Myers Depot Metal Detectors

What is the best saltwater beach detector?

North Shore

North Shore

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2016
Messages
281
Location
Massachusetts
I plan on doing some beach hunting, for years to come. I'm in coastal Massachusetts and I'm looking to spend about $800 or so but will step up for a well reviewed machine. I'm a ground guy up until now. Also, looking for good scoop recommendations as well.

Thanks
 
Multifrequency is the only way to handle conductive salt AND discriminate iron. A Safari, Explorer, CZ3D, Sov, v3i or DFX will work but are not waterproof. For waterproof your options are Excal, cz21, BHID, or CTX. Check with forum sponsor s for your best price. A competent scoop will run you $160-220. T-Rex, sunspot/stealth, and RTG are some of the industry leaders.
 
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FWIW, it is better to buy a competent USED machine than buy a new machine that doesn't work so good in salt.....IE, an ATPro, MX Sport, and other single frequency machines.
 
$800 Will get you a used Excal or CZ if you're going in the water. Stay with a VLF, a PI is not something you want for your 1st and only salt/beach machine. If you're only considering wet sand a used Sovereign would be my choice although I can't speak from experience. I would definitely buy a Stealth scoop (Sunspot). Lifetime warranty on that and Chuck is great to deal with.
 
I have to agree with all the above suggestions. Buy a used cz21 or similar machine. I have the cz21 and several PI machines Including the Surf Dual Field.
DaviDs post above is dead on, including the Stealth scoop. The VLF dual frequency of the CZ21 allows it to work well in salt conditions. That said you can also discriminate a bit when needed. And silent search is a plus for windy beaches.

PS. Connecticut and Florida hunter.


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Thanks footpeg.... I'm blessed to have owned/used every detector listed above AND six other PI detectors not mentioned. I will say that my favorite detector is the CTX and fav scoop is the Stealth 720.

For oceanic beaches, the worst detector I have used is by far the detector pro (not the pulse unit) and the worst scoop is the RTG. Yup, I've owned (4) RTG aluminum scoops. All of them bent the metal or broken the welds in less than 90 days of use....And I'm in FL in an area with no rocks!!!
 
davidD, footpeg and felix give great advice. The pulse is highly touted and advertised as the "end-all" cat's meow beach machine. Yes it can effortlessly tackle any and all black sand. Yes it can endlessly get tinsel thin chains and earing studs. Yes it's heavily advertised as "beach" machine. Yes it goes verrrry deeep. Who can argue with all those advantages, eh ?

But if you find yourself on a nail-riddled beach, you may end up hating life. And as for depth, some of today's standard coin machines (Sov. with Wot combo, for instance, or CZ with 10" coil, etc... ) can go insanely deep as well.

So it depends on how black your beaches are, how touristy clean vs industrial junky they are. And what type hunting you do. If you're storm/erosion chasing, then depth becomes a non-issue, and "speed" becomes the name of the game.
 
Postscript: a CA friend of mine found himself on the east coast years ago, right after major beach erosion. And went onto the beach awesome cuts and erosion. Only to find himself on gunpowder jet black sand. That no machine EXCEPT a pulse would cut. So you might consider investing in each type, depending on what beaches you hunt.

For the times I'd be reaching for a pulse, it would only be in those rare conditions and certain beaches where you just have no choice. In which case, again, depth may not be the issue. Hence any of the early Whites (for example) used beach pulse machines (cheap on ebay now) would suffice as a backup for those situations.
 
Thanks everyone, I will do a little researching but if I had to say, the two beaches within walking distance of my parents home, both have that magnetic black sand. Would I be better off going the PI route? I tried my AT Pro land machine out there and I might as well have turned it on in my living room with how haywire it went.

Edit:

Also, just so I'm not "that guy" I have been doing some of my own reading on the subject so I'm not just spoon fed info, I was leaning towards the Tesoro Sandshark and Whites Surf PI Dual Field where they fit in my budget along with one of the stealth scoops.
 
I suggest if you are leaning toward the Whites Dual Field you actually swing one.

That big 12 inch coil becomes a bear after about an hour or so of swinging. Coil control is a factor not many people talk about. The ability to control your coil, your swing speed and maintain an even sweep and not have the coil arc 6-10 inches off the ground and the beginning and end of your swing is something to think about.

Pulse units are very good in certain applications. They can be a major pain in the butt in others.

If you do get a PI and head to the beach, the number one mindset is that you will dig everything. Do not go in thinking you can figure targets out based on how they 'sound' or if they hit with a double beep or whatever.

The best PI hunters and the ones who pretty much go into a hunt knowing they are digging everything, knowing they are going to have a pouch full of junk and also knowing that they will find a nice gold ring and a chunk of iron in their scoop that no hunter with a VLF would have found.

Best advice was the person who stated try to find an older Whites PI unit that has not been beat up or used much on the cheap. Also my advice...get a PI with a smaller coil. Sand Shark with the 8 inch coil, Garrett Sea Hunter with an 8 inch coil or Whites with 9.5. Much easier to put that sized coil in the hole. In order to get that big 12 inch DF coil down into a hole you have to dig out a 2 foot by 3 foot hole ! I know...I had one. Great unit...the darn coil way too big for my liking.

