What should i get

[Vikingblood]

Can either get a whites beach hunter or whites dual frequency both are refurbished from whites or a used blue ( old model) excal with the small coil. The excal just came back from being fully serviced and it had a pot replaced. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated and I am going to the store now in New Jersey.

Please help

 

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[bigscoop]

From an investment standpoint, if you can get a fully serviced old blue excal for the same money as either of the whites, get the excal. An old blue excal in good working condition is in high demand and they bringing very high prices. From a hunting standpoint, this is an area of debate that still rages today among PI users and VLF users. Mostly it comes down to where you will be hunting and user preference.

 

[Vikingblood]

Should I be worried about the small coil

 

[Vikingblood]

It's for salt water only

 

[Vikingblood]

It uses BBS right? Not VLF. Does it run stable in the salt? Will it null on iron ?

 

[bigscoop]

It uses BBS right? Not VLF. Does it run stable in the salt? Will it null on iron ?

It will do all of those things. as for the small coil, there are times when that's all I use, especially in the water. This is what's so nice about the Excal, it can be modified/upgraded with things like a remote pinpoint switch, better headphones, and you can even modify it so can swap coils. By the time you're done with all of these mods (and you don't have to do them all at once) you'll have the best of all worlds in a beach and water machine that is extremely versatile so it can meet just about any situation you'll encounter. There really isn't another beach & water machine out there that you can do this with. This is just one of the reasons why the old blues are in such high demand and demanding such high prices these days. And yes, they are typically very stable in the saltwater environment.

 

[lost items recovery]

Well said big scoop!
As for which one to get... I'd go for the excal all day long! I've own 2 out of the 3 machines you've mentioned and I highly recommend the excal over all others, a old blue excal even better!
Here's mine partially modified as it is and I love it.
I'm pretty sure if you used the above mentioned detectors you'd feel the same. The tones and mod capabilities are awesome and give nice hints as to what's what before you dig.
Good luck in your choice



Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[Vikingblood]

Nice set up and thanks for the help. Now my choice is between an excal II for 600 with the big coil, it's a little beat up but seems to work fine on dry land, or the older blue excal with the small coil for for 725. I'm a little worried about the small coil since it won't cover as much ground. But the old blue excal was sent into Minelab last year to have a pot replaced and Minelab water tested it, and it has not been used since. I was gonna buy the old blue one yesterday but we could not get it to work, then this guy came in today and sold the excal II to the shop, so the shop owner hooked up the battery pack from the excal II to old blue and old blue worked fine. Beleive it or not the battery pack we used on old blue the other day when it would not work was brand new, I watched him unseal it from the Minelab factory packaging. Who could of ever thought it was bad, but it was. Old blue work worked fine when we hooked it up to the excal II battery pack. Any opinions on which one I should get would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lost items recovery]

Honestly most people say the 1000 and the II is the same, but a buddy of mine has the excal II and his uncle and I have the blue 1000. I like the old blue one as well as some others say they seem to run hotter then the new ones. True or not I don't really know. I can say that I had the choice between the two and I picked the old blue for a reason after a lot of research and opinions. As for the battery have them replace it for you and the coil can be changed. I'm planning on picking up a WOT coil soon for those deeper targets and especially when the beach is sanded in. You mention the old blue had a small coil. Is it a original 8" coil? That would make it a excal 800 and not a 1000 unless someone changed it to a smaller coil. Not trying to tell you what's what or what to do but I'd scoop up the old blue and plan on slapping a Wot on it. My thought is this if your heavier metals ie gold, silver, platinum, and yes lead, sink deeper with lighter metallic objects shallower in the sand and deeper good targets are reachable after the sand is stripped away then it kind of proves somewhat that it's down there just out of reach until the right conditions. Bbs technology with a 15" WOT coil giving you great coverage and a deeper depth is where I'm leaning! Some swear by it and claim it still has good sensitivity to small gold and the like. As we all know we are not the only ones hitting the same local beaches repeatedly but most people out there are probably just digging at the average depths not much further then typical detector depths that are currently on the market with the exception of a deep digging PI machine but how much time is lost digging junk and then calling it a day and ending the hunt when if the trash could have been discriminated out and you could have been further down the beach finding that good target waiting to be plucked out to see the sun once again. If the average machine digs let's say 8-12 inches and the area has been hit hard by others think what may or may not be sitting a few inches further down that could possibly be reached with a WOT on a Excal while leaving the junk behind. The WOT for my excal 1000 is where my head is at! Good luck to you. Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[OBN]

