Favorite underwater metal detector for saltwater?

Jolly Mon, Minelab repair center at Kellyco is still servicing the Swords.... I know this for a fact....I was in their shop today.

I have owned 3 excals in 8 years, still own 2, sold one when I found a cheap one. Had a total of 3 trips combined to repair shop. Once for broken wire in headphone in one ear, once when I cracked a coil when it fell off my van on driveway and one I had to replace the oscillator on one that was at least 15 years old.... It was 6 or 7 years old when I bought it 8 years ago.....None have ever leaked.....
 

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Treasure_Hunter said:
Jolly Mon, Minelab repair center at Kellyco is still servicing the Swords.... I know this for a fact....
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If so, this must have JUST changed. I contacted Minelab via email last year and they point blank refused to replace the O rings on my old sword and also refused to tell me the O ring diameters !!

Maybe since Kellco started doing the repairs, things have changed...I will call them tomorrow. I would love to get the old girl back in the water. She has been relegated to occasional wet sand use for several years. Even so, and with all due respect, my position on the Excal for the use the OP intends remains unchanged. Just my opinion.
 

Marie0424 said:
Budget is a priority, service and support are a concern as well...
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Original post from Marie, lets not spend too much of her money. Get yourself a Sand Shark or Sea Hunter and go find some treasure. They do the job. They have been doing it successfully for years. Joe
 

Jolly Mon said:
If so, this must have JUST changed. I contacted Minelab via email last year and they point blank refused to replace the O rings on my old sword and also refused to tell me the O ring diameters !!

Maybe since Kellco started doing the repairs, things have changed...I will call them tomorrow. I would love to get the old girl back in the water. She has been relegated to occasional wet sand use for several years. Even so, and with all due respect, my position on the Excal for the use the OP intends remains unchanged. Just my opinion.
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Call Kellyco, there were Swords there yesterday in line to be repaired...They are a case by case repair, if mother board is blown they want repair, if it is a bad component on motherboard or o-ring issue that can be repaired...

I have meeting with Minelab Friday before the event, I will ask them about refusing to tell you the diameters of the o-rings as a customer service issue....
 

Marie - I can't speak for depth past 50 Feet, though anything under that....the Excal is the best out there. Never leaks, never breaks down and the charge will last long past your dive. Years and years of experience with no break downs......smooth detecting and it has paid for itself over and over again.
 

No love on getting through to the Kellyco. repair department after 3 attempts. I left an email...we will see what they say.

I will say one thing though, Marie and that emphatically: don't listen to me. Do a little research. Find out what the pros use. Choose a deep water wreck salvage detector based on the recommendation of shallow water beach hunters at your peril.
 

Jolly Mon said:
No love on getting through to the Kellyco. repair department after 3 attempts. I left an email...we will see what they say.

I will say one thing though, Marie and that emphatically: don't listen to me. Do a little research. Find out what the pros use. Choose a deep water wreck salvage detector based on the recommendation of shallow water beach hunters at your peril.
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I pm you their direct line. When you said no luck did you mean no one answered at Kellyco or no one answered when you were transferred internally?
 

Treasure_Hunter said:
I pm you their direct line. When you said no luck did you mean no one answered at Kellyco or no one answered when you were transferred internally?
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I was dialing the main contact number on the website and then pressing 5 for the repair dept. and couldn't get through...maybe just a phone system glitch.

In any event, I dialed the direct line you were kind enough to provide and spoke to a rep who confirmed that Kellyco is willing to replace the O rings on the original swords. She did confirm that while Kellyco WILL replace the rings, Minelab will not. I just cannot understand why Minelab did not refer me to Kellyco in the first place! Very, very strange IMO. That they would add insult to injury by not just telling me the O ring diameters is even more mystifying. Oh, well...damn corporate Australia !
 

