Excalibur II or Safari on the Beach

[ColonelDan]

Discounting the water proof advantage of the Excalibur II, in your opinion and/or based on experience which is the better suited/designed machine for beach hunting...and finding... in both dry and wet sand?

I was told the FBS system of the Safari is superior to the Excal but being a relative novice, I don't know.

 

[Fletch88]

The FBS is a little deeper than BBS technology of the Excal in my findings and theoretically you could cherry pick more, skipping the Zincolns and clad, but I usually dig anything that's not iron or foil anyway. (Those drink lid seals can sound pretty good! ). I use the CTX , a modified Excal or a Sovereign GT. It all depends on surf conditions, and what mood I'm in I guess. Up in northeast FLA Beaches it's rare that I can actually water hunt and most of the time I'm reaching for the Sovereign GT with a 13" coil. I've never had the self control to try to cherry pick just gold, but some people do if the competition is stiff.

For wet/dry sand the Safari is an excellent machine and should be all you need unless the surf permits you to water hunt. You may try a 13" Ultimate or 15" WOT if you want major depth and coverage, but a harness will be almost a must for the WOT. They at very well built but also very heavy.

 

[DnD]

For wet/dry sand the Safari is an excellent machine and should be all you need unless the surf permits you to water hunt. You may try a 13" Ultimate or 15" WOT if you want major depth and coverage, but a harness will be almost a must for the WOT. They at very well built but also very heavy.

Fletch gave some excellent advice....especially regarding the targets. When alloys are mixed with Gold to created the various K levels of common jewelry, these targets can be displayed or give an audible signal that is the same as coins, jewelry or even junk.

What I like about the Safari is that it comes with a lightweight pro-coil. The Safari does have a screen, but after swinging the machine for a while, you'll start to recognize the audio tone and no longer look at the screen. Meanwhile, the Excal makes you learn the audio tones a bit quicker since it does not have a screen. The Excal can be waist mounted to reduce weight and arm fatigue. Also, the Excal means you will never get "rained-out" of a hunt!!!!

As far as depth, I really think this is splitting hairs. If both machines are on the same beach in auto mode and with the same size coils, its hard to tell the difference -- a difference that could be based on factory variances from production. Then once a user learns to better tune his/her machine, these differences are a mute point.

 

[bigscoop]

DnD brings up a couple of good points. Not all machines and coils are made to perform exactly the same, I went through several large coils, both the WOT and the SEF before I got one that really performs smooth/well. And I also agree that once you step up to the top of the line machines it really is, "the splitting of hairs." As for "cherry picking" and "VDI" reliability,...I think he is also dead on that they just aren't capable of doing what a lot of people think due to the various alloy blends and matrix variations, etc. As for improved "depth" BBS VS FBS, a lot of this belief simple comes from the later one boosting responses so there is no more faints as with the Excal. But as far as actual depth this can only be improved upon by increased power which isn't a factor. Bottom line, "when in doubt always dig." None of these machines are going to miss much if you get the coil over it, this being the ultimate factor.

 

[cudamark]

Discounting the water proof advantage of the Excalibur II, in your opinion and/or based on experience which is the better suited/designed machine for beach hunting...and finding... in both dry and wet sand?

I was told the FBS system of the Safari is superior to the Excal but being a relative novice, I don't know.

I've gone back and forth comparing the Excal and the E-trac and find the Excal in pin point goes a couple of inches deeper than the E-trac. Since the Safari has the same FBS system, I would expect about the same results.

 

[RustyGold]

Between my Explorer SE Pro (Safari like) and the Excal, for comfort and ease of swinging alone,
I prefer the Excalibur mounted to a straight shaft.
As far as one technology (FBS vs BBS) I can't tell much difference!
They both seem to do equally well!

 

[ColonelDan]

Thanks to all. That's good advice I can use!

 

[shawninNY]

If you'll never go in the water safari might be the machine for you! I use my excal hip mounted to cut down on drag when in waist deep water , I water hunt all year long mostly bays occasionally on the ocean beaches . Good luck bud