What is a good metal detector for saltwater?

[KyDigNQueen]

My husband and I both have Garrett AT Pros. Is there a better MD for when we hit the beach? What do you use for hunting beaches? I would appreciate any info anyone can give me. Thanks and HH!

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Minelab Excalibur or CTX3030.....

 

[firemac]

Excal, and on just the sand the Etrac. I tried the atpro a couple of times, but had to rebalance each time I moved closer to the saltwater, it was a pain in the ....

 

[Terry Soloman]

Either a Multi-frequency VLF, or a Pulse Induction metal detector. There are several brands of multi-frequency machines for saltwater beaches. The top two are Minelab and Fisher. The top Pulse Induction machines for the beach are the Whites Dual Field, and the Tesoro Sand Shark. Do Your Homework, and make sure you buy a GOOD Sandscoop!

 

[Top]

My husband and I both have Garrett AT Pros. Is there a better MD for when we hit the beach? What do you use for hunting beaches? I would appreciate any info anyone can give me. Thanks and HH!

It depends. :-) You had to know that was coming.

I spent several months deciding what to do about my need for a saltwater machine. During that time I just stuck to picking up coins in the dry sand which your AT Pro will be fine for.

How often are you going to saltwater beaches. They are all a long drive or a flight from Ky. BTW: I grew up in Graves County. :-)

What I found was that for a reasonably priced multi-freq VLF either a Minelab Excal or a Fisher CZ 21 seemed like the best choices. There is a thread here (check the head to head comparisons) or on metaldetectingforum.com that has a large list of pros and cons of each.

I personally chose the CZ 21 because warranty work is not an option (I am in Brasil) and I prefer a quite machine over a constant threshold hum.
Used prices are appealing for both but do your homework. If you like to do modifications then the Excal may be for you. The CZ 21 doesn't need any :-)

Good Luck,
Tim

 

[KyDigNQueen]

Thanks, Top!

 

[KyDigNQueen]

TreasureHunter, Firemac...thanks. Prefer something a little less expensive as we don't go to the beach often.

 

[KyDigNQueen]

Terry...the Tesoro sand shark was my first thought for the $ and lifetime warranty. Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[Terry Soloman]

If you are on a budget, and won't be at the beach that often, focus on gridding the dry sand from the high tide line, 50-feet inland. This area is sometimes referred to as the "Towel Line," because it is where people gather and stake their personal areas with towels and blankets. Lost jewelry taken off to go in the water, Ipods, telephones, hundreds of coins, wallets, paper money - Low and Slow with almost ANY single-frequency VLF machine, including the lightest, most inexpensive and easiest to use "Real" metal detector, the 8" coil Tesoro Compadre. A good aluminum dry sand scoop with handle is about $50.00. Be smart, spend your money once, and most of all Have Fun!

 

[Texas Ed]

Fisher CZ-21 or Garrett's Sea Hunter Mark II.

Texas ED

 

[Terry Soloman]

Terry...the Tesoro sand shark was my first thought for the $ and lifetime warranty. Thanks everyone for your input!

The Pulse Induction Sand Shark has found a lot of gold for me on beaches around the country, and even a couple of gold nuggets in the Bradshaw Mountains of Arizona. It is a VERY specialized machine however, that should not be purchased by everyone. If you are not in good physical condition, able to dig 5 - 7 lbs. scoops of wet sand several hundred times in a five-hour period, a less challenging, much more expensive, less depth, multi-freq VLF is probably in order.

 

[adamBomb]

The AT Pro will only work on the dry sand. If you want to go to the wetsand you are going to need a PI or multifrequency detector. Since you already have VLF, I assume thats what you are looking for. You only have a few choices - CZ21, Excalibur, or CTX. There are some others out there that are not waterproof but I really dont recommend those for salt water hunting when there are waterproof options. Look to pay $800-$1000 on a used CZ21/Excal as its prime season right now. New they are $1500. A new CTX is $2500. Beach machines are usually the most expensive because they need to be resistant against salt corrosion as well as multifrequency.

As far as PI detectors go, I would only recommend them for certain beaches and with certain conditions. So that depends when/where you are hunting. If you wanted to go PI there is whites DF, garrett sea hunter, and tesaro sand shark.

 

[Patriot 1776]

CTX 3030 or Excalibur2
MetalDetectors.com: Beach / Water Metal Detectors
need any help give me a call
thanks

 

[Captain Caveman]

Fisher CZ21, Minelab CTX 3030 and Excalibur2 are the best non-PI machines that I've read about.

 

[s.c.shooter]

Sov GT. Wet sand no problem. Shallow water as long as you don't get the control box wet!