Looking for a real land and salt beach detector, help please Etrac? Infinum?

[Backstrap80]

Hello gang, I'm looking for a machine I can take with me on vacations/day trips to the west coast SF area. I use the Xterra 705 currently since I'm mainly after jewelry. Its effective with the 18kh WOT in the dry sand but not useful for me in the wet. I bought an Excal but couldn't justify $1000-$1500 sitting in the closet 95% of the time.
I make lots of day trips with the family and am looking for a machine I can use in the soil if possible and the wet sand. I'm debating everything, CTX3030 and be done (not much deep stuff around here) or Etrac, or maybe a cheaper salt dedicated machine like a whites dual, tesoro etc.
To sum it up, I want to be effective when I go to the beach, super depth isn't the most important, I won't use it at the beach enough to spend $1500 on a dedicated machine. If it's dedicated 4-$600 budget. Multi use land and salt I'll spend more. What say you guys? I'm leaning towards an Etrac or a used dual field or new sand shark for lifetime warranty.
Thanks for any in put.
If the Etrac is deeper than the dual field, sand shark, infinium on the west coast and will handle our famous black sand it may be the ticket.

 

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[airscapes]

Hello gang, I'm looking for a machine I can take with me on vacations/day trips to the west coast SF area. I use the Xterra 705 currently since I'm mainly after jewelry. Its effective with the 18kh WOT in the dry sand but not useful for me in the wet. I bought an Excal but couldn't justify $1000-$1500 sitting in the closet 95% of the time.
I make lots of day trips with the family and am looking for a machine I can use in the soil if possible and the wet sand. I'm debating everything, CTX3030 and be done (not much deep stuff around here) or Etrac, or maybe a cheaper salt dedicated machine like a whites dual, tesoro etc.
To sum it up, I want to be effective when I go to the beach, super depth isn't the most important, I won't use it at the beach enough to spend $1500 on a dedicated machine. If it's dedicated 4-$600 budget. Multi use land and salt I'll spend more. What say you guys? I'm leaning towards an Etrac or a used dual field or new sand shark for lifetime warranty.
Thanks for any in put.
If the Etrac is deeper than the dual field, sand shark, infinium on the west coast and will handle our famous black sand it may be the ticket.

Used DFX under $500 fits you needs to a T and still goes deep.

 

[cudamark]

If you're thinking new on the E-trac or Infinium, you're up there around the price of the Excalibur. The PI machines handle the black sand the best. The Excalibur, Sovereign GT, Explorer SE, E-trac, and CTX don't have much problem with it either. If you want just one machine that is waterproof, has no problem with salt water beaches, and works good at grass sites, the CTX is the machine for you. I wouldn't use a PI machine in a park If I wanted to keep what little I have left of my sanity.

 

[Randyg12]

I have both the E-Trac and CTX. If I were you I'd save some money and go with the E-Trac because there are more accessories available (coils) than with the CTX. I've had the E-Trac since it first came out and it's a killer machine for the dirt and the beach. Throw a 15" WOT coil it and you have great coverage for the beach. The Sunray 12.5" coil is a good beach coil too. It's more sensitive than the WOT and weighs about the same as the stock coil. I found a chain at the beach with the Sunray coil. My friend had the WOT and he had to actually rub the coil on the chain to get a tone. The Sunray could get a tone at about 2" from the chain.

The E-Trac will sniff out the older coins in dirt and with discrimation too. The E-Trac is an amazing machine. You can't go wrong with the E-Trac

 

[G.I.B.]

The Infinium is a noisy machine. It has a lot of quirks and nuances to learn.

It's not a turn on and find the goodies machine. It's squawks and talks and makes all kinds of noise in the surf.

Not the best beginning machine for a quick trip. It takes a lot of learning.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Go with the Etrac. There isn't much use for the CTX for what you describe, unless you intend to snorkel/scuba with it. Otherwise, the Etrac will suffice for everything you list. Works great in the wet salt AND on land.

To get any supposed extra depth that the CTX affords (up for debate), you'd have to go to the 17" coil. Which is a beast to swing, pinpoint, etc... (warbly and takes getting used to). And you can't use an in-line sunray probe with the CTX. So I'd stick with the Etrac, for the price range you cite.

 

[cudamark]

A lot will depend on how much you need a waterproof machine. The E-trac (and the Sovereign and Explorer) are not. If the cost is an issue with the one you want, you might look into a used detector. Maybe even borrowing or renting one if you're just going to use it once a year on vacation.

 

[Escape]

I can't comment on allot of the machines mentioned having not used them. I do own a whites DFX which was the first detector recommended. I can tell you that it operates on two frequencies making it very stable and productive in the wet salt sand. In fact it is the same detector as the White Beach hunter with our the adjustments of the DFX.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

Stick with your X-terra for the dirt, get a used Sovereign for the wet sand. Just trust me ok, GL HH Mike

 

[Terry Soloman]

Stick with your X-terra for the dirt, get a used Sovereign for the wet sand. Just trust me ok, GL HH Mike

Good advice. Of course, I would keep the X-terra for dirt and dry sand, and get the Sand Shark for wet-sand and saltwater.

 

[scaupus]

keep the xterra and get a used white's beach hunter 300 for the beach for around 450-500. Goes underwater, sensitive to small gold, even chains, as is the DFX, and it discriminates even in all metal. I don't know how well it handles black sand.

Or, get the ctx 3030 and sell everything else to help pay for it. I've seen them for 1600 on ebay.

 

[SouthFLdigger]

I can concur, i have a DFX and a Whites Beach Hunter ID. Both work very well in my low mineral wet salty sand down to 10-11" on a quarter. Do keep in mind that a DFX and any of the minelabs will have a slightly steep learning curve.