sand shark or sea hunter 2

[HUNTER12]

I'm thinking of getting a detector for the surf and wet sand. Price wise I've narrowed it down to two. The tesoro sand shark, life time warranty, tesoro quality. The garret sea hunter2, 2 or 3 yr warranty. I would like the pros's and con's about both these machines form people who have used them.

 

[DewGuru]

I recommend the Sand Shark. Why? I use it. It works, gets the job done. Lifetime warranty.

Never used a sea hunter. Limited warranty.

My .02 - It and $5.99 will get a fresh pack of smokes.

 

[captaindoug]

Six month ago I bought a sand shark with the 10 inch coil, at the same time my buddy purchased a new excal, almost always hunting together and I out hunted him at least two to one.
developed a problem with the machine., sent it back for repairs and was afraid of a long wait so I went out and purchased a sand shark with an 8inch coil untill I got the other one back.
The first one was returned within two weeks with a new coil,(they said the old one developed a leak in the coil) No Charge, and damned quick turnaround.
Now I hunt with one and my buddy uses the other while the xcal sits idle.

 

[Bobbypins]

I have (and use) the Sea Hunter. It's a damn good machine. Rugged, tough, and Garrett has ALWAYS done me right on any kinds of repairs. Since my house in Texas is about 10 miles from their HQ, I love to visit when I can. There's a lot to be said about turnaround on repairs... even if you never ultimately have any issues. Garrett is fast... and they build amazing machines.

My buddy (Soup) has a Sand Shark, and that thing is an animal. I personally haven't used it, but he just recently pulled a 14k 12 gram necklace from DEEP with that little heater he has. He hasn't had to pull a warranty or any kinds of repairs with it, so I can't comment on the trunaround for that. But I can attest to the Sand Sharks abilities... if you learn that machine (just like you have to do with any other machine), you'll dominate the sand beneath your feet.

As far as a side-by-side comparison, I think you would be happy with either.

Nate

 

[Dreamcatcher Salvors]

I'm far from an expert....but I have a seahunter and I use it almost dailey !! I'm real hard on stuff !! This gadget seems to hold it's own and I've had no trouble...

 

[Soup]

I have only used the Shark so I do not know about the other, but the shark is all over it for me. I do find a lot of trash but I find a lot of other good stuff as well. I with the help of Nate do not go to the beaches I know have a lot of shrapnel from the war or just too much junk. I have the 8in coil, I bought it used from someone and have not had any issues yet. I have hit a few rocks and still no problems, I always take care to clean after every use too. As far as depth the shark goes way down, not sure exactly how far but I have dug some big holes and found the hard to get, tucked away gold & plat items that might not be found by other machines. just some thoughts.

Rob

 

[rjsupersonic]

I've had my Sand Shark for over 6 months, no complaints. I dig every signal and sometimes that means diggin deep!! I've had no issues with the Sand Shark, used it on beaches in Washington State and all the way down to Corpus Christi the heavy minerals have no effect on the shark.

Good Luck with your selection

 

[Can Slaw]

The Sea Hunter has a 14 inch coil available for it for less that $100. It covers more ground, gets great depth and has proven to me to be one heck of a machine. I bought the SH because it was the only off the shelf PI that offered the 14 inch coil and interchangeable 8 inch coil for small narrow troughs. All of the other PI's have hard wired coils except for the SH big brother the Infinium. Another selling point for me was the Mel Fisher team is still using Sea Hunters and they can AFFORD to buy any detector on the market.

 

[DewGuru]

Warranty means nothing... KIA's have 10 year warranties, yet I (like most people) would rather by a Honda, Ford, Dodge..... with less warranty

Apples and oranges.

When dealing with salt, warranty is everything.

 

[scaupus]

Just a note for posterity, as I know people will be checking this thread far into the future: I currently have both machines, and have used each for a couple hours so far. The sandshark with 8" coil is awfully easy to handle and fun to use. I like that the threshold frequency is adjustable and I like that the VCO mode has no loss of depth.

The Garrett has the isolated battery compartment which is a nice water-tightness feature. On an air test (I know, folks disregard em, nonetheless...) The Sand shark is impressive, but the Garrett's is unbelievable. While the sand shark did 11" on my big gold ring, the seahunter did 13, and if I recall rightly, I could hear a change in tone even at 14". The thing I don't like about the Garrett is the very high-pitched frequency of the threshold which cannot be changed, I find it annoying after a while. However, the threshold can be set quite low without losing those marginal signals, making it more comfortable to use for extended periods. The discriminate mode is very comfortable to use, quiet, with a discret "beep" when it detects a target, but only did 9" on my air test. as far as discrimination, it's pretty useless unless you are only hunting coins.

