Going toward retirement: Which one???

[apush]

Hello all.
I have viewed this particular forum with a great degree of envy. I am generally on the CRH forum. I am getting very close to retirement and we are buying (next summer) a house in Galveston near the beach. I know each beach region is different as the sand has varied types of minerals. That said, which detector would be most useful for the type of sand located in Galveston?

I have been thinking along the lines of the new Garrett AT-Pro machine, but just want a few ideas. I am a "scarety" cat, so I won't go in the water beyond my knees--if at that.

The scoop is also on my mind, as I weight a whopping 100lbs. And, yes, I hunt, but mostly land areas with my great ACE 250. So yes, I am inexperienced in the realm of the sea as I currently live 7 hours from the Gulf of Mexico. I am so concerned, however--at my age of 51--and technologically disadvantaged, if I can muster enough brainpower to conquer one of those "high dollar" machines.

apush (dreaming about retirement and the surf and sand).

 

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[bootybay]

Dont rule out the excal 2, its easy as pie to use and learn..am serious.. go for it..

 

[OBN]

I agree with BootyBay, (she is one of Jersey's toughest hunters out there) the closer you get to the water the better chance of finding Gold, and the Excalibur will increase your chances. You might want to think about the 8 inch first, maybe BB can ad to that. I love my little 8's. And if you feel unsafe in the water wear a Manuel inflate PFD, I have 2 and use them alot, they don't have to be inflated all the time, but you can blow them up at anytime with the small tube connected to the inflatable if you feel unsafe..Riley's Scoops has a nice lite aluminum scoop, I think it's the 733, comes in around 3 pounds and heavy duty enough to handle all you can give it. You will need a nice finds pouch for the Gold and treasure, check with John here on the forum, had his for 3 years now, and it's tuff and lite. Just one more thing, get yourself some good scuba dive shoes if the surf is ruff..Mine are the O'Neil, 5mm neoprene's, with a strap on the top to keep the sand out.........That just about covers it......and have funny, retirement sounds great, think mines in 21 months...

Oo'One thing be ready........for this...........

 

[goodmore]

In to your knees has Sovereign written all over it. The Sovereign will find anything an Excalibur will find. It can be hip or chest mounted to take the weight off. It is cheaper. You can use any headphones or coil you want to unlike the Excalibur. The only thing you can't do is get the box wet.

 

[47thelement]

Apush-

May I speak as a fellow CRHer, school system employee, and Ace 250 owner. I highly recommend the Minelab Excalibur II. It is simple modify to a hip or chest mount for less than $10, without voiding any warranty, 100% H2O proof! Try to get a used one from a charter member on the forum here. The older ones are so much better than the current models.

Get yourself a couple scoops, one that is about 3 feet long and the scoop has a capacity of approximately 1/2 gallon. This will be when you don't feel like getting you're feet wet. The other is a long handle scoop. This is a person preference. What ever the largest scoop you can lift full of mud, sand, clay, water, pull tabs, coins and gold. And still be able to shake while be being hit by waves.

Good luck and have a good year with the kids

47thelement

 

[gravediggermax-vabeachva]

Apush

like booty and beechnut...goodmore

excal or gt..............never can go wrong..........with the gt.......u can change coils in 1 min. and headphones in 15 sec.
hip mounted gt or chestmounted.....put in back pack........JUST SWING THE SHAFT AND COIL.

AtPro.....okay, but heavy and unbalanced.........just my opinion......i find mine to be.

above info. is for 100% beach hunting and is based on that.......dry, damp, wet and water.

scoop........scoops..........the problem u have is the minelabs can find targets deep, so that makes digging with a smaller scoop a lot of WORK.........so u have a tufffff choice......ina/ aka fireworks uses the reily's 733....5" alum.....has nice bill length and is light, so it will work ok in the dry zone also...........still will be a hard choice for you to make and u will probably end up with several before u end up with something u like.

keep us posted

 

[bigscoop]

I see you're currently using the Ace 250 so I'd go with something that you can transition into fairly easy. The AT Pro isn't without its problems, some like it while others are having problems so I think I'd allow more time for all the bugs and issues to get worked out. The Sov GT is an excellent machine but there will be quite a bit of transitioning to go through simply because of the difference in technology, this can get confusing and frustrating and it will take a while before you're comfortable hunting with it. Given the machine you're currently using and the tone I.D. you're use to, I'd go with the CZ-21. You should be able to transition into using the machine with no problems, the control box can be hip mounted, it has a built in pin-point feature, they hunt deep with a good discrimination range, and you seldom hear of anyone having problems with them. In other words, they are a top of the line machine, they are easy to transition into, they hunt deep and provide excellent discrimination capabilities, and above all else, they are very reliable. Also, in the event you do have an issue, Fisher has great service with fast turnaround.

