Older Excalibur - Use it or Sell It??

[toy4runr]

Ok, I bought an old Excalibur, the one with the 8" horseshoe coil and the sword on the side. It has nice knobs with set screws, but other than that it is rough. The rod is wiped out, the joint where the "S" section mates to the nest piece is completely screwed. The battery is beyond salvage. The case looks pretty rough, but it doesn't look like it ever leaked. This one has little Allen-head set screws that retain the caps on the control housing and the battery compartment.

Well, I have a new battery for it, but I'm wondering, should I send it in to be checked out and have a new coil and shaft put on, or should I bail out of this and just go buy a new one? I bought this one for $300, and I got the battery for $40. All together I have about $365 in this machine. How much would it cost to have Minelab check it out and, if I should get a new 8" coil, how much would that cost, and can I even get a new shaft for it?? Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated. Please help me out before my wife gets really P.O.'d at me...... Thanks!

Kind regards,
Wes

 

[toy4runr]

P.S. Anyone have a guess what it's worth??

Thanks

 

[JoeSWFLA]

JMHO,but at that price ,if it works,you did alright.As for the coil,a lot of the old timers
like the horse shoe coil better than the newer ones. I would just test it to see that
all works well.I have seen used balanced shafts on line for reasonable prices,
and even a new one wouldn't set you back too much.If you just hunt shallow water
most of the time,then the machine is barely under water at all on the balanced shaft.
Test it,get a shaft,then hunt till it pays for itself.It is easier to see into the older model
for leaks,so just keep an eye on it.Don't know if you have to modify the shaft to fit
the older ones or not.Good luck and HH Joe

 

[Gulf Hunter]

I think it would be wise to send it on into Minelab for a check-up. You want to make SURE your equipment is operating correctly, before wasting a bunch of time out there. Minelab will call you and tell you all the things they would recommend, before performing the work and an estimate of cost will be provided, if you request it. Just put in the letter, recently purchased and wanting to see about all that they see could be potentially causing performance issues or recommendations. You may want to inquire with them about any issues in particular, you want addressed. In good working order, most used Excals sell for around $700-$800. I mean heck, a new stock Excal II is over $1100. Used ones hold their value well and I think you bought it right, so you COULD spend some $ on it and not be too hurt. Accessories even add more to the value. Call Joe DeMarco at Demarco Detector Sales about his recommendation on the straight shaft, if that is what you would like. Joe will know what you need to resolve any issues on the shaft set-up. The stock shaft sucks anyway, you do NOT want to use that! Here is a pic of one of my swords here, on Joe's Lightning Rod Straight Shaft. I love it! Best of luck mate and OBTW, yer wife will be the 1st to loot ya, when you bring home the loot, so tell 'er to keep 'er skivvies on, savvy?
[attachment 112902 excal1.JPG]

 

[toy4runr]

UPDATE:
I works. I replaced the battery and charged it and fired the machine up. Old dude works like a Minelab should. However, I decided to put up on the Bay because I what I really want is a White's Beach Hunter ID. Well, that's what I think I want anyway. If my reserve isn't met I'll hang on to this and play with it when the weather warms up.
One very cool thing is the scoop that came with this thing. It's a Chesapeake Bay scoop. I've seen pictures of them in treasure mags. It's huge with big looped handle. I really like it. It's gotta be worth a $100 by it's self, and I will be keeping it! One thing is fir sure, this summer I will trying out beach hunting. I got into metal detecting to find old coins and those are just getting too hard to come across anymore. It seems like the only treasure left is at the beach, so I'm going where the treasure is. If I discover that beach/water hunting isn't for me, I'll probably devote more time to my other pass-time, shooting guns.

 

[NamVetLesTreasureSeeker]

Hi toy4runr, I have (2) of the Older Model EXCALS', that I have been using for years!! I personally PREFER the OLDER Model EXCALS', because of the SEASEARCH (horseshoe coil), because those Coils ARE HOT ONES!! They stopped producing those coils along time ago!! Like Gulfhunter recommended, send it into MINELAB USA in Las Vegas, if you want reassurances!! I thought my last SEASEARCH Coil went bad on me this summer, and I sent it into MINELAB in Oct. (they are really backed up on the service repairs, due to restructuring by the NEW Company!! I just got a call Monday from their new Tech Ron. and he and my MAIN MAN ROBERT thoroughly checked it out and everything worked FINE on the detector!! They did water pressure tests and everything they could think of to FIND A PROBLEM, but I LUCKED OUT!! HAILALUYAH!! My bill came to $35.00 service fee, and $15 return shipping costs. Total $50.00
Even if you decide not to send it in for a checkup, BUY an AFTERMARKET Straight Shaft or you WILL TRUELY REGRET IT!! Finally, if you decide to sell it, YOU MAY REGRET IT LATER, because it is very unlikely you will find another EXCAL at the price you paid!! If you think you want a WHITES BEACH-HUNTER ID,
try to hook-up with someone locally, who has one, and see if they will take you out with them and demonstrate it. Then try to BUY a USED ONE and IF YOU really like it, you can ALWAYS sell the EXCAL at a later date!! That is my recommendation, best of luck, hh, Les Robinson
P.S. The knobs on those models ARE SUPERIOR to any Newer Model EXCALS'.