Which one? AT Pro or Sand Shark?

[fishingdevil]

Hi there,

I have narrow down my choice for my first metal detector to either one of the above.
May I know which will be a better choice for beach usage and why?

I am totally new to this, so any advice will be most helpful.

Thank you very much in advance!

 

[fishingdevil]

I wouldn't mind considering Tiger Shark too, if PI is not recommended for beach... I saw somewhere that PI gave too much noise?

 

[TallTom]

The Sand Shark is better for detecting in salt water or wet salty sand. But it does NOT
discriminate. ALL metallic objects give signals. You will dig lots of trash, such as
bottle caps, pull tabs, bobby pins, foil wrappers, small bits of soda cans, etc.
But the salt water doesn't disturb the signals you hear the way a single-frequency
VLF machine (such as an AT Pro) does by giving you "false" signals.

The AT Pro (or almost any discriminating VLF detector) will be better in the
dry sand, or in fresh water sand. It can ignore trash signals (mentioned above)
and let you dig only "good" targets, with a few exceptions.

SO, if you will mostly work in wet salty sand or in the salt water, you want a PI
machine such as the Sand Shark (or a multi-frequency VLF, which is much more
expensive). If you will work mostly in dry sand, fresh water wet sand, or dirt
and turf, you want a VLF machine such as the AT Pro (or many others).

I'm not judging the merits of the Sand Shark versus the AT Pro here.
I'm just covering the difference between a PI machine and a typical discriminating
VLF machine. The AT Pro has the advantage over most VLF machines of being
waterproof up to 10 feet as I recall.

However, I do have a Sand Shark and I really like it. But I do dig a lot of trash along
with the good stuff.

Search through old messages in this forum and you will find a LOT of discussion about
your question. It is asked in a general sense (PI vs. VLF) frequently.

 

[fishingdevil]

Thank you! That's a good load of info! I was almost certain on getting the AT Pro... I'm not so sure now. Lol

 

[63bkpkr]

detector for salt/water conditions

fd, TT has given you the Correct advise, for in salt water or over wet salt water beaches the PI is the way to go and a waterproof unit is Wise, like the SS. Best of luck with your choice......................63bkpkr

 

[Sandman]

Tall Tom gave excellent advice. The AT Pro would be fine in the dry sand at a saltwater beach but would be unstable in the wet sand or water unless you turned down the sens level so low it would only detect very shallow items. It would be fine for freshwater but a Tiger Shark would be better yet. As Tom states, the PI's have very little disc regardless what the advertisements tell you. PI's love tiny pieces of hair pins at great depths so after a few deep holes you are worn out and wanna take a nap. Disc lets you eliminate some of the trash. NOTE: You are going to have to dig pull tabs regardless how many there are as 90% of the gold rings are in the pull tab range. Some of the others are in the foil range. These are the white gold with the rocks on them.

There are other good water machines for the saltwater beaches but they cost more. The Excal II, CZ-21 or older CZ-20, Beach Hunter ID and the PI's.

 

[fishingdevil]

Thanks guys for the advice! It looks like Tiger Shark is the way to go... just a little more than the AT Pro and I get lifetime warranty and disc!

Btw, do you guys see any need from a propointer on the beach?

 

[treasurehound]

I am looking at getting the Sand Shark as well just for hunting in the salt water. I have other machines to hunt dry sand that I think will do better. Your question about the pinpointer is YES. I can't imagine hunting without a pinpointer anymore. A ring may be pretty easy to see but you will take a lot of valuable time trying to find a very small gold diamond earing.

 

[fishingdevil]

i just read this thread and saw this post by arizonaames... http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/beach-shallow-water/352277-beach-detectors.html
is it true there are only 2 MD worth buying for the beach?? the more i learn, the more i realise i do not know... hahaha

 

[Ace350]

i just read this thread and saw this post by arizonaames... http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/beach-shallow-water/352277-beach-detectors.html
is it true there are only 2 MD worth buying for the beach?? the more i learn, the more i realise i do not know... hahaha

