Water Hunters ALERT ! Please respond !

[TonyinCT]

I am asking all of the water hunters for their opinions on the detector they use and how they like it for water hunting. I would like you to state the model and why you like or dislike it . Also , I am looking for any information on whether you changed from one type of detector to another or from one brand to another and why. Thanks in advance for your insight

[Cfmct]

Hmmmmm

Are we getting paid for our opinions?


Lets see.. Well Tony you sold me my PI PRO and I love it because its light, its well balanced, the batteries last a long time, its easy to use, its deep and it sniffs out the gold at least for me

I don't mind the one tone I have learned the detector so well I can tell when I have a bobbypin (broken signal) or iron under my coil iron tends to be a longer signal.

As you know I started out with the Detector Pro HeadHunter but I didn't like the big open coil and I didn't like the battery life, about 7 hours where as I have 20+ hours with the PI PRO.

[hoser]

Tony I'm probably not much help here, but I own the Whites BH-ID, and for the kind of hunting I do, I love it. I used to own the Garretts AT-3 Beach Hunter, and it was ok. It was limited to how deep you could take it in the water(6 feet). It seemed to perform pretty well, but I have my doubts as to the depth it would read a target. The Whites is a lot better made machine too. Hope this helps a little.

[Carol K]

We're probably not much help either. We're still using our Baracuda's and the Fisher Impulse.

We did have a Seahunter, but sold it a month later after we realized it wasn't working out for us, and had a Excalibur 800 and sold it after we were done with it. All we needed it for was 1 specific beach that was loaded with iron.

[angellionel]

My three cent nickel, for what it's worth....

The Excalibur
This is the machine I use for overall shallow water and wet sand hunts. I love its tonal range, and with some experience in its use, gold targets can be picked out from other targets. I like the fact that I can ?cherry pick? while detecting at a site containing many targets but time is very short, allowing me the ability to ignore those higher pitched signals given by coins. Also, it ignores iron and it provides good depth. It works equally great at the beach and lakes or ponds, while also allowing me to move from water to land to work the surrounding inland grounds without problems.

While many have expressed a concern with the weight, my personal experience has been that it isn't a major issue, though I am looking to change the shaft.

I don't like the headphones. They can be slightly uncomfortable, and tend to slide off on hot days while detecting the wet sand ? the cord isn't long enough, so it tugs at times. The battery pod for alkaline batteries does not allow for an easy change. I have found that the knobs aren't as strongly set as I would like, with some of the caps coming off. I had to glue mine in.

The Surf PI Pro
I prefer to use this machine for shallow water detecting at the beach where the deep sand may present a challenge in reaching the deeper targets. I like the headphones, which are comfortable and snug. Battery life is very good.

Changing the batteries is much easier than it's the case with the Excalibur. It allows for some very good depth. The machine is nicely balanced, though at times it can be uncomfortable to swing when the surf is pounding on you.

I don't like its one tone, but with some practice, targets can be identified ? bobby pins, producing a double blip, and iron, which is drawn out and loud. The knobs have a tendency to shift if hit by a wave, causing the threshold to either increase or decrease. The arm rest felt flimsy, so I decided to drill another hole in which to insert an additional plastic screw. Now it holds very strongly.

[sandyfeet]

I use a pi pro and cz20, The pi goes deeper but the cz has excellent ID.
I run the cz in all metal mode then go to disc. when I hit a target. The cz also pinpoints the target better than the pi pro.

[frozenfishy]

I use a old Tesoro stingray II with practice you can identify iron over quality signals and it works great on wet sand after it rains for some reason I don't know, you can change the coils, the battery life is incredible and simple to use. The only thing I don't like about it is that it goes out of tune often now and the latch opens alittle to easy if I get it caught on something. I had a whites PI and just didn't like it it kept breaking maybe a lemon I use a DFx as well and love that machine.
Hope this helps

[Electro]

I have the Excalibur and the HeadHunter PI...I have been using the Headhunter on Beaches that are not Trashy (New Smyrna was no good as there were dozens of bits of twisted wire that looked like coathanger). It is a wonderful machine in its simplicity and ease of use. It also seems to be quite sensitive and does not fight the mineralization.

