Anyone run a Minelab Sovereign AND X-Terra Elite on the beach?

[Sand Swinger]

I’ve been running my Sovereign Elite with 12x10 SEF Butterfly coil on beaches for the last 10+ years. I also have the 15X12 SEF, but after using it on several beach hunts, I went back to using my 12x10 SEF and it’s been on my shaft for the last 8 or 9 years. I bought my Sovereign used but have never used the stock 10” coil, lol.

I recently came back to detecting after a few years hiatus and wanted a more modern SMF detector with wireless headphones, built in flashlight for the coil, all-in-one, waterproof, basically a grab and go detector. My Sovereign is a bit bulky, a bit heavy, isn’t waterproof, and takes a bit more time to get set up. But damn, I friggin’ love that detector, it just kills on the beach.

So, I just bought an X-Terral Elite Expedition Pack, assembled it last week, so I haven’t had it out yet. I primarily hunt the sand, but I also love coinshooting old houses, old land, etc. The X-Terra Elite is SMF and has a 12” elliptical coil. My Sovereign Elite is SMF and has a Detech 12x10 SEF Butterfly coil. So, both coils, although different, are 12” coils.

Just curious if any of you also have a Sovereign and X-Terra Elite and can comment on how they compare on the beach? Any depth differences that you’ve noticed? Any difference running on the wet?

I know the X-Terra Elite has much faster and better separation. But personally, as far as depth, I really don’t care if the X-Terra Elite detects “deeper” than my Sovereign, but I’m still curious as to how they compare.

My Sovereign has caused many sore arms from digging deep holes on the beach, so if the X-Terra can equal the depth of my Sovereign, I’d be happy. If it exceeds the depth of the Sovereign, then I’ll need to buy more tubes of Icy Hot for my digging arm, lol.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I hunt Long Island beaches with my buddy that still runs the Sovereign. I let her run the X-terra Elite last week, and she is seriously considering purchasing one - so there you go!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Sovereign works very well on salt beaches, the Excalibur software and design is based off the Sovereign elete which is why their coils are interchangeable...

 

[Sand Swinger]

I hunt Long Island beaches with my buddy that still runs the Sovereign. I let her run the X-terra Elite last week, and she is seriously considering purchasing one - so there you go!

Thanks Terry, that's right up my alley, lol. I don't think I'll ever get rid of my Sovereign, it's just a beast on the beach, but I'm looking forward to using my X-Terra Elite, will be nice to have a lighter detector that's waterproof, wireless, and I guess I have to get used to looking at a screen, I was audio only with my Sovereign, so of course, I'll be using the "all tones" setting on the X-Terra Elite. I also think the X-Terra might wind up being a better choice to use when coinshooting old house, land, etc.

 

[Paul Revere’s Ghost]

I’ve been running my Sovereign Elite with 12x10 SEF Butterfly coil on beaches for the last 10+ years. I also have the 15X12 SEF, but after using it on several beach hunts, I went back to using my 12x10 SEF and it’s been on my shaft for the last 8 or 9 years. I bought my Sovereign used but have never used the stock 10” coil, lol.

I recently came back to detecting after a few years hiatus and wanted a more modern SMF detector with wireless headphones, built in flashlight for the coil, all-in-one, waterproof, basically a grab and go detector. My Sovereign is a bit bulky, a bit heavy, isn’t waterproof, and takes a bit more time to get set up. But damn, I friggin’ love that detector, it just kills on the beach.

So, I just bought an X-Terral Elite Expedition Pack, assembled it last week, so I haven’t had it out yet. I primarily hunt the sand, but I also love coinshooting old houses, old land, etc. The X-Terra Elite is SMF and has a 12” elliptical coil. My Sovereign Elite is SMF and has a Detech 12x10 SEF Butterfly coil. So, both coils, although different, are 12” coils.

Just curious if any of you also have a Sovereign and X-Terra Elite and can comment on how they compare on the beach? Any depth differences that you’ve noticed? Any difference running on the wet?