Just my 2 cents.
 
IF (BIG IF), you go the PI route, I love my Sand Shark. It finds me 2-3X the gold but I also dig at least 3x more junk. I recently constructed my own straight shaft and took it off the chest mount that I had also made. Huge difference in swinging ease. I don't believe in swinging anything less than 10" inches either on the beach. Good luck on your decision. We've all been there.
 
North Shore said:
I was leaning towards the Tesoro Sandshark and Whites Surf PI Dual Field where they fit in my budget along with one of the stealth scoops.
Click to expand...
FelixtheCat said:
IF (BIG IF), you go the PI route, I love my Sand Shark. It finds me 2-3X the gold but I also dig at least 3x more junk. I recently constructed my own straight shaft and took it off the chest mount that I had also made. Huge difference in swinging ease. I don't believe in swinging anything less than 10" inches either on the beach. Good luck on your decision. We've all been there.
Click to expand...

Straight shaft....definately! It will help balance the machine better and reduce fatigue

Size of coil... To me, the weight difference is almost unoticeable. In the water, the coil can act like sail and be caught by the current....but typically, that is only at the very edge of the surf. Go waist-deep or deeper and swinging is a breeze.

You can usually pinpoint or narrow down the location of a a target in the sand to a 3-6" diameter area. So if you get a quality scoop, most are 8-10" wide and easily pop out the target.

FYI ...cut a piece of cardboard into 8", 10", and 12" circles. Tape it to the end of a broom handle and practice swinging. Reality will hit you like a brick when you realize you have to swing that 8" coil 2x for every single swing of the 12".
 
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North Shore said:
... if I had to say, the two beaches within walking distance of my parents home, both have that magnetic black sand. Would I be better off going the PI route?.....
Click to expand...

It depends on what you mean. Depends on the amount of black sand. If it's moderate, then regular machines can cut it.

If your sand is gun-powder grey, to a sort of purple-tinge, THAT'S when you know it's nasty. I can't speak to the experience you had with the AT pro, as I've never used that machine. The only way for someone here to know, is to actually see the beach , and scan over it. Here in CA, I can spot it from a distance, d/t decades experience "reading" the beach.

Try both types, if in doubt. You can always unload the one you don't want on fleabay and not loose on the $$. If you're not getting punished by too many nails, then maybe the pulse is the way to go. Also factor in, that conditions (#s and types of targets) can change dramatically after beach erosion. So a "tame" test you might do on regular wide open touristy sand, may not mimic the task if you're the type that's eventually going to chase erosion days.
 
DaviDs said:
Thanks footpeg.... I'm blessed to have owned/used every detector listed above AND six other PI detectors not mentioned. I will say that my favorite detector is the CTX and fav scoop is the Stealth 720.

For oceanic beaches, the worst detector I have used is by far the detector pro (not the pulse unit) and the worst scoop is the RTG. Yup, I've owned (4) RTG aluminum scoops. All of them bent the metal or broken the welds in less than 90 days of use....And I'm in FL in an area with no rocks!!!
Click to expand...

What David said.
 
I mentioned I also have the Surf Dual Field. The 12" loop is heavy! I went to a straight shaft with the electronics mounted behind the cuff. Made a big difference in balance. A lot of the beaches have a zillion rusted out sparkler wires. Some are short enough to not double beep. So you dig your a$$ off!,
I have a Pi pro and a Pi Surf both earlier PIs. Also have several home brew PIs in fact working on the Baracuda now. The Sand Shark is pretty well respected however never tried one.


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Footpeg said:
.... A lot of the beaches have a zillion rusted out sparkler wires. Some are short enough to not double beep. So you dig your a$$ off!,...
Click to expand...

Footpeg, re.: the "double beep" method of discerning nails. Yes you're right: Short ones, or bent ones, will not always give the "double beep". However, I'd also be concerned about employing the double-beep method anyhow:

Wouldn't a wadded up elongated necklace, or a gold stick-pin, also give you a "double-beep" ? If you get a pulse for the fabled ability to pick in up thin chains, then it seems to be defeating the purpose to pass double beeps, if an elongated necklace might not be the very type targets that can give double-beeps. eh ? :?:
 
Tom_in_CA said:
Footpeg, re.: the "double beep" method of discerning nails. Yes you're right: Short ones, or bent ones, will not always give the "double beep". However, I'd also be concerned about employing the double-beep method anyhow:

Wouldn't a wadded up elongated necklace, or a gold stick-pin, also give you a "double-beep" ? If you get a pulse for the fabled ability to pick in up thin chains, then it seems to be defeating the purpose to pass double beeps, if an elongated necklace might not be the very type targets that can give double-beeps. eh ? :?:
Click to expand...

Amen.

Like I said, when you have a PI in your hand, go in with the mindset to dig it all.
 
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