ctx 3030 vs cz21 vs excalibur II

[gromu]

Hi

Im freshwater lake hunter from Poland. Im moving soon and I will live near Baltic sea. Im using garrett at pro now but I know it won't work in salt water. I need some advice on good beach and salt water detector. I compared ctx, cz21 and excalibur II on youtube tests and metaldetectorreviews.net Im little confused and I don't know which one I should choose. On metaldetectorreviews CZ21 has avg. depth rating much better than ctx and excalibur. From other hand cz21 is only two frequency detector and pretty old design. CTX is leaking and excalibur has pretty poor discrimination (saw youtube test where u can see excalibur won't see gold ring under iron nail). Anyone here used all 3 detectors and can help me choose? Beaches and waters in Poland are full of trash. Sorry for bad English.

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Hi

Im freshwater lake hunter from Poland. Im moving soon and I will live near Baltic sea. Im using garrett at pro now but I know it won't work in salt water. I need some advice on good beach and salt water detector. I compared ctx, cz21 and excalibur II on youtube tests and metaldetectorreviews.net Im little confused and I don't know which one I should choose. On metaldetectorreviews CZ21 has avg. depth rating much better than ctx and excalibur. From other hand cz21 is only two frequency detector and pretty old design. CTX is leaking and excalibur has pretty poor discrimination (saw youtube test where u can see excalibur won't see gold ring under iron nail). Anyone here used all 3 detectors and can help me choose? Beaches and waters in Poland are full of trash. Sorry for bad English.

I have found gold rings with iron using excals, excal will see a gold ring by iron. What some people don't realize is every time you have a null with the excal you need to rotate 90 degrees and re-sweep null target, if there is gold there excal will report it on the re-sweep....

Never used CZ21 but I own and use both the excal and the 3030 to hunt beaches int he states...

 

[ScubaDetector]

Are you a wader or a diver? Just wading the CTX will work just fine.

The Excal and the CZ-21 are about identical in depth. I have hunted side by side with an Excal and I know I can find every target it can. Some say the Excal is better in salt water. That I have no knowledge on. The CZ might be an old design but it works and works good. I am able to pick through the trash with a 10.5 inch coil on my CZ-21. HOWEVER, I have had years of practice.

There are only two things in my mind that set the Excal and the CZ-21 apart. I think the CZ hip mounted looks professional and I think the Excal is ugly. The other thing I like about the CZ is it is QUIET. The Excal makes too much noise for me.

You will get lots of opinions here. I gave mine. I won't trade my CZ-21 unless a new diving model comes out that is better.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Are you a wader or a diver? Just wading the CTX will work just fine.

The Excal and the CZ-21 are about identical in depth. I have hunted side by side with an Excal and I know I can find every target it can. Some say the Excal is better in salt water. That I have no knowledge on. The CZ might be an old design but it works and works good. I am able to pick through the trash with a 10.5 inch coil on my CZ-21. HOWEVER, I have had years of practice.

There are only two things in my mind that set the Excal and the CZ-21 apart. I think the CZ hip mounted looks professional and I think the Excal is ugly. The other thing I like about the CZ is it is QUIET. The Excal makes too much noise for me.

You will get lots of opinions here. I gave mine. I won't trade my CZ-21 unless a new diving model comes out that is better.

Since I added the 15" coils to my excals and hunt in reverse discrimination I am seeing targets at 20"+ many times...

 

[ScubaDetector]

Since I added the 15" coils to my excals and hunt in reverse discrimination I am seeing targets at 20"+ many times...

That is great. Sounds like they will exceed the depth of the CZ-21 in the water. I have never been in an inland lake or great lake with the sand that deep though. I hit hard pan before I have to detect that deep here. I guess on the sand bars in the great lakes that would be an advantage for sure. I just never hit the sand bars. I still think the Excal is UGLY though! But whatever works.

My MAJOR problem is the sound. I am usually in 4 - 6 foot of water laying on the bottom. People that buy boats are IGNORANT. No classes, no, education, get in the boat and cruise anywhere. Ohh what is that float with the pretty red and white flag daddy?? I want it. And the stupid boaters who have no idea there is a diver down there want to make me propeller bait.

I love the silence so I can hear any boats invading my area so I can educate them. And sometimes I admit I am not too happy. My life is on the line. On drop offs where I am 10 - 40' deep I don't bother coming to the surface. I ignore the boaters unless one is trying to pull me up by the rope attached to the flag. And YES that has happened.