 

[MBbeachrat]

I have only been MD for 6 months but here's my experience. I started with a Whites DF PI. The pulse machine is easy to use but I was digging more then hunting. You cannot discriminate with a pulse machine unless your one of the lucky few that can tell the difference between the sounds. I then purchased a CZ 21 and found much more good stuff and almost no junk. I hip mount it and it is very light with the 8" coil. The machine also comes with a straight shaft which is nice. I have used the Excal II and found it to be very nice also but I have limited time with it and cannot say if one is better then the other. I been MD the beach (Delaware & Florida) almost every day for six months and most beach hunters I see and talk to use the Excal. Most of the older hunters I have talked to use the CZ and prefer it to the Excal. The best hunter in my area of Delaware told me to get the 8" coil. I was worried about such a small coil on the beach but, I am now happy I went with it. Most beach CZ I have talked to prefer the 8". It seems to cover as much as my 12" DF. If a place targets in the sand and sweep both coils the CZ is picking it up just about the same place from center of the coil as the 12". The people at Fisher also say most beach hunters prefer the 8" coil. They have had many replace the 8" with a 10.5" then request them to attach the 8" again. The 8" is also better to locate smaller jewelry. The reason I did not get the Excal was a reliability issue and the short warranty. Many Excal users I know get two, so they have a back up and they really need it, but it does get the gold for sure.

 

[lookindown]

You say you like your Ace 250 so I think you would love the AT pro. If you are going to hunt knee deep and less it is lighter than the other water machines. The 8.5x11 coil gives you great coverage beach hunting. I use mine in standard mode and its like an Ace 250, only deeper. You will have no learning curve, and you can move up to the pro mode at your own pace, that's what I'm doing. The beaches I hunt are very mild with no black sand, The Texas beaches may be different. Maybe someone that has used an ATpro on Texas beaches will give you some info. The CZ21 is a great machine but if you hip mount it because of the weight, I don't know how you could use the pinpoint button. I know the veterans don't use pinpoint but a lot of people do. To get the right scoop for you it would be good to get some hands on experience. You need the biggest scoop you can handle. Anyone you see using one at the beach would probally be glad to let you try it out.

 

[apush]

Thanks to everyone! Tisk, Tisk. So many choices so that means I will probably buy more than one detector and try them out. I am just curious about the type of sand I will be hunting in Galveston. As an educator, I understand that it is important to ask the "right questions," so I am hoping I am asking those questions. I will learn . . . and I am very grateful for the responses. Less than 365 days to retirement.

apush

 

[seeker41]

excalibur or cz20/21..........capable of going in the water on purpose or accidentally. both are multi frequency units that hunt in saltwater with ease.

the at pro not nearly is as good as the units mentioned above for salt.

 

[Bobbie]

I own both the AT Pro and the Excal. The AT Pro is a good machine when it comes to discriminating out ferous, it is noisy and you have to learn the sounds and watch the meter. You also have to decrease the sensitivity in salt water because she tends to false. Always make sure you ground balance when changing conditons. Like Max said, it tends to be unbalanced. The Excal to is a very good machine made for the water. If you are only going up to your knees, that it's going to last very long because curiosity gets the best of us. I have a friend who hunts the Galvaston area and it is said to be full of iron, so you will need the small coil to be able to hunt between the trash. You would need a straight shaft for the Excal because the stock shaft tends to make the machine unbalanced and very heavy. The Sov GT is a land version of the Excal....BUT drop that control box in the water and it's history. If money is the issue, then go with the AT Pro......for the price you cannot go wrong.

 

[rsc]

I have a CZ20 and an Excal 1000. Last time I used the CZ was 3 years ago. The Excal IS that much better, in my opinion. I do use the CZ20's straight shaft on the Excal, though. Works well.
You will need at least 2 scoops, probably 3. Probably start with a 6" aluminum long handle.
I use my alum in fresh water where there is little or no current. In Galveston I can not hit my foot with the aluminum one. You will need a heavier stainless scoop for Galveston surf hunting, eventually.
Let me know when you guys come down next time, and I will show you some options. HH Gayle

 

[Terry Soloman]

Hello all.
I have viewed this particular forum with a great degree of envy. I am generally on the CRH forum. I am getting very close to retirement and we are buying (next summer) a house in Galveston near the beach. I know each beach region is different as the sand has varied types of minerals. That said, which detector would be most useful for the type of sand located in Galveston?

I have been thinking along the lines of the new Garrett AT-Pro machine, but just want a few ideas. I am a "scarety" cat, so I won't go in the water beyond my knees--if at that.