Btw, the whites beach hunter id in all metal mode did 13". The thing is, while the threshold was rock steady in my house, better than the PI's, in saltwater the id's threshold is a bit rocky, so I think that would interfere with those marginal tone changes. Nonetheless, the ID seems to be a deep machine. Down to about 9" it also discriminates by way of the lights even in all metal mode, which is nice. The tones and sounds give a lot more info which I am still learning. It has the floating coil issue, which is pretty outrageous, though it can be managed with an attachable weight on the stem. I found the sock on the coil to be a pain.

 

[scaupus]

Just a note for posterity, as I know people will be checking this thread far into the future: I currently have both machines, and have used each for a couple hours so far. The sandshark with 8" coil is awfully easy to handle and fun to use. I like that the threshold frequency is adjustable and I like that the VCO mode has no loss of depth.

The Garrett has the isolated battery compartment which is a nice water-tightness feature. On an air test (I know, folks disregard em, nonetheless...) The Sand shark is impressive, but the Garrett's is unbelievable. While the sand shark did 11" on my big gold ring, the seahunter did 13, and if I recall rightly, I could hear a change in tone even at 14". The thing I don't like about the Garrett is the very high-pitched frequency of the threshold which cannot be changed, I find it annoying after a while. However, the threshold can be set quite low without losing those marginal signals, making it more comfortable to use for extended periods. The discriminate mode is very comfortable to use, quiet, with a discret "beep" when it detects a target, but only did 9" on my air test. as far as discrimination, it's pretty useless unless you are only hunting coins.

Btw, the whites beach hunter id in all metal mode did 13". The thing is, while the threshold was rock steady in my house, better than the PI's, in saltwater the id's threshold is a bit rocky, so I think that would interfere with those marginal tone changes. Nonetheless, the ID seems to be a deep machine. Down to about 9" it also discriminates by way of the lights even in all metal mode, which is nice. The tones and sounds in discrimination mode give a lot more info which I am still learning. It has the floating coil issue, which is pretty outrageous, though it can be managed with an attachable weight on the stem. This makes for a rather unwieldy apparatus as compared to the Garretts, or to the Tesoro in particular. I found the sock on the coil to be a pain.

As to the warranty: If damage is due to "mishandling" Tesoro will charge. Garretts gave the guy I bought it from a free coil and he kept the one with the crack in the epoxy, which was still working fine, so he had 2 working coils.

 

[dbsmokey]

Here's a picture of the inside of my former Sandshark (which Tesoro finally took back) after I sent it in for "repair." Notice the salt inside the case, which was not cleaned out by the tech who "repaired" it. I had used this detector one week in Hawaii on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, after buying it brand new. It leaked on me. Tesoro blamed me and charged me for the repair (which is money I never got back.) Tesoro also charged me for a new battery holder. I returned it when I returned the detector and was not refunded the ~$16 for the battery holder, even though I requested it. NEVER AGAIN TESORO!!! Lifetime warranty? NOT!!!! Obviously, given the choice of only these two detectors, you know which I would choose.

.

 

[Hag730]

I dont think you can go wrong with either based on all the reading I did before I bought my PI. In the end, it came down to price and warranty for me. As Dew said, salt water is a killer....so its nice to have that piece of mind. Looks like dbsmokey had a bad experience with Tes. Not sure what happen there, most threads rave about their cust service. If you buy the SS, just make sure you follow the instructions and use the silicone grease that comes with it. My SS has never leaked and paid for itself in two months. Drawback.....i dug so many holes my arms hurt. You will find every staple, tent stake, nail and crap on the beach. But there will definatley be some good stuff mixed in there.

 

[diggummup]

Here's a picture of the inside of my former Sandshark (which Tesoro finally took back) after I sent it in for "repair." Notice the salt inside the case, which was not cleaned out by the tech who "repaired" it. I had used this detector one week in Hawaii on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, after buying it brand new. It leaked on me. Tesoro blamed me and charged me for the repair (which is money I never got back.) Tesoro also charged me for a new battery holder. I returned it when I returned the detector and was not refunded the ~$16 for the battery holder, even though I requested it. NEVER AGAIN TESORO!!! Lifetime warranty? NOT!!!! Obviously, given the choice of only these two detectors, you know which I would choose.

View attachment 731111.

Obvious, either bad gasket or you didn't silicone it properly before use in the water.

 

[davest]

SeaHunter for me. Five years on the same machine, paid for itself at least 5 times if not more. Hits on everything metal so you never have to go into the "All metal" mode. The folks at Garret are great even out a warranty they do you right.

I would never use it in a park on land, jeez, you'd be digging craters every 2 inches.

