Havent seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

wyobuck · Dec 3, 2009

Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

Does anyone have a comparison. Price difference is pretty big $799 for Whites and $543 for the Shark.

Sandman · Dec 5, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

First, welcome to TNet. :hello:

I have used the Sand Shark and the other Whites PI's but not the Dual Field at a saltwater beach yet. I can tell you that I much prefer the Tesoro Sand Shark for a couple reasons. Unless the Dual Field has the orange O ring, it will leak down the road. I've never even heard of the Tiger or Sand Shark leaking. Batteries seem to last forever in the Tesoro.

Biggest thing you need to worry about is the Coil on the Whites. Whites water machines coils are light weight for the majority of hunters that hunt the dry sand and they float like a cork in the wet. Doesn't matter if Freshwater where it wouldn't float as much or salt water where it will float more. They are advertised as "near Neutral Buoyant" but they all float unless you have the sinking model coil installed. Other manufactures like Fisher, Minelab or Tesoro don't seem to have coils that float and I can't understand why Whites still has this problem.

Bottom line, the Dual Field is nice, but if you have to work at holding down the coil it isn't worth the money. Sorry.....

wyobuck · Dec 5, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

Thanks for your response and advice, what did you think about the depth comparison? Clive Clynick along with Lance Rigg claim that the DF the deepest machine on the beach. From all of the information I have gathered to this point, it goes very deep 20" +, an improvement over the previous Whites models. I have read that the Sand Shark goes deep too, but not quite as deep as the DF. I have not come across anything about the leaking. I believe if you take care of the O ring and even have a spare on hand, you should be ok. Hey I have used my 5 X 10 DD Minelab coils in water several times against some advice on another forum and have had no problem. I did personally speak to Trina at ML in Vegas, and she told me it was submersible. There is conflicting information on this topic however. Well thanks again for your input. I live near Kellyco and like to be able to see a machine before I purchase it. Can't seem to find a dealer that sells Tesoro around here.

John (Ma) · Dec 5, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

Sounds like your mind is made up already. 20" worth of digging is quite a task if your staying out for a while, especially in the surf.

wyobuck · Dec 5, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

Yeah I guess I made up my mind and bought one at Kellyco last night. I know there will be alot of digging, but hopefully there will be positive results. I plan on using it in mostly clean areas where I have used my Xterra for hours sometimes and found only a few targets. Again , if I could have checked out a Sand Shark, maybe I would have tried it instead. Kellyco keeps stating that they will be carrying Tesoro soon, but so far no sign of them. I guess Tesoro is holding back. Kellyco sure sells lots of detectors.

Thanks

John (Ma) · Dec 5, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

There were issues in the past with Tesoro and Kellyco. Personally it does not bother me that they do not carry them and am glad that they don't. I think individual dealers will give more for the bang. A new detector can only be sold at a discounted price within accordance to manufacturer demands. Sometimes I see the larger places giving out packages that are a lot of extra junk. I personally have had better luck with small dealers and I have traveled over an hour and a half away to accomplish this. Same with guns for example, I will pay an extra buck at a local shop before going to wally world. The repor goes along way. Not that the big department stores don't have a place in the market, but the smaller dealers will give back so much more in the long run. Just a personal opinion. I hope you enjoy your Whites PI machine, they make a very good detector. :icon_thumleft:

U.K. Brian · Dec 16, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

Hope you will post some performance figures because I returned one as the depth was poor then tried out another which only managed the same depths as the first. Depths quoted were "finding coins consistantly at 18 inches". On my beaches at best you could say consistantly at 9 inches with the odd large coin coming deeper.

It could be the reports of great depth are on the Florida beaches with no black sand or that magic beach where its claimed an XLT can get 15 inches.

You should not have any problems with leaks as the new seals seem much improved.

Sandman · Dec 20, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

If I was young again I would get those deep detectors for the chances of getting a beep on the deepest rings. Whites has improved the water detectors so they don't leak like they did. Many don't really take care of the O-rings and then trash mouth the detectors to many others in this site and others.

