Excalibur vs Excalibur II (advice please)

freightdawg747

Jr. Member
Sep 29, 2008
40
2
Fort Mill, SC
Detector(s) used
F75, Minelab Excalibur 1000, Garrett Pro Pointer
I am going to purchase an Excalibur this spring and would like to know what features does the Excal. II have over the Excalibur 1000. I have found a few Excalibur 1000 models for around $500 and the II cant be found for any less than $1198 it seems. I am just trying to determine if the extra $ for a new unit is worth it.

Added Edit : I just looked at Minelabs site and the specs seem to be pretty much the same except for some cosmetic differences.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,433
54,820
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have owned 2 Excals, still own one, but never owned the Excall II. The biggest difference is you can pick up a good used Excal for a lot less money then the new Excall II. You can no longer get the extended warranty on the Excal II's. I have seen good used excals go for $500-$800, thats a big $ difference. You can buy a lot of extra supplies with the money saved.

My personal opinion, and it's just my opinion, if you can get a good Excal for $500 grab it. Your not going to see $700 difference in between the two.
 

Dixie Digger

Hero Member
Sep 11, 2006
563
3
Ga
Detector(s) used
Sovereign GT W/S12 Coil & Excal 1000 & Fisher CZ21 Cz20,Tesoro Tiger Shark Excal ll
iv owned 4 Excal 1000 and 1 Excal ll 1000....the only diff i found was the coil was much lighter on the Excal ll ...i personally believe the Excal ll is the best water detector on the market today! if i were given a choice id pay the extra $500 for the Excal ll (NEW) and get a warranty.im thinking about selling my GT and CZ20 and buying another Excal ll. good luck.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,433
54,820
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Dixie,

I'm curious, if the only difference you have seen is the coil is lighter on the II, why pay $500-$700 more for the warranty when it is only good for 1 year now, it was different when it was 3 years? If you use a harness the weight is never an issue.

I agree on the Excal , if I didn't have the custom waterproofed Sovereign GT, my Excal would be my primary water detector instead of my backup detector.

Good luck and good hunting..........
 

Captain Loosechange

Sr. Member
Nov 24, 2007
385
26
Kingsport, TN
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030, Garrett AT Pro, Garrett SeaHunter Mark II, Tesoro Stingray
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I am no expert by far, nor do I claim to be as I have just recently purchased a New Excal II and did get the 2 year warranty. I believe the only differeces are 1. a better longer lasting battery on the Excall II and from reading Clive James Clynicks book 2. The Excal II is a little more stable. I never owned the original so I can't offer a personal opinion. However I did read a review of the Excal II in Lost Treasure Magazine sometime last year and it was written by Andy Sabisch who is another expert on the minelabs and he pointed out that the Excal II was an evolutionary product as oppossed to a revolutionary product. I think you can go on the Lost Treasure website and read his review. I bought a new one because I wanted the warranty on something that is to be used in the water which is the harshest environment for a metal detector. I would suggest that if you could try out a used Excal and confirm that nothing is wrong with it that the subtle differences aren't worth $500, and after you make a few finds with it you could always buy a new Excal II or wait and see "what they think of next". Anyway both machines from all I've read are incredible for the water. Good luck with your decision and HH :icon_pirat:
 

OP
OP
freightdawg747

freightdawg747

Jr. Member
Sep 29, 2008
40
2
Fort Mill, SC
Detector(s) used
F75, Minelab Excalibur 1000, Garrett Pro Pointer
I would like to thank everyone for their replies and help in my search for an Excalibur. I have found one that a dealer had in a water damaged box at a great price. The clincher was that since it is coming froma dealer I get the full warranty.
 

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