Bayoutalker
Elite Member
Pretty cool. When I was an instructor years ago I took a wreck diving class from a guy that was seriously into that deep cave diving.
Cliff
My CZ21 is already cracking!%$@*&!!!!
- Thread starter itsaring!
- Start date
Cliff
Holy moly what an experience. Do you see much in the way of marine life in those caves?
I'm not claustrophobic but I think I would be if I did that.
Thanks for sharing!
zeemang
Forum Supporter
Reminds me of diving in cenotes here, same crystal clear waters and dangerous as heck...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri9oBA7FVfE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri9oBA7FVfE
Strollmasta
Senior Member
I wouldn't be concerned at all. They are very well built and well worth the cost.
3 years in with my CZ21 and no cracks or any other problems. Knock on wood.
Emwonk
Full Member
Another bad experience
I've had the same problem two times with the battery cover cracks. The first time I used the detector I tightened the cover by the book and dove with the detector about 15 feet deep. It ran about 1 hour. The next day it was full of salt water and gray sludge and dead as a door nail.
Instructions are not so good. A label on my battery cover says "tighten firmly," but the manual says turn 15 degrees past finger tight. And, the manual also says 8?? inch lbs in another place. Which is it?
Fisher support was extremely good. They sent me a new detector and it worked great! I found it much more enjoyable to use than the Excal.
Now I'm back in Maui ready to go and sure enough one of the tabs on the battery cover is cracked. And I've been very careful about tightening. And they were stored loose.
So now two covers are on order next day from Kellyco. Hopefully the parts arrive Friday and I'll stay high and dry until then. Fifteen dollars each plus rush shipping takes it to $116. I better find some more gold.
To me it's a bad sign that replacement covers are available. There is a serious design flaw for two failures in 40 hours on a machine of this price. I know I'm not overtightening.
Hopefully I can approach this as a wear item. Next time I come to Hawaii I'll be sure to bring spares parts.
The good news is I love the detector. When it's working!
I've had the same problem two times with the battery cover cracks. The first time I used the detector I tightened the cover by the book and dove with the detector about 15 feet deep. It ran about 1 hour. The next day it was full of salt water and gray sludge and dead as a door nail.
Instructions are not so good. A label on my battery cover says "tighten firmly," but the manual says turn 15 degrees past finger tight. And, the manual also says 8?? inch lbs in another place. Which is it?
Fisher support was extremely good. They sent me a new detector and it worked great! I found it much more enjoyable to use than the Excal.
Now I'm back in Maui ready to go and sure enough one of the tabs on the battery cover is cracked. And I've been very careful about tightening. And they were stored loose.
So now two covers are on order next day from Kellyco. Hopefully the parts arrive Friday and I'll stay high and dry until then. Fifteen dollars each plus rush shipping takes it to $116. I better find some more gold.
To me it's a bad sign that replacement covers are available. There is a serious design flaw for two failures in 40 hours on a machine of this price. I know I'm not overtightening.
Hopefully I can approach this as a wear item. Next time I come to Hawaii I'll be sure to bring spares parts.
The good news is I love the detector. When it's working!
I have had CZ-21's for years and not a single battery cover crack. I tighten them with a coin and that's it. I always use silicone grease on the gasket. Everything seems to work just fine.
Larry, did you ever get this problem resolved? I am looking at buying this machine, and would welcome all thought's......Thanks
Emwonk
Full Member
Update- highly recommended with Cautions
Kellyco has 2 covers and a gasket on the way to Hawaii next day fed ex.
This happening two times is unacceptable two ways. One is it happened two times, despite me being careful the second time. There is some kind of design flaw.
The second unacceptable reason is I assumed it was a fluke and didn't look close enough at the battery door cover before I left home. Inspecting the gear before travel is best.
I've used several under water machines and this is by far the best I've used for several reasons. The discrimination is truly a timesaver because there is an incredible amount of junk faling off people like hair pins, etc. It soon became easy to ignore the junk and cover a lot of ground by hunting all metal and then switching to discriminate to see if it was junk or in gold range, which is quite distinctive from most of the junk.
I also owned an excal and I like this machine much better. To me a PI machine would be a complete aggravation and I would spend a lot of time chasing iron and every gum wrapper.
If you get it, get a couple of extra battery door covers and keep them with you. To me the machine works well enough to put up carrying spares until Fisher steps into this thread and explains. A few $15 extra covers for backup is easy way to own an otherwise exceptional machine.
Fisher should start with clarifying whether the spec for tightening is "TIGHTLY," as on the battery label, a few degrees past finger tight as stated in one page of the manual, or inch pounds as in the other page of the manual. Finally, who can say what an inch poind is? And who carries an inch-lb torque wrench metal detecting? I tend to suspect inch pounds is hardly any torque at all, and more than that overloads the tabs. Also, I notice corrosion. I wonder if the salt has corroded the screw assembly and expanded it eough to crack it. But that would not explain the first machine arriving broken.
Finally, they need to make sure people put that gasket in right. It was just by accident I read carefully and noticed it has a shape that matters, and the battery door gets the big side of the gasket. That and the instruction needs to be etched on the door cover and included in a 1/2 cent piece of paper that says to watch out. Finally, is silicone needed? Nothing in the manual about that. Seems like a nice insurance.
My two cents worth. Now back outside to try to find some stuff in the dry sand and enjoy the scenery while scooping up loose change until I can get into the water where all the jewelery is.
I found my first gold ring with this machine a year ago and I suspect there are more rings where that came from. If the water is deeper than people can touch the bottom, that's where the good stuff is. Until you hunt with a weight belt, mask and snorkel you can't believe how much jewelry is out there. Too bad a lot of it is that titanium stuff!!
