Sovereign GT or Excalibur ?

[Anonymous]

I'm a Minelab fan having previously owned an Explorer II. Just FYI: I sold the ExII a little over a year ago. Three reasons. 1) To busy working and not enough time to play. 2) I discovered that only using the ExII two times a month was not enough to let me "learn" it. 3) My wife, not caring about all its capabilities, found it much too difficult.
My biggest concern was the fact in only getting to use it twice a month. I read all the post about practice, practice, practice but didn't have the time to dedicate to it. In truth, what I needed was a turn-on-and-go detector like the Quattro or Sovereign.
I'm now ready to get a new unit. It will be my only detector. My wife and I both have a Swingy Thingy from Doc so weight has never been an issue.
We are hobbyist, like looking for jewelry, coins, relics etc... but also hit the ocean (east coast) at least once a month, so beach detecting is also a requirement. I thought I had my decision narrowed down to the Quattro or the Sovereign GT. Both fit the bill, both good at the beach and in the neighborhood park. All my research has identified I can't go wrong with either one. However... today I was thrown a curve ball when a sales rep suggested an Excalibur.
The idea being I wouldn't have to worry about salt spray, or dropping it in the surf "and" I would venture into deeper water and have access to even more treasure. Cost is not an issue. I know the Excalibur is expensive due to its waterproof design and I'm willing to pay the difference for the benefit as long as I can use it on dry land as well. To me its more about getting the right detector the first time.
While I love the idea of having no concerns over salt spray and corrosion, and being able to get into deeper water, I'm concerned it won't be as good on "dry land" as the Quattro or Sovereign. The sales rep tried to reassure me that the Excalibur is nothing more than a waterproof Sovereign.
NET: So... was the sales rep pulling my leg? Is the Excalibur also a good "dry and" detector? Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

the sells guy is correct its the same machine but waterproof i own ex1 and2 and the ex800 and 1000 they work great on land and underwater. youll be very pleased ,go in the surf with it under water its really cool,headphones underwater its real neat. get it its worth the extra dough. <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=""> <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=""> <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">

 

[Anonymous]

If you're only going to the beach once a month, DON'T get the Excalibur. Yes, it CAN hunt on land. But if the majority of your hunting will BE on land and the beach hunting is the minority, the Excal is not the correct choice.
I am an avid land and beach hunter. I hunt coins, relics, and jewelry. I have had the Sovereign Elite which I used for both land and beach and now have the Quattro and Excal 1000. The Excal excels on the beach. It's a waterproof Sovereign with no meter. The Quattro excels on the beach, actually going deeper than the Excal. It also has a meter and is not waterproof. It's also more like your Explorer II than it's like the GT in terms of "learning curve" for land hunting. Beach hunting with it is a no-brainer and it's tops at that. Learning it for land hunting is EASIER than the Explorer, though not necessarily EASY. At least many have not found it to be. I have had much success with it myself.
Given your criteria, I would recommend the Sovereign GT. You'll be "up and running" with it faster than the Quattro and will have a machine that both you and the wife can enjoy. You will simply need to limit your beach hunting to the wet sand and shallow water. And there's plenty of booty there...all the stuff in the picture below was found the summer before last at Virginia Beach in the wet sand and shallow water (like a foot deep or less) with my Sovereign Elite.
Hope that helps. Ideally, you would attempt to try out both machines and see what YOU think before you buy. Come to Virginia Beach and see me and you're welcome to try both. Or if you have any other questions, fire away.

 

[Anonymous]

Mike,
Thanks for your insight... makes sense. Actually after several weeks of research I had my decision narrowed down to the Quattro or the Sovereign when I got side-tracked by the Excal. I've had salt spray ruin plenty of stuff over the years so I found the Excal an intriguing idea. However, as you say, once a month in the surf shouldn't be my focus.
I've read all your posts, including the ones back when you were also contemplating the Quattro. Since I like the ExII I was naturally leaning towards the Quattro. Also since the Quattro has four preprogrammed modes I felt it would give me plenty of detecting options so all I could concentrate on learning what the tones and display were telling me instead of learning all the tuning adjustments of the ExII.
That said, I've had several MD's confuse the issue lately by telling me the Sovereign will go just as deep as the Quattro. [sigh]
Since you have both... could you answer the following: Are the swing rates about the same for both detectors or is one slower than the other? I've been told that one of them requires a three second swing from left to right... any faster and you'll miss treasure. (Problem is one shop said it was the Quattro needing the slow swing... the other said it was the Sov) Does one have a slower recovery time than the other when re-targeting?
Okay, now I'm going to put you on the spot....
Lets pretend I get my wife the Sov so she'll be happy. Lets also assume (for arguments sake) that the training curve for both units is exactly the same (both easy) That said... from your perspective (considering the benefits "you" have personally achieved from both units)... if you were told that you could only carry "one" machine for the next two years and it was the only machine you could use for "all" your treasure hunting expeditions... which would you take... the Quattro or the Sovereign?
Elton