I know the X-Terra Elite has much faster and better separation. But personally, as far as depth, I really don’t care if the X-Terra Elite detects “deeper” than my Sovereign, but I’m still curious as to how they compare.

My Sovereign has caused many sore arms from digging deep holes on the beach, so if the X-Terra can equal the depth of my Sovereign, I’d be happy. If it exceeds the depth of the Sovereign, then I’ll need to buy more tubes of Icy Hot for my digging arm, lol.

I see this is an older thread but I’d love to see some updates. No. But I have a Surfmaster PI and a new Xterra Elite. And I can’t put it down. I bought the package with two coils and started with the 12” and it’s been slamming rings. Suddenly every beach here sanded in. I actually had the 8” in my hand about to install it yesterday to hunt the trashy dry sand but then didn’t.
I’m still learning the sounds and settings so probably shouldn’t switch horses midstream as they say.
Anyone used both coils on the Elite? What did you determine? Thanks for any input.

 

[Sand Swinger]

I see this is an older thread but I’d love to see some updates. No. But I have a Surfmaster PI and a new Xterra Elite. And I can’t put it down. I bought the package with two coils and started with the 12” and it’s been slamming rings. Suddenly every beach here sanded in. I actually had the 8” in my hand about to install it yesterday to hunt the trashy dry sand but then didn’t.
I’m still learning the sounds and settings so probably shouldn’t switch horses midstream as they say.
Anyone used both coils on the Elite? What did you determine? Thanks for any input.

I hope to be trying the 8" that came with my X-Terra Elite Expedition pack soon. My son, now 41, used to go detecting with me when he was a young boy. He loved it when we found coins, and even when he didn't go with me, as soon as I got back, he'd run up and ask me if I found any coins, lol. He has 2 young boys and lives in an early 1900's house, so I'll be taking the X-Terra down to do a "treasure hunt" in the lawn with my 2 grandsons. One of them asked me if they would get to keep any treasure we find, I told them that they get to keep all the treasure we find, except for any Indian Head Pennies, because IHP's are my jam, lol. I'll use the 8" around sidewalks, bushes, etc., and use the 12" for the larger open areas.

My stepson has an 11-acre farmette with a house that was built around 1900, so I plan on hitting his land as well. I'll probably use the 8" around the house and more than likely, since it's an old property, there's probably going to be areas of his land that will be littered with iron, nails, and such, so the 8" should come in handy for those areas, and I'll use the 12" coil for the larger open areas of land. I've also been thinking about picking up the 10" coil as well. Still small enough to give good separation but a bit larger than the 8" coil so would give me a bit more coverage & depth.

Although I like to move quickly when hunting the beach, I always make it a point to tightly overlap my sweeps, so larger coils are the best choice for me personally. Ever see those guys at the beach or on video's that are walking so fast that they take a swing, walk a couple feet then take another swing. There's a lot of ground in between their swings that they're missing by not overlapping their sweeps. So, with the 8" coil, I'd have to walk at a snail's pace, lol. On the beach, I prefer larger coils to get more coverage and depth. I'm not as concerned with separation as it's much easier to grab a few scoops of sand to check targets than digging holes on dry land.

So, for me, I think the 8" coil will prove most valuable when hunting on land, old homes, parks and areas where nails and other trash would probably be in abundance. On the beach, targets can be VERY deep, so many potentially good targets would be out of range of the 8" coil, but my Sovereign Elite with 12x10 & 15x12 SEF Butterfly coils have had me digging 1/2 way to China many times. So, when beach hunting, I want the increased depth and coverage that my larger coils provide. That said, I'm sure there's areas of a beach where the 8" might be a good choice, but I'm trying to cover as much area as I can, so bigger coils tend to work best for me. But when hunting on land around old homesteads, parks, old picnic groves, etc., that may contain old silver coins, I hunt a LOT slower than when on the beach and don't mind inching my way forward to ensure that my sweeps overlap as tight as possible.