Don't put any stock in a "pot full of sand test".
I can go to the ocean beach and my cz will work the best and go the deepest, but when I get home, the pot of sand causes two other detectors to read it deeper in the pot. The cz then becomes third place. The same thing happens with regualr soil but the Compass gets the edge in depth there before bringing t home in a pot.
This method of testing a metal detector is about worthless. There are so many things that affect the operation of a detector that it is quite unfair to ANY detector to be tested in this manner. 5+ year old test gardens work a bit better, but still leave one with less than luck in their corner. A freshly buried coin of any type is the second worse method of testing a machine. Stick with the real thing. I do, and it works because that's what we do, we don't look for stuff in a pot of dirt, or in our test gardens.
I can't remember if that Prism has a black sand mode or not, but if it does, use it. The stock 950 (9.5") White's coil may be the bad guy here though. It is not recommended for high minerals, or high salt beaches. Even with the MXT or the M-6 you would need to get rid of the 950 and get a smaller coil or a DD for bad soil.
There are a lot cheaper detectors than a dedicated beach machine that would serve you reasonably well. Most cz's do quite well in any high iron soil or high salt beaches. The cz-7 and cz-70 are the best of the lot for VLF salt beach hunting.
A Minelab Sov works very well and smoothly in open areas and beaches due to it's inherent computerized frequency selection, but it also sucks in close quarters such as trashy parks. If swung too fast both the Sovs AND the Explorers will often overlook good targets without making so much as a peep. You won't even have a clue unless you first run a cz or a PI there before trying the Sovs and Explorers.
The Garretts are not favorable beach machines either.ept for their PI's.. The MXT and the DFX and the M-6 are all-purpose machines, but are not ideal for your uses, however, they would and could serve you fairly well, especially the DFX. The MXT is a bit on the overly sensitive side and can drive some people nuts with it's incessant chattering on hot rocks or high magnetite. The Tesoro Lobo Super Traq (nugget machine) makes a dandy beach machine because it has a VERY fast SAT, and is one of the best, if not (THE) best contemporary auto ground balances on the planet.
Right now though, I would lower the sensitivity, and consider a different coil. Keith Wills could put a different one on it for you for not too much money (less than the price of another detector). Keith's knowledge of detectors and their repairs could have you dancing in the street with a much better behaving detector. Keith owns East Texas Metal Detectors and Repairs in Texas, and he's a very pleasant fellow and a tech extrordinaire.
Give him a call, it just might be worth it.
Good luck.
EasyMoney
