Best PI machine for Salt beach

[dirtdigger1581]

I'm thinking about buying a PI machine for hunting the wet sand and shallow water(up to chest deep) of a salt water beach. I'm wondering what the opinions of everyone here are as to what PI machine is best for this application. I currently use an Excal II for the beach and it's been great, but I've heard there is a big depth advantage over the Excal when going to a PI machine. How deep can they actually get compared to the Excal? I don't mind digging a few more targets while on the beach if it gets me a few more goodies that are missed by the Excal. What's everyone's take on this? And what does anyone have experience with? Thanks for your help!

Happy Hunting!

-Nate

 

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[trsrseeker]

I notice how quick all the PI guys are to respond . . . . personally I like the Whites Dual Field. Spent about twenty years using other PI machines (JW Fishers, Aquapulse etc) mostly in the water. Switched to the Whites a couple of years ago because it is vastly superior when it comes to finding small gold in shallow salt water and wet sand. Will be a big adjustment from the Excaliber, which I also use in the water, and if your beaches are too trashy with small iron you may not have enough patience to make the switch, but the rewards in the right environment are worth the effort in my opinion - larger gold rings are found over twenty inches deep by the experienced DF users. Way beyond the Excal depth in my experience. The environment is everything though. On trashy beaches I still use the Excal.

 

[ron lord]

Bring your Passport and a good diggin scoop, The Infinium LS is the deepest on the market.

 

[guzz1]

Had whites and a Tesoro sandshark , both good ......sandshark is a little easier on the wallet. Got tired of digging Bobbie pins though ,,,thousands of them ,,,,

 

[OBN]

Ron
Bring your Passport and a good diggin scoop, The Infinium LS is the deepest on the market.

If your hunting VB with a PI, Good Luck..know several that have, and sold....

 

[dirtdigger1581]

I notice how quick all the PI guys are to respond . . . . personally I like the Whites Dual Field. Spent about twenty years using other PI machines (JW Fishers, Aquapulse etc) mostly in the water. Switched to the Whites a couple of years ago because it is vastly superior when it comes to finding small gold in shallow salt water and wet sand. Will be a big adjustment from the Excaliber, which I also use in the water, and if your beaches are too trashy with small iron you may not have enough patience to make the switch, but the rewards in the right environment are worth the effort in my opinion - larger gold rings are found over twenty inches deep by the experienced DF users. Way beyond the Excal depth in my experience. The environment is everything though. On trashy beaches I still use the Excal.

Thanks for the input. Seems the whites DF and Tesoro Sand shark are the popular models across the forums. I'm expecting to have to dig quite a few more targets, but I like the idea of the added depth over the Excal. Thanks for chiming in!

 

[dirtdigger1581]

If your hunting VB with a PI, Good Luck..know several that have, and sold....

That surprises me...I don't find VB to be that trashy. The excal nulls from time to time, but not nearly enough to discourage me from considering a PI machine. Is there that many more targets below the range of the excals coil that a PI machine will pick up? So much more that people get frustrated and sell their machines? Hard to believe, but if so, then people are missing good targets. I'll gladly collect them!

 

[GreenMeanie]

You could build your own.
http://www.silverdog.co.uk/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=35
Geotech Forums

 

[OBN]

I don't think it's the trash, I think it's the fact they did just as well with there excal/sov/explorers........but keeps us informed....the only hunter I seen do well with a PI there, and this is in the water, scotty...

 

[CASPER-2]

I have found many gold rings close to 2 ft with Pi Pro - I crank mine up and go for the slightest fluctuations - A lot of the beaches that I hit in New eng. waters - guys take alll the trash out - so makes going for those deep signals easier
a lot of guys with other models dont realize - they prob could hit in all metal at a lot of the spots i hit - they would only get new trash drops and stuff bigger than a bread box
will send you PM with pics of deep stuff found with PI

 

[dirtdigger1581]

I don't think it's the trash, I think it's the fact they did just as well with there excal/sov/explorers........but keeps us informed....the only hunter I seen do well with a PI there, and this is in the water, scotty...

I was going to say...The wet sand isn't really all that trashy. I guess in the end I'd get rid of a PI if it didn't end up doing any better than my excal. Thanks for the heads up OBN.

 

[hamiddetecting]

I wish you luck.

 

[MBbeachrat]

You say you don't mind digging a little more. You will be digging more then a little more. Good luck. If I had a PI today it would have been a very long day.

 

[dirtdigger1581]

You say you don't mind digging a little more. You will be digging more then a little more. Good luck. If I had a PI today it would have been a very long day.

That's fine...I grid the wet sand and shallows, so I know this way I won't miss anything. And I'll get the items that the guys walking at 10mph are missing. I'm just looking for peoples opinions on best performing PI machines.

 

[OBN]

DD
I'm just looking for peoples opinions on best performing PI machines.

I've got a few Pi's and the deepest would be the Infinium 10x14 mono, a real SOB to learn but deeper then my Sea Hunter 8 and Whites DF PI 12, I know Toddy, and SharkHunter do well with the Infinium, but with smaller coils, I think. I look at VB, and OC as fresh drop beach's, Best hunting July to Sept....... unless there is a good storm coming up the coast. Therefore the CZ's once ruled, then the Sovereigns, and the Excaliburs have taken over in the past 12 years. PI's have there places and times, that's why I have a few. If I were to recommend one, I would say the Df, a easier machine to learn and master...the only bad...the sand is so soft in the Mid-Atlantic States in the water it is very hard to get much deeper then 10 to 14 inchs..maybe 2 scoops before the walls start to collapse....Good Luck..Keep us informed...

Have you tried PP hunting with the excal, as deep as the DF n SeaHunter in the wetsand if you crankup the senstivity to 9,
But once in the water the excal falls on it's face, that's where the PI's rule...

 

[MBbeachrat]

That's fine...I grid the wet sand and shallows, so I know this way I won't miss anything. And I'll get the items that the guys walking at 10mph are missing. I'm just looking for peoples opinions on best performing PI machines.

er all
When I used PI machines I preferred the Whites Df. Most that try PIs sell them. I sold all mine. I was in the water all day waist deep glad I had my Excal II. Good luck

 

[U.K. Brian]

I do have a Whites D.F. but when anyone tries my other pulse machine's they soon realise that you need to go the high power route otherwise on most beaches your having to compete with Sovereign's, CZ's etc.

Get an Aquastar for in the water or a Deepstar 2 or 3 (not 1) or even a TDI in all metal mode for the wet sand and there's no competition. Fisher CZ, Sovereign GT can manage 20 to 22 cm with their stock coils on a one Euro coin which is similar in performance to the cheaper P.I.'s on the market. The later Deepstars or Aquastar can almost double that. The worse the sand conditions the more the advantage to pulse and if you pick one that can be run at a really low u/s setting (10), you have the sensitivity advantage as well.

 

[DewGuru]

I use the Tesoro Sand Shark. It's out performed any other machines i've used, which are most. Lifetime warranty.

 

[DFW_THer]

Another Tesoro Sandshark man checking in. That thing is DEEP and sensitive. I was detecting Brigantine, NJ and I was just shy of elbow deep in wet sand when I put a ring on my finger. Absolutely no joke. (A junk ring too...) Yeah, it does love bobby pins, but if you listen hard enough, almost every time it will give you short double beep and you'll know right away it's a bobby pin. I've never had it be anything else.. (Yes, I always dig them..) Never had a whites PI, but I want to try Juan...

 

[donlor]

i love my shark
it's easy to learn & use
battery life is great
warranty & service are the best