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Which Minelab Do I Buy??

G

GregM

New member
Hello,
I have been detecting a number of years and quite addicted.......I have many beaches here on Long Island that I detect and have been very lucky at.... I have a Bounty Hunter I use on the dry sand and a PI I use in the wet salted sand and wading depth in the surf...I cannot keep digging up the small iron bits on the beach anymore with my PI. I am losing too much valuable detecting time digging rusty hooks and baling wire. I was thinking about getting a new model Excaliber until I read about the new model Explorer. I would be using it at the beach and would also use it in the mountains looking for relics and coins when I can ..but mostly at the beach. I would be hunting gold and silver rings and pendants along with the occasional chain...and of course coinage. I would not be diving with the unit but would be ankle to knee deep in salt then up to wet sand back and forth and then to dry sand ....would the Explorer be my First Choice. I keep reading in the beach and diving section that the Excaliber is tops.....I have to make a choice and at $1200 each I do not want to make a mistake. Tough Choice. I may be selling my PI if the new detector is suitable to my needs.
 
Greg I hunt the beach here in south Texas with my SE a lot. I don't get in the water with it. I will hunt the wet sand, and dry sand with it. If you hunt the water with it and for some reason you where to lift it up where the coil is higher than the control unit water can run down the center of the shaft and wipe out the unit. I hunt the water with my Excalibur and it also works well in the sand. Plus it's good to 200 foot down in the water. The Explorer is a great unit for all around hunting but I just keep my out of the water, that's just me, others people on here will, but I prefer not to. Just remember if you get one do not lift it where water can run down the center of the shaft, at 1200 dollars that would be a heck of a bill to send in and get repaired.
 
Ask this question in the Sovereign / Excalibur Forum. If you were just beach hunting, I would be the recommendation would be the Excalibur, but throwing in the land hunting as well, I bet a hip mounted sovereign GT.

Any of the Explorers or Sovereigns - Excalibur models will give you a huge reprieve from the bits of rusty iron. The trick will be keeping the electronics dry.


Rich (Utah)
 
Bayrats right about any of the land machines you really have to be careful raising the coils above the box. I know Rich is a huge fan of the Sov and it might be a very good choice since there isnt any screen to distract you from NOT digging a deep target. They are as deep as any machine at the beach. Also, you can hip mount the box so you arent swinging a ton of machine. I dont get tired of digging... but if im swinging for hours and not digging then the explorers will wear you out fast. The explorers go from wet to dry sand easily, other machines you tend to have to ground balance them more or they just wont work properly in the wet sand. Ive hunted a good bit on the beach with my SE... it doesnt do that great of a job finding small chains....other than that, as an all around machine its my choice. I havent used the Etrac so i dont know if they have been improved to pick up chains. It may be a pain.... but that PI is the best choice for the beach. Im sure if you go to the beach hunting page there would be people falling over themselves to trade for your PI.

Dew
 
I mostly beach hunt too, i have 3 minelabs, Excalibur, Etrac and an old Sov xs2apro. The etrac replaced my Explorer.
All excell on the beach, i think the etrac is the deapest of them all but one freak wave, slip or otherwise and its dead if you use it in the water.
The excalibur in all metal, switching to disc to check targets is not far behind but with the advantage of being waterproof, mounting on a straight shaft its no problem on the wet/dry either weight wise.

If i could only choose one, a hard decision but it would probably be the Etrac and forego the water hunting, waiting for the spring tides to get to the better stuff, this decision is swayed by the fact that i'm on the north atlantic coast(NW Spain) and don't get too many days waterhunting due to the weather/waves, the yearly average is 2.9 meters(nigh damit 10 feet) I can't remember the last time it was less than 3 feet, probably april time
Good luck whatever you decide
 
I don't know it it's the same on the East Coast but here on the West Coast we have lots of foggy/misty days at the beach. With a non waterproof machine, one is just asking for trouble. I look at my car windows when the mist is thick and I have to turn on the wipers before I drive off. Even though your machine is not in the water, that fog and mist infiltrates the electronics in the box as they are not air tight. I have a friend who lives a hundred yards above the surf line and anything that is metal in his house and isn't stainless, starts to grow fuzz. I'll use my E-Trac at the beach when it's a nice warm sunny day but if you take note, you still collect moisture on the unit. Humidity has to be high near that much water. Jim
 
Thats something to consider. The mist and spray is hard on equipment. I always wash mine after being on the beach. I have a cover on mine or use a baggie plus use a light coat of 3 in 1 before my hunt. If they get a disc on the Excal... man that will be the machine. I still cant figure why they havent.

Dew
 
When I beach hunt I use my Explorer SE for the dry and wet sand. Works great in the wet sand! I use a PI for the surf. If you are in an area were there are tons of nails in the surf you might want to consider getting rid of the PI and going for the Excalibar. But before you make your choice I would decide which you are going to be doing the most of. Surf hunting & beach hunting? Or land hunting?

If you are like me, that is such a tough question. Because in the summer I do mostly beach hunting and in winter mostly land hunting. So...perfect thing would be to have an Explorer & an Excal and a PI for those areas that don't have much iron. But, budget doesn't always allow us to have it all. LOL

I am like others, I put a plastic bag over my Explorer + I have the cover over the LCD to protect it from the salty mist and sea spray.
Let us know what you decide. It is a tough decision!! Good Luck!

HH,
Jewelry Girl
Michele
 
dewcon4414 said:
Thats something to consider. The mist and spray is hard on equipment. I always wash mine after being on the beach. I have a cover on mine or use a baggie plus use a light coat of 3 in 1 before my hunt. If they get a disc on the Excal... man that will be the machine. I still cant figure why they havent.

Dew
Click to expand...

The excalibur does have disc always has, you have 2 modes Disc and All metal/pinpoint
 
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