Kellyco has 2 covers and a gasket on the way to Hawaii next day fed ex.
This happening two times is unacceptable two ways. One is it happened two times, despite me being careful the second time. There is some kind of design flaw.
The second unacceptable reason is I assumed it was a fluke and didn't look close enough at the battery door cover before I left home. Inspecting the gear before travel is best.
I've used several under water machines and this is by far the best I've used for several reasons. The discrimination is truly a timesaver because there is an incredible amount of junk faling off people like hair pins, etc. It soon became easy to ignore the junk and cover a lot of ground by hunting all metal and then switching to discriminate to see if it was junk or in gold range, which is quite distinctive from most of the junk.
I also owned an excal and I like this machine much better. To me a PI machine would be a complete aggravation and I would spend a lot of time chasing iron and every gum wrapper.
If you get it, get a couple of extra battery door covers and keep them with you. To me the machine works well enough to put up carrying spares until Fisher steps into this thread and explains. A few $15 extra covers for backup is easy way to own an otherwise exceptional machine.
Fisher should start with clarifying whether the spec for tightening is "TIGHTLY," as on the battery label, a few degrees past finger tight as stated in one page of the manual, or inch pounds as in the other page of the manual. Finally, who can say what an inch poind is? And who carries an inch-lb torque wrench metal detecting? I tend to suspect inch pounds is hardly any torque at all, and more than that overloads the tabs. Also, I notice corrosion. I wonder if the salt has corroded the screw assembly and expanded it eough to crack it. But that would not explain the first machine arriving broken.
Finally, they need to make sure people put that gasket in right. It was just by accident I read carefully and noticed it has a shape that matters, and the battery door gets the big side of the gasket. That and the instruction needs to be etched on the door cover and included in a 1/2 cent piece of paper that says to watch out. Finally, is silicone needed? Nothing in the manual about that. Seems like a nice insurance.
My two cents worth. Now back outside to try to find some stuff in the dry sand and enjoy the scenery while scooping up loose change until I can get into the water where all the jewelery is.
I found my first gold ring with this machine a year ago and I suspect there are more rings where that came from. If the water is deeper than people can touch the bottom, that's where the good stuff is. Until you hunt with a weight belt, mask and snorkel you can't believe how much jewelry is out there. Too bad a lot of it is that titanium stuff!!
Still laying on my bed. Thinking about paying to get the big coil installed. Little coil you are better off using an 800 excel. Worst thing about the Cz21 is its the heaviest detector I ever used.
Thanks. Craig says it loves iron too......
Everyone I know hip mounts the critter. Any reason you don't?
I bought that $15 under mount bracket on eBay. Tried it today, for the first time with my ten inch coil. It really balances the detector! My only complaint is that now it's a little rear heavy, even with LiPo batteries in it. A strap would do wonders...
I like not having a cable going to my head and another to my belt, though!
AIRFORCEMIKE
Forum Supporter
Hip mounted you risk snatching the coil wire out. Mine is too short. Im right handed and prefer the controls on my left hip right by my scoop hand. I also personally don't like how flimsy the shaft is. We got current and waves and you can get a wobble feel. Im probably going to keep it and install the big coil and make a custom composite shaft. But the battery door sux. Mine cracked before I replace the first factory batteries. In other words before I ever tightened the screws the first time. I think someone else replaced their battery door 3 times already
Caribbeanson
Forum Supporter
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2012
- Messages
- 1,055
We had leaking issues with the first cz-21 we got, think it was either airport mishandling or possibly from me checking the detector, tightening the battery door, then putting on the plane (cargo pressure changes etc).
Silent search is great but yea its a heavy detector to swing naturally on the sand. And if you're tall you need it fully extended which creates a lot of wobble in the shaft. My elbow is pretty trashed after 3 hrs on wet sand swinging that heavy girl
Silent search is great but yea its a heavy detector to swing naturally on the sand. And if you're tall you need it fully extended which creates a lot of wobble in the shaft. My elbow is pretty trashed after 3 hrs on wet sand swinging that heavy girl
Top-USMC
Forum Supporter
We had leaking issues with the first cz-21 we got, think it was either airport mishandling or possibly from me checking the detector, tightening the battery door, then putting on the plane (cargo pressure changes etc).
Silent search is great but yea its a heavy detector to swing naturally on the sand. And if you're tall you need it fully extended which creates a lot of wobble in the shaft. My elbow is pretty trashed after 3 hrs on wet sand swinging that heavy girl
It is heavy. I got the under elbow bracket and it is fairly well balanced with the shaft fully extended. I have the chest harness as well but I am not too fond of it.
We have a pretty tough surf here but I don't experience too much wobble as some complain about. Maybe I don't clean the crud off the shaft often enough.
I bought mine used last year (it has a 2014 manuf. date) and now have over 230 hours on it. No cracking so far. I always use silicon grease on the cover gasket and clean it thoroughly. Finger tighten the screws and then snug them up evenly just enough to compress the gasket.
This original thread is a few years old and it seems that fewer people are now having complaints about leaking.
I love my CZ 21 decision. It has more than paid for itself and all of my detecting paraphernalia. It is a great hobby that is fun and pays for itself.
Well no water got into my toy but it died today for some reason while diving. All it does is make noise. Sending it off tomorrow. Either I use the Tiger Shark or the CZ-21 with the 10" coil now. Stinks, cause swinging that in the weeds is very hard work.
Hopefully its something simple?