The scoop is also on my mind, as I weight a whopping 100lbs. And, yes, I hunt, but mostly land areas with my great ACE 250. So yes, I am inexperienced in the realm of the sea as I currently live 7 hours from the Gulf of Mexico. I am so concerned, however--at my age of 51--and technologically disadvantaged, if I can muster enough brainpower to conquer one of those "high dollar" machines.

apush (dreaming about retirement and the surf and sand).

Hi Apush! First, beach detecting is a BLAST! It is divided into two realms - 1) DRY sand; and 2) Wet sand and Water. I wrote an article for Lost Treasure, that will help you: "Beach and Water Detecting 101: Getting Started," which you can find here http://www.AmericanBeachDetecting.com A lot of beach detectorists use one machine, the Minelab Excallibur, which is a souped-up "VLF" (very low frequency) detector, and is one of the ONLY VLF machines that works on both wet and dry sand. I advocate TWO detectors for the beach - A VLF for the dry, and a PI (pulse induction) for the wet. Get a GOOD scoop! Trying to go cheap will wend up COSTING MORE!

Good Luck! - T

 

[MBbeachrat]

Hello all.
I have viewed this particular forum with a great degree of envy. I am generally on the CRH forum. I am getting very close to retirement and we are buying (next summer) a house in Galveston near the beach. I know each beach region is different as the sand has varied types of minerals. That said, which detector would be most useful for the type of sand located in Galveston?

I have been thinking along the lines of the new Garrett AT-Pro machine, but just want a few ideas. I am a "scarety" cat, so I won't go in the water beyond my knees--if at that.

The CZ 20 or CZ 21 works on both wet and dry sand also. Key in "Excalibur vs CZ 20" or "Excalibur vs CZ 21" in Google. Read the reviews, you will see most think they are about the same.Actually the CZ 21 goes deeper in dry then the Excalibur according to most test. I can set sensitivity on CZ21 to 6 and not here the change form dry to wet and it still goes deep. I also used the Excaliber and like it. Will be getting one, but never getting rid of my CZ 21. Not sure which one I will use the most. CZ 21 in the dry for sure, but I don't do the dry much. Will be getting rid of my pulse because I don't want to be digging and digging. All the digging waste to much time. I see a lot of photos of finds from pulse guys and see more junk then good stuff. I know my good stuff has really grown since I switched to a VLF (CZ 21). Most beachhunters that purchased PI machines don't use them once they get a good VLF machine. Google "PI or VLF for beachunting"

 

[froggy38383]

I recently purchased a Sand Shark and so far I have liked it a lot, This is a PI detector so there is no discrimination, it picks up everything.

It has a versatile control box which can be hip mounted, or mounted three different ways on the shaft.

THe headphones are also hard wired, and are completely water proof.

The coils are hardwired so they cannot be changed. Mine has the 8" coil which works well for me. I think this unit weighs about 5 lbs.

I have not used it yet on a salt water area, so I cannot say how well it works there.

 

[njnydigger]

Can't go wrong with either a Excalibur, Sovereign GT or a CZ20/21. I'd say get the CZ20 though Fisher doesn't make them anymore, but, you can pick-up a used one online. The new model is the CZ21. Same EXACT thing as the 20, but, the older 20's were a bit better made. If you can't find a used 20, a new 21 will be MORE than enough for you to conquer the beaches.

Easy-as-pie to use. Many options available. You can hunt in 'auto-tune' or all-metal mode. This mode gets the deepest depth, but, you have to dig it all as there is only one tone - no differentiating between different metals. You also have the option of hunting in discriminate mode. In this setting you will have (3) separate tones; a low tone for iron, a medium tone for gold (and pull-tabs ) & a high tone for silver and coins. Again, easy, easy, easy

Chest mount is the way to go. Just buy the strap and the box goes over your torso like a harness. Or, you can hip mount it or just leave the box on the detector. However, leaving the box on the detector makes it become MIGHTY heavy after a little while on the beach. Also, harder to swing the unit through the water if you're gonna be waist deep or deeper.

Good luck!!!

 

[Underground Economy]

I like the Minelab Safari. The digital meter is accurate and will save you from digging tons of junk.
The weight of the machine would be a problem but not one that can't be solved. I made
a shoulder harness with rugged cotton belts, bungee cords and metal clips.
Kellyco sells a light weight hand scoop with a five year warranty for just over $50.
You can get a used Safari on Ebay. You can watch the Safari in action on YouTube by just
typing in "Minelab Safari." I heard the Garrett you're considering falses a lot.
Good luck..I took up metal metal detecting 5+ years ago after I retired from the Atl. PD.

 

[Tony in FL]

Another vote for an Excal! That detector has super versatility - from scuba diving to fields/parks. Personally I would stay away from anything non-waterproof if you feel that you will want to be in the water. I had an e-trac for a while but I got tired of being chased in by the tides and worrying about getting it wet.