Myers Depot Metal Detectors

Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II vs Tesoro Sand Shark

I have no falsing with my sea hunter over here at all. One problem is the water is so cold nobody really loses anything in it. I have used it in dry sand.
I have the big 14inch coil for depth. Its a PI machine. If I had more money I would have bought the headhunter PI with 11inch coil.
The sea hunter is heavy so for me it works best with the control box around my neck so I can swing for a long time. The machine only makes a beep when you find a target not multiple sounds. (Except double beep over a bobby pin). I tried but cant disc out Iron. I think the discreet elim knob is fake. I wanted to buy a SS but they were out of production a few years ago to solve thier prob with coil wires so I bought the next cheapest one up:D
 
therover said:
Mortarman,

Is this going to be the only detector you will be using ? Reason I am asking is, a PI unit is a specialized unit for working in the water and wet sand. It is not the most optimal unit for semi-wet and dry sand, where more trash will be found.

There will be times where most if not all of the targets will be up high, in more trashy areas ( remember, conditions dictate beach hunting success more than any thing else including which unit a person is using). When those conditions prevail, a VLF unit with discrimination is the more optimal machine.

Hopefully you have a VLF unit in the stable when you go on vacation in case the water is too rough or targets are in more trashy spots where discrimination is a necessity.

Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I have several other machines. My main one is a Vaquero which I'll be using in the dry sand. I had a Fisher 1280X but had to let that go several years ago due to financel issues. The Sand Shark wil be my wet sand/water choice. I have a couple of older Whites also.
 
Crumble said:
and Terry sells another one.........

Hopefully you enjoy your new machine.
Click to expand...

I'm sure I will, thanks! Terry really didn't have to "sell" me one. I've have had several Tesoros over time and I have a Vaquero as my main machine. I'm very confident in their abilities and quality. But that being said, I don't have anything against other brands. That's why I was comparing these. The SS just meets my needs better.

P.S. I did catch your post before you edited it but I'll leave it be, although I don't remember anyone "warning" me. And I can't imagine what about.
 
mortarman said:
I'm sure I will, thanks! Terry really didn't have to "sell" me one. I've have had several Tesoros over time and I have a Vaquero as my main machine. I'm very confident in their abilities and quality. But that being said, I don't have anything against other brands. That's why I was comparing these. The SS just meets my needs better.

P.S. I did catch your post before you edited it but I'll leave it be, although I don't remember anyone "warning" me. And I can't imagine what about.
Click to expand...

My second and third post in the thread was the warning... as long as you dont have horrible mineralization like my beaches have, you should be alright.
 
You and I both have similar threads going, lol...

Im looking at the same three as well in the ATPRO cost thread:yes:
 
mortarman said:
We have some mineralization here in NJ but I've spoken to other SS users who use it here in Jersey and they have great results.
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Yeah, the Sand Shark seems to work well on the east coast, you should be fine. Over here on the west coast we have some notoriously hot black sand that the Sand Shark just couldn't handle, it saw the whole ground as a target. This bad ground seems to be unique to the west coast, it is gold country after all. Picture below is one of the beaches I'm referring to.
 

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La Jolla Shores

Crumble said:
Yeah, the Sand Shark seems to work well on the east coast, you should be fine. Over here on the west coast we have some notoriously hot black sand that the Sand Shark just couldn't handle, it saw the whole ground as a target. This bad ground seems to be unique to the west coast, it is gold country after all. Picture below is one of the beaches I'm referring to.
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Hey Crumble,

I went to La Jolla shores this morning to give the Sand Shark another chance. I ran in normal mode starting with the settings that Terry recommended. It takes some getting use to, but after a while I was able to listen for the increased tone follower by a pause amongst the chatter. I spent a couple of hours picking up nails and coins and focusing on the tone. VCO is very difficult to use there but normal mode is workable. Not an ideal area for the Sand Shark but at least I won't mind hitting that beach again.
 
I haven't spent a lot of time there but my SS also worked fine there. A lot of my beaches look like black sand though.
 
I have just used my new SS in the Baltic sea - the magnets in my scoop were covered with black fine gravel within minutes and the Sand Shark still works fine there. I have found 5 old coins with it on a beach, where I tried to use the Tiger Shark and HH Wader (both fresh water - not suitable here, I know) finding just pulltabs. There is some chatter in the threshold, but it is most probably coming from the air. Once I got a repeatable signal, I dug. It was very stable in the wet sand, on the edge of water, in the gravel part and further from the coast as well.

It might not be the best one ever, but it satisfies my needs and was at least 100 USD cheaper than any other waterproof detector (including the Sea Hunter). I live in CZ (EU), where not many water detectors are sold, so it makes a difference to US. There were two used Sea Hunters for sale, both escaped me - I have not had the funds for the first one, and I had already ordered the SS before the second one showed up.

I must say I had one quirk with it - the rubber at the door did not push the batteries to the contacts or the whole inside panel is a little deeper than it should be. I have solved that with a piece of paper, but will need to glue in a thicker rubber/foam band for convenience. Would it make sense to make a claim to Tesoro with this kind of fault?
 
Good Luck with your New Shark!

It really warms my heart that other Sand Shark owners are confirming I am not overstating the Sand Shark's abilities - EVEN in heavy black sand that one poster says it just won't work in.

I have always said the Sand Shark is AS GOOD or BETTER, than any PI machine on the market today at TWICE the price. Glad to see other Sand Shark owners chiming in! :cool:
 
pelanj said:
...I must say I had one quirk with it - the rubber at the door did not push the batteries to the contacts or the whole inside panel is a little deeper than it should be. I have solved that with a piece of paper, but will need to glue in a thicker rubber/foam band for convenience. Would it make sense to make a claim to Tesoro with this kind of fault?
Click to expand...

If the battery pack is not seating properly then yes, I would send it back in the off season and have them look at it!
 
I have an 8" sand shark. Great machine. It was my first real water machine and found a ton of goodies for me. I recently stepped up to a CZ21 and love it. However the 8" coil of the SS can slide through the water like no other. The CZ can't hold a candle to it. I can't imagine what that big o'l yellow coil must be like to swing in the water.
DC
 
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