So the summer season is winding down and in a week or so I'll be hitting the beaches, that is, with my detector. Anyway I'm thinking about getting a new beach unit and not sure which way to go. I like the idea of having a disc mode but the PI's are less influenced by wet sand and very deep. Something of a coin toss I guess. I know both will do the job, just differently. Looking for some feedback on what you Tiger and Sand Shark guys can report.
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Tiger Shark or Sand Shark, hmmm. . .
- Thread starter mike5853
- Start date
mike5853 said:
Well Mike,
You did'nt mention what kind of beaches you plan on detecting at, is it fresh water or salt? If it is a fresh water beach, I would go with a Tiger Shark, I've had one for 11 years, they are great.
If you are talking salt water, if you want to stick with the Tesoro brand, the Sand Shark might be for you, If you look at the Beach & Water forum, you will notice a lot of people using Excallibers.
fwcrawford
Well-known member
I've been using a Sand Shark since June and went to some local fresh water swimming areas to get the hang of water detecting until I made a trip to the saltwater beach last week.
I have no regrets about my decision and have found 3 gold rings, a gold pendant, several silver rings, and lots of coins.
Many state that it is not their first choice in fresh water, but I don't have any problems digging some junk as long as the good finds come out now and then.
Besides, that target could be in any position in the sand and could give all kinds of mixed signals, so there is no time lost deciding what to dig.. if I get a signal, I dig everything.
I like the warranty, the design and balance, and the controls.. very simple to operate... less fumbling and guessing and more digging and finding in my opinion.
I'm sure the Tiger Shark is a fine detector too, but since I bought it for the saltwater, the Sand Shark fit the bill for me.
Good luck in your choice,
Felix
I have no regrets about my decision and have found 3 gold rings, a gold pendant, several silver rings, and lots of coins.
Many state that it is not their first choice in fresh water, but I don't have any problems digging some junk as long as the good finds come out now and then.
Besides, that target could be in any position in the sand and could give all kinds of mixed signals, so there is no time lost deciding what to dig.. if I get a signal, I dig everything.
I like the warranty, the design and balance, and the controls.. very simple to operate... less fumbling and guessing and more digging and finding in my opinion.
I'm sure the Tiger Shark is a fine detector too, but since I bought it for the saltwater, the Sand Shark fit the bill for me.
Good luck in your choice,
Felix
Mike,
Did I see somewhere that you are in New Jersey?
Wet salt sand or water is where the Sand Shark would have an advantage. Fresh water ponds, lakes and streams, I'd go Tiger Shark. If the beaches you hunt are salt water and have a lot of iron, I'd look at something else.
Cheers,
tvr
Did I see somewhere that you are in New Jersey?
Wet salt sand or water is where the Sand Shark would have an advantage. Fresh water ponds, lakes and streams, I'd go Tiger Shark. If the beaches you hunt are salt water and have a lot of iron, I'd look at something else.
Cheers,
tvr
Hey Mike, I just ordered a Sand Shark. I live in Mt. Laurel and I'll be doing alot of beach detecting myself. I'll use my vaqureo in the dry sand. I think the SS is your best bet for salt. The TS does have a salt setting but it's more happier in fresh water. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!
LOL ... answered as I was typing and had not posted it yet.
I've hit a few New Jersey beaches. Atlantic City from the Absecon inlet to the Boardwalk Hall has a lot of iron objects of various descriptions in the sand and the water. I would not recommend the Sand Shark in those areas. Some might enjoy it, but way too much iron for me. As it heads south to Ventnor, Margate and Long Port at the Egg Harbor inlet the iron is not quite as bad, but last year's replenishment efforts put a lot of small copper and other non-iron metal pieces in the area. That small pieces of non-iron stuff is an annoyance, since those signals need to be dug. I have not hit Ocean City and south or Brigantine and north, so there are many many miles of NJ beach I know little to nothing about.
