Surf PI Pro

[HCW]

Thinking of a second machine.
My only other one is a Whites MXT
what does any one think of the surf pro?

 

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[stevemc]

I have a surf PI and a Pro. Never had a problem with either one. The Surf PI I have had for at least 15 years and the Pro, whenever they came out with it, maybe 10 years ago at least. Good solid machines that blow many other PIs away. Much better than J W Fishers Pulse 6 or 8 any day, and the Garrett PIs made before a couple years ago. The pro is a great machine, it will find gold. Small gold jewelry. Or anything. The Dual field is supposedly a better machine, that would be my next PI. Better electronics and a larger coil.

 

[U.K. Brian]

Whites are not very good at pulse machines. Cheap if you need a waterproof detector but not the best.

The Pro had the pulse delay of the previous model removed (bad move) and a gain control fitted. This leads to the machine being unstable in various hunting conditions. For preference you should pick a detector that has both pulse delay and gain controls. Having a SAT control (self adjusting threshold) is even better.

The G.W.Fisher detectors are a different kettle of fish designed for deeper diving which means a higher u.S. setting (pulse delay in micro seconds) had to be used in its design. More water over the coil the higher the setting that is needed. On land/wet beach or wading the opposite is true, you need a low setting to provide sensitivity to small gold items such as engagement rings or thin gold chains.

Low u.S. machines include the TDI, Aquastar II and Goldscan 5c that can go as low as 10 u.S. The Whites Dual Field and Surfmaster Pro are at 15 and the original Surfmaster at 25. The Headhunter Pulse is adjustable anywhere between 15 and 40.

First thing to decide is if you will want to go into the water. If its just a case of working the wet sand there's a much wider range of detectors at lower prices. On my beaches a twin or multifrequency detector will go as deep, even deeper than a low power pulse machine and there's the advantage of discrimination if/when you need it.

 

[HCW]

thanks everyone so far.
I do have an MXT and this new one would be for saltwater submersible purely.

 

[Jason in Enid]

The Surf PI detectors are great. There is a guy known as "Mr Bill" who modifies them to be as hot as possible on small gold. If you get one, I recommend having them adjusted since not everything comes out of the factory adjusted the same.

 

[U.K. Brian]

Can't have them being both great and needing modification.

Bill Crabtree also modified the Classic range, IDX Pro etc adding depth and fitting a ground balance control making them the detectors Whites should have made them in the first place.

Both the Pulse and the Classic modifications were a must have and he didn't charge much for the work either. Trouble is his web site disappeared months back and he seems to have retired about the same time as Eric Foster retired and stopped making pulse machines which were distributed in the U.S. by "Mr.Bill"

 

[Jason in Enid]

They can be great to start with, and only get better with minor tweeking!

 

[U.K. Brian]

They were only and remain only good at the low price point they sold at. The only reason a detector user would want to go to the trouble of digging so much unwanted trash with a P.I. is to get to the lower level of finds that most detectors can't reach. These Whites are low powered and pay the price of their lack of controls.

All anyone has to do is suspend a high carat gold ring from a marked length of string. Go to the water line as the tide goes out and bury the ring. As the tide retreats and the sand hardens pull on string until the ring is at a required depth. Allow sand to fully harden and try several detectors both pulse and twin or multifrequency. If you take the low power pulse route then your stuck detecting around the same depth than an Excaliber or Fisher CZ without the advantage of iron rejection.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Sounds to me like you are just a hater, all you want to do is bash a brand that you don't like.