opinions

[William1221]

Im going to buy a beach detector (salt water) after much investigation it boils down to the excaliber, cz21 or the ctx3030. at this point I might as well get the best. Dont plan in going any deeper than waist high water. Im confused with all the hype.thanks

 

[ROBOCOP]

You could buy a new Excal and a used Sovereign with a SEF 12 x 10 for the cost of the ctx3030 and have the beach covered.
Just a thought.


ROBOCOP

 

[OldBeechnut]

You could buy a new Excal and a used Sovereign with a SEF 12 x 10 for the cost of the ctx3030 and have the beach covered.
Just a thought.

Agree 100% I have both and the only two places the CTX shines is Iron infested areas and you can change the coils, xcal u can't

 

[William1221]

ROBOCOP why a sovereign? Can it do something better than the excal?

 

[ROBOCOP]

You can swap coils on the Sovereign. The new Excal you wouldn't mod while it's under warranty.
The Sov can use different headphones and some say the Sov tones are better than the Excal.
The Sov can use a meter if you like visual ID.


OBN knows more than I

Just want to protect the Sov on the beach from moisture and sand. Tape over the speaker.

The Sov and Excal compliment each other, while you use one you are learning the other also.

ROBOCOP

 

[William1221]

what size coil should I order for the excal? Just wondering I have read where the cz21 was equal to the excal anyone see this info ? so what is the bad wrap on the cz?

 

[mudpuppy]

No bad rap on the CZ 20/21, it will not be badmouthed by any hardcore experienced beach hunter, even the Minelab guys!..

.Most hardcore serious salties go with either the CZ or the excal ...hip or chest mount the CZ controls and swing away...built like a tank, takes 4 9v's...there was a guy, Norm Garnush who wrote extensively on using the CZ for gold on the salt, wet or dry......His site was called 'the golden olde' I learned a lot from him..he's dead now, still the lessons he imparted to us apply, not only on running the CZ rig, but reading a beach and all that...good and easy and inspirational read if you can find that site...it put me onto a lot of gold, as have the living fellows on this Forum, no matter what rig they run, theres a mentality and work ethic a fellow has to duplicate/pattern to find gold often ...thanks Norm, and the rest of you!!

Truth be told, no matter what rig you settle on, your endurance/cardio level, pain/temp threshold, gold fever addiction, spidey sense, beach reading ability, and scoop are probably what will make the diff in your success in the end....you gotta be a madman to even attempt it! Turn back now young squire! for your own sake, turn back!
Mud

 

[JOE in MD]

I'd go with the Excal or CZ21. I've never owned an Excal, I have always used CZ20 and wouldn't give it up for anything. To me it's just a personal preference in my book. Everyone has their opinion / likes. Which ever one you pick you need to get to know and understand what the detectors is telling!!! JMO

 

[therover]

CZ20/21 vs Excal, performance wise are pretty much equal. The main differences are as follows:

Silent search in discriminate mode on a CZ, threshold based on the Excal

Concentric coil designs on the CZ, DD coil on the Excal

Manual ground balance on the CZ, auto ground balance on the Excal

3 Tones in discriminate on a CZ, multi tone on the Excal

Rectangular control box for a CZ, enlongated tube for an Excal ( can make a difference when wanting to hip mount as to what feels better to you)

4 nine volts for a CZ, rechargeable system as well as alkaline battery pack ( I believe AA batteries) for the Excal. Both units will not compromise the internals of the control box if there is a potential leak in the battery compartments. The CZ, if memory serves me right, will last longer in terms of hunting time ( 30-45 hours), before a new set of batteries are needed, vs the Excal in terms of time before a charge is needed...but that's just the nature of the beast with re-chargable battery packs.

Both are slower sweep speed units, and built tough ( in my opinion the CZ, especially the older CZ20, is incredibly built and can take a beating and is more durable than the Excal).

Older CZ's do have the rubber pin point button, which can be subject to leakage if not properly take care of. The newer CZ21 does not have that issue.

The CZ and Excal can get the goods, will hunt virtually anywhere, go deep and last a long time if properly washed off and taken care of. If you prefer auto ground balance, multi tones and DD coil design, the Excal is for you. If you prefer silent search, manual ground balance and distinctive 3 tone ID, the CZ20/21 is for you. Having used both for years, I have never found a major depth difference or sensitivity to smaller, lower conductive targets, in wet salt sand or salt water, between the two. Some beaches the Excal had a slight edge, other beaches the CZ had the edge, but nothing where one would outshine the other dramatically.

Bottom line is you won't go wrong with either unit, performance wise, and it really comes down to your personal preference on the features of one versus the other.

My 2 cents

 

[Bling]

iv used them all and like the Excal in the water and Sovereign GT on wet/dry sand!

 

[togamac]

Never owned neither but I'd go with the DD coil. Take a look at the shape of the field under the DD vs. concentric and tell me which is going to find more.
HH

 

[GeorgeinSC]

Before I purchased my water machine I looked at all the different brands/models that were available. I narrowed the selection down to the Excal and the CZ-21. Finally decided that the Excal was the way that I wanted to go since I was a Sovereign GT user and the two machines are very similar. I purchased mine with the 10" DD coil. I understand that the 8 may be a little easier to swing in the water but I have no problems with the 10" coil. Yesterday I was in the water for three straight hours. I am an old rascal (73) and if I can go for three hours then younger folks should have no problem with the 10" coil. In the water one does have to slow down and not push too hard as it will wear you out.

Just my random thoughts.

 

[John(Tx)]

Get the machine you like. As far as just going in waist deep...no, no, no.....I used to say the same thing, now I go up to my neck alot. I do use the Excal II and glad I got it. Have found several gold rings and gold earrings while up to my neck in water...Good luck to you. John

 

[gulfcoaster]

I don't know if it's the best, but I really like my CZ-21. In Florida waters, it ground balances easily and seems to get good depth. I like the 3 simple tones, and the discrimination works well...it's nice to not dig iron, bobby pins and (most) bottle-caps.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

A lot of hunters don't like the silent search of the CZ's. Also .... they can be weak on target ID's of deeper targets. Like deep nails, for instance will sometimes try to fool you as a conductive target. The CZ fans will tell you the trick to this is to ignore 1-way signals. Yet, if you push them, they will admit that very deep coins can give a one-way signal too. Doh! But on the plus side, they are deep-seeking and easy to use. In the current day and age of machines like sovereigns & explorers, I don't think the CZ has the depth advantage. So I would go with the sov or excal or CTX (explorer). But that's just me, as I dislike silent search. Others like the CZ.

It's my understanding that the Sov and excal are the same thing, except that the excal is water-proof (hence having no ability to swap coils). The Sov will also allow the after-market sunray meter to be installed.