I would go with the just serviced 800....it is a solid machine. Learn the machine, then this winter make changes if you see the need.

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Don't worry about the small coil, it works great.
For shallow water hunting, it is my coil of choice.
Has the least amount of drag and is the easiest to pin point with.
Those are two big advantages plus it is the best size to use in the first through which tends not only to be trashy, but hard to work with a large coil.
Great for working between rocks and in very trashy areas or where coins are too close together.

Even though the smaller coil only covers one half the surface area under the coil, you do not give as much area that
you can search as you would think as you can sweep the coil faster since there is less for the detector to process.
Small coils really shine where there are numerous beaches that are small and narrow.

As much as I love small field coils, they would not be my choice where beaches are large, especially if when hunting
Dry sand for fresh drops. There a large coil and harness rig is what you need and want.
You can always return with a more precise smaller coil once you have identified high probability areas to hunt.


When it comes to reselling, looks mean everything.
If it looks good people want it, not so when beat up.
Please send me a PM if you have any questions.

Nice set up and thanks for the help. Now my choice is between an excal II for 600 with the big coil, it's a little beat up but seems to work fine on dry land, or the older blue excal with the small coil for for 725. I'm a little worried about the small coil since it won't cover as much ground. But the old blue excal was sent into Minelab last year to have a pot replaced and Minelab water tested it, and it has not been used since. I was gonna buy the old blue one yesterday but we could not get it to work, then this guy came in today and sold the excal II to the shop, so the shop owner hooked up the battery pack from the excal II to old blue and old blue worked fine. Beleive it or not the battery pack we used on old blue the other day when it would not work was brand new, I watched him unseal it from the Minelab factory packaging. Who could of ever thought it was bad, but it was. Old blue work worked fine when we hooked it up to the excal II battery pack. Any opinions on which one I should get would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Vikingblood]

Thanks a lot man. I really appreciate your input. Let me get this straight. There is the excal 800(the blue one), the excal 1000 (the bright green one) and the excal II which is also bright green. I don't under stand the model series, but you like the old blue 800 even if it does have the small coil, which yes I think is the original coil.

I agree with you theories as well, especially about getting deep when it's all sanded in.

 

[Vikingblood]

You guys are great I really appreciate all your help. I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the excal 800. Even though he wants a bit more money for it than the newer model excal with the bigger coil. I just like the idea that it has not been used since it was sent in for a full service to Minelab.

Thanks again

Vikingblood.

725$ for old blue

600 for the newer excal

 

[lost items recovery]

Thanks a lot man. I really appreciate your input. Let me get this straight. There is the excal 800(the blue one), the excal 1000 (the bright green one) and the excal II which is also bright green. I don't under stand the model series, but you like the old blue 800 even if it does have the small coil, which yes I think is the original coil. I agree with you theories as well, especially about getting deep when it's all sanded in.

The old blue has a 800 model indicating a 8" coil and the old blue 1000 indicates the 10" coil
The green models are the newer ones that are available in a 1000 10" coil but are the excalibur II 1000's and possibly excal II 800 models but not 100% sure on 8" 800 excal II .
Old blues are more desire able to some people.
If I'm not mistaken the only difference from the 800 to the 1000 is the coil size.

OBN has joined the conversation and has way more knowledge on these machines then I do.
He's the one we go to with questions and is excellent in modifications and custom parts kits.
Hello OBN!
Hope this helps

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[Vikingblood]

Ok that clears things up a bit.

