Garrett Sea Hunter XL500 vs Master Hunter CX

[Silver Striker]

Hey Guys. I just found a used Garrett Master Hunter CX, at a local pawn shop, for $229. Is that a good price for a used one? Not sure if it's a CX, CX2 or CX3 yet though. Also, how do the CX's rate vs the Sea Hunter XL500's? I found one of those, used, for $349. Not sure how old it is or if it's VLF or pulse yet. It has headphones, but not sure whether it has a battery charger. Is this a good price and can I buy a battery charger for it, fairly cheap, at Radio Shack? Out of the above models, which is best for hunting gold in wet beach sand? Thanks in advance, SS

 

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[flagold]

They are completely different units that really don't overlap (get them both). The XL-500 is a dedicated water detector (and one of the best ever designed for diving use). The CX is one of the best all around "truck" detectors ever made (throw it in the truck and use it for anything (within reason). If the XL-500 has a big rectangular housing, then it is the older nicad model that has to be sent back to the factory for batteries and may no longer be supported (I still have one and replaced it with the newer (better) unit) The new XL has a tapered housing, and a big knurled knob where you replace the batteries. I did a diving test of the (new) XL-500 vs the old here: http://golddredger.com/dcforum/DCForumID5/87.html two years ago. If you use the search for "Garrett XL-500" you'll find a lot of info on that.

The CX (I have a III and have owned a II for many years) will handle the wet sand fine, although I would not get it wet, nor would I want it around salt beach air down here (it's to good a unit to risk). They are great coin machines in the uplands. If it has the analog meter, it's probably a CXII (the best one in my opinion).

 

[Silver Striker]

Thanks, Flagold. I guess I would avoid the CX models then, since it will be almost exclusively for wet sand use. I don't like the sound of this comment either: "If the XL-500 has a big rectangular housing, then it is the older nicad model that has to be sent back to the factory for batteries and may no longer be supported". Are you kidding me? How could they even stay in business if this was the case? I wouldn't buy any metal detector (or any other product, for that matter), if I knew I had to send it back every time the batteries ran out. I thought these units came with battery rechargers. No longer supported? How can I trust a company that doesn't support it's products? Can you please elaborate on this? Also, are you trying to say that non-waterproof MD's will get damaged by sea air over time or is it just the Master Hunter CX that has this problem? Maybe I should avoid both of these detectors. I won't have a warranty if I buy them used. Thanks again, SS

 

[flagold]

30 years ago (about) I was diving with the original XL-500, and it was state of the art at that time (an Eric Foster design). A lot has happened in 30 years, better batteries, newer boards, and many updates in software -- that's why we have a new XL-500 now and the old one may no longer be supported. Check with Garrett if it's an old unit on battery replacement before you buy.

The CX units are some of the great all-time detectors.

 

[Silver Striker]

Re: Garrett Sea Hunter XL500

Well, I'm going to go check out that XL500 today. The first thing I'll check is whether I can remove the batteries or not. lol If not, I won't buy it. Do the "newer" XL500 units, without the battery issue, also use nickle-cadmium rechargeable batteries? Does it need to come with a battery charger or can I get one at Radio Shack that will work? Do those newer versions have any other issues that I should know about before I buy one? I thought that the newer ones, that have PI, were called "Mark II" rather than "XL500". But, you know more about them than I do. I guess that model has gone through many transformations over the years. Thanks for your input, SS

 

[flagold]

The new ones are nice, in that you can use rechargeables or standard batteries. Comes (at least it did at first -- I bought one of the first units) with a rechargable pack and an empty pack for alkalines (the rechargable pack had a charger). I was experimenting with it and by accident found a way to set it up that virtually ignores pulltabs while still finding (gold) rings (it's on that link above).

I wouldn't be a buyer of the older units at this point -- the coils have to be breaking down by now (pulse units run very hot coils) and I doubt Garrett is making them anymore. If that is an old unit with the large coil (looks like a hula hoop) -- pass -- they were often bad when new. It'll cost you $100+ to have the batteries replaced by Garrett (if they still do it). Everytime I sent mine in (I had a bunch of them for a dive team), that's what the ransom was.

