Needing some inland water advice on a machine

[Gonehunting]

Ok I am in the market for a detector that I can scuba, snorkel, beach(lake) hunt. 98% of the time this will be doing this in fresh water applications. I would like a good detector that can handle this in the $600 to $700 range. If there is a detector that can do this and have the ability to salt water also would be nice but is not a deciding factor. Thanks GH.

 

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[Rockin Chairs Gold]

Try the Tesoro Tiger Shark. DM Outstanding Bargan Exchange in MI is offering them at $636.75 with free shipping ([email protected]). They are a VLF detector that would be perfect for fresh water hunting and have a Salt water mode as well, and to top that they give a life time warranty to boot. I have a 15 year old Tesoro Sting Ray ll that the loop went bad on last year and they replaced it for nothing, all I paid for was the shipping both ways. You won't find that warranty any where else, and they are excellant on large and very thin small Gold.

Rick

 

[Sandman]

Try the Tesoro Tiger Shark. DM Outstanding Bargan Exchange in MI is offering them at $636.75 with free shipping ([email protected]). They are a VLF detector that would be perfect for fresh water hunting and have a Salt water mode as well, and to top that they give a life time warranty to boot. I have a 15 year old Tesoro Sting Ray ll that the loop went bad on last year and they replaced it for nothing, all I paid for was the shipping both ways. You won't find that warranty any where else, and they are excellant on large and very thin small Gold.

Rick

The Tiger Shark is a great detector but many fault it in the saltwater even with the Saltwater mode. I had no trouble with it in the salt and suspect others chanked up the sens to high. Another great water unit is the Fisher 1280. I've had mine down to 140 foot without leaks. Built like a tank. Even better than the 1280 is the CZ-20 or CZ-21 now. But the best is the Excal for both fresh and salt.

 

[metaldetectorguy]

The Garrett Sea Hunter Mark 2 is in that price range and seems to be very good for diving. I have never used one diving though so I can not speculate. Good Luck!

 

[Can Slaw]

In your price range, I would have to agree with the Tesoro. Great fresh water detector and lifetime warranty. To step up to what aTiger Shark will do in fresh water, to a machine that will do that in salt water the price jumps to over a $1,000, unless you shop for a good used one.

 

[Captain Loosechange]

For the applications you mentioned in your post, and seeing the button on your avatar, I would reccomend the Garrett AT Pro. It would meet all of your requirements and also give you a waterproof relic hunting machine. It is right int the price range you specefied. I have a Sea Hunter Mark II and love it but for fresh water beach hunting you want discrimination that the Sea Hunter can't provide. Those bobby pins last forever in fresh water and the AT Pro also gives you options for beach/land hunting in a similar price range to the Sea Hunter. That's my 2 cents, good luck in whatever you choose.

 

[Gonehunting]

Try the Tesoro Tiger Shark. DM Outstanding Bargan Exchange in MI is offering them at $636.75 with free shipping ([email protected]). They are a VLF detector that would be perfect for fresh water hunting and have a Salt water mode as well, and to top that they give a life time warranty to boot. I have a 15 year old Tesoro Sting Ray ll that the loop went bad on last year and they replaced it for nothing, all I paid for was the shipping both ways. You won't find that warranty any where else, and they are excellant on large and very thin small Gold.

Rick

The Tiger Shark is a great detector but many fault it in the saltwater even with the Saltwater mode. I had no trouble with it in the salt and suspect others chanked up the sens to high. Another great water unit is the Fisher 1280. I've had mine down to 140 foot without leaks. Built like a tank. Even better than the 1280 is the CZ-20 or CZ-21 now. But the best is the Excal for both fresh and salt.

The Tesoro is getting hard to beat specially with the lifetime warranty. Now the CZ's and the 1280 is some more I want to look into.

 

[Gonehunting]

For the applications you mentioned in your post, and seeing the button on your avatar, I would reccomend the Garrett AT Pro. It would meet all of your requirements and also give you a waterproof relic hunting machine. It is right int the price range you specefied. I have a Sea Hunter Mark II and love it but for fresh water beach hunting you want discrimination that the Sea Hunter can't provide. Those bobby pins last forever in fresh water and the AT Pro also gives you options for beach/land hunting in a similar price range to the Sea Hunter. That's my 2 cents, good luck in whatever you choose.

I might look at the sea hunter mark II but dive deeper than the ATPro is warranted to... Especially at one particular river bed.

 

[beachboy]

The Sand Shark could be an option. It is about 550, and will perform in both environments.