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, first thing is the recovery speed. Both the Sovereign and the Qauttro require a slow sweep for max effectiveness. But the Quattro definitely has the slower recovery speed of the two and needs to to swept slower than the Sovereign. Anybody who would say otherwise hasn't used both or hasn't used them both enough to know. And that slow speed isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's not for everybody. Some folks used to other brands may not like it. Me, I don't mind because most of the areas I hunt have very little in the way of newer, shallower trash and the good stuff is deep and hard to get. I'm used to going slow to pull those previously missed targets out of the ground.
Now for the "on the spot" question. Well, either machine will fill the bill for what you want to do. Both machines are state-of-the-art in detecting technology. You put the wife in the equation, so we have to consider weight and balance as well as ease of use. And although you say "let's assume" on the training curve, it's NOT the same. So that said, AND with the Quattro being heavier, AND with the new GT having the straight shaft, lightweight Tornado slimline coil, and rear mount box...I'm thinking the Sovereign would be my choice. If I were YOU. If I were ME, well, my wife doesn't detect. And I have now learned the Quattro and am comfortable with it. I also like a challenge.
Ironically, I'm seriously considering getting an Explorer II. Which you gave up. So the old adage "Different strokes for different folks" is alive and well.
But back to my advice to YOU. You absolutely can't go wrong with the Sovereign. You absolutely might also love the Quattro. But for your aforementioned variables, you might not. I recommend getting the GT. You'll very likely love it. If not, they have a very good resale value if you take care of it so then you stick it on eBay, sell it, and get a Quattro.
Does that get you any closer to making a choice? <img src="/metal/html/biggrin.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">

 

[Anonymous]

Errr... yes and no. But I'm definetly getting closer to making the decision. As you say I'm confident I can't go wrong with either one, and true enough Minelab resale is great.
Thanks for all your insight and direction on these two units. However... I read and reread your last response and was unable to determine how you answered the "your" choice question.
Preempt: Given all the great info you've already provided on both detectors, you don't need to defend your choice or offer any logic as to why you chose one over the other.
So... if "you" were told that you could only choose one machine, the Quatrro "or" the Sovereign to use for the next two years... which would "you" choose?
Thanks
Elton

 

[Anonymous]

I choose the Soveriegn GT.
Reasoning
You can use it in the same place's you could use both other choice's.
You can pouch mount it for lighter package. Even thou it is on a striaght shaft. You may want to pouch mount for beach applacations.
Large number of add-ons availible.
Excal is really if you are planing to submerge the detector.
Hope this helps
Joe D
metaldetecting.com

 

[Anonymous]

OK, if you must.
First, Joe makes some good points. And I loved my Sovereign. But now I have a Quattro, Excal, and Fisher CZ-70...so I'm covered no matter what and I DON'T have to choose only ONE. But...if I DID, and given the choice between the Sovereign or the Quattro as my only machine for the next two years, I guess I would have to choose the Quattro. It just goes deeper. That said, I think for land hunting the Sovereign is more fun to hunt with and goes almost as deep. For beach hunting the Quattro has a significant depth edge and is easy to hunt with. For that one time a month that you will go there. <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">

 

[Anonymous]

Mike,
You're a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks for tolerating my round of questions. In reading all your other posts and reading between the lines of the earlier responses you gave to my questions I thought I kept hearing "Quattro" being whispered but I had to make sure.
Truthfully... I already had my mind made up to get the Quattro (even with all the great Sovereign feedback) Why? Because many of your older pre-Quattro posts where you were asking the questions (and getting great answers) asked the same questions I wanted answers to.
The benefit of asking you which unit you would choose was idea since you own both.
Ironically... it sounds like I'll end up getting both detectors after all. My wife has been reading your replies as well. Based on the feedback from you and Joe she decided she wants the Sovereign! (She added, not only does she not want to share... she doesn't want me telling her how to run the detector. Having her own, and different from mind, will leave her to discover it on her own.) Hey... who am I to argue with logic!!!
Anyway, thanks to you and the others for all the great information and suggestions. Now all we have to settle is whose we purchase first. (although I'm afraid I already know the answer <img src="/metal/html/frown.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
Elton

 

[Anonymous]

Well, Elton, that's certainly good to hear. I think you'll be happier that way. And who knows? Maybe you will both love your machines, maybe you'll end up switching, or maybe you will end up getting rid of one to have his-and-hers of one of the two. I do predict that you will both be doing very well on those trips to the beach. You can't beat the Minelabs on the beach. If you check the Quattro forum, I pulled two rings yesterday. Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

The Excalibur is not quite the detector that the GT is. The Sov. GT is more sensitive than the Excalibur.