Excalibur or Garrett AT Pro for wading in salt water ?

[Terra1959]

Hi,

I am inexperienced at water detecting but have done a bit at the beach on the sand.
I live in the city of Adelaide where Minelabs in Australia are made and love their work but Mr Garrett also does good things.
I am having trouble deciding which one would be best for wading up to chest deep ( its mid Summer down here).

One part of me says that the value for money of the Garrett is great (around $700 with waterproof headphones) but I am wondering what sort of depth it will get and if it will false a lot.
The other part says that the Excalibur goes deep, is tried and true and one the best water machines to date and that I should save up a bit more $ and get one that I know will work 100%
Does anyone know of a comparison between these 2 detectors ?
Are they anywhere close to being in the same league ?
thank you very much

T59

 

[goodmore]

I have never seen an AT Pro operate but:

I hear the Excal is deeper. A good bit deeper
The Excal can go from wet to dry sand with no adjustment. No ground balancing for me is big
The AT Pro has a meter to visually discriminate, but on a beach almost everyone digs above iron
The AT Pro can be taken to the dirt where the Excal is a little out of it's element
The AT Pro is cheaper

This is an Excalibur forum so I will tell you what I think. Keep the At Pro in fresh water and get an Excal for serious salt water hunting.

 

[synthnut]

From my understanding the AT Pro is a pretty sensitive machine and runs hot , so it might be a little bit more touchy to adjust which you're not going to want to deal with in the water .....It also has a shorter cable which from what I understand makes it imposible or near enough , to hip or chest mount ....and nothing has been made for it yet .... Headphones from what I hear are not all that great on the AT .....The Excal is deeper from what I have heard also .... The AT's coil may be a bit on the big / cumbersome side too ........On the AT's positive , it is the only water machine that can discriminate and have a meter in water .....not sure why you would want to check your targets ID while in the water as you are digging everything above iron anyway ..... It's much lighter than the Excal .... It's easier to use both in water and on land ..... It's cheaper by $500 ..... Garretts reputation for service has been very good over the years , and I'm hoping that it will continue to be , but I think they are a bit overwhelmed with the responce they got from the AT Pro , and I'm not sure they will be able to service these machines as well as they have in the past .....They are having enough trouble just keeping up with demand, and there are some issues already with the early machines ..... In all fairness, it is the first run of the AT Pro and some issues need to be ironed out , but the reports so far are pretty respectable for a $600 machine .....I'm not sure that any company can match the dismal reputation that Minelabs has had of late , but if there are too many issues with the AT , we might have a contender ....Again , this is purely speculation and I could be way off base here .....Will the AT Pro come up to the ranks of the Excal , or to the ranks of the CZ21 for that matter remains to be seen ......It's well on it's way though as a much cheaper contender .....Jim

 

[Critterhunter]

The two main selling points of the AT Pro are it's cheap price for a water machine and being just as at home on land with it's full sized LCD computer display and light weight, so it's probably the most true dual purpose detector (land/water) on the market now. But, is it as deep as a Sovereign or Excal in every ground conditions? I doubt that, even if the minerals are low I'd still put my money on a BBS machine. If you are a dual purpose water/land hunter and don't care if you are getting the absolute best depth then it's a machine to consider. If you can't handle trading off depth but still want a dual land/water machine that doesn't weigh a ton then buy a used Sovereign and modify a waterproof box for it. If you don't care to wade past your waist then no need for the water proof box, just chest mount the control box. If you mostly water hunt but do some land hunting and don't need a meter then an Excal with a straight shaft would be the ticket.

 

[dbsmokey]

I cannot comment on the AT pro's abilities or shortcomings, but I can say the excal, in my experience, excels on water and land. I used, almost exclusively, my excal this summer for hunting schoolyards. I found a ton of clad, silver rings, gold rings. It is heavy, but a straight shaft made it nearly equal to others for comfort. The telltale TID, depth, stability and protection from early morning summer dew made it my favorite land detector before I got a Sovereign. I would NOT shy away from an excal just because you might hunt inland a lot. It CAN excel out of the water.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

n/t

 

[erikk]

I have 2 Garrett water machines (Sea Hunter MK 2 & Infinium LS) both PI machines but for your question Excal hands down

 

[JOHNMARKHAM]

as an excal owner,im considering a at pro as a third machine, im just waiting to see what santa may bring or i should say mrs claus..lol..
im hearing good things about this At pro..

