95% sure

[Aussie]

I’m 95% sure I’m going to go ahead and order a minelab Excalibur in the next day or two.
I’ve had a sov gt for some years now and love it but want to get IN the water, I’ve been told the Excalibur is the underwater version of the sovereign.
Headphones are hardwired as is the coil I see.
I guess I’m just asking for advice and seeing if anyone tells me I’m making a mistake.
Thanks for any input, both good or bad.
[emoji106]🏻

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[smokeythecat]

I have only heard good things on this machine.

 

[Aussie]

Thanks Smokey! I’m now 96%! [emoji2]

 

[cudamark]

If it's a mistake, I've made it three times now! Considering what you have to pay for a new one and the mods you're going to want to do to it (pin point mod, straight shaft, big coil maybe, headphone upgrade maybe), you might also look at the CTX or Equinox if you're not going to dive with it. Since I have three of them, I obviously think it a good unit, however, the new Equinox works great in the surf too, and has the advantage in price, more easily interchangeable coils and headphones, and is better on small gold than the Excal. Not sure if I made your percentage go up or down!

 

[Slowtaknow]

Man alone loves it. Ask him.

 

[OBN]

For a good reason the excalibur has come to be known as a old machine that has held it's own for over 20 years. A Good machine which can be tweaked to be even better. Good Luck!

 

[PI PETE]

What about an equinox ?

 

[ROBOTCOP13]

Maybe get to 99%

Lots of choices

 

[ARC]

, and is better on small gold than the Excal. Not sure if I made your percentage go up or down!

This has yet to be proven / seen.

 

[ARC]

IMO... SO FAR...

The only way the EQ has a leg up on an Excal is in price.

 

[ARC]

IF you are only going to work the surf... go with a cheaper unit IF money spending is a concern.

IF you want top notch "industry standard" in dive detection... settle for no less than an X2.

 

[Aussie]

Thanks all for the advice, will do a little more research.
Think I’m still leaning to the Excalibur atm.

 

[Pacific_Searcher]

IMO you cannot go wrong with an excal II very stable deep and relatively easy to use. I love mine. Love my equinox so far as well but haven't used it quite enough yet.

 

[sonnar28]

Thanks all for the advice, will do a little more research.
Think I’m still leaning to the Excalibur atm.

If you love your Sovereign GT on the sand, you'll love an Excalibur in the water.

An Equinox would add a visual screen capacity, very useful in high target areas where you want to (relatively) conclusively identify or exclude certain nuisance targets. The Equinox would potentially provide better low conductor sensitivity, and also the ability to use a single frequency which could be quite helpful in dry sand or in freshwater areas.


But an Equinox does not have the simplicity of use of an Excalibur or Sovereign which have simple dials and switches to provide adjustments on the go. With a screened machine such as Equinox you have to push buttons and look at screens. Admittedly the Equinox interface is much simpler than something such as the CTX, it is still has a screen, and I hate screens.


The ongoing Equinox mania may produce some good deals with used Excalibur's, you may want to consider a good used Excal if you can find one from a reliable seller (if you can find one with upgraded headphones, that would be especially sweet!) I also suspect that the Equinox 600 will also begin to appear in the secondhand market, as some detectorists have purchased the 600 out of frustration with not having the 800, and may eventually decide to upgrade to the 800.


If you hunt saltwater beaches, you may want to consider a waterproof PI machine, but these don't discriminate out iron, and can be virtually impossible to use in certain high target density locations. The PI machines also have a learning curve, but if you've used all metal/pinpoint mode on your Sovereign GT, you're actually halfway there.


Good luck with whatever you choose!


Charles

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I LOVE my Excal in the water.

I'll try the EQ800 in the water once I receive it. I'm expecting to continue using the Excal.

Getting too danged hot here to dirt dig, a streak of 90 degrees all next week - or high 80's. It is absolutely water time now.

 

[slider66]

I have 2 excal, a ctx and the equinox. To be honest it’s hard to decide which one to take. In the water I love my excal. Still waiting for waterproof headphones for the equinox but I have had some great finds with the equinox. It’s a great machine.

 

[emb66]

I'm not knocking the PI machines because I do have one. But my Excalibur ii just rocks and is my go to machine for water hunting the tone identification is what I really like about it.

 

[Aussie]

Thankyou all again for the great information. I’m gonna go with the Excalibur, hope to be posting some finds in a couple of weeks!

 

[ARC]

I have 2 excal, a ctx and the equinox. To be honest it’s hard to decide which one to take. In the water I love my excal. Still waiting for waterproof headphones for the equinox but I have had some great finds with the equinox. It’s a great machine.

https://www.kellycodetectors.com/catalog/waterproof-underwater-headphones-equinox

 

[slider66]

Headphones at kellyco and others are pre-order not in stock