Thanks so much.

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

That is the choice, I would of made.
If you decide that you later want something else, please shoot me a PM, I want to buy it!
Or send me a PM if you find another like it, either way would be fine.

The current model Excalibur is the Excalibur ll: You can identify it by the Lime green on it's sides, it is blue on top under the knobs
Either the control Pod or the battery Pod will have a large 800 written on it for the 8 Inch coil (actually 7 and half inch)diameter
or a large 1000 written on if for the 10 Inch Coil.
Unfortunately, I have already boxed my detector to be returned for repair (sigh) so I cannot tell you which.

You can identify the earlier model Excalibur as the control Pod and battery pod are blue.
It was not marked with a l as it is the first (no need).
It is now referred to as old blue so that it is not confused with the more current version.

From what I have been able to determine, the Excalibur ll has improved shielding
While the multivariable tones are easier to distinguish on the Excalibur commonly called Old Blue.
So each has an advantage - its a matter or what you prefer.

Both of the above standard models can be customized.
However, Minelab will only guarantee factory repairs on standard models.
Which means that what you get back will be stock with any modifications (internal or external) removed.
So don't be surprised if your custom knobs have been removed, remote pin point button gone, and find that your removable head phones
and coils have been hardwire. I don't know they may required you to do that before they will do the repair.
Or you can have the repairs done by someone else, there seems to be a whole cottage industry dedicated to keeping Excaliburs alive.

You guys are great I really appreciate all your help. I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the excal 800. Even though he wants a bit more money for it than the newer model excal with the bigger coil. I just like the idea that it has not been used since it was sent in for a full service to Minelab.

Thanks again

Vikingblood.

725$ for old blue

600 for the newer excal

 

[Vikingblood]

Ok good info. Thanks again. Can't wait to get out there.

 

[Vikingblood]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who offered their help in choosing a good salt water detector. I got the excal 800 for 725 and it works great and most importantly it runs stable. I have already found one wheat penny an earring with a bunch of fake diamonds, and the biggest blood worm I have ever seen. Now I just gotta figure out how to dig with waves breaking on me. Sometimes I feel like I am trying to erase a bill board with a number 2 pencil with that 8 inch coil .This machine just speaks to me. I can tell this is the start of a great relationship betwixt man and machine.

Thanks again, you guys are great.

Vikingblood.

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Arg: It looks like you are jusing the standard S shaft, which is good for diving when shortened, or okay for short hunts.
If you convert to a straight up shaft, you will find the balance much better and easier to swing.
As I am over six foot, I purchased an Anderson Tall Man Shaft and really love it as mounting the pods high gives you a pendulum like action. I can be chin deep in water and the Pod will be above my shoulder (out of the water).

It also increases the arc you can sweep, the only drawback is that it is a bit tipsy and it is more difficult to clean out the sand trapped between the bottom of the search coil and its protective skid pad. If you upgrade, be sure to buy the carbon fiber shaft, it is not only lighter, you can get buy with less maintenance since you no longer have to worry about corrosion between dissimilar metals. From what I have read Plueger also makes great shafts and has one that breaks apart in three sections for travel.

 

[lost items recovery]

Thumbs up on the excal! You can seal your skid cover with a little silicone just below the inside diameter all the way around to seal out the sand but don't go crazy or it may be very difficult removing it in the future should the need ever arise. I sealed the top of mine with black (liquid) electrical tape for color match. Be sure to wipe off excess before it cures for a clean look. As for the S shaft you can made your own straight shaft if you can find a light weight aluminum rod. The problem is you'd have to ad a strap to your arm cuff or it won't be secured to your arm any more and pretty much impossible to swing. If you can swing it I'd buy a straight shaft, it'll lighten the whole machine up and spare your arm the workout. Here's a pic of mine I made, arm cuff, shaft ect. Good luck and enjoy it. Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet