detector for saltwater/wet sand

[artman60]

Hi everyone, I'm getting back to metal detecting after a 20 year break that, involved a boat, striped bass, and getting married. I have dusted off my Whites Eagle Spectrum, and Fisher 1280-X Aquanaut. Been reading lots of stuff on working the beaches, and from what I'm seeing, the Fisher may not be the detector for saltwater/wet sand. I would like all the opinions I can get for what is the best detector for this, and what would be the best value in a detector for this. If a couple of models are frontrunners, I'll be researching them while I'm earning( finding) the money to get one. I'm seeing lots of people recommending Pulse Induction for this. I'm thinking of getting up early and hitting Hampton beach tomorrow before the crowds get there. The eternal optimist is hoping for his first piece of gold ( or silver,or coins, i'm not really picky LOL) Thank you, Artie

 

[Tom Slick]

After using most of the PI machines I finally ended up with a Minelab Sovereign for hunting the wet Saltwater sand. I feel that the time saved by not digging iron more than makes up for any difference in depth between the two. I feel that the Sovereign is almost as deep as some of the PI's and deeper than some of them. I use mine hip mounted or chest mounted to save weight and I use the S-12 coil which I feel is the best beach coil available for coverage & depth while being much lighter than the WOT. I also like the Sovereign better for the wet sand than the Excalibre because of the weight. If I was hunting in the water water I'd go with the Ex over the Sov. Also, the Sov. Elite or GT is less expensive than the Ex. I'm sure others will chime in with their opinions.

 

[fwcrawford]

I have used the Sovereign for beach hunting and it does work great!!
I recently bought a Tesoro Sand Shark, but have not been to the saltwater beach yet with it.
Dispite not having any discriminate control ( PI machine ), I am impressed by the machine so far from searching local freshwater beaches.
I usually dig all signals anyhow while at the beach, so I can put up with the lack of disc.
I have had a couple of close calls with getting the Sovereign wet while hunting at the beach which is the reason or getting the Sand Shark.
Stick with a PI machine or multi frequenzy machine in your choice is my advice.

 

[Lee(Ca)]

Hi.
This article may provide some useful information for you.
Lee(CA)

Here is the link: Critical Factors to Consider Before Selecting a Metal Detector for Fresh and Salt Water Beaches

 

[artman60]

Hi Tom, another question if you don't mind, I've no experience with Minelab, can you discriminate out iron, and iron alone? I am digging lots of bottle caps/sparklers/empties/rusty metal, and wouldn't mind not doing so as much, but have never found any jewelry of a precious metal at all. digging at the beach is easier than other locations, but I would love to just not pick up iron. Thanks, Artie

 

[artman60]

Great Link Lee, Thanks. Found 6 modern pennies, 1 dime, and two quarters this morning. Also fake gold/fake diamond earring. Plenty of trash. I was using a Fisher 1280 and all the finds were relatively shallow, cept for the empties, can pull them up from a foot down, LOL. I'm hoping if I can save up for a detector more salt water specific I could do better. Was probably bout another 20 or so MD'rs on the beach, and most were swinging like they were cutting hay, at full strides. I was definitely not covering the ground they were, but believe I was more thorough, point being even if they're using top of the line equipment, I ( a rookie) can still find stuff they're missing. If I can make up my mind on which detector to move up to, I'll get catalogs on it, articles, leave them in the ( porcelain ) library, and this usually motivates me to find/earn the money. Thanks again, Artie

 

[Tom Slick]

Artman60,
Iron discrimination is what is so great about the Minelab Sovereigns. They will disc out 99% of the iron and still get the gold, and when I say disc out the iron, I mean you won't even hear a tick.

 

[artman60]

I would guess that the excal2 is the same capability wise, with also being waterproof? It will be used in rain, and wading in water. Artie

 

[Tom Slick]

Yes, The excal is basically a Soverign in a waterproof detector. I don't hunt in saltwater as the surf is usually to rough here on the west coast so I hunt the wet sand. In fresh water I've gone with the Tesoro Tiger Shark.

 

[artman60]

Thanks for the info Tom, AC just crapped out. ( that's gonna put a new detector on the far back burner LOL) Now I can start looking at the ads, see what a used one goes for, ( if they ever go on sale, used) Artie

 

[Florida Keys Pirate]

Excall II ! Can't go wrong !

 

[opa81]

I have both the Excall and the GT. Both use them on the dry part of the beach only. Love the Excall a little bit better then the GT, but the both are great detectors.