Beach Detector

As a new hobbyist, I have the bug ! I have a Fisher F5 w/11"coil. I love this detector and it is easy to use and understand so far. I am contemplating buying another detector around Christmas time. I am looking to buy a Minelab Excalibur II for combing wet and dry beach and to go deeper. I have read many good articles concerning this particular detector saying it is the best detector out there for beach combing in wet and dry sand and finding deep relics of all kind. Before I shell out $1,200, I would like to get an honest opinion from the seasoned metal detectors out there concerning the Excalibur to see if it is worth it or if it's just advertised hype. I would appreciate all feed backs, happy hunting :-)

Well I own 3 of them-does that answer you qusestion?

I highly recommend the Excal.  Get the 1000 with the larger coil for covering more area  per sweep.  If you aren't planning to get in the water the Soveign GT is the better buy with more features and less money being the land version.  You can use headphones or not, Change coils, silent search, All Metal mode, Iron mask on or off, and a few more.  Many get the Sov GT and the WOT coil to get it all.

I suggest you think about a good used Excal 1000, they are out there and you can pick a good one up for $600-$800 used.  Minelabs Warranty is only 1 year now and they no longer sell the extended warranty.  You can either buy a lot of extras with the $400-$600 saved, or it could pay for a bunch of future trips to the repair shop that you will probably never need anyway.

I have bought 3 used Excals alone, and currently still have 2 used Excal 1000s, in the last 3 years I have a total of $150 in repair between all 3. Still no where near the price of what a new one would have cost me......

the Excal and CZ 21 are the top pic's for salt water beach's..iv got both and like them each for diff reasons.

Gotta love those Excals.

Yeah, Dixie Digger is right.  I like my Excal but the CZ-20 and Tiger Shark and Surf PI pro are also favorites for different reasons and seasons.

Well I own 3 of them-does that answer you qusestion?

Maybe you bought into a low tech, high priced "PILTDOWN" hoax, or plainer words the proverbial 'pig-a-a-poke'?   

Just Joking!      

But let me inject some a priori speculation.   If one dares [!]to assume the technology, relative components, and quality are alike in many units and their makers;  there can be little difference in detector A or B.  Inexpensive units share the same value as their high end opposites.

Message.   IMHO, buy the low to medium priced unit.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,281027.0.html 

You can check out my psoting "Back In Business".  I've owned this machine since 1990.  the only thing left that is original is the S shaft.  It's been rebuilt about 3 times.  Here is a little test that sold me on the Excalibur.  Take any detector and take a big iron nail and place any gold ring on it.  Pass the ring/nail under any metal detector in nail setting and they will discriminate the nail and ring.  Do the same under the Excalibur coil and it doesn't discriminate the nail but ignores it as a null and rings on the Gold ring.  That's what sold me on Minelab. 

I do not own a Minelab, but , like you have been considering purchasing one. There is one thing that I have noticed that has been consistant with these machines, is that , yes, they are one of the best machines for surf hunting on the market, as long as the machine works. If the machine breaks, it often take multiple time of sending it back and forth to Minelab, to get it repaired. You here people all the time say, "I miss my my Excal, I had to send it in again, they didn't fix it the last time I sent it in. You read posts on here all the time of how many times they had to send their machine in for repair. You don't here those stories about Whites, Fisher or Tesoro, It seems to only be Minelab.

So, to make a long story short, in my opinion, the Excal is a great machine, but Minelabs Customer Service is very poor, at best. Someone said earlier that they own three Excals, I can't help but wonder why. Is it because one or two of them are at minelab for repair, and by having three Excals, he will have at least one working machine, while the others are being repaired? Will that stop me from buying an Excal, probably not, I still want one.


HH
Digger

Well I own 3 of them-does that answer you qusestion?

Maybe you bought into a low tech, high priced "PILTDOWN" hoax, or plainer words the proverbial 'pig-a-a-poke'?   

Just Joking!      

But let me inject some a priori speculation.   If one dares [!]to assume the technology, relative components, and quality are alike in many units and their makers;  there can be little difference in detector A or B.  Inexpensive units share the same value as their high end opposites.

Message.   IMHO, buy the low to medium priced unit.

