Best $500-600 beach detector?

stryder222 · Apr 1, 2014

hi gang I am new to this group as well as new to metal detecting. In fact I do not have a metal detector yet, but I am interested in getting one. Thus my question; which beach detector is best for saltwater beaches in the five to six hundred dollar range? Thanks in advance for the info, Brad

gordonquixote · Apr 1, 2014

My dad recently bought a like-new Tesoro Sand Shark for $450 and he loves it.

He got a scoop from Ruslan (Stavr) and is already finding gold.

penzfan · Apr 1, 2014

I like the Sand Shark

Briman05 · Apr 1, 2014

There is that detector pro pirate it has a really low frequency

norbyx · Apr 1, 2014

Briman05 said:
There is that detector pro pirate it has a really low frequency

Even though the detector pro actually can work the salt sand beaches even in the wet, it's not deep, and when I mean not deep, I mean you will get 3-4 inches at the best. Good stuff at the beach sinks much faster than in the soil, so you need a deep detector. At your price range the sand shark is about it, unless you are quite lucky and find a cz20 used and cheap.

DaviDs · Apr 2, 2014

Brad,

Welcome to the forums and MD'g!

A Pulse Induction (PI) style detector is designed to ignore the effects of salt and moderate mineralization. Therefore you often achieve significant depth advantage over other single frequency/VLF detectors. The SS and Garrett Sea Hunter are two PI models which are very capable at ocean beaches as well as are waterproof so you can hunt in the surf or even dive with them. To buy either of them new, your cost is in the mid $600s from most retailers. Used, they run anywhere from $250-550. The only downside is that PI style detectors are not usually able to discriminate targets effectively, so hopefully you don't mind digging every signal.

Fisher has several CZ model detectors (CZ-7, 7a, 7a-pro, 70, 20, and 21) which are all great for the beach. They are dual frequency machines and able to better compensate for the ground conditions. The 20 and 21 are the newest models and are completely waterproof. New is out of your budget, but used ranges from $500-800. The other other models are splash proof (OK to get in the rain but not be submerged in water) and they also have a nice visual display screen that tells you the target ID and other settings. Used you can find these anywhere from $200-450. Also, these detectors have pretty good discrimination, unlike the PI. You can tune the detector to ignore targets like bobby pins, fish hooks, iron junk, bottle caps, etc.

-David

metaladdict · Apr 2, 2014

A used sand shark or Garrett sea hunter2. Not a lot of choices at that low a price range.

CoiltoSoil · Apr 2, 2014

Like DND said, find a good used CZ 7/7a/5/6/6a/70/71 pro etc. or a Minelab Sov or Explorer, if you need a waterproof unit check out the CZ20/21 or Minelab Excal. You'll get the best bang for your buck with a used detector, nothing new in that price range will be great or super deep in wet salt sand. You need multi-freq.

DaviDs · Apr 2, 2014

Stryder...

Almost forgot to mention, you might want to contact the forum sponsors for a detector!!! Like you, when i started off, I was enticed by all the glamorous ads of each detector with amazing claims to find targets in blah-blah conditions. The forum sponsors (metal detector stores) are guys passionate about the hobby, want to educate you, and find a detector that best suits your needs. Sure they sell new, but they also broker used equipment that is usually thoroughly gone through and tested for proper performance.

samandnoah · Apr 2, 2014

Another thought is a used *older* model in the Sovereign family line. So, while the Sovereign GT (the latest model) is all the rage, there are still many fans of the previous generations, like the XS, or XS2, or XS2A-Pro, etc. Those can often be found in your range. Yes, they are older machines, but are build like tanks, and perform quite well. Note that they are not waterproof, and are meant for sand, and wet sand, and very shallow water. There are things you can do to reduce the risk of getting them wet (like chest mounting the box), or building a simple waterproof case, to allow them to get splashed and/or submerged.

Good luck!
Rich

hunter1 · Apr 2, 2014

Bang for the bucks

Sand Shark.

DaviDs · Apr 2, 2014

samandnoah said:
There are things you can do to reduce the risk of getting them wet (like chest mounting the box), or building a simple waterproof case, to allow them to get splashed and/or submerged.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=88982&highlight=behold+sovzilla

Here is a thread on how to build a waterproof case. This will work on all models of the Minelab Sovereign, Explorer, Safari, and E-trac which are higher end detectors that just aren't waterproof from the factory. As mentioned, the control box can be mounted to your belt, hung around your neck/chest, or put in a backpack.