I've seen the old XL-500's go for $50 on EBay, etc.

 

[Silver Striker]

Thanks again. You've been very helpful. I still haven't had time to go see it yet, but I will keep everything you've said in mind, when I do. SS

 

[Silver Striker]

Master Hunter CX3 Info Needed Urgently

Ok, I went and looked at both detectors today. The XL500 was the old version, with the nickle cadmium batteries that are a pain to replace. The batteries were dead, of course, and there was no charger with it, so I passed on that one. Then I went and checked out the Master Hunter. It turned out to be a CX3. It was lightweight, with a digital readout and it worked great. It even talks. My only concern now is how good of a beach unit is it and how good is it at detecting gold? Also, it didn't seem to detect very deep on the air test that I did. Maybe 6-8". Is that about normal? Maybe I didn't have the optimal settings for each metal that I tested though. I plan to use it on wet beach sand, almost exclusively. I know that it wasn't designed primarily for this, but that's the plan. Does anyone know what the frequency is on this model, what's the deal with the ground balance and the beach mode? Is beach mode going to cut it in wet salt water beach sand (the lane). Is the coil waterproof? Also, is $249 a good price for a used one? Thanks in advance, SS

 

[flagold]

CXIII: adjustable frequency (up to 8 -- the one that replaced it and the CXII is set to 6.5). 8" seems to be the depth the coin ID is set to (doesn't matter if it's a nickel, penny or quarter). If you use "all metal" mode it is just as deep as anything else. Although this is one of the all time great units, it's probably not for what you're trying to do. For what you're talking about:

Minelab Excalibur (1000 preferable, submersable, ID)
Whites Beachunter ID (Target ID, submersable)
Whites Beachhunter PI Pro (pulse -- good depth, submersable)
Garrett XL-500 (new one -- good depth -- pulse -- discriminator (that actually works) but no ID, submersable)
Infinium (absolutely positively the best depth but hard to use for the impatient -- pulse -- ID, submersable)
Fisher Impulse (also good depth -- pulse -- submersable)
Fisher CZ-20 (ID -- good depth -- submersable)

There's more but the above are the main ones you're likely to run across. Good luck.

 

[Silver Striker]

Thanks Flagold. I found a manual for the CX3 online and it sounded pretty good. Also, I was pleased with the air test that I did on it, so I bought it. A used Garrett Grand Master Hunter CX3 for $229 plus tax. I just couldn't pass up that deal. It has an 8 1/2" coil, lots of digital controls, a digital display, a beach mode and it even talks. lol It was the best deal in town, so I had to grab it. The other MD's available in this town were all crap, in comparison. That Sea Hunter XL500 ended up being the old version, with the battery issue. It was very heavy and antique-looking too. It didn't even turn on when I tried it out and they wanted $350 for it. lol The Fisher 1225-X that I looked at was brand new, but had no controls and was very basic. It failed my air test too (only going about 4" deep on most metals) and they wanted $350 for it. The other available MD's in town, aren't even worth mentioning. So, I think I did pretty well, even though it's not the MD of my dreams. It'll get the job done. I did as much research as I could on it and discovered that it will work on wet salty beach sand, although the depth might not be so great. It's also supposed to pick up most gold objects pretty well (except for very small particles). It's not the best beach unit or gold detector in the world, but it didn't cost as much as the newer PI machines or the gold nugget machines either. So, just in case I get bored with metal detecting and it ends up in the closet, I didn't lose that much. This is a strong possibility with me, as I'm very wishy washy and kind of a scatter brain. I have a lot of different hobbies and tend to go from one to the next. Anyway, I'm going to take it out on it's maiden voyage this weekend, either at Melbourne Beach, Sebastian Inlet or somewhere in between. Wish me luck. Thanks for all of your help too. I'll keep you updated on my finds, if there are any. lol SS

 

[flagold]

All good points and you've got one of the best units ever made (but it's not a dedicated beach hunter it's a Jack of all trades). If you want to see it really shine, take it to a park or your own front lawn and dig some coins.

Good luck out there.

 

[Silver Striker]

Yeah, I might do that too. We have a huge park, about a 10 minute drive from here. A jack of all trades might work out just fine for me. SS