Knowing what trash to expect on the beaches you hunt can make a difference in detector choice. When I go to Atlantic City the detectors that normally get packed are the Excal with the 10 inch coil, the F75 for wet and dry sand and the CZ-20 with the 8 inch coil. I normally pack at least two detectors so I have a back up. I've found these three detectors do well for me in the dry and wet sand and identify the iron well. If I go in the water, either the Excal or CZ do the job.
When I'm a bit further south, on the Delaware and Maryland shore beaches, I do take the Sand Shark for the wet sand and water and frequently will take the Tejon with a clean sweep coil for the dry sand.
Cheers,
tvr
I've hit a few New Jersey beaches. Atlantic City from the Absecon inlet to the Boardwalk Hall has a lot of iron objects of various descriptions in the sand and the water. I would not recommend the Sand Shark in those areas. Some might enjoy it, but way too much iron for me. As it heads south to Ventnor, Margate and Long Port at the Egg Harbor inlet the iron is not quite as bad, but last year's replenishment efforts put a lot of small copper and other non-iron metal pieces in the area. That small pieces of non-iron stuff is an annoyance, since those signals need to be dug. I have not hit Ocean City and south or Brigantine and north, so there are many many miles of NJ beach I know little to nothing about.
Knowing what trash to expect on the beaches you hunt can make a difference in detector choice. When I go to Atlantic City the detectors that normally get packed are the Excal with the 10 inch coil, the F75 for wet and dry sand and the CZ-20 with the 8 inch coil. I normally pack at least two detectors so I have a back up. I've found these three detectors do well for me in the dry and wet sand and identify the iron well. If I go in the water, either the Excal or CZ do the job.
When I'm a bit further south, on the Delaware and Maryland shore beaches, I do take the Sand Shark for the wet sand and water and frequently will take the Tejon with a clean sweep coil for the dry sand.
Cheers,
tvr
mike5853 said:
Summer of 1974, I visited LBI with some cousins who lived a little north of Philadelphia. Have not been there since. Was not metal detecting then. Had my college girl friend on my arm and we chased a beach ball around that day. Good memories.
If you have a good handle on the amount of iron targets in the beaches you hunt, and your tolerance for digging them, then gauge whether or not you would want to hunt in all metal and only all metal on your beaches. That will give you a good idea of hunting with the Sand Shark. In the water, the hair pin and bottle cap counts tend to get a little lower than they are in the wet sand areas. The fish hook counts could be up a little in the water if people surf fish the area. A couple of the VLF detectors I have that ground balance to the wet salt will give the classic PI double blip on hair pins when they are in all metal mode. Don't know if you have experienced that with your beach detector or not. If you have, that is the response you get with the Sand Shark on hair pins, but only on one axis and not if they are positioned vertically in the sand. If you go with the Sand Shark, may want to put a magnet in your scoop to hold the hair pins so that you don't dig them two or three times.
Do you use a wet suit, waders, other?
Cheers,
tvr
Mike,
Clean beaches, trash wise, are great to hunt with a PI, at least in my opinion.
October 2010, I picked up some full length trapping gauntlets. When the water is calm, the waders and trapping gauntlets let me get mid-chest deep in the water while staying dry and warm. Makes a great way to hunt the water when the water and air are cooler. I've found one of the biggest issues I've had with that get up is getting too warm, at least until it gets well into the winter.
Have you figured out preference for 8 inch or 10.5 inch coil?
Cheers,
tvr
Clean beaches, trash wise, are great to hunt with a PI, at least in my opinion.
October 2010, I picked up some full length trapping gauntlets. When the water is calm, the waders and trapping gauntlets let me get mid-chest deep in the water while staying dry and warm. Makes a great way to hunt the water when the water and air are cooler. I've found one of the biggest issues I've had with that get up is getting too warm, at least until it gets well into the winter.
Have you figured out preference for 8 inch or 10.5 inch coil?
Cheers,
tvr