GOOD IDEA-HOPE EVERYONE follows your advice!!! (:

I have own 3 Excals, still own 2, and currently own 2 Sovereign GT's all but 1 were bought used, between the 5 there has been a total of 2 trips to Minelab repair, total of $150 and no problems when they were returned to me... If the need arises, I would not hesitate to buy another Excal or Minelab................

I will admit, it is to my advantage if the local water hunters in my area choose another detector.......... Hopefull they will all run out and buy the Beach Cobra.........

My Excal needed repairs. Out the door/In the door. four weeks!
No complaints from me. The job was done correctly the first time.

Ralph

My excalibur is back in the shop again.   The first time it was a six week turn-around.

They replaced the circuit board and the coil.  No charge, under warranty.

When I got it back and tested it, it still had problems (worse than when I sent it in), so I sent it back for repairs again.

I expect it will take the same 4 to 6 weeks to get it back.  Hopefully they'll get it right this time.

In the meantime I'm using my 'backup' detectors - a Whites Beachhunter 300 or a Minelab Sovereign GT.

I think you'll find that most excalibur owners have at least two detectors, so if one breaks, you have a backup machine.

Probably a good strategy no matter what brand detector you have.

Would I buy another one Excalibur?  No.

I'd get a Whites Beachhunter 300 with the 12" coil, which costs about $400 less than the excalibur, and works great on the beach and in the water.

Will I be selling my Excalibur when they send it back if it works correctly?   

Probably not, because when it works it is a great detector.

Bill

My Beach Hunter ID, leaked twice on me while under warranty, all detectors have a few units that have problems. Whites was using a defective seal, yet they said nothing to me about the seal being defective, they covered the repairs, but I had to pay to ship it back twice.

No matter what make of water detector I have, I will always have a back up unit, probably more then one. Water detecting is different then land, after a storm or heavy surf you have to have the ability to hunt no matter what.

As a new hobbyist, I have the bug ! I have a Fisher F5 w/11"coil. I love this detector and it is easy to use and understand so far. I am contemplating buying another detector around Christmas time. I am looking to buy a Minelab Excalibur II for combing wet and dry beach and to go deeper. I have read many good articles concerning this particular detector saying it is the best detector out there for beach combing in wet and dry sand and finding deep relics of all kind. Before I shell out $1,200, I would like to get an honest opinion from the seasoned metal detectors out there concerning the Excalibur to see if it is worth it or if it's just advertised hype. I would appreciate all feed backs, happy hunting :-)

I bought a Used Garrett Sea Hunter for $575.00 In June 2009. I could not afford the Excal even though the Beach Metal Detectorists I have met own and recommend the Excal. I am Extremely Happy with my decision. The Sea Hunter is Built Solid and so far worked every time I wanted to head to the beach (Knock On Wood). It is a PI Machine and I don't Mind Diggin' up the metal junk along with the coins and jewelry.
Happy Sea Hunter Mark II Owner,
Guy

The Excals are great when they work. 4 to 6 weeks turn around to have a detector fixed is just way two long.
Any Whites I have had to return was a week or less turn around. Minelab makes good detectors there customer service just
is way below par in my opinion.

Jason

Just Curious, Does anybody know what the Repair Turnaround Time Is for a Garrett Product.
I haven't seen anybody complain about Garrett Products breaking down and having to send It Off to the Repair Shop, HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!! This Is Your Sign!!!!!!!!!! 
Proud Owner Of A Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II,   
Guy

The Excals are great when they work. 4 to 6 weeks turn around to have a detector fixed is just way two long.
Any Whites I have had to return was a week or less turn around. Minelab makes good detectors there customer service just
is way below par in my opinion.

Jason

I have had a Minelab in the shop twice, one took 2 weeks, the other took 3.5 weeks turn around door to door. Both of the times that I sent in my Whites Beach Hunter ID when it leaked internally, it took 2.5 weeks round trip door to door. You must have lived real close to the repair facility for Whites, it is 2400 miles round trip from Orlando to Minelab in Las Vegas, UPS is 5 days to and 5 days back from Orlando on ground shipping, so 10 days of each trip was in transit.