Another tid-bit of info....the Minelab Sovereign is the same thing as the Excal. The Excal is just waterproofed from the factory. Also, if purchasing a Minelab machine, there are lots and lot of aftermarket accessories.

Max-VaBeach-Va · Apr 2, 2014

brad

keep saving forget the 500 to 600 range.

read and search - do not waste your ammo on something u will end up re-selling later.

time is the key - quality time spent in search of yellow metal on a salt beach.

robby4570 · Apr 2, 2014

Here's a few options

If you aren't going to submerge it:

A used Sovereign will run you around $500 if you look long enough and hard enough.

A used DFX will also do you very well and it will make a great land machine as well.

If you're going to submerge it:

A used Beach Hunter (DFX guts in a waterproof housing - 25 feet - less display and pinpoint switch)

A NEW Sandshark (PI or DIG IT ALL)

A used Surf PI DF, again you'll have to look long and hard to find one at that price.

Maybe used CZ's fall in that range as well?

Or keep saving as has been suggested and get a New Excal, CTX3030, Surf PI DF or CZ.

Cfmct · Apr 2, 2014

norbyx said:
Even though the detector pro actually can work the salt sand beaches even in the wet, it's not deep, and when I mean not deep, I mean you will get 3-4 inches at the best. Good stuff at the beach sinks much faster than in the soil, so you need a deep detector. At your price range the sand shark is about it, unless you are quite lucky and find a cz20 used and cheap.

Its a littler deeper than that but being single frequency it chatters terribly...I used to have a Wader and it would get down around 8 inches but the chatter was very annoying.

Surf Master · Apr 2, 2014

Robby 4570

My friends DFX did not do well in the wet, fine on dry, but bad on wet, Earl

Cfmct · Apr 2, 2014

Surf Master said:
My friends DFX did not do well in the wet, fine on dry, but bad on wet, Earl

That is weird... my DFX purred like a kitten in the wet sand when I used one.

norbyx · Apr 2, 2014

Cfmct said:
Its a littler deeper than that but being single frequency it chatters terribly...I used to have a Wader and it would get down around 8 inches but the chatter was very annoying.

I had a wader as well... And even if tweeked with a mod made in the internal pots it wouldn't go any deeper than 4 inches in wet sand or in the surf, it could do the eventual 6-7 inches in dry... 8 inches... Maybe air tested... Unless you used it in white sand beaches, that is not what we have here.....

Awendaw · Apr 2, 2014

DnD said:
Brad,

Welcome to the forums and MD'g!

A Pulse Induction (PI) style detector is designed to ignore the effects of salt and moderate mineralization. Therefore you often achieve significant depth advantage over other single frequency/VLF detectors. The SS and Garrett Sea Hunter are two PI models which are very capable at ocean beaches as well as are waterproof so you can hunt in the surf or even dive with them. To buy either of them new, your cost is in the mid $600s from most retailers. Used, they run anywhere from $250-550. The only downside is that PI style detectors are not usually able to discriminate targets effectively, so hopefully you don't mind digging every signal.

Fisher has several CZ model detectors (CZ-7, 7a, 7a-pro, 70, 20, and 21) which are all great for the beach. They are dual frequency machines and able to better compensate for the ground conditions. The 20 and 21 are the newest models and are completely waterproof. New is out of your budget, but used ranges from $500-800. The other other models are splash proof (OK to get in the rain but not be submerged in water) and they also have a nice visual display screen that tells you the target ID and other settings. Used you can find these anywhere from $200-450. Also, these detectors have pretty good discrimination, unlike the PI. You can tune the detector to ignore targets like bobby pins, fish hooks, iron junk, bottle caps, etc.

-David

+1 for that price range.

Crumble · Apr 2, 2014

I paid $350 for my Sovereign XS2, did the Lipo battery mod, added a straight shaft, and added a 12x15 SEF coil. Has about $550-$600 into it now and can compete with any of my other machines that cost 2x-3x as much. Once I throw it in a waterproof box it will be a force to be reckoned with.

If you aren't willing to mod your machine, I would agree with the others and save up for a CZ21/Excal. Buy once, cry once.

Best $500-600 beach detector?

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