Rank these beach machines

[Dmhawv]

I'm anxious to start detecting in wet sand, wading at the ocean and around islands on a lake. I have a Fisher F4 that serves me well in other conditions. Budget is an issue so the top dollar detectors in my list are seriously stretching my budget but I wanted to include them if the quality and benefits simply demand I make the stretch. But if a lower cost model will give me good results with few frustrations, that suits me. Here's my list. Please rank them and or suggest alternatives

A. Whites surfmaster pi dual field $850

B. Fisher cz21 $1,300

C. Tesoro sand shark $700

D. Garrett infinium LS $1,000

Thank you so much for any input.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[Terry Soloman]

If you go with a pulse induction machine - Tesoro Sand Shark all day, every day! Most affordable, best warranty, easiest to learn and use, deeper than you'll ever need to go. Mine has made me over $5,000.00 in gold alone over the last seven years.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

You didn't list the Minelab Excallibur.

There's an older Excal Sword for sale right now for $700 on the treasure related stuff for sale forum, and it's the same technology as my Excal II.

 

[Dmhawv]

Thanks so much guys.

 

[Dmhawv]

Now I'm hooked on the Excal - thanks a lot DeepseekerADS lol. The Sword worries me a bit due to age and warranty. The Sand Shark may be my pick for times I truly only want to hunt the wet sands. Is the PI mainly for the minerals in salt waters? Can I assume if I'm going to hunt the shores of a lake that I won't struggle with mineralization like in the ocean?

 

[Geobound]

Excal II or CZ21 are the two most common ones that I hear people bang on about all the time.

I just purchased a CTX 3030 in April of this year and I want to learn 1 machine at a time, but next year I will likely get the Excal II or the CZ21.

I'm not knocking the other brands that Terry has suggested as he's in the water a heck of a lot more than I am and will know more about them than me, I'm just telling you what my research has found over the past year.

Although $5k in 7 years isn't something to ignore either. LOL....

Good luck and let us know what you come up with.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Now I'm hooked on the Excal - thanks a lot DeepseekerADS lol. The Sword worries me a bit due to age and warranty. The Sand Shark may be my pick for times I truly only want to hunt the wet sands. Is the PI mainly for the minerals in salt waters? Can I assume if I'm going to hunt the shores of a lake that I won't struggle with mineralization like in the ocean?

Any VLF machine works in FRESH water as long as it is waterproof (Garrett AT Pro). PI cuts through highly conductive black sands and minerals (salts/metals) like they are not there, because it works on a different principle.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Now I'm hooked on the Excal - thanks a lot DeepseekerADS lol. The Sword worries me a bit due to age and warranty. The Sand Shark may be my pick for times I truly only want to hunt the wet sands. Is the PI mainly for the minerals in salt waters? Can I assume if I'm going to hunt the shores of a lake that I won't struggle with mineralization like in the ocean?

I only hit salt water about twice a year, a 5 hour one way drive. I'd really like to get out there more. So I'm geographically focused on fresh water lakes & rivers. Love the Excal, getting better on tonal target ID. Find a lot of whole & shredded beer cans in the river. The state should pay us to clean it up! Of course there's all the screw tops & pull tabs. They sound too good to leave on the bottom. There's even a member here who uses it as his land machine.

The warranty is long gone on that Sword, but he also spoke about all the cable replacements, o-rings, etc. I was worried about the age myself, but if the refurbs were done correctly, this machine is shall we say "legendary".

 

[the lama]

i have both a cz21 and infinium they are both great but if you have much iron on your beach you probably would get frustrated with a pi i would think about a used cz

 

[Dmhawv]

Thank you everyone for your valued input. I went with the used Excel Sword. Have received it and have one lakeside outing under my belt. I can't wait to get it to the beach and give it a try. I hope to make some adjustments to the mounts and get some of the weight higher on a straight bar, right now it wears me out. I will have a bit of a learning curve with it but so far I'm really pleased.

 

[Minelab Matt]

Mine has made me over $5,000.00 in gold alone over the last seven years.

Damn....KACHING!

Nice $$$

Matt.

 

[Minelab Matt]

What about the CTX 3030?

Gary Drayton uses one and AFAIK...he's earned more in one year with it than all of us put together, our whole lives detecting...lol

HOW does he do it?

Matt

 

[ATPRoDon]

I have only used the Whites Surfmaster PI and I will say I love it. It goes very deep and yes you will probably dig everything but in my own personal experience there just isn't tons of metal trash on the beach like you would have going to a park with it. Most popular beaches gets raked daily. I just came back from 2 trips to the Bahamas and while I didn't go out into the water I did stay in the wet sand. Everytime you heard a faint whisper it was something deep, and if it was closer to the surface you got a louder sound. You can definitely tell size with a PI and if you practice you can tell if its a nail or other types of metal. I also like the fact I can take the box and hip mount it so the weight doesn't wear my arm out. Anyway I'm sticking with it.