Beach & Surf Detector

Beach and Surf Poll Sub One Thousand Dollar Machines

  • Which detectors do you use. You may pick multiple choices.

    Votes: 3 5.0%
  • Detector Pro Headhunter PI

    Votes: 2 3.3%
  • Detector Pro Pirate Pro/Wader

    Votes: 2 3.3%
  • Fisher 1280x

    Votes: 1 1.7%
  • Garrett AT PRO

    Votes: 14 23.3%
  • Garrett Seahunter Mark II

    Votes: 2 3.3%
  • Tereso Sand Shark PI

    Votes: 17 28.3%
  • Whites Beachhunter300

    Votes: 8 13.3%
  • Whites Dual Field PI

    Votes: 22 36.7%

  • Total voters
    60

fishindetector

New Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Messages
19
Can someone help me post a poll? I am guessing I don't have enough posts to make a new poll yet.

I was going to make it:

"Beach & Surf Detector Poll"

White's Beachhunter 300
White's Surf PI Dual Field
Garrett's Sea Hunter Mark II
Garrett's AT Pro
Tesoro Sand Shark
Fisher 1280x

I'm interested in how all the sub-$1000 beach & Surf machines compare. Any other decent beach & surf detectors in this price range? I will use it to focus on wading mostly and wet sand when it is too rough to wade. I'm a new detector who needs a dedicated beach & surf machine and I am so confused with the choices it's crazy.

I was really interested in the last Beach/Surf Detector thread until it turned into a flame war about a certain machine. I think a poll might work a bit better.

Which one comes out on top in this price range?

Also, what about these brands? They have a few water machines but seemed to be off-brands.

Viper Beach
Cobra Beach
Detector Pro
 
I like my Sand Shark. I'd like even more if I could stop digging trash and start digging treasure. :grin:
 
You are missing some great machines. Just because a machine is listed at $1050 for instance, this is not the price our great sponsors charge us. Everything you list are PI machines. Fisher and Minelab make great machines that will discriminate out a lot of junk. If this is your first machine I would not buy a PI. I believe you would be much happier with a BBS machine but that is my opinion. Good luck.
 
I am very new to metal detecting so if you have any other options in this price range I'd be willing to look at them. I definitely do NOT want to go over $1000. My wife already scowled at me when I mentioned buying a beach detector.

Honestly, I'd prefer to stay around $600 if possible, but DEFINITELY sub $1000.
 
If you are salt water hunting get the best and add a few hundred to that..... unlike most dirt machines that you have to rely on clad to pay for it water machines pay for themselves quickly if you hunt.

Depending on how you want to hunt. Sometimes you WONT be able to hunt with a PI because of all the trash and iron. That never happens with a disc machine. You also will have to grid and hunt slower because of the targets you MUST dig them all. I prefer to cover MOST of the beach and thats still griding it.... i just dont have to dig nearly the trash or iron. The PI has an advantage for depth.... but digging slows you down a lot. I dont even know your area.....but i choose to go the Disc route and get a PI later as a back up. At least then i know i can hunt anywhere on the beach or in the water. That and it paid for its self in a couple of weeks. Hes right..... those are list prices.... do some wheeling and dealing.

Dew
 
You are missing some great machines. Just because a machine is listed at $1050 for instance, this is not the price our great sponsors charge us. Everything you list are PI machines. Fisher and Minelab make great machines that will discriminate out a lot of junk. If this is your first machine I would not buy a PI. I believe you would be much happier with a BBS machine but that is my opinion. Good luck.


They wouldn't all fit if I tried to include them... I only had 10 slots... I put up what the OPer requested leaving out the two bottom of the barrel detectors.
 
I will definitely be out there detecting all the time. I live across the street from a busy beach. :) Right now I'm stuck in the dry sand with my 5900 Di Pro SL from the 70's.

I'm dying to get in the water where I never see anyone detecting!

The beaches here are white quartz sand beaches. We don't have lobster or crab traps off the beach here. The traps are in the bay. Our beaches are raked daily during peak times and once or twice a week when it's not so busy. They are also heavily replenished, which they did last year.

The sand is almost all white crunchy quartz. Here and there you see smears of black sand, but too thin to even measure.

I do find iron bits from old barrels or something up in the dry sand with the 5900 in all metal with Disc set to Salt, but it's not like I'm digging iron every 2 steps.
 
Can someone help me post a poll? I am guessing I don't have enough posts to make a new poll yet.

