Excalibur problems

[bikerlawyer]

The rubber coating over the wires going to the coil has disintegrated, bad. Called Kellyco and with labor it will be about $300-$350 to replace the coil! Asked about doing a waterproof connector so I could switch between 8 and 10 inch coils, girl I talked to was asking Barry, he said they really don't do that but if I brought him the connector he might. I think I may make this my land machine and just buy an Aquapulse for that kind of money. This has been a lightly used machine and besides the knobs falling off I had so send it to Chicago last year to replace the connector going to the battery, then they lost my battery but in their defense gave me a new one. I think that cost me a couple hundred. Then they told me the coil had also split and wouldn't pass the leak test so I epoxied that one myself. Anyone who thinks these detectors are "rugged" must not be using theirs much!

 

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[metalhealth]

i would cut the cable, put a piece of this adhesive lined shrink tube over it and go back to swinging.

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[Sir Gala Clad]

No! Excalibur 800 and 1000 model detectors also have problems with deterioration of the search coil cable. I suspect that it is the result of ozone and smog in the air destroying the rubber once it dries out and that salt is the catalyst rather than the cause.


I have extracted key points from earlier reviews on problems with the search coil. The authors and forums were purposely omitted, so if you wrote the review feel free to claim credit.

Excalibur 1000 (June 16, 2014): Bought mine 7yrs ago and finally pulled it out. Within 10 min. All the rubber starting falling off the wires. Called Minelab and they couldn’t give me a price for material or labor till they send it. Definitely a defect in parts... Want me pay for shipping then give me a high price once it’s there.

Excalibur user for 4 years now (July 31, 2010): I own both the 800 & 1000 Excalibur’s, older models. Both have severed me well during this time, no problems. The
The new excel II's seem to have issues at about 2 beds per 10 sold, mostly coil problems. I am going to buy excel II but I'm waiting for them to clear up there Quality control problems...I'm guessing 1 year plus.

Excalibur is the best U/W detector (January 22, 2008)
I have 7 Excalibur’s all with different coils for different locations. I have never sent one in for repair. I use my original unit the most (serial number 153) one of the originals...I prefer the originals as they have more better quality parts in them & were built better than the 800-1000. They also seem to be a hotter detector then the newer models. I have been into water hunting "big time" for over 12 years. I do think they could improve on this detector by putting in a way to gauge battery life left but otherwise it is an excellent machine. (Duracell alkaline last about 8 hours, I have found out from experience)

I've owned all three (December 09, 2006) BFO, VLF, PI
I have been metal detecting since 1972. My 1st detector was a BFO it was a good unit and I found a ton of coins and some jewelry as well. When VLF detectors came about I bought one and went to the same areas and found allot of targets out of reach of my BFO's
Depth capabilities. I have owned all major brands and some foreign models as well. One thing I can say is there is no one perfect detector for all situations. Some detectors do better than others. Most of the time we expect because we paid a high price for one. That it is the best detector ever made. But the reality is. It's not what you buy it's how well you use it.
I currently have a Minilab Excalibur. Not the 800 or 1000 but the original Excalibur with the blue sword on the side. I think Minilabs 1st Excalibur was the best one built. I have never had any loose knobs or rusting post that I often read about. Plus the head phones are way better than the 800 or 1000. I have found allot of very nice items with it. It has more than paid itself off. But with that said it has been to the repair shop more times than I would have liked. It is a good detector but not a fantastic detector. Very costly to repair and very heavy. It does have a learning curve. Mostly to get use to the threshold changing. But overall it's a decent detector.

I prefer my Garrett infonaut for most situations it is lighter easily hip mounted and does a wonderful job once you learn how to use it. It has NEVER been to the repair shop and is built like a tank.

My Fisher CZ 20 has also NEVER been to the repair shop and is about the easiest of the 3 to understand how to operate. Here again you must take time to learn and understand the detectors capability

Excalibur spends much time in shop for repair (May 09, 2006)
I own 2 CZ 20's, 2 White's Surf masters, have had a Minilabs Excalibur 800, Garrett Sea Hunter, Garrett Infinity and a Minilabs Excalibur 1000. The Excalibur 1000 is my choice only for a first hunt in trashy areas if there is no outside radio frequency interference.

My Experience: I have heavily detected with an Excalibur ll 1000 for one and a half years. This detector has been returned twice for repair under warranty: First time for pulled pins/bad connections to the short battery cable at the Heco connector end, the second time for bad connection within the battery pod. I suspect that both failures were the result of the battery cable wire being pushed against sand while cleaning the coil cover. To prevent possible reoccurrence of this failure I have remounted the control pod so that the head phone wire is now up and the battery pod wire is down and better protected.

Would I buy an Excalibur ll?
You bet, already have so that I can modify the Excalibur ll 1000 I am using after warranty expires:

1. CTX 3030 connector to the control pod for Grey Ghost Amphibian headphones.
2. Water proof cable connector so that I can change coils.
Even though I like the stock coils, I am switching to Coil Tech and Sunray and SEF butterfly search coils which do not have deteriorating cable problem(s).
3. Even adding the remote pinpoint switch, for convenience, even though I mostly detect in the discrimination mode.

I have done well with the Excalibur ll preferring it to the CTX 3030 for shallow water hunting. The Excalibur is more rugged, and I find knobs and switch type of detector more suitable for shallow water hunting. However, the Excalibur still remains a scientific instrument which needs to be handled with care.

Right now I am looking for a used Excalibur. Do I have this straight, the newest Excalibur tends to have the bad cables?

sent from a potato with gravy!!...

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

There was a batch of Excal IIs that had bad coil cables although Minelab want admit it....... I have owned 3 of the excal 1000s bluehead phones, still own 2, they are all over 10 years old and no issues with cables yet. I always give my excals a good fresh water shower after a dip in salt water...

 

[TheRingFinder]

I have 2 Excals - I use them every week throughout the spring - summer - fall. I am very rough with them, diving in thick weeds, muck etc. Both of these machines have been great for years, no bad cables or even any show of wear. Like TH said above - I clean mine off with a hose down along with my dive gear after every use. Maybe that's the secret to longevity

 

[dewcon4414]

TH..... i bought a blue last year that had never been used but a hand full of time and allegedly never been in the water. I checked it carefully as well.... first time out it exploded near the coil. That is a weak point. You need to give them enough slack to move the coil, but tape them on the lowest part of the shaft hear the head. If you dont what happens as they go thru the water they vibrate very fast between you moving them and the current. My blue was one of the last batch made. You can change them out yourself.... or even provide a sov coil to Kelleyco to install... that could cut your cost. I use the Sov 10" and it moves as easily as the slimline and just as stable. Mine is a killer machine.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Mine has enough slack for coil to rotate both forward and backward with no stress at all, rest is wrapped to shaft.

I could never go back to a 10 inch coil.....

 

[bigscoop]

I do the same thing as Dewcon, this lower cable above the coil gets all the stress, it's also where all of the salt drains to whenever out of the water. Once it's out of the water and into the sun it can really cause the insulation to start drying out quickly. Once this salt takes on a dry form it can be really hard to remove, a quick freshwater flush just isn't good enough sometimes. I "always" flush mine off with the garden hose for at least a few minutes, sometimes even using a soft paintbrush to help with the cleanup.

I'm like TH in the larger coil aspect as well, but for me sometimes conditions are better suited to the smaller coil so I'll do the switch.

 

[lost items recovery]

For those that seem to be knocking the excal especially the old blues, if your so unhappy with your machine the put it up for sale!. They sell like hot cakes on eBay and my buddy would love to buy one.

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