Older Excals vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

[Silver Surfer]

Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

With all the chatter here and on several other MD sites about Minelab repair problems, etc., I have come to a "conclusion" that the newer Excal's are having more issues than the older ones...
Seems that more repairs are being needed on machines that are 5 yrs old or newer compared to those older than 5 yrs..
I have spoken (er, typed) to many Excal owners whose machines are even 10 yrs old that have never had an issue, and it SEEMS like so many of us are having problems and even repeat problems with our machines that are damn near new (my machine is only 1 1/2 yrs old)... MT Pockets has a machine that was just serviced a year ago, yet had to send it back in for more problems..

What, if anything, was changed in the machine, or manufacture process (different electronics vendor, different assembly company/personnel, etc.) that could be causing this seeming newer machine issue... But your input could either strengthen this theory, or blow it out of the water as just a coincidence...
Let's hear from all the Excal owners out there....

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

I have 2 that were built 2006 or later, and have only had a problem with one, one time, left side of headphone went out......

 

[Dixie Digger]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

iv owned 6 Excal's from the oldest to the new. iv never had to send one in for repairs,but i will say the last 2 Excal 2's i had were just not as well built as the older models.knobs loose,decal peal...the only thing i see better is the coil is thinner and the NIMH battery..other than that i like the one made just before the Excal ll....

 

[Sandman]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

I have the older Excal 1000 and only had to send it back once for a bad coil that allowed water to enter. It was fixed for free even though it was out of warranty. I suspect the newer Excall II's are prone to more problems because when Minelab was sold the new owners cut corners with cheaper materials and or the whole manufactoring operation. Maybe both.

 

[Mackaydon]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

Mine is over 8 years old.
A couple of years ago, the arm rest broke off and Minelab Vegas sent me TWO better built ones for free.
Happy owner, Don....

 

[Silver Surfer]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

Although only a few Excal owners have posted, my theory might just be right.... Like I said, I have been in contact with quite a few people, two more today, that have the old style 800's and 1000's... One guy today has one from the 90's and not one issue, and uses it a lot in the salt..
I have a feeling that Sandman is spot on... With my first Excal purchase, I had two machines (including MT Pockets machine) that I was going to buy, but they had problems... Then I buy the one, and within 2 months I had to send it in.. All three were the latest models, and well taken care of... Hmmmm..
I am looking at an older 800 now for a backup machine...

 

[Smudge]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

I definitely notice more postings about mechanical failures with the newer models.

 

[Jimmie]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

I have a 1995 hand built Gary Storm Excalibur that I purchased new. I have owned a couple newer Excalibur's models but sold them and kept the 95 model.

 

[kando]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

From what i see and hear from my hunting bud's is that they all think that ......Minelab and Fisher...... are not up to par since they are big Corp's with the detector business as a sideline............. and really do not care for takeing care of the owners of the cheaper detectors they are makeing now.................And charging big bucks for.............. Almost every one i know that has a newer model minelab has had to send it back for some kind of repair .................... That is what happens when big company's take over ............ ............. So i don't think i will be buying a newer model Minelab or Fisher . For there quality is why down from what they were before .

 

[helix-2000]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

I have the newer model EXcal and the only problem I have had is having to clean out the sand between th cover and the coil. Other than something I have control over I have had no issues using the Excal in salt and lake water.

 

[birdman]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

Theres a Excal 800 on EBAY right now but he says it has a bad battery..

 

[Keppy]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

Christoff..

It's kinda the "Luck of the draw" these days....

I have a buddy who had sent both of his Excal's in... and after 2 months he received them back.. and One of them still had the same Issue.......
as when he sent it in.....

It's A "Quality Control" Issue.. I believe... Not 100% sure... but.. It's a very Good Guesstimate though....'Cause I had the same issue.. as many others have too..sending it back in for the same problem...

Excal owners suffering from the same issues... from many Different On-line Forums.... Search around.. PM me... and I'll show you all the different posts from Everyone....

Listen.. When I pay top dollar for my Equipment... I Have NO Loyalty issue's..... I'm the Name em and shame em type of person... Whether it's Minelab, Whites, Tesoro.. or whoever....