Personally I don't wanna dig in the surf for plus 20 inches on the chance it is a goodie. But it comes down to how much you want to have fun.

wyobuck · Dec 26, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

U.K. Brian, you asked for some performance results and here is what I have found so far. First off, I have read that it would take awhile to get used to and understand the target responses. Well after a few times out, I was beginning to ID many of my targets before I dug and boy did I dig

. I read Clive's book on Pulse machines several times now and agree with all that he has to say about the PI DF. He also states that he uses all of his machines as if they were pulse machines and he believes that has contributed to his success.
I did not find it hard to hear my targets, my girlfriend couldn't believe some of the stuff I came up with. I found a piece of wire no thicker than a pin and about 1/2 inch in length at least 18 " down. I knew it was gonna be junk by the soft ramp sound, but I am still pretty much digging everything just to learn my equipment as best I can. That gave me the confidence to know that I would hear valuables at equal depths with no problems. It is easy to determine a nail or a bobby pin because I always get a double tone. Found plenty of clads and a silver bracelet so far and look forward to every target. Have found coins below 2 feet already. The machine is everything Clive has claimed.
Now the beaches I search are pretty clean, I don't know how long I will dig before I pull out my Xterra when there is lots of trash, but so far I am loving it! Will post some pictures soon.
Thanks to all who have commented and Happy New Year!!

wyobuck · Dec 27, 2009

Re: Haven't seen this yet?? Whites Surf PI Dual Field Vs. Tesoro Sand Shark

Ok here are some finds with the Dual Field. The wire was down past 18". I know, who wants to dig that deep for junk. Hey it breaks up the swinging. :laughing9:

The silver bracelet or necklace wasn't down more than 8". Not sure about the next item. looks like an "8" on the front. I thought it was a silver cob, but the back is flat and not stamped. Was found on Fla's Treasure Coast. Next we have a 2002 clad penny, surely people won't be finding them on the beach after 20 years or so. Look how the salt has eaten it away.

kinigit · Aug 31, 2012

Found this while doing a search. Thanks for providing the info it gives me some good feedback on the detector. I am looking at getting one used and this helped.

U.K. Brian · Sep 1, 2012

Because no one out of the U.S. could manage the depths that were being quoted by a few I bought a D.F. and allow people to try it themselves. They could not manage these extreme depths. Deeper than a Sand Shark but that's also not a deep pulse machine. As it was then claimed that the degree of salt in the sea was giving different results I then asked Gary Drayton (of the Florida Treasure Fleets finds fame) to also test the detector. As by this time size of ring had been quoted, not just depth as before, a meaningful test could be done. His answer was that the ring would have to be three times heavier to match the figures.

All the super depths are results of people digging past the target and it then dropping down into the now very deep hole. All you have to do is use either test pegs or bury a ring on a string as the tide goes out into the liquid sand. Sand soon hardens up. Then get various beach machines, BBS, FBS, Pulse and give then a real test. Whites (after a loud groan) when I spoke to them did not like or claim these extreme depths and said it created problems as so many felt that their new detector was not working correctly and were wondering if they should be returned for repair.

As with all detectors try before you buy is the only way to avoid an expensive mistake.

Octopulse · Sep 1, 2012

Thank you Brian for putting some sense into this thread.
18" on that piece of wire.......ain't going to happen.
Gee, I have done proper tests on some of the purest white sand beaches in the world (Esperance, Australia).
Tested Minelab SD2200, Goldquest SS, Deepstar........managed the nickel at about 14" - 15" maximum depth.
So Wyobuck measured his target as he dug, carefully scraping away an inch at a time, never letting it drop further down into the hole........and there it was, a half inch piece of straight wire "down past 18""......that's nearly half a metre folks !!!
Sorry, but I am sick to the back teeth of these posters, posting BS across all the forums about depths.
I have used a Minelab GPX5000 and it can manage the nickel at the 15" mark..........I should be getting it at 24" according to some. Shame on me....