So I enjoy the 3 beeps and the bell tone and I will probably keep up enjoying them. I do hope someday, First Texas will enhance the machine and make a killer fresh water model that will not be locked in salt mode.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

You've got great input so far. Treasure-hunter's advice is good, but I would avoid going crazy with a 15" on your machine for now, if you're new at this. Especially if, as you say, your beaches are trashy. You'll have your hands plenty full with the stock coil, before you need to get exotic with extra stuff.

As for the 3 machines you list, here's some added thoughts to what you've already been told:

a) The CZ is a silent search(no background threshold) machine. Some people might like that, but others (most, IMHO) find that quite annoying. Also the CZ has a harder time on deep bent nails, that try to fool you as an acceptable beep.

b) But on the other hand, of all those 3 choices, the CZ is admittedly the easiest to master, and is quite deep-seeking.

c) The excal takes some getting used to. Got to go *real* slow if you're in a junky situation. And the tooty-flutty sounds will drive you bonders at first. A remedy for this, is to go out a few times with the disc. cranked all the way up. Such that you only find the highly conductive coins (USA dime and quarters and up type signals). Then return the next day and lower it down a bit. Repeat. Return the next day, and lower it down a bit more. Repeat. Keep doing this over progressive days, on sites brimming with lots of easy modern coins. In the end, the orchestra will make more sense. Versus if you went out on day one to this hodge-podge of sounds.

d) The ctx is a good one for land, if you should decide to add land. But IMHO the CTX is hard to learn. And it's very expensive. If you're just going to hit the beach, then I don't think you're getting anything more with the CTX, than the excal can't do.

 

[jeepGold]

Since I added the 15" coils to my excals and hunt in reverse discrimination I am seeing targets at 20"+ many times...

YUP!.
Only thing I do notice is that my quarter sound has changed. It's more of a dingle dingle dingle (forgive my poor translation)... Sounds like a higher pitched bell. Like on a cat or something. Not the sound that he 10" gives. Depth is MUCH.. With that said , here in San Diego, I prefer to hunt with my 17" CTX on the beaches. Finds are WAY MORE... I still take the excal out but I prefer my 3030.

 

[gromu]

thanks for answers!

Most of the time Im wader but sometimes I do snorkeling with at pro, never deeper than 2-3m. Im used to 15' coil on my at pro and Im not afraid to learn new detector no matter how hard it can be. Reverse discrimination is pin point mode right? does cz21 and ctx have that? Coins in my country sound different than US coins, they are like 30% iron.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Th... . Who did the mods ?

I'm thinking mods to my Excal II as well. Straight rod, that kinda thing. But a coil change to reach 20" down, I've a good Stealth scoop in my hands now and the beaches off North Carolina whisper for me to visit soon

 

[cudamark]

I'm thinking mods to my Excal II as well. Straight rod, that kinda thing. But a coil change to reach 20" down, I've a good Stealth scoop in my hands now and the beaches off North Carolina whisper for me to visit soon

Kellyco does the mods.

 

[cudamark]

Hi

Im freshwater lake hunter from Poland. Im moving soon and I will live near Baltic sea. Im using garrett at pro now but I know it won't work in salt water. I need some advice on good beach and salt water detector. I compared ctx, cz21 and excalibur II on youtube tests and metaldetectorreviews.net Im little confused and I don't know which one I should choose. On metaldetectorreviews CZ21 has avg. depth rating much better than ctx and excalibur. From other hand cz21 is only two frequency detector and pretty old design. CTX is leaking and excalibur has pretty poor discrimination (saw youtube test where u can see excalibur won't see gold ring under iron nail). Anyone here used all 3 detectors and can help me choose? Beaches and waters in Poland are full of trash. Sorry for bad English.

If the price isn't an issue, I'd get the CTX. It gives you so much more information to help you decide to dig or not. It's also much better at identifying a bottle cap than the Excalibur. The seal "problem" on the CTX was overblown, but, there was room for improvement which they have done. If your search area is REAL junky, it's also nice to be able to swap to a smaller coil easily.

 

[captbo]

I have found gold rings with iron using excals, excal will see a gold ring by iron. What some people don't realize is every time you have a null with the excal you need to rotate 90 degrees and re-sweep null target, if there is gold there excal will report it on the re-sweep....