It all boils down to where you are going to hunt and how much money you have to spend.
There are metal detectors that are made to hunt a specific way. Some examples are gold detectors and underwater detectors.
Then there are metal detectors that hunt everything from gold to coins, to iron artifacts. It will always be the better choice to select a detector made specifically for what you are hunting for in the environment you will be hunting in. The problem is that a lot of hunters hunt for all different things in all different environments and either can't afford a specific metal detector for each type of hunting or don't care to learn how to use all those different detectors. So they go with a metal detector that will cover the whole spectrum of what they want to hunt and where they want to hunt. Which in that case means you will have to find one within your budget that will find all types of metal and work best in the areas you plan to hunt in the most.
I have found that for an all around metal detector that will hunt well in almost any environment in the $600-700 range the AT-Pro worked out nicely for me and I am happy with my purchase of it.
Will it work on a salt water beach? Yes if you learned how to use all the functions of it well.
Is it one of the best metal detectors you can buy for salt water beach detecting? No, that's why I bought an Excalibur and took the time to learn it. But the salt water beach wound up the place I hunt the most so I wanted one of the best metal detectors for salt water beaches.
As far as the Sand Shark, I don't own one to comment.
If you don't need a waterproof metal detector there are plenty of other all around metal detectors to choose in all different price ranges that have more and less bells and whistles. Some people are brand loyal while others are not.
There is no such thing as "the best metal detector". Some are better than others at finding certain things in certain areas.
Once again, It all depends on how much money you want to spend, where you are going to hunt and how much you want to learn about the machine you choose.

 

[fishingdevil]

It all boils down to where you are going to hunt and how much money you have to spend.
There are metal detectors that are made to hunt a specific way. Some examples are gold detectors and underwater detectors.
Then there are metal detectors that hunt everything from gold to coins, to iron artifacts. It will always be the better choice to select a detector made specifically for what you are hunting for in the environment you will be hunting in. The problem is that a lot of hunters hunt for all different things in all different environments and either can't afford a specific metal detector for each type of hunting or don't care to learn how to use all those different detectors. So they go with a metal detector that will cover the whole spectrum of what they want to hunt and where they want to hunt. Which in that case means you will have to find one within your budget that will find all types of metal and work best in the areas you plan to hunt in the most.
I have found that for an all around metal detector that will hunt well in almost any environment in the $600-700 range the AT-Pro worked out nicely for me and I am happy with my purchase of it.
Will it work on a salt water beach? Yes if you learned how to use all the functions of it well.
Is it one of the best metal detectors you can buy for salt water beach detecting? No, that's why I bought an Excalibur and took the time to learn it. But the salt water beach wound up the place I hunt the most so I wanted one of the best metal detectors for salt water beaches.
As far as the Sand Shark,I don't own one to comment. As far as I know about it, it is a pulse induction detector that works well in salt water environments (that is the environment it was specifically made to work in) but it will not discriminate iron out like a VLF detector would. Terry is the Sand Shark Guy and can tell you everything about it.

If you don't need a waterproof metal detector there are plenty of other all around metal detectors to choose in all different price ranges that have more and less bells and whistles. Some people are brand loyal while others are not.
There is no such thing as "the best metal detector". Some are better than others at finding certain things in certain areas.
Once again, It all depends on how much money you want to spend, where you are going to hunt and how much you want to learn about the machine you choose.

thank you for the input... it definitely allowed me to have a better thought process and this is what i have managed to consolidate:

the place that i will be hunting should contain a lot of trash... which makes a PI not a good choice?
it will also be highly mineralised as i saw from a few other MDists in my area had posted... hence, AT Pro may also not be a good choice?
i also intend to MD in waist deep waters (without much surf), hence, a waterproof MD is required?

hence, my question is... for a budget of $600-800... would Tiger Shark serve my purpose? or are there other options that i can consider?

 

[fishingdevil]

I am looking at getting the Sand Shark as well just for hunting in the salt water. I have other machines to hunt dry sand that I think will do better. Your question about the pinpointer is YES. I can't imagine hunting without a pinpointer anymore. A ring may be pretty easy to see but you will take a lot of valuable time trying to find a very small gold diamond earing.

makes a whole lot of sense! i may just wanna purchase the pinpointer at the same time... metaldetector.com seems to have a pretty good deal for purchase with purchase?

 

[Terry Soloman]

thank you for the input... it definitely allowed me to have a better thought process and this is what i have managed to consolidate:

the place that i will be hunting should contain a lot of trash... which makes a PI not a good choice?
it will also be highly mineralised as i saw from a few other MDists in my area had posted... hence, AT Pro may also not be a good choice?
i also intend to MD in waist deep waters (without much surf), hence, a waterproof MD is required?

hence, my question is... for a budget of $600-800... would Tiger Shark serve my purpose? or are there other options that i can consider?

NOT a "TIGER" Shark!!!!! The Tiger Shark is a FRESHWATER machine (Single-frequency VLF just like the AT Pro) The "SAND" Shark is a Pusle Induction machine.