U.K. Brian · Sep 1, 2012

Just had a pointer to Terry Solomans ring finds over two years on the Tesoro section of the forum. Guess it should bring Tesoro's beach machine sales to a halt. The Whites Dual Field isn't bad but why set people up to be disappointed ?

norbyx · Sep 3, 2012

Well com'on what's with all this fighting.
You all are entitled to your opinion.
One thing is for sure terry is like a scratched LP... "tesoro is the best, (scratch) tesoro is the best (scratch) tesoro is the best", it's the only company that has a lifetime warranty, its the only company that has lifetime warranty, ecc...ecc...
Well I have heard more than one story that the warranty wasn't "free" like many other manufacturers. Also everyone knows that tesoro might have some good detectors out there but all of the other brands have good detectors as well and tesoro isn't the only brand out there and there are superior detectors.

That sead, I understand that if a company is sponsoring someone, that someone has to swear for that company, in my case I see it a bit like selling the soul to the devil, I rather have a "objective" prospective and admit that some other MD brands do produce top notch detectors and that tesoro, even if good, might not always be "the best".

Terry Soloman · Sep 4, 2012

norbyx said:
Well com'on what's with all this fighting.
You all are entitled to your opinion.
One thing is for sure terry is like a scratched LP... "tesoro is the best, (scratch) tesoro is the best (scratch) tesoro is the best", it's the only company that has a lifetime warranty, its the only company that has lifetime warranty, ecc...ecc...
Well I have heard more than one story that the warranty wasn't "free" like many other manufacturers. Also everyone knows that tesoro might have some good detectors out there but all of the other brands have good detectors as well and tesoro isn't the only brand out there and there are superior detectors.

That sead, I understand that if a company is sponsoring someone, that someone has to swear for that company, in my case I see it a bit like selling the soul to the devil, I rather have a "objective" prospective and admit that some other MD brands do produce top notch detectors and that tesoro, even if good, might not always be "the best".

Look, let's get this straight folks. Tesoro DOES NOT SPONSOR me, or Arizona Gold Adventures.com

In the past, Tesoro HAS been an equipment sponsor for our gold prospecting school in Arizona, and we are DARN PROUD to STILL be using the Arizona made Tesoro Lobo Super Traq, as our Exclusive VLF machine. Why? Because it is the easiest to learn and use metal detector on the market today that is fully capable of finding BB-sized gold nuggets and, it is made in Arizona, by Arizonans that I know personally. Oh, and when one of our students drops one off a cliff, or slams it in the door of our Jeep, Tesoro fixes or replaces it Fast! Nobody pays us to use the Minelab GPX 5000 as our exclusive PI machine either, yet we own 15 of them. Why? Because like the Lobo ST, they are the best tool in the world for the job they have been designed to do.

This aint my first rodeo..

mortarman · Sep 6, 2012

White's makes good machines. Garrett makes good machines. Fisher makes good machines. Teknetics makes good machines. Minelab makes good machines. Bounty Hunter makes good machines. Tesoro makes good machines. If I forgot any other manufactures I apologize. People will find one or two maker of metal detectors and like them. We are all entitled to our opinions. Get over yourselves and lets all have a drink. :occasion14:

Can't we all just get along?

U.K. Brian · Sep 7, 2012

Yes Tesoro make good detectors but not that good. I had a Lobo and at the time it was one of the best. At the time. Things move on. If anyone cares to look back over past posts on this and other forums you will see that after Terry has earned his reward by pushing Tesoros he then denies any responsibility. People find they haven't bought the best, or even the best at a set price and moan "I bought on your suggestion", "you talked me into buying one" etc etc. His reply is along the lines of how can I talk anyone into buying anything ? Well perhaps by saying that particular detector is the best.

Unfortunately for Terry he thinks everyone is bought and sold and as bad at detecting as he is. But there are honest people left on the forums. As he seems able to insult and lie at will (against the forums rules) people should decide if they want to follow those that have left this forum. Meanwhile he should get a job as he must have to much time on his hands and get rid of that childish avatar !