I use the Excalibur when I want the option of discrimination and it is deserving of it's great reputation. The HeadHunter PI has spoiled me however it it's lightness and so I am going to start doing the hip carry with the Excal to see how I like it. I will have a coil safety on the cable so that I will not cause undue stress on the cable housings. I do like having both of them and the option of picking either one depending on the environment. Best of luck in your search!

[Scavenger]

The BeachHunter ID from Whites is great in both salt and fresh water. However, the stick and coil need to be weighted because they are bouyant. I usually run it in the all-metal mode.

[Cfmct]

Originally Posted by Scavenger

The BeachHunter ID from Whites is great in both salt and fresh water. However, the stick and coil need to be weighted because they are bouyant. I usually run it in the all-metal mode.

Skavenger on my PI I have the non-weighted coil and all I do is use one of those coil stabilizers and I'm fine in fact I like the non-weighted better than the weighted coil I hold my detector where the S in the shaft is.

[bbqcook]

Originally Posted by sandyfeet

I use a pi pro and cz20, The pi goes deeper but the cz has excellent ID.
I run the cz in all metal mode then go to disc. when I hit a target. The cz also pinpoints the target better than the pi pro.

Sandyfeet, didn't I read some where here you were from the RTP area? I live n Raleigh, not far from the airport.

[sandyfeet]

Originally Posted by bbqcook

Sandyfeet, didn't I read some where here you were from the RTP area? I live n Raleigh, not far from the airport.

I live in hillsborough but right now I'm at work at RTP about 1 mile from RDU running a cnc lathe.
Sorry Tony for getting off your topic 8)

[GreenMeanie]

I liked my Excalibur except for the fact that the threshold would come back to loud and I had to keep waving my shovel in front of it to reset it.
Hopefully minelab makes a new water machine soon.

[beach_bum]

check out andersons shafts they make quality replacement knobs for excalibur and covers also

[sectshun8]

Originally Posted by beach_bum

check out andersons shafts they make quality replacement knobs for excalibur and covers also

You did see the last reply to this thread was 3.5 years ago

Good advice anyhow, but sheesh

[Bobbie]

I started out with a Detector Pro HeadHunter as my first detector, good machine but it was a PI and after a while I got tired of digging every fish hook and bobby pin that I came across. From there I jumped up to an Excal and love it, although it has been modified with a straight shaft, Grey Ghost headphones and 12" SunRay. My husband was lucky enough to find one used and outfitted the same way. I also owned the Detector Pro Wader which was good but I did not like the small coil for water hunting.
My husband had the Surf PI Pro but perfered the Excal instead. Right now he has the Detector Pro Pirate as a back-up which he likes very much not only for dry and wet sand but also for coin shooting.

[foreverRich]

I use the Detector Pro Diver and love it. The more I use it the better I like it. It is light weight (2.5lb), excellent battery life (40+ hrs), Interchangeable coil and simple controls in the headset. The detector does work just as well for land hunting and it LOVES dimes. Just can't beat it for the money.

[MasterSAM]

As I have stated before...My Fisher CZ-21 seems to work exceptionally well. I am able to detect objects extremely deep. This does pose one problem - I have to dig a lot more. The batteries could last a bit longer but hey, when you are finding as much as I find, the cost of the batteries isn't so much of an issue.
I also have Minelab's Excalibur II. Put it this way, I let my family use it because it's just my "backup" unit. I would even sell the Excal - are you interested? I will sell it for a fair price. The unit has only been used for about 20 hours - maybe not even that much. I would very much prefer to have another CZ-21.

My opinion may be biased because I rate the CZ-21 so high and it's the only one I swing - not own.

MS