there.

 

[wreckdiver1715]

That is like asking what is better, blonds or brunets, Ford or Chevy....

Just my own personal opinion, but I would go with Minelab Excal, with the Excal you will not be digging holes to China for bobby pins like you do with a PI. I know when it nulls it is iron, I use to dig all the nulls when I got my first Excal, never once wa it anything other then iron. I have dug good targets next to iron and it still told me there was a target there beside the iron. I got a null followed by a slight signal, usually brokern but still a signal and still told me something was there.

You forgot Redheads!

Minelab Excal

Tom

 

[Jimi D Pirate]

My excal has never let me down nor has redheads ... now that I think about it!

 

[COTTON]

To me excal/ excall 2 there is nothing else.But give Guzz1 a shout he has owned them all, I have only had the CZ20, An excall. once i got the excall i have had no reason to look at any other, I have had 3 excalls one was stolen out of my truck, Sold one to get the excall2, Man it is sweet, I have had it customed to my liking by minelab....................Cotton

 

[JP]

Practice and experience with a little luck are number one.

As for a water detector Excal, 100%, but that's my and almost the majorities vote.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

That is like asking what is better, blonds or brunets, Ford or Chevy....

Just my own personal opinion, but I would go with Minelab Excal, with the Excal you will not be digging holes to China for bobby pins like you do with a PI. I know when it nulls it is iron, I use to dig all the nulls when I got my first Excal, never once wa it anything other then iron. I have dug good targets next to iron and it still told me there was a target there beside the iron. I got a null followed by a slight signal, usually brokern but still a signal and still told me something was there.

You forgot Redheads!

Minelab Excal

Tom

Sorry Tom, I didn't mean to leave out the Redheads. Heck I left out my wife, she is Filipino and has jet black hair.

 

[DaChief]

Being an experienced relic hunter you probably know some of what I am about to say but I am including some of this information for other less experienced folks to hopefully use.

You should go to the Metal Detector Reviews page which is located just above Beach and Shallow Water on the list. Click on the various manufacturers for all good water machines and read the feedback and info that is being given on all machines. Then go off this site and read more and more about water detectors.

I don't believe you should choose based on someone just saying theirs is the best. I would ask yourself what you are looking for in a detector and then look for those qualities in the feedback you read that people are writing about their real life experiences with the operation of their detector, what they are saying about the operation of the machine and a big plus is what they are finding with their detector.

Do lots of reading before you haul off and buy something. At some point the light will really kick on and you will know which is the best for you.

I did a ton of research before I bought my Garrett Infinium. I am happy with it but that is because it fits exactly what I was looking for in a water machine. I had no idea what I was going to buy initially and read a lot of information before I made the purchase. I read about every machine that anybody was putting in the water and I read alot. The other machines are great also for people who they fit. I don't believe that there is a bad major name brand machine. You just have to match the machine with your likes and stay away from those that have your dislike to get a good fit for you.

Read articles and start taking notes about what you are reading that appeals to you about that particular detector. Keep reading about them all and keep adding to your list. You will make the right decision for yourself without relying on any of us who just may tell you that theirs is best. I don't believe mine or anybody else's machine is best for everybody.

There are other forums also that you can get information from. Just put the name of each machine on Google and add forum to the search with it and you will find them all. Beware that the forums are also inflicted with dealers and factory reps that are pumping up their machines. It will become obvious to you if you read enough who they are. They are usually the ones that have nothing good to say about any machine but theirs.

Check the following machines in particular and you will make a good choice. Don't limit yourself to a VLF or a PI machine. Read about both and throroughly before you decide. Make sure you also pay great attention to customer service and what is being said about quality issues with the machines. That is invaluable when you need it.

No particular order here as to my favorite. Just the way I listed them.

White's Surfmaster Series
Minelab Excalibur
Garrett Infinium and Mark II models
Fisher CZ-20 and 21 models
Tesoro Tiger Shark - Sand Shark - Stingray

I think I have covered them.

My feedback for my machine and why I chose the Garrett Infinium is as follows and were things on my list of features I was looking for.

1. You can buy varied coils and change them on the spot. The change takes less than 2 minutes when you get accustomed to it. There are 5 coils that you can buy of different sizes and configuration.

2. You can buy varied headphones and change them on the spot. They come with land headphones and you can use those phones in the surf as long as you don't submerge the earpieces. The connection is waterproof at the control box. You have to purchase submersible head phones separately and of course they can get wet.

3. The Infinium has a simple tone ID system. Hi/Lo tone means possible gold, Lo/Hi tone means possible silver. I go only for gold so being able to focus on possible gold signals allows me to completely ignore all other materials that do not give that tone. It is the same tone for possible gold no matter how big the piece is, what karat the gold is, etc.

4. Although it is a PI machine, the Infinium has a discrimination feature. That is a good thing.

5. The Infinium is tough and it is very easy to use and you do not need any special gear to hipmount it. It comes with a hipmount harness that is fits on any belt.

6. The battery seems to last forever on the Infinium. Not because of the type of battery but because it uses little energy to deliver all that depth. You also get a home and car charger with the machine.

7. The Infinium is very deep. Digging to China is a good thing when you are hunting a beach that everybody else is hunting with a machine that won't reach there.

8. Garrett has their factory in Texas and their customer service is among the best in the business. Just read and ask anyone about their experiences with Garrett customer service.

9. Last, the machine works. I have limited time to hunt and I can tell you that whenever I go on a serious hunting expedition, I have yet to be shut out. That does not count the days when I am playing with the kids in the surf and trying to detect when they are playing with mom. Whenever I have gone on a serious mission, I have come back with the goods.