 

[Gonehunting]

Man I do appreciate you help. I have just about narrowed it down between either the sand or tigershark.

 

[niffler]

I agree, the Tiger Shark is an excellent choice. It will find the tiniest pieces of gold jewelry, pieces too small for most sand scoops to recover. Waterproof to 200 feet, so diving is no problem. Mine never had a problem at the saltwater beaches in Oregon, but then I never messed with the internal sensitivity adjustment either. And, the batteries seem to last forever. Just my 2 cents worth. Niffler

 

[Rockin Chairs Gold]

I agree, the Tiger Shark is an excellent choice. It will find the tiniest pieces of gold jewelry, pieces too small for most sand scoops to recover. Waterproof to 200 feet, so diving is no problem. Mine never had a problem at the saltwater beaches in Oregon, but then I never messed with the internal sensitivity adjustment either. And, the batteries seem to last forever. Just my 2 cents worth. Niffler

I have never owned the Tiger Shark but it seems to be very similar to my Sting Ray ll in operation, and my Sting Ray ll is very stingy with battery use. I probably don't water hunt as much as some of these guys but I usually changed batteries only every spring just as a precaution , not as a need.

The Sand Shark would be a great Salt water machine but does not offer any discrimination and from what I've read will find a bobby pin two feet deep.

I have always set my String Ray ll discrimination so it just would break up on small pieces of wire and bobby pins, these are very hard to recover in a sand scoop, the rest I lived with. With that setting I have found some very small thin Gold rings and Gold ear rings. I love that machine.

Rick

 

[bill-USA]

What Sandman said! But being cheap, I'd go for used first. Check Craigs list in your area.

 

[Gonehunting]

Thanks Rick I am really leaning toward the Tigershark. Haven't really had any other machines recommended. Bill I hear on the money but I am a firm believer in getting what you pay for. I feel the lifetime warranty is worth the extra money. I don't plan on replacing it.. I have what I feel is one of the top land detectors out there and I won't replace it for a long time. Same with the water detector I don't want to replace it once I decide.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Down here in Ft. Laud. or Miami, a lot of folks have said that Tiger shark chatters alot in the salt water here.

I used a friends Sand Shark, before I got Excall, I found a lot of gold in the few weeks I used it. I was even able to distinguish the bobbypins, and bottle cap sounds, from good targets, but I dug everything anyway. Even found stud earrings. Not sure where you would be hunting at in salt water, but my next back-up machine will be the Sand Shark. Tesoro said, should be here mid-April. Good luck with your choice.

 

[Gonehunting]

I need to restate this is for 98% of the time a fresh water application but if I ever(highly unlikely) go to the beach I would like it to work there, But it is not a deciding factor.

 

[Sandman]

I need to restate this is for 98% of the time a fresh water application but if I ever(highly unlikely) go to the beach I would like it to work there, But it is not a deciding factor.

About any detector will operate OK in the dry sand at the coast. It is when you cross into the wet sand or start entering the water when it makes a difference. If you order the Tiger Shark, get the one with the larger coil for covering more area per sweep and it gets more depth too. Don't mess with the Sensitivity adjustment inside cause it is very hard to get it recalibrated. The new Tiger Sharks and Sand Sharks are all hardwired now as most hunters never change the coils around on water detectors.

 

[John (Ma)]

Tesoro Tiger Shark or Sand Shark for sure. Sand Shark for deeper dig all targets and Tiger for some discrimination.

 

[seeker41]

the tigershark is a one tone machine, in case this matters to you? it will see/find gold chains and very small gold that a cz20/21 or excal will not. i like having more than one tone and the tigershark was not for me.
a used excal or cz20/21 will give you much more information in the audio tones and you will find plenty of gold even small gold with them. when you do go to the saltwater beach they will hunt in the salt easily.
one option is to buy a used excal or cz20/21 and a used tigershark. its a risk in not having a warranty but thats up to you.
.......the cz20/21 is however locked in salt mode which limits its depth on small gold to compared to the detectors that are not locked in salt mode. if your lakes sand depths are not real deep this is not a problem. i have a cz20 and an excal and i have found gold stud ear rings with both of them at about two or three inches deep.
good luck.

 

[Gonehunting]

the tigershark is a one tone machine, in case this matters to you? it will see/find gold chains and very small gold that a cz20/21 or excal will not. i like having more than one tone and the tigershark was not for me.

I wasn't aware it was one tone... I'm so used to 4 and multi tone that I'm second guessing my decision...