 

[Ace350]

NOT a "TIGER" Shark!!!!! The Tiger Shark is a FRESHWATER machine (Single-frequency VLF just like the AT Pro) The "SAND" Shark is a Pusle Induction machine.

Hey Terry,
I know you are the guy with the knowledge on the Tesoro's, especially the Sand Shark, so maybe you could help here.
I think he is confused because Tesoro says this on their webpage about the Tiger Shark:

"Working in the wet salt areas is where the Tiger Shark outshines the land detectors. In land conditions, the most crucial adjustment is using the ground balance to tune out mineralization. In wet salt conditions, changes in the conductivity in the sand cause most of the problems. The Tiger Shark uses a completely different set of internal settings in the SALT Mode than in the NORM Mode. There are no special controls or techniques to remember."

I can see where the confusion would be.
Can you explain why you disagree with what Tesoro advertises for the Tiger Shark?

 

[lookindown]

Hey Terry,
I know you are the guy with the knowledge on the Tesoro's, especially the Sand Shark, so maybe you could help here.
I think he is confused because Tesoro says this on their webpage about the Tiger Shark:

"Working in the wet salt areas is where the Tiger Shark outshines the land detectors. In land conditions, the most crucial adjustment is using the ground balance to tune out mineralization. In wet salt conditions, changes in the conductivity in the sand cause most of the problems. The Tiger Shark uses a completely different set of internal settings in the SALT Mode than in the NORM Mode. There are no special controls or techniques to remember."

I can see where the confusion would be.
Can you explain why you disagree with what Tesoro advertises for the Tiger Shark?

I think it has to do with what beach you are at. Here in Florida, our beaches are very mild. I know a guy who says his Tiger Shark works fine in the water here and my AT pro runs stable and is only two inches shallower than my CZ21. In some other states these detectors dont do well in the salt enviroment. I got in some arguments with people who said the AT pro wont work in the salt, until I realized that where they were, it wouldnt work.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Hey Terry,
I know you are the guy with the knowledge on the Tesoro's, especially the Sand Shark, so maybe you could help here.
I think he is confused because Tesoro says this on their webpage about the Tiger Shark:

"Working in the wet salt areas is where the Tiger Shark outshines the land detectors. In land conditions, the most crucial adjustment is using the ground balance to tune out mineralization. In wet salt conditions, changes in the conductivity in the sand cause most of the problems. The Tiger Shark uses a completely different set of internal settings in the SALT Mode than in the NORM Mode. There are no special controls or techniques to remember."

I can see where the confusion would be.
Can you explain why you disagree with what Tesoro advertises for the Tiger Shark?

It automatically drops the sensitivity, dumbing the machine down. If I had my way, Vince would redo the manual. It will work on some beaches - badly, just like the AT-Pro.

 

[DewGuru]

You do NOT want a tiger shark or an AT Pro for salt water use in most cases.
I've heard horror stories from many, both gulf and atlantic.

I use a Sand Shark. No complaints.

 

[dbsmokey]

Please do some research and also consider higher quality/better performing PI alternatives to the Sand Shark. Tesoro touts a "lifetime warranty," as Terry proudly advertises, but some, including myself have had difficulties with Tesoro's customer support. The White's Dual Field PI, Garrett Sea Hunter, or Infinium (see LuckyLarry's comments on these) may all provide superior performance to the cheaper Sand Shark!!! White's customer service has, in my experience, put Tesoro's to shame!!!

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/m...-infinium-gold-prospecting-4.html#post3349701

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/h...-surf-pi-dual-field-vs-tesoro-sand-shark.html

 

[baywalker]

About that pro pointer , you would do better to invest in a good long handled sand scoop for the beach but if you land hunt you should have one anyway . I can hunt for four hours without ever getting on my knees with a pointer you are going to ware your self out getting up and down all day.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Please do some research and also consider higher quality/better performing PI alternatives to the Sand Shark. Tesoro touts a "lifetime warranty," as Terry proudly advertises, but some, including myself have had difficulties with Tesoro's customer support. The White's Dual Field PI, Garrett Sea Hunter, or Infinium (see LuckyLarry's comments on these) may all provide superior performance to the cheaper Sand Shark!!! White's customer service has, in my experience, put Tesoro's to shame!!!..

A whole lotta opinion. Do your own research and you'll find the Sand Shark isjust as good or better than any other PI costing TWICE as much. If you want to spend a lot of money, listen to the monkey, if you want to start finding treasure and pay for your machine and scoop - get a Sand Shark. Here is just some of the gold I found my first season with the Sand Shark.