? for John-Edmonton and others about the Infinium

[JoeinMemphis]

Hey, I am looking for a new water machine, a new fresh and SALT water machine. I am bouncing back and forth between the Excalibur and the Infinium. The Excal has iron rejection, but you can't change the coils or headphones, and that kind of bugs me. The $97 batteries bug me too. I want to know how your machine does with iron??? I see on the pic in the catalog it has an "Iron Check" setting on the discrimination knob, how does this work? Can you effectively get rid of bobby pins, small nails, etc? I am really liking what I read about the Infinium, and if it will handle small iron I think it is going to be the one for me. Thank you in advance!! HH Joe

 

[JoeinMemphis]

n/t

 

[diggindirt]

Hi Joe,

I was going through the same questions that you have in your post. I was hesitant to write this reply as I don't want to start a machine bashing session, BUT just want to give my view of it. I also wanted multiple coil selection and headphones and things the Minelab doesn't have available. I was also going back and forth between the machines too. I just received the Infinium and can't give you "experience" advice with it yet, BUT I think I made a good decision with its purchase. Now I've never owned an Excalibur but did own a SOV GT (same circuit) and it did work well at the beach. I found it not so great with alot of iron (land use) around as it nulls it out heavy causing signals to be missed and not too sensitive to really small gold. I'm not knocking the ML machines as hunters have great success with them as shown on the forums. The recovery was too slow for me and just not the best setup that I wanted. The other thing is I wanted two different water machines (PI and VLF) for all the situations I would encounter as no single machine is perfect for everything. PI is better when the beach is sanded in with few targets. The VLF is better around lots of trash as the discrimination works the best with these machines. I know the Infinium is "VERY" different in the way it functions compared to VLF type machines, BUT I don't mind spending time to really learn something if the rewards are there from it. The deciding factor for me with the Infinium was I got to see one used and was blown away from the old deep jewelry that was pulled from a well pounded sanded in beach. I know it's not a perfect detector, BUT from what I've seen once mastered using the correct coils I now believe it's unmatched in depth and performance. I also own a Surf PI Pro and Beach Hunter that I love and have made some really nice finds with them too. The pulse machines do go deeper than any VLF made and can give you targets in well worked areas. I also wanted to get the Infinium as I will do some "Relic" hunting in hot soil that stops most VLFs in their tracks. In my first initial tests the Infinium is the deepest detector I now own. I will post my results after I heal from a sport injury that's preventing me from detecting now. If you only plan on using "one" detector at the beach (lots of trash and iron) you might be better off with the Minelab or another VLF. However In the right conditions I think the Infinium will prove itself to be a very valuable addition to my setup. Thanks, HH

 

[JohnA]

You nailed it. And when I get tired of swing my 10" Excal, the Infinium with the 8" Mono coil allows me to extend my hunting time in the surf. We are sanded in, so I don't mind digging an occasional piece of iron as targets are few. I don't even fool with the iron check, as again, targets are scarce. You haven't mentioned the higher quality waterproof headphones on the Infinium. They won't fall off in heavy surf and are plenty loud. Garrett support is outstanding, as is Minelab's. I haven't regretted getting an Infinium at all. Just be ready for the signal's after the coil sweeps in the current.

 

[Black Davy]

Joe,

First of all I welcome you to join the bunch of us on the Infinium Forum

You can read past posts to see what is going on with this unit.
You look like you have been around the block with detectors so you want to be well informed. i spent a bit of time on the P2P forum reading about the Infinium before I purchased it and added it to my stable. Being a Minlab owner (Quattro) everything has its advantages. I have used the Infinium on the beach from Maine to Florida both coasts and up in the Alaska placier fields of central Alaska I have not been disapointed. The Iron check works well but will not get rid of bobby pins. Lots of iron yes, but it is very powerfull. The discrimination works well as it changes the tones of iron but does not get rid of it.
The ajustability is fantastic. You have the discrimination, frequency adjustment, slow lock and fast mode for varying ground conditions, iron check that works well but does not eliminate everything. You have multiple coils to chose from and both land and water head phones. If you want to hit the surf it is great. The tones in the water can be eliminated by using the Black davy frequency balance, somthing I discoverd and it works well. You are still going to dig a lot of junk. And you are going to go very deep and get items others couldnt read. My deepest so far was a "AA" battery at 18" on the beach in San Diego. One recomendation is do not belt mount the housing, It makes detecing a dream but I have two coils with loose wires do this this. The learning curve can be eliminated by going to the P2P forum. My batteries last a long time also. Get a Infinium and start working out you will be digging deep!

 

[diggindirt]

Glad to see you posting! I applied as a member to p2p-zone but still waiting to be cleared as new member. I did print out your "frequency adjustment" and will give it a try when I get out to detect. I read that others have used your trick with positive results too! Also bobby pins are easy to tell with a PI as they usually do a "double-beep" with a cross sweep when checking. I have a GREAT book from Clive James Clynick "Water Hunting Secrets of the Pros" and in it he prefers PI units over VLF machines for the water. The book teaches you how to develop and train your ears to the slight differences in tones that metal makes and is a good read for learning both VLF and PI units! I think between the discrimination of the Infinium and learning the different sounds (I also own a regular type PI and have been learning the differences ) I'll be able to cut out a big bunch of trashy digging, BUT I don't mind as you need to dig some trash to GET THE GOLD!!! Thanks to everyone for the GREAT replies and forums!!!!! HH

Garrett Infinium LS
Surf PI Pro
Beach Hunter ID
White's XL-Pro
Bounty Hunter

 

[Black Davy]

I have not been doing to much posting as I blew out two disks in my lower back. This has put me on the sidelines for a few months. The Frequency balance is not needed all the time, I use it only when I have a hard time getting the unit to quiet down. I did get out with My Tiger Shark the other night and hit a nice sterling silver cross with 24" chain.