I wish I could help you with the beach info but since I am a land hunter and have no beach around here I can't. I will say that I have no regrets about buying the 6T over the M6 due to the weight. The performance of the 6T has really impressed me. I have had all different kind of detectors and the 6T is my favorite so far. I'm not saying that if my arthritis would allow me to swingit, that I would not be swinging an Etrac or V3i, but as far as mid priced lightweight detectors go I think it's great. I mostly hunt parks, schools, and private residences and it suits my type of hunting to a tee. The 4x6 DD Shooter coil is a must have for totlots and it makes the 6t a totlot beast. As you can tell, I am very happy with my decision and saved myself a pound of swing weight which is very important to me.