I was going to make it:

"Beach & Surf Detector Poll"

White's Beachhunter 300
White's Surf PI Dual Field
Garrett's Sea Hunter Mark II
Garrett's AT Pro
Tesoro Sand Shark
Fisher 1280x

I'm interested in how all the sub-$1000 beach & Surf machines compare. Any other decent beach & surf detectors in this price range? I will use it to focus on wading mostly and wet sand when it is too rough to wade. I'm a new detector who needs a dedicated beach & surf machine and I am so confused with the choices it's crazy.

I was really interested in the last Beach/Surf Detector thread until it turned into a flame war about a certain machine. I think a poll might work a bit better.

Which one comes out on top in this price range?

Also, what about these brands? They have a few water machines but seemed to be off-brands.

Viper Beach
Cobra Beach
Detector Pro

DetectorPro is NOT a off-brand...its not a big company like White's, Minelab, Garrett and Fishers. Gary Storm is doing just fine. I started using the DF 11 months ago....before that, I had the DetectorPro HH PI for six yrs. Reason for switching just want it to try something different. The DF has a better pinpointing coil but the headphones are not the best compare to the HH PI. As far as depth, Without comparing the two, I don't see a different.....both are super deep! I voted for the HH PI because everyone else will be voting for the DF!lol
 
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DetectorPro is NOT a off-brand...its not a big company like White's, Minelab, Garrett and Fishers. Gary Storm is doing just fine. I started using the DF 11 months ago....before that, I had the DetectorPro HH PI for six yrs. Reason for switching just want it to try something different. The DF has a better pinpointing coil but the headphones are not the best compare to the HH PI. As far as depth, Without comparing the two, I don't see a different.....both are super deep! I voted for the HH PI because everyone else will be voting for the DF!lol

Sorry, I didn't mean to besmirch a decent company. I'm very new. :D

Is the DF you are referring to the Wader? Initially I had only seen their Pirate & Pirate Pro on a site listed as beach & water machines and the $300-$400 price tag on them had me leery.
 
Sorry, I didn't mean to besmirch a decent company. I'm very new. :D

Is the DF you are referring to the Wader? Initially I had only seen their Pirate & Pirate Pro on a site listed as beach & water machines and the $300-$400 price tag on them had me leery.

No, I am referring to the DetectorPro Headhunter PULSE. The Wader,Pirate and Pirate Pro are VLF. These links will give you more insight of the two circuit. g/l

http://www.detectorpro.com/headhunterpulse.htm

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/metal-detector4.htm

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/metal-detector2.htm
 
They wouldn't all fit if I tried to include them... I only had 10 slots... I put up what the OPer requested leaving out the two bottom of the barrel detectors.
You did a nice job on that poll. I was wondering who did it. I did not vote myself but would have voted for the DF. Hope the SS guy does not ruin this for the OP. I am out of it.
 
The Detector Pro line are a great bunch of machines especially for their price.

It really comes down to how much stuff your willing to dig. If you get one of the Pulse machines you will get great depth but will dig every piece of junk you come across.

If you want to pass over the junk the Pirate Pro or Wader are great machines for their prices and you still get a legit 8-9" of depth on rings.

From my understanding the Pirate Pro and Wader are almost the same machine just the Wader is made here in the US and quality is a little better over the Pro.

But at under $400 for the Pirate Pro it makes just a great simple, lightweight machine.
 
Sand Shark

I have used the Sand Shark for the summer and I am still happy with my purchase. I will tell you that it is best used in the water! Dry sand works great but yes you will dig a lot of trash and iron since it does not discriminate. The water offers much better quality targets with less trash. I have also used the excalibur II and yes it was less digging but you will still dig junk with it (just less). The excalibur also has a little more weight to it. Eventually I will upgrade to the excal and keep my sand shark as well.
 
The Detector Pro line are a great bunch of machines especially for their price.

It really comes down to how much stuff your willing to dig. If you get one of the Pulse machines you will get great depth but will dig every piece of junk you come across.

If you want to pass over the junk the Pirate Pro or Wader are great machines for their prices and you still get a legit 8-9" of depth on rings.

From my understanding the Pirate Pro and Wader are almost the same machine just the Wader is made here in the US and quality is a little better over the Pro.

But at under $400 for the Pirate Pro it makes just a great simple, lightweight machine.

I had the Pirate Pro...I air tested a Dime at 9 1/2". Goes deeper then my IDX-PRO in the dirt!
 
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I use a fisher 1280x, it was the cheapest used water detector that would last that i found at $200 off craigslist, but i only hunt fresh water, if you will be at a salt water beach look at somthing else.
 
I use a fisher 1280x, it was the cheapest used water detector that would last that i found at $200 off craigslist, but i only hunt fresh water, if you will be at a salt water beach look at somthing else.

I don't see myself in fresh water with this thing very much. We have gators in the fresh water here! :shock:
 
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