If you like digging 3 foot holes for hair pin's and don't need it to be water proof or mine the weight. Minelab gp4500 gold machine will get everything on the beach and dry land. Pennies at three plus feet and tin can you give up on because their 5 feet. But for $4,500 you better get some thing. Then a learning curve. All the Thousand dollar detectors go around 12 inches. The deus seems to pick up the older coins, and is real light, has no wires and it goes all of 12 inches in deep with smaller coil. Then if their are any updates or new programs. You just update from the computer for free. Don't like it on wet beach, but a great machine for $1,800. You go and spend big money on these new detector with all the bells and whistle's. You get it and you can't even see the screen in the sunlight to learn the machine. Think they would have it together by now!!! My deus I can see the screen in any light. But a lot of the big money machines you can't. It's not fair to spend that kind of money on a machine like the minelab 30 -30 which has all the bell's when you can't even see your screen. Hope this helps the guy who doesn't care about price.
 

Regarding the Excal, although I have not used it much beyond chest deep, the one I have had for 8 years has held up fairly well with frequent usage in and out of the water.
The knobs fell apart early on but are easy to upgrade, a knob guard is a good investment. The wiring on the headphones can break from being bent sharply, add some extra strain relief. The aluminum shaft wore out, replaced with carbon fiber. The issues I have had were all due to age and use. Small targets are not missed at 12 inches with the ten inch coil, and honestly I don't care to dig much deeper than that, so it works for me. Paid for itself many times over. Could use some improvement but with proper maintenance will hold up well. I would buy another one. I am looking forward to speaking directly the sales rep Saturday.
 

teklord said:
Regarding the Excal, although I have not used it much beyond chest deep, the one I have had for 8 years has held up fairly well with frequent usage in and out of the water.
The knobs fell apart early on but are easy to upgrade, a knob guard is a good investment. The wiring on the headphones can break from being bent sharply, add some extra strain relief. The aluminum shaft wore out, replaced with carbon fiber. The issues I have had were all due to age and use. Small targets are not missed at 12 inches with the ten inch coil, and honestly I don't care to dig much deeper than that, so it works for me. Paid for itself many times over. Could use some improvement but with proper maintenance will hold up well. I would buy another one. I am looking forward to speaking directly the sales rep Saturday.
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My Aquapulse is 18 years old. All I have replaced is the O-ring (twice) and the batteries (three times).
 

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There are 2 very new looking Aquapulses on Fleabay for good price with Make Offer option.
 

8" Tesoro Sand Shark. Built in Prescott, Arizona and guaranteed for life (original owner). Built like a tank yet light, good to 200' in depth. I have used one for years and never had a problem with it in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Service? Probably the best in the business, and led by Rusty Henry - Navy Seal and detecting legend!
 

For the serious treasure divers who have commented already, how does the JW Fishers 8x compare to the Aquapulse AQ1B?
 

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Salvor6 said:
My Aquapulse is 18 years old. All I have replaced is the O-ring (twice) and the batteries (three times).
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read that and this flashed to mind...... :tongue3:



(off topic I know - I'll delete this in the morning:thumbsup:)
 

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"Don't even think about the Tiger Shark. It will essentially be unuseable at the saltwater depths you are describing." Jolly Mon is wrong on the depths of the Tiger Shark. It's rated for 200 ft. and I've had mine down to 150 ft. But the sand Shark is the way to go, also rated 200 Ft.
 

Sandman said:
"Don't even think about the Tiger Shark. It will essentially be unuseable at the saltwater depths you are describing." Jolly Mon is wrong on the depths of the Tiger Shark. It's rated for 200 ft. and I've had mine down to 150 ft. But the sand Shark is the way to go, also rated 200 Ft.
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I wasn't referring to the units' depth rating. I was referring to the fact that a 12.5 khz single frequency VLF detector will absolutely suck in 100 feet of salt water in comparison with a PI. Indeed, depending on conditions, it might continually false regardless of how much its sensitivity is reduced.
 

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