Never used CZ21 but I own and use both the excal and the 3030 to hunt beaches int he states...

Not to highjack this thread but Treasure Hunter will you explain the "Null" to this noob who is also. very interested in the Excal !

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Not to highjack this thread but Treasure Hunter will you explain the "Null" to this noob who is also. very interested in the Excal !

A null is loss of threshold, you have steady threshold, as it goes over iron it nulls or threshold stops as it passes the iron the threshold returns. When you get a null you need to rotate 90 degrees and re-sweep, if there is gold by the iron it will tell you.......

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

A null is loss of threshold, you have steady threshold, as it goes over iron it nulls or threshold stops as it passes the iron the threshold returns. When you get a null you need to rotate 90 degrees and re-sweep, if there is gold by the iron it will tell you.......

Null is loss of threshold, you have steady threshold, as it passes over iron the threshold goes silent (nulls) then returns after it passes the iron. With the excal when it nulls you want to rotate 90 degrees and re-sweep the target, if there is gold there it with give you a tone on the re-sweep....

 

[beerguy]

YUP!.
Only thing I do notice is that my quarter sound has changed. It's more of a dingle dingle dingle (forgive my poor translation)... Sounds like a higher pitched bell. Like on a cat or something. Not the sound that he 10" gives. Depth is MUCH.. With that said , here in San Diego, I prefer to hunt with my 17" CTX on the beaches. Finds are WAY MORE... I still take the excal out but I prefer my 3030.

jeepGold, I put the 17" coil on my CTX a month ago and haven't taken it off since.

Killer setup for coin hunting!

 

[OBN]

Hi

Im freshwater lake hunter from Poland. Im moving soon and I will live near Baltic sea. Im using garrett at pro now but I know it won't work in salt water. I need some advice on good beach and salt water detector. I compared ctx, cz21 and excalibur II on youtube tests and metaldetectorreviews.net Im little confused and I don't know which one I should choose. On metaldetectorreviews CZ21 has avg. depth rating much better than ctx and excalibur. From other hand cz21 is only two frequency detector and pretty old design. CTX is leaking and excalibur has pretty poor discrimination (saw youtube test where u can see excalibur won't see gold ring under iron nail). Anyone here used all 3 detectors and can help me choose? Beaches and waters in Poland are full of trash. Sorry for bad English.

Any three are great choices, the Big secret is knowing your machine and the beach your hunting. I have all three, but can say 2 set most of the time because I feel I'm at my best with the one.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

For what you plan on doing the CTX is overkill in my opinion. I dig EVERYTHING at the beach minus iron. Obn kills it with his Excal, Casper kills it with his CZ. Both are awesome machines. The CTX is awesome if you plan on using it on land as well, which is what I do. But to be honest, I believe the Excal hits gold harder than the CTX. Good luck, hoping you find lots of treasure, Mike

 

[lookindown]

That is great. Sounds like they will exceed the depth of the CZ-21 in the water. I have never been in an inland lake or great lake with the sand that deep though. I hit hard pan before I have to detect that deep here. I guess on the sand bars in the great lakes that would be an advantage for sure. I just never hit the sand bars. I still think the Excal is UGLY though! But whatever works.

My MAJOR problem is the sound. I am usually in 4 - 6 foot of water laying on the bottom. People that buy boats are IGNORANT. No classes, no, education, get in the boat and cruise anywhere. Ohh what is that float with the pretty red and white flag daddy?? I want it. And the stupid boaters who have no idea there is a diver down there want to make me propeller bait.

I love the silence so I can hear any boats invading my area so I can educate them. And sometimes I admit I am not too happy. My life is on the line. On drop offs where I am 10 - 40' deep I don't bother coming to the surface. I ignore the boaters unless one is trying to pull me up by the rope attached to the flag. And YES that has happened.

So I enjoy the 3 beeps and the bell tone and I will probably keep up enjoying them. I do hope someday, First Texas will enhance the machine and make a killer fresh water model that will not be locked in salt mode.

I want a 3 pound CZ21 with a screen.

 

[tony curnick]

If you have trashy beaches then go for the CTX,it's just a touch heavy....the AT.pro will work fine on the dry beach.and ok in the salt water but you will have to tune it to the beach and move slow..

 

[gromu]

one more question, is CTX still leaking or they already fixed it?