 

[Bling]

ya best go with the Excal as i dont think the AT will performe near as well in salt water! if at all.

 

[erikk]

The AT has been out about a week, the excal for many years & has proven itself again & again & is usually the first choice of the serious water hunter. Wonder how to read the display in chest deep water?

 

[freshwater1]

for hunting inland water my excal beats my sea hunter2. there really is no comparison.

 

[synthnut]

" Wonder how to read the display in chest deep water?"

With goggles of course !!..... .....Sorry Erikk , I couldn't resist !!......Jim

 

[Terra1959]

Thanks to all for your great replies

definetly some good food for thought there
I want it strictly for in the salt water or wet sand...I already have 3 land detectors
I am gunna keep saving and go for the Excalibur and that way I know that I wont have regrets ....
Its early Summer down here and the water is very tempting but hope I can find enough coins to save for it in time to buy one to use in late Summer or early autumn.
...if I cant make my future water hunts work with a proven performer - the Excalibur, it wont be the machine it will be the operator
Thanks again and I will be reading your future Excalibur / Sov. threads with interest.

T59

 

[erikk]

" Wonder how to read the display in chest deep water?"

With goggles of course !!..... .....Sorry Erikk , I couldn't resist !!......Jim

assuming that you have the visibility to do so. our water is not always crystal clear in fact sometimes FMB is like coffee

 

[erikk]

Smart move

 

[synthnut]

For the purpose intended , definitely the Excal ......Jim

 

[Willee - Texas]

Thanks to all for your great replies

definetly some good food for thought there
I want it strictly for in the salt water or wet sand...I already have 3 land detectors
I am gunna keep saving and go for the Excalibur and that way I know that I wont have regrets ....
Its early Summer down here and the water is very tempting but hope I can find enough coins to save for it in time to buy one to use in late Summer or early autumn.
...if I cant make my future water hunts work with a proven performer - the Excalibur, it wont be the machine it will be the operator
Thanks again and I will be reading your future Excalibur / Sov. threads with interest.

T59

Good choice.
I have both and the AT PRO might prove itself to be a good salt water detector but the Excalibur has already done that.
I seriously doubt any single frequency detector can come close to the Excalibur in performance (with the exception of the PI types).
If your iron trash level is low a PI will get you better depth in wet salt sand.
Remember ... the detector is an investment that will return money to your pocket.
It is not a dead expense like equipment for many other hobbies.

 

[Furious T]

T 59, I live4 in inland nsw, but I have an Excal II and a Dual Field (PI) plus a Sea Hunter Mk II...along with several land machines. I've been following the posts on the At Pro, and If I didn't already have so many detectors, I would probably seriously consider getting one, but I wouldn't use it for detecting in salt water or wet sand...not with the Excal and Dual Field at hand. I have given up wasting my precious time at the beach but using machines which are not built for detecting there...I'm sure the at pro will find stuff, but I believe I will find more with a PI or the Excal...this belief comes from my own experiences over the years. If you go with the Excal, you wsill know you're doing the best you can in the salt water conditions. The only exception I would make to the last statement would be a reference to the Dual Field, but you may not want a PI.

 

[Goldak]

I just recently picked up a hardly used Excal II and really like it. I also have a DF that I use and it was also previously owned. You might want to consider a used detector if you don't want to wait so long to purchase a new one. HH!

 

[Terra1959]

Yes Goldak, I hope to find a neat and tidy, looked after used Excalibur.
May I be so bold to ask you how much you paid for your Excal II , please ?
I kinda thought I may need around $1000-ish
Also is there anything special to look at when buying a water machine eg. rubber seals ?
Thank you

I have been saving my finds for a little while but now that I have a target in mind - I am a man on a mission and so my finds are adding up quicker than normal... so far this month $330.
I reckon another month and I might have enough.
Happy splashing and scooping and thanks again to everyone for all the comments and encouragement - it helped me make up my mind

T59