Sometimes, I'll be diggin and expecting a person from China to tell me to stop.

 

[ron lord]

OK here my 2 cents. I own both detectors. They both go very deep. My sea hunter has an 8 inch coil my Tesoro has a10.5 coil. I don't dig many bobby pins or bottle cap any more because I have clean them all up in the passed. I like going to places where someone just hunted with an excel . I find lots of gold, silver and coins. I use my SS in areas of lots of sand, I use my SH in areas of Rocky and shelly bottoms. I hunt very slow and over lap my coil. I have been hunting for 35 years and this is my best choose on detectors.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Does any company cover "user error?" Now, I want to make sure I understand your post.

1) You bought the machine new and used it for a week.

2) You installed the batteries and did not place or seat the O-ring (control box top) correctly (which is hard to do!), and water leaked into the machine.

3) You had the machine repaired at your expense ($50-$100?)

4) You returned the machine for a full refund minus $16 + cost of repair.

So what is your complaint? That you are a Whites fan that for some reason opted for a Tesoro Sand Shark over a Whites Dual Field and then did not know how to use it?

Here's a picture of the inside of my former Sandshark (which Tesoro finally took back) after I sent it in for "repair." Notice the salt inside the case, which was not cleaned out by the tech who "repaired" it. I had used this detector one week in Hawaii on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, after buying it brand new. It leaked on me. Tesoro blamed me and charged me for the repair (which is money I never got back.) Tesoro also charged me for a new battery holder. I returned it when I returned the detector and was not refunded the ~$16 for the battery holder, even though I requested it. NEVER AGAIN TESORO!!! Lifetime warranty? NOT!!!! Obviously, given the choice of only these two detectors, you know which I would choose.

View attachment 731111.

 

[dbsmokey]

Does any company cover "user error?" Now, I want to make sure I understand your post.

1) You bought the machine new and used it for a week.

2) You installed the batteries and did not place or seat the O-ring (control box top) correctly (which is hard to do!), and water leaked into the machine.

3) You had the machine repaired at your expense ($50-$100?)

4) You returned the machine for a full refund minus $16 + cost of repair.

So what is your complaint? That you are a Whites fan that for some reason opted for a Tesoro Sand Shark over a Whites Dual Field and then did not know how to use it?

Terry:

1) True
2) How do you know that's what happened? Could it not have been a faulty new detector? Is that beyond the scope of reason? By the way, the machine falsed on every swing. I called Robert at Tesoro the first Monday in Hawaii to question about it. The detector also came with one of the inside foam supports rattling around in the innards, which caused the machine to auto-shut off when tilted. You aren't privy to the details surrounding the leak, so you are making a HUGE assumption in favor of your argument. You can't prove what you say and you know it!!!
3) Yes I did, surprisingly. I was surprised that I was charged for a repair, especially when the repair was poorly done (see picture of salt in the housing after the "repair") and the detector was faulty.
4) Yes, and shipping twice to Tesoro, totaling ~$100. If that is no big deal to you, send me $100 then. I can give you my paypal username!!! You can't tell me you wouldn't be sore if you were out a positive a once-in-a-lifetime detecting experience and $100, can you?

My complaint? For someone with blinders, I suppose it's not clear, so I will spell it out. How convenient it is for you, a documentable die-hard Tesoro fan, to blame the consumer with a complaint about Tesoro. Might you consider that maybe, just maybe Tesoro erred in this instance? Maybe Tesoro isn't infallible? Just as it is not wrong for you to be beholden to Tesoro (within reason) it is not wrong for me to prefer a specific brand as well; especially if that brand has had superior performance and customer service, in my experiences. I have used Garretts, Fisher, Minelab, Tesoro and White's machines in the past.

However, my bent on brand has nothing to do with Tesoro. Nor does my complaint have anything to do with my use of White's. For the record, I have used Garretts, Fisher, Minelab, Tesoro and White's machines in the past.

1. I was treated with disrespect by Robert Martensen and Vince Gifford in more than one phone conversation.
2. They certainly didn't take a tone expected of a company with such "superior customer service". I wouldn't be complaining now if they had!
3. They haven't refunded me for a shoddy repair and new goods ($16 battery holder) that were returned to them. I can supply other photos showing the salt in the inside of the case after "repair." I will await $100 from you Terry!
4. I expected to have a wonderful time detecting on a trip I will probably never get to experience again and yet, I had a machine that was broken from the beginning, a very horrible experience with Tesoro "customer service" and am out $100. That's reason to complain!!!!!

 

[gaboynfla]

I got the sh before Cristmas hit gold for the second time today,i hope it is!Sounds like either way will be good.I love the sh,good luck and hh.