I'm not the Brown noser Company Loyal swear by.. type of guy.......

If I have an issue .. You can bet your Arse.. That I'm going to share it... With Everyone...


Truth be told....................................

Listen.... Fix it Properly the First time... We invest a Lot of Money into your product.......


and if this is going to be a Normal thing... where we have to send our machines back in for service 2-3 times a year... Well... Then, I personally don't think that it's worth the Cost of paying $1,200 + plus for a New Machine....
JMO..


I wanna Spend my hard earned money on a Machine that has a Dependable Track record.... I don't wanna have to Waste my Time.and Money... every couple of months having to send my machine Back to the Manufacture to have it repaired.. over and over again.....

Do it right the first time !!!!!

Well put yes sir you got it right on....................... I'm almost afraid to send a detector in for repairs anymore.........

 

[Silver Surfer]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

I am that way too MT..... I dont care what something costs, it is the way I am treated that keeps me coming back, or moving on...
I know of quite a few people that have whites machines that are older than I am.. Never had issues... One recently told me he sent in his ANTIQUE model to whites, and they said they would do all they could to repair it... Guess what... THEY DID.. He is so happy, as it was his first detector. I told him he should just put it away and leave it to his grandkids, since it is already a relic... "No way, I'm gonna use it" and "I like it better than that damn new one I got anyway"...
I laughed so hard, cause when you see this old thing, it is just plain strange looking.. But still has all the decals on it and is in mint condition.. Wish I had it..
It is really too bad when someone builds a great company, and instead of doing like they did in the old days and "handing it down", the owner decides to take the big bucks and sell out.. Then instead of a person who is proud of the "family" product, you have a board who could give two squats about what they put out, just as long as the bonus's and dividends are still paid out...
I will say this in closing... Due to the problems I have seen with Excals, although I love mine and cant wait to get it back, I opted for a Whites as my backup water machine... They are a family business, treat people really good, and care about the product they put out... Now if they would just get rid of that stupid commercial that makes everyone think you just buy a detector, take a stroll in the park, and dig your first target and it is a honkin ring, then I would say they were perfect... LOL..

 

[crazyman]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

Well said MT! Call it as you see it my friend. Luckily the Minelab Militia has hasn't entered this thread yet. You can be shot for this you know!

 

[Smudge]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

This thread has been a real eye opener.

Silver Surfer, thanks for starting it.

 

[RFly2Dive]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

I hate to admit this but more than 7 years ago I bought an 'older' Excalibur as I am a certified Divemaster and had planned to play with this in Fl. waters as I am presently in Port Canaveral. I ended up with neck surgery on my spine before I ever got to use the unit underwater. It worked fine on land but was intrigued by the fact it was rechargeable. After several years in storage the rubber coating on the wires from the unit to the head has begun to completely disolve like in the movie Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman. My questions are these:
1. Can this be repaired and do I just contact Minelab and send the unit to them?
2. In this condition if I were to just sell it with a return guarantee that this is all the unit needs what should I ask for it as it seems my diving days are over and I just got a DFX?
Thanks for any input

 

[Silver Surfer]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

If ya send it in, plan on not being able to sell it for a few months....
I think it would be worth your while to send it in and have it replaced, then you can get a premium for it... People seem to be gobbling up the older units.. Probably because they were built better and people are beginning to realize it..

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

You must have stored it in the attic in high heat or near some heat, heat is bad for rubber.... I have seen some old Excals, a couple close to 10 years old, none had the rubber insulation falling off the cables...

 

[RFly2Dive]

Re: Older Excal's vs Newer Excals... Owners input appreciated..

Everything everybody makes sense. I didn't have an attic because at the time I lived on a boat. However, I did keep the unit in at a storage provider that was not airconditioned for a while. I was lucky to get any storage unit as Jean, Frances, and Irene had all rolled through Fl. at the time. When I go down next month I'll take a look and take some pics. I'll probably send it in for rewiring by Minelab at that time. Thanks for the input and ideas.