What would the top 3 beach machines be

[Trackerman]

well looken to get a beach machine. Excalibur is a bit rich for the blood. So am looken at the whites Surmaster pi and the tesoro sand shark any help would be great thanks.

 

[AUDuke]

Take a look at the Detector Pro HH P.I. IMO a good PI beach hunter

 

[therover]

Well, I have to reply since your avatar is DIO ! (correct ?).

If the Excal, CZ21 and BHID300 are out of the picture, then I assume you are looking in the 500-600 dollar range ?

If you are thinking of the 2 units you mentioned, bear in mind they are PI units without any discrimination and if you are hunting in trashy sites, or in freshwater, they may be a little too much to bear. If you are willing to dig every bit of iron, nails, bobbie pins, etc. then those 2 units are good ones.
PI units do very well in salt water and go deep due to the mineralization not effecting them too much, but you will dig deep iron and lots of trash with them.

Are you planning on getting in the water, because then you are in need of a waterproof unit, and all waterproof units are more than the average detector.

The Detector Pro Head Hunter Wader or Pirate Pro are good VLF waterproof units that won't break the bank. Can't dive with them, but if you get swamped by a wave or drop the unit in the water, they are safe. Fisher 1280X is another one that is in the 600 dollar range, but it is also a single frequency detector like the Detector Pro's. Great for freshwater but average for salt water (I do have a HH Wader and it does very well in salt water hunting. Hot on silver and dimes, but for gold its not the best I have).

One of the reasons the Excal, CZ and BHID do better in the salt water environment is due to the multiple frequencies they utilize, which helps cancel out the effects of the salt water conductivity.

One other way to get a unit that is priced to sell is to look in the classifieds, although its hard to tell how much use a waterproof unit has on it and if the owner took care of it or not.

So one of the main questions.....are you salt water hunting and are you planning on getting into the water in knee, waist and chest high water ?

Then again, if you are careful, you can use a unit like an older CZ6a ( which is one of the best beach units I ever used. So good, I bought another one ! And I had an Excal, have a CZ20 and BHID300, other water machines and other land units, but if I know I am only going to hunt the wet sand or the suds up to my knees, I use my 6a on a straight rod mounted under the cuff. Splashproof, multi frequency, salt mode, tone and visual ID, 3 coil options ( 4 if you can find a Sunray FZ-12 !), manual GB...what can I say..I love em ! ).

Sorry for the long winded, non-answer, but it's hard to say without knowing your hunting conditions.

JC

 

[stitchlips]

If you don't mind getting a used one, you can pick up an excal used on ebay for right around 600.

 

[thorny196]

The Tesoro Sand Shark is a great first water detector and is reliable you will dig everything as stichlips said above however that is not always a bad thing especially on slow days. It is very stable in deep water or the surf and it also comes with a lifetime warranty. It requires no setup just turn it on and go. It finds everything!!

 

[billinstuart]

I bought a used Excalibur for $600. Would do it again. The late Kevin Reilly suggested I buy used excalibur he had rather than a new one from him.

 

[AUDuke]

If you are going to use it in fresh water, a vlf detector is better because of the trash. I personally like the Tiger Shark. For Salt water either a multi freq or a PI is what I would choose. IMO the Detector Pro PI is better than the Sand Shark. The ML Excal. and CZ20 and all multi freq detectors are good for both fresh and saltwater hunting.

 

[Hangingfor8]

I'd look for an excal 1000 or an early excal 2 b/c I think the quality has gone down some lately

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

As said earlier, look for a good used Excalibur. I have bought 5 used detectors since starting, and every one arrived working properly and as described.

The thing about buying a good used Excal is it will hold it's value longer. Pay $600-$700 for it and sell it 2 years from now for close to what you paid for it. I had 2 Excals, sold one I had had for 18 months for $75 less then I paid for it. The money isn't gone, you just have it invested...........

 

[Skipper]

I bought an older Excal with the sword on it, Ebay, Back in the day, The Guy was a Doctor from New York, He sent it to the dealer in Las Vegas for a referbushing before He sold it, New battery and all....,and I tell ya, I called the dealer for the info., prior to him sending it with the unit, The Dealer stated the unit is as good as the brand new units being sold today. (After refit), I believe The Lady I talked to. I'm good to go Bro....That was in 2007. Still performing great.

Skipper.

Buy an Excal.

I had a Fisher 6X pulse prior to the Excal. I'm more happy now cause the JW Fisher was heavier for land use. (Beach Sand). Under water was a little lighter but.... I like the duel useage the Excal offers . Anyway.....
Just my opinion.
Your choice.....GL

 

[lucky d]

i would think a used excal is the way to go.....dio rocks!....saw him with sabbath on the heaven and hell tour...also, caught his solo act at a nightclub in ft. lauderdale a couple o years ago....great stuff.....hh and rock on!

 

[Trackerman]

Thanks guys i think ive desided on a tesoro tiger shark only because i will wana use it on land and some lakes .Aperantly you can prospect with it too. Its not as deep as a Pi machine for salt water but i imagine it should do a decent job. I love the excaliburs but there a bit pricey for me. around 600 used and up. The tiger shark is 599 new with tesoro warranty wich eventually it will need of corse. Yes the avatar is Dio and by the Way saw Sabbath the other day at the Greek theater they were great as usual. Ill let you guys now how the first water hunt goes with the tiger once i get it. later

 

[AUDuke]

The T Shark is a good fresh water hunter, not as great in the salt. I is bit heavy out of the water, but it can be hip mounted. Most of my winter hunting is MDing for nuggets in the desert and I would not reccomed it for nugget shooting. Its hard to find a water detector thats good for all other type of hunting.

 

[thorny196]

Does anyone know if the Tiger Shark is avalible again?

 

[diggummup]

I bought a used Excalibur for $600. Would do it again. The late Kevin Reilly suggested I buy used excalibur he had rather than a new one from him.

Wow I didn't know Kevin Reilly died. That's too bad he wasn't even old. I bought my last scoop from him. Sorry to be off topic.

 

[aquanut]

I suppose the Tiger Shark is still available. I bought a new one last Christmas for my girlfriend.
Aquanut

 

[thorny196]

The Tiger Shark was not available for a couple of months due to a vendor who stopped suppling the electrical connector for the coil. Tesoro had to find a new source and then test it for reliability. So does anyone know if they are available again?

 

[erikk]

Just remember you get what you pay for and this is especially true in water detectors

 

[Trackerman]

Also considering sand shark and older excalibur or tiger shark .