Excalibur or Garrett AT Pro for wading in salt water ?

[Goldak]

T59, I just sent you a PM.

 

[Critterhunter]

Bottom line is for the most part there is nothing in the AT Pro's class in terms of price and function, being a water machine that is as full featured and comfortable to use on land as it is in the water...with the full size LCD display, weight, and such. For those reasons alone it should be a great seller. On the other hand, don't expect the same depth in even good ground conditions (I bet) as a Sovereign, and for sure in salt or mineralized ground it's not going to keep up. Remember too that just because you plan to hunt fresh water beaches doesn't mean the ground isn't highly mineralized. Our beaches on the great lakes are largely mineralized and the Sovereign gets much better depth on them as a result than any of the other machines I've owned. If you don't care about getting the best depth in the industry on land or in the water and want to save some money then an AT Pro is a great machine in that respect. A true dual purpose unit. On the other hand, I tend to think of the Sovereign as a great dual purpose unit. It comes ready to chest mount right out of the box for waiding, yet you can throw a meter on it and land hunt...And it excells above the competition on land or in the water in terms of depth and performance. A used Sovereign (any model) could be had for roughly half the cost of a At Pro and you would then be confident you aren't sacrificing performance for cost.

 

[erikk]

Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuJEyCVKH5U wonder how it might react in the surf?

 

[jumper]

Bring the cable up the shaft, befor starting the twist.
Less cable will be exposed to the coil.
Just my 2 cents

 

[NamVetLesTreasureSeeker]

Hey T-59, I have (2) EXCALS' (NOT FOR SALE), but I have sold (2) previously owned EXCALS over the last 5yrs.!! Being those units were EXCALS', and
were USED IN A SALTWATER ENVIRONMENT, I WOULD NOT sell them OUT OF STATE!! I INSISTED that the Purchaser MEET ME and
VISUALLY EXAMINE the Excal, and THEN W-A-T-E-R-T-E-S-T IT in a SALTWATER ENVIRONMENT!! That way, They KNEW WHAT THEY
were Buying, because of NO WARRANTY & ALL SALES FINAL!! That way EVERYBODY IS PROTECTED from any NEGATIVE COMEBACKS!!
Hope this helps, BEST OF LUCK!! Les Robinson

P.S.: I know you live in AUSTRALIA, but you might be able to HOOK-UP with an AT-PRO Owner, and DO THE SAME TEST, before you decide to buy
either one!! If you can FIND a LOCAL METALDETECTING or PROSPECTING CLUB, you might find an AT-PRO Owner, who is willing to let you
USE their Detector in that ENVIRONMENT, but IN THEIR PRESENCE!!

 

[larryk56]

I'm told the Sovergn is the Same machine as the Excal,

If you are not going to get the box wet the Sovergn will
serve you well on the beach and on land for less $$$

 

[Terra1959]

Hi again and thanks for your great replys and advice

I plan on going waist to chest deep with a scoop and maybe getting my old snorkelling set out (I used to able the breath-hold over 1 minute) and use a paddle to sweep the sand away.
I would like a new one but they are $1700 down here (and I live 20mins away from the factory where they are made but there is only 1 dealer in my city)
I talked with a fellow m.d. club member the other day and he says the same as you Nam Vet....to immerse any 2nd hand excalibur and give it a run before parting with my hard earned cash.
He is very experienced with Excal's and I hopefully might be able to get him to come along with me when I find the right used Excal.
I am getting closer to the 1000 mark saved up now so am starting to look around.
happy swinging

T59