CTX or Excal

[RichW]

Which do you think is better on small gold rings?

 

[MINELABBOB]

THE CTX
is not to bad on gold rings starting in the 2.5gram and up and your getting a high tech tool to work with!!!!!!

 

[BarberDan]

Excal....hands down. Best water recovery detector on the market.

 

[nagov]

Either one provided you take the time to learn the machine. With the CTX this year IF you remove a 38 gram bracelet from my total weight, I'm running a 3.8 gram average per gold find. Three single tooth grills sub 1 gram, 1 - .6 gram ring, 1 lobster claw from a necklace at .8 gram.... The CTX will find sub 2 gram rings with ease provided you have the machine set up right, hunt slow and know what it is saying. ...... However IF you are hunting surf, durability wise, I'd go Excalibur.
I like both, prefer the CTX for the information it can tell you provided you can see the screen. In deeper water, I use it much like I would an Excalibur and hunt mainly by tones, even when in shallow water and wet sand, I hunt without looking at the screen until I hear a tone that needs investigated. The numbers, target trace and depth indication give you a huge amount of information to let you discriminate... dig or not to dig.

You can't go wrong with either.....but if you pick the CTX, get a good used Excal to have on hand for those times the CTX goes to the repair shop......it isn't made for an everyday use machine.....In my opinion

<img src="http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o568/nagovcd/2015%20Beach%20Detecting%20Finds/2015-06-23%2012.03.43_zpsmzrco0sm.jpg" border="0" alt="2.7 gr. 10k yellow gold band and 10k 1.32 gr. Size1.5 flower ring fake diamonds. photo 2015-06-23 12.03.43_zpsmzrco0sm.jpg"/>

<img src="http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o568/nagovcd/2015%20Beach%20Detecting%20Finds/2015-06-07%2021.22.36_zpss5i3nnzk.jpg" border="0" alt="Worlds smallest ring 10k 0.6 grams double heart ring size 1.25.... photo 2015-06-07 21.22.36_zpss5i3nnzk.jpg"/>
Size 1.25 .6 gram



Cliff

 

[underwatermetalman]

I use them both too, I like the CTX for its faster recovery mode in disc which is what I normally hunt with. The CTX gives you so much more information, I dove with my CTX in an area I hunted the week before with my Excal, there was some hair pins, bobby pins etc near the targets I recovered with my CTX that turned out to be silver coins, found 34 so far this year!!! I love my Excal but it is not in the same league as the CTX. Do the O ring upgrade and you can dive with down to 40 feet. I dove with mine down to around 15-20 feet with no seepage!!! Now I am trying to figure out the headphones, I did a post and AJ suggested purchasing the Grey Ghost Amphibians with a CTX mod. I think I am going to do the same.

 

[MINELABBOB]

UNDER-H20-MAN
I am a land lover cant help there but if you post a message i am sure someone has what you need. do you realy need underwater
head phone? all that noise may keep sharks away !!!!!!!!!

good luck minelabbob

 

[underwatermetalman]

With shark attacks on the rise I will use whatever repelents I can muster innochio

 

[MARK (LI)]

I have used Excaliburs since they came out in about 1993...I though that I was "missing out" because I did not have a Deus or a CTX...after investigating a lot I found that the Deus is just not a salt water machine, so I got a CTX.....I had waterproofed an Explorer a long time ago, but it was way too sensitive for salt water and not really easy to use...I find that the CTX is a lot easier to use, but as much as everyone complained about the Excaliburs weakness in hardware design, the CTX just seems like it is going to break in my hand some day....but, electronically speaking it is going a lot deeper than my excaliburs could....on all targets small gold, coins, junk everything

 

[MINELABBOB]

yes the more time with it the better you will be just have fun through out the learning curve

and watch them sharks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! keep your knife close by

 

[underwatermetalman]

I have had problems with my CTX not turning off when I hit the off buttton and shutting down for no reason...I am bit concerned about this. Never had a problem with my Excal. I think Minelab still has issues to resolve. I hope I don;'t have to send it in for work as it is out of warranty.

I am finding the same with my CTX vs Excal, the CTX is so much faster in disc, deeper on everything I have compared it to. I keep finding things with the CTX that I missed with my Excal.

 

[amberjack]

if it can find me some nice gold this summer I will own it I guess and maybe just have to change my mindset on water machines once they die toss it in the bin minelab fixes cost a fortune prob better off buying another one or get a PI in a case pretty bullet proof then.

AJ

 

[MINELABBOB]

sounds like your button is sticking a little it also sounds like sending in at the end of summer unless you have a back up detector to use 4 now
and get it back to minelab it sucks to send it in but if you have to have them go over the whole unite and make sure every thing works. i guess you
wipe it down after you get it dirty hose it down esp. if in salt water

good luck get it done!!!!!

 

[amberjack]

water didn't get in ? I only ask as I am nervous about taking it swimming even after the o ring mods etc..

I hope for your sake its nothing major !!

AJ

I have had problems with my CTX not turning off when I hit the off buttton and shutting down for no reason...I am bit concerned about this. Never had a problem with my Excal. I think Minelab still has issues to resolve. I hope I don;'t have to send it in for work as it is out of warranty.

I am finding the same with my CTX vs Excal, the CTX is so much faster in disc, deeper on everything I have compared it to. I keep finding things with the CTX that I missed with my Excal.

 

[hershey1]

I use both and you can't go wrong with either. I have had my Excall for years and use it most when I am in the water but I have had my CTX in the water a lot and have had no problems. My son has no water machine so he can take whatever he wants and he likes the CTX but I could care less and both machines will reward you with some very nice finds. HH

 

[h.m.scoop]

I've been using the Excal for 8 years and love the unit... I bought the CTX hoping that it may give me a little more depth and ability to cherry pick when time is limited... Although I did have my first CTX leak in the screen, the second CTX I got has never given me any problems and it is 6 months old now... I have not taken the Excal in the water since. I love the CTX because gets me deeper targets, smaller gold, and is awesome for cherry picking when I am short on time... I use the 6" coil exclusively because of the stability and ease of swinging in the salt water... I just wish that there was some louder waterproof headphones available or Minelab could create a software to increase the volume on the machine.

 

[MINELABBOB]

HM SCOOP
i cant belive the VOL. LIMIT wont let you get max VOL. MY MINELAB headphone will give you a ear problem!! try to find a set of
good water proff with SEP. VOL. CONTROL per ear. there are many on the market some of are minelab buddys may be able to
help you in that dept. to be honest head phones are not my exerpties sometime i use and some time i dont all depends on my day

take care

 

[amberjack]

will let you know how the GGA go when I get them and stick the M12 plug on.

fingers crossed they are loud enough.


AJ

 

[MARK (LI)]

I bought the waterproof Gray Ghosts and find that they leave a lot to be desired...not noise proof enough and they constantly slide off while getting bounced around in the surf

 

[MINELABBOB]

TRY POSTING SOMETHING UP MARK
some one must have a idea who makes a good set to get wet!!!

 

[amberjack]

ebay item number 171838491205

AJ