Best Minelab for Beach and Wet Sand Detecting

[bill_nj]

I'm in Hunterdon County, just east of Phillipsburg. Not sure of the rules for mentioning specific dealers so I sent you a PM with a dealer I just bought an Excalibur 2 from.

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

any of the minelab multi frequency machines sov, quattro, safari, explorer will work well at the beach. and did you ever think of buying used . go to this sites classifieds and often you will see some real bargains.

If you buy from a respected member you can save hundreds, my last Excal I bought for $475 in Oct 2009, I invested $90 for a used WOT coil, and $25 more for a home made straight shaft...It is now my primary Excal....

I have bought 7 used detectors so far, eveyone arrived in perfect working order, and I have saved a couple thousand $.....

 

[spdrus]

Great advice, all!

I thought about buying used, but have had back luck (in other internet situations) when buying used.

I'm also looking for some follow-on support, warranty etc.

I will check out some classifieds, though!

 

[sprinter]

Hi All,

I am new to these forums (been reading and learning a lot thanks to all your valuable insights!)

Anyway, I am going to be purchasing my first metal detector and *think* I have it narrowed down to one of the following Minelabs: Terra 705, Sovereign Elite, or Excalibur II. I don't want this to be another 'what is the best metal detector' post so I'll try to be very specific with my wants/needs.

1) I am new to metal detecting so I want a detector that's easy to learn, but not a simple or 'beginner' machine
2) 80% or more of my time will be detecting at New Jersey beaches so I want a detector that is excellent in dry sand, wet sand (probably spend most of my time in wet sand), and shallow surf (waterproof coils are a must!) up to about 1-2 feet deep (max). I cannot dive due to health issues so I DO NOT need an entirely waterproof detector.
3) Occasionally I will park/forest/field hunt so I want a machine that is capable there, as well
4) I know many of you have a 'two detector' or more solution BUT I can only get ONE DETECTOR
5) I will rarely/never prospect for gold (although want a machine that is VERY capable on gold jewelry)
6) I like the idea of an LCD display, but I also have a very good ear (from music training all my life) and probably would be able to differentiate many different tones after a little practice

From my own research I was almost 100% set on the Xterra 705 - seems to be an excellent all-around machine with a lot of great features, waterproof coils, beach mode etc. BUT then I started reading a lot of posts that make me wonder how it will do in the wet sand/shallow surf. Then I read that the Soveriegn is THE machine for this type of environment. However, it seems to me that the 705 may be close to the Sovereign in the beach/wet sand if employing some of the other coils available (besides the stock 9 in. concentric) - this last point is just my own assumption.

So, reading my list above can you Minelab experts steer me in the right direction ?

Thanks!

The 705 can be used on the beach ,, in beach mode ( BUT) you will have to retune it when you go from wet sand to dry sand, did she used to be a singer Babara dry sand,, anyway the 705 works on the beach but does not really like it ,, is the best way to describe it.
The winner for the best all time beach detector has to be ( and it has found me hammerred silver coins on land) is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Wait for it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Yes you guessed!!!! Minelab Sovereign

 

[Sandman]

The Sov GT is the king of the beach.........Period. PI's are deeper by a might but hardly have any disc at all so you will dig deep holes for a hairpin and that is time wasted.
Learning the GT is easy as heck as you won't need any meter to id the targets as if it makes any tone at all you are going to scoop it as it nulls on iron which is trash on a beach. When you learn the tones you can skip the high tones which are coins and only scoop the low growl which are gold rings and pull tabs. You have to scoop the pull tabs as 90% of the gold rings sound the same as pull tabs.

Try to buy from a local dealer so he can assemble it for you and show you how to set it up. The big reason is you can take it home and not rely on UPS tossing the box around or delivering to the wrong home. I've had to sue them twice for this and won twice.

Your also going to need a good stainless steel scoop. I've used many and love the Sunspot Stealth. http://www.gold-scoop.com/thescoop.html You won't have to ever buy another.

 

[Deepdiger60]

There is only 1 Machine you need for Beach wet sand or field hunting and woods , the Minelab Sovereign GT Jim