twizzlerlord
Elite Member
Does anyone know if this is a good detector? I found one on a website for what I believe is a pretty good price, but any information on this would help. Thanks
Does anyone know if this is a good detector? I found one on a website for what I believe is a pretty good price, but any information on this would help. Thanks
Excal is multi-frequency detector, so it will effectively handle conductive salt (ocean beaches) and be able to discriminate unwanted targets like junk iron. Being waterproof is a major benefit as you can hunt in the rain, surf, or even dive with it.
New Excal's come with a 2-year warranty. After that the owner is on his own when it comes to repairs -- repairs that can be quite costly. As others mentioned, there are o-rings in each of the knobs. These eventually dry, crack and leak....and may require servicing more sooner than later if the detector was exposed to salt mist from being at the beach or actually submerged. The same goes for the headphone and coil cords. Some owners will regularly clean these after each use and apply treatments to prevent cracking. Other folks may just rinse the unit, and then some don't do anything at all.
Also the battery is another costly item that, depending on use and charge routines, may wear out in as little as 2-3 years.
If you are buying used, assume the worse and the buyer is hiding something. Ask him/her to meet you at the beach where you can test it. Be sure to submerge the detector for at least 5-minutes to soak all the components and then use it. Often times detectors that have leaks will start giving erroneous sounds or falsing. By hey, if you test it, it works, and it holds a charge, more power to you!
As far as price, the forum sponsors often have deals on brand new units with warranty that are way less than the $1,500 MSRP. Also, I have bought used ones from sponsors that were just gone through (replaced seals and installed new batteries) for $600 and 700, but you'll spend more if the detector has any add-ons like a knob guard or straight shaft; or it has modifications such as the headphones, coils, or remote pinpoint.
For list of other competent salt water machines, visit this thread.... http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=248905
For some reason I thought it was two years, I had to look at the manual and sure enough, only one year.New Excals come with 1 year warranty not 2 years...