Sorry for this long post but I hope this helps.

Also look at this forum and see what people are finding. Then look to the left and see what machine that they are using. Remember that experience plays a role also. You can have a great machine but find nothing if you don't know what you are doing!

Good luck!
DaChief!

 

[BEACH-HUNTER]

BEACH HUNTER ID 300 OR PI PRO!!!!!!!!!

THE NEW B.H.ID 300 OR PI PRO...THE NEW 300 WILL GET LITTLE GOLD AND IS DEEEEP!!! FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN DEEPER THAN THE EXCAL 800 OR 1000...I JUST TRIED THEM SIDE BY SIDE IN A LAKE...THE EXCAL DID NOT GET A READING ON THIS 14K BAND...THE 300 DID!!

 

[COTTON]

My @$$, .........................................................Cotton P.S. Do the same test in salt water, Or let some one that can understand how to use the excall run the excall an you use the BH.

 

[COTTON]

My @$$, .........................................................Cotton P.S. Do the same test in salt water, Or let some one that can understand how to use the excall run the excall an you use the BH. Thats not even a 300.

 

[BEACH-HUNTER]

My @$$, .........................................................Cotton P.S. Do the same test in salt water, Or let some one that can understand how to use the excall run the excall an you use the BH. Thats not even a 300.

MY BEACH HUNTER ID IS A PRE-300 WITH A SUPER 12....I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO GET WHITES TO PUT THE SUPER 12 ON THE BEACH HUNTER ID....WHITES LIKED THE HUGE INTEREST IN IT AND STARTED PUTTING IT ON THE BEACH HUNTER AT THE FACTORY...THE BEACH HUNTER ID 300 IS JUST A BEACH HUNTER ID WITH A SUPER 12 COIL...THATS IT...I WILL COMPARE THEM IN SALT WATER AS SOON AS I CAN....I HAVE USED EXCALS..I HUNT WITH GUYS WHO USE THEM ALL THE TIME...MY BEACH HUNTER GOT A HIT ON THE RING..WE WENT OVER IT WITH THE EXCAL 1000 IT DID NOT..THIS LITTLE LAKE BEACH I'M HUNTING HAS BEEN HAMMERED BY MANY HUNTERS....WITH MANY DETECTORS...INCLUDING MORE THAN A FEW EXCALS....I GRIDDED IT OVER AND OVER WITH MY 9.5 COIL TILL THERE WERE NO TARGETS TO BE HEARD...4 WEEKS AGO A LOCAL HUNTER WITH A EXCAL 1000 GRIDDED THE SAME AREA...I HIT IT WITH THE BEACH HUNTER ID WITH SUPER 12 AND GOT ALL THIS LOOT...THIS STUFF WAS DEEP I HAD A HARD TIME DIGGING THESE TARGETS OUT BEING IN WATER...I RUN MY DETECTOR IN ALL-METAL SENSITIVITY BETWEEN "P" AND THE MAX...I USE THE ID LIGHTS TO DIG OR NOT...ANY BLINK OF RED I SKIP IT.....MY GROUND IS SET BETWEEN THE 1/4-1/2 WAY MARK....IT BEEN GREAT!!!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You do not say how your comparing them. If your comparing the 300 with 12 inch coil running in all metal mode with the Excal with standard 10 inch coil running in disc then your comparison is flawed.......

If you run the Excal in the all metal mode and then switch to desc when you get a hit to identify the target, the Excal will go deeper. I also find deeper targets with the WOT Coil on my Sov GT then I do with the standard stock 10 inch coil on it.

The BHID was my first detector, I liked it, but the battery door is a poor design, it leaked twice on me, Whites repair even acknowledge it was a known problem. Whites repaired it under warranty and I immediately traded it in on my first Sov GT with the WOT coil with no regrets yet.

 

[SilverDog]

brunets and Excal

 

[BEACH-HUNTER]

You do not say how your comparing them. If your comparing the 300 with 12 inch coil running in all metal mode with the Excal with standard 10 inch coil running in disc then your comparison is flawed.......

If you run the Excal in the all metal mode and then switch to desc when you get a hit to identify the target, the Excal will go deeper. I also find deeper targets with the WOT Coil on my Sov GT then I do with the standard stock 10 inch coil on it.

The BHID was my first detector, I liked it, but the battery door is a poor design, it leaked twice on me, Whites repair even acknowledge it was a known problem. Whites repaired it under warranty and I immediately traded it in on my first Sov GT with the WOT coil with no regrets yet.

EVEN IT PINPOINT MODE... IT DID NOT GET IT...THE EXCAL HAS NO TRUE ALL METAL...THERE'S ALWAYS SOME DISC.....IT'S BUILT RIGHT IN..IT CAN NOT BE RUN ANY LOWER THAN THAT PRE SET DISC....NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THE BATTERY DOORS OF ANY OF MY BEACH HUNTER IDS..I HUNT ALMOST EVERY DAYAND HAVE FOR 5 YEARS WITH A B.H.ID..IF THE DOORS WERE A KNOWN ISSUE... WHITES WOULD HAVE REPLACED THEM...THEY ARE AWARE THAT SOME HAD PROBLEMS PROPERLY LATCHING THE DOOR...THE RUBBER PLUG MUST BE PUSHED IN FULLY..AND CLEAN OF ANY SAND..BEFORE PUSHING THE METAL ARMS OVER THE PINS WITH YOUR FINGERS AND THEN LAST..CLAMP DOWN THE LATCH..FROM WHAT I SEE THE BEACH HUNTER 300/SUPER 12 BEATS THE EXCAL ON DEPTH,CHAIN+SMALL GOLD...