Minelab Sovereign GT / Excalibur

[Reddog777]

Hello everyone. I am considering one of the two for beach sand / surf hunting. Is there much of a different in performance between the two? Any positive input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Reddog,if your hunting in the surf the Excal would be my choice,on land the Sovereign.Saw your post on the classified forms that you are looking for an Excalibur 1000.Good Luck Ron

 

[Critterhunter]

Some say the Elite or GT are a tad bit deeper than the Xcal because I think they based the Xcal on the old XS? If you only want to wade belly button deep then get the GT because you'll be able to use it on land easier or in the dry sand as it's lighter, but if you want to go deeper and don't plan as much land hunting then lean towards the GT.

 

[Rick(ND)]

I think the Excalibur 2 takes after the GT while the reg Excalibur takes after the XS or XS2. I know the Excalibur 2 uses the Tornado coils like the GT and understand from those around here that have both think the Excalibur 2 is the better detector too and it uses the Nickle hydride batteries instead of the Ni Cad the reg Excalibur uses.

 

[Critterhunter]

If you only want to wade belly button deep then get the GT because you'll be able to use it on land easier or in the dry sand as it's lighter, but if you want to go deeper and don't plan as much land hunting then lean towards the GT.

Meant to say of course lean towards the Excal if you want to go deeper than waist deep and don't plan much land hunting, or vise versa if you only plan to wade waist deep and plan to do a lot of dry sand or land hunting.

Rick, first time I've heard that. Everybody I always heard say the Excaliber circuit board was based on the XS, but I suppose it's possible that the newer Excals have updated electronics in them (less noise/more power) like the GT and so get a bit deeper too. Just the Tornado coil will help compared to the old BBS coils from what others have said.

 

[tomcatpl]

no matter how deep u go in the water get the excal i was in the water yesterday in the water just above my knees and got hit by a wave that aolmost put me down if i had the GT it most likely would be dead

 

[Critterhunter]

Luckily I hunt fresh water lakes were the waves aren't usually a problem. Even Lake Erie usually doesn't have bad waves going on most days I hunt it, but I can see where that would be a real problem with some places.

 

[OBX Franz]

I think the Excalibur 2 takes after the GT while the reg Excalibur takes after the XS or XS2. I know the Excalibur 2 uses the Tornado coils like the GT and understand from those around here that have both think the Excalibur 2 is the better detector too and it uses the Nickle hydride batteries instead of the Ni Cad the reg Excalibur uses.

I was under the impression the 800's and 1000's could use the NiMH batteries as well? I hope so, because I purchased a NiMH pack to rebuid on of my NiCad pods.

 

[OldBeechnut]

understand from those around here that have both think the Excalibur 2 is the better detector too

Both are very close in Performance, I would almost bet the older is better..One thing from testing several together, the big factor..is get a better set of headphones...Not the GG, But GoldMasters, or the 3m %eltors...

[pre]
I was under the impression the 800's and 1000's could use the NiMH batteries as well? I hope so, because I purchased a NiMH pack to rebuid on of my NiCad pods
[/pre] Frank your fine, I just used a New xcal II battery to test the excals..to see the difference, in the air...

 

[Reddog777]

I decided to go with the Sov.GT for now. Thanks for all the input. What do you"ll think about this. (The upgraded Excalibur.)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Minelab-Excalibur-Blue-Sword-Model-aka-NY-Model-With-Upgrades-2pc-Scoop-More?item=170834129261&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D2%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8260747561227828048

 

[Reddog777]

understand from those around here that have both think the Excalibur 2 is the better detector too

Both are very close in Performance, I would almost bet the older is better..One thing from testing several together, the big factor..is get a better set of headphones...Not the GG, But GoldMasters, or the 3m %eltors...

[pre]
I was under the impression the 800's and 1000's could use the NiMH batteries as well? I hope so, because I purchased a NiMH pack to rebuid on of my NiCad pods
[/pre] Frank your fine, I just used a New xcal II battery to test the excals..to see the difference, in the air...

 

[Tin Fin]

I use the NiMH batteries in my Excal = no problems at all.

 

[Rick(ND)]

n/t

 

[Tony in FL]

If you plan to do significant water hunting why risk a detector that can potentially get ruined by a rogue wave, splash, or accidental drop? You may find yourself tempted to go just a little bit deeper or continue to hunt with a rising tide. If you want to hunt the water get a machine you need not worry about.

A little off topic but personally I don't think I will buy another detector if it is not at least minimally waterproof, period. Let's face it, even when land detecting one can run into wet grass, puddles, a surprise rainstorm, etc. Most detectors have waterproof coils so clearly they are meant to use in and around water, but without a waterproof control unit this is an accident waiting to happen. Plus at the end of the day it is nice to be able to rinse off the machine with fresh water without worrying about hitting the control box. I like the recent trend with minimally waterproofed units i.e. AT Pro and CTX3030. To me this is a step in the right direction.

 

[Critterhunter]

Nimh or Nicad batteries will work just fine in any device. The voltage they output is identical. It's just that nimhs have usually higher capacity and don't suffer from memory problems, although Nicads these days pretty much don't have that problem anymore either.