Before buying any detector, I carefully review the users manuals (down load from the internet - no cost) to determine which detector best matches my needs, hunting style and specific beach conditions.
Since I hunt all domains (dry land, wet land, shallow water, and also dive), ruggedness and flexibility are most important to me. I prefer the Sea Hunter because it supports different size search coils and headphones. I consider this a real advantage as it allows me to optimize a detector for specific beach conditions and my hunting style. An example is that I would use a smaller size search coil for shallow water hunting and a larger size coil for wet sand.
I do not like hard wired head sets and search coils as they have to be returned to the factory for repair if
the pins of the wiring are pulled or cable frayed. It is expensive costing $70 for shipping and insurance plus time and effort to return detector to stock condition for repair and down time of two to three weeks.
The Sand Shark has an advantage in that it is easy to home in on a target in the water where I moslty detect, as it has a Variable Controlled Oscillator (VCO), aka screaming meamie, which changes frequency and volume (TBV) as you get closer to the target. It is very affordable, usually has the lowest purchase price and comes with a life time warranty to the original purchaser. This life time warranty can be a disadvantage if you needed to sell it as the warranty cannot be transferred when it is re sold. It can also eat you alive, in shipping costs, if you end up with a lemon, that has to be frequently to the manufacturer for repair.
The whites dual field surf PI Pro is an excellent detector which is ideal for detecting wet and non trashy dry sand at salt water beaches. It covers a lot of area fast with its 12 inch search coil and accruately pinpoints with the smaller inner 6 inch search coil. It will take a little getting used to as the detector must be kept in motion when pinpointing - this could be a disadvantage in shallow water hunting and diving. Plus I have read that it is a little corky - but this is no big deal.
I found that its treshold is much more stable (an advantage) over the multifrequency VLF detectors that I hunt with in all metal mode.
Thanks for the info Ron. Why did you sell the sea hunter? Still undecided as to what machine to buy. I've been reading reviews, watching videos, etc for 2 weeks now, seems the more I look into the below models the harder the decision is.
Tesoro sand shark
white's surf pi
garrett sea hunter