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Older vs Newer Excal Question

S

srf2112

Active member
I have an opportunity to pick up an Excal from a local seller for $750. All he can tell me is it's an older version and hardly used. What are the feature differences between the older and newer versions ? Is there a cutoff date between a machine you would want and an obsolete or out-of date model ? I haven't driven the hour to see the unit yet and was just wondering if anyone has any advice on what to look for or ask. Best coil version, headphones, etc. Any info on preferable mods and prices for older Excal's would also be helpful to determine if this is a good deal or not. Thanks in advance.
HH
Scott
 
From what I understand, and I may be wrong, the MAJOR differences from the older to the newer Excals is the Headphones, supposedly the red or blue (not sure) weren't as good as the newer yellow ones, also the battery was nicad and prone to memory building, the new one is nimh. Not sure if any coil difference. Thats about the only difference and I think the nimh batteries can be used on the older Excal. An older one would be desireable IF the price was right, $750 seems pretty high though as you could put another $400 with it and get a brand new Excal 2, now if you could get the old one for $500 or so I would say get the old one, not enough difference to worry about. Even if the battery has been misused and has a memory you could get a new nimh for $100 bucks or so. Hope this helps and if I mispoke about any of the attributes or differences please don't blast me, I could be wrong and don't claim to be an expert. HH
 
Very much appreciated BootyHunter. I wouldn't think of blasting you for your help. I've read plenty on this forum about the Excal and you're referring to exactly the things I am wondering about. As it is I'm thinking I will probably be better off saving up and getting a newer unit and avoiding the hidden costs and hassles of upgrading. I'll wait and see what other advice the experts have to offer before my final decision. I DO know that I want to get one of these awesome machines when I can from all I've read and seen here and elsewhere. Thanks again and good luck.
HH
Scott
 
Oh your welcome, and I didn't mean you blasting me, I meant others more knowledgeable about the older Excals than I am. I just didn't want to get slammed for saying something that was inaccurate because I admit I am no expert. As I said,if you could get the old one for $500 I personaly think it would be a really good deal and you are not giving up anything vs the new one. Go to Lost Treasure Online and click on News and Articles tab at the top left of the page, then look at field tests and look at Andy Sabisch's review of the older one and then the newer one and as he said the Excal 2 is an Evolutionary change vs a Revolutionary change. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks again BH, I'll do that. I have one of Andy's books and would love to see what he has to say regarding the Excal's.
HH
Scott
 
You may want to PM Gulf Hunter, He knows the break off dates of the ones that they don't repair anymore. I did a compare of the yellow head phone excal to the newer excal II, both very similar in performance {New one a little more sensitive}. I have heard that the older horse shoe coil ones were hotter, but that is a just what I've heard...not proven. I got both of my excals off of eBay for around 5oo, but luckily I've had no problems in the 4 years I've had them. 750 might be a little high, but if it's in excellent condition, and you have a good hunting location. It will pay for itself in no time...You may want to shoot them a offer like 650 and wait a few weeks, but this is hunting season and you may lose it to someone else...so................Best of Luck.....Joe


I just got a CZ 20, been out twice with it, payed 600 on ebay for it, found one gold ring, scrape it's worth 160...figure it will pay for itself by summers end just using it in the bay.
 
Thanks Joe. I've decided I'm going to pass on the deal. Just made a deal for another detector so I have to save back up. I'm going to look for a good deal on a newer machine when I'm ready. Thanks again for all the advice, it's appreciated.
HH
Scott
 
The older models have heaver coils as the newest have been streamlined. I wouldn't pay more than 500.00 either for the old models.
Maybe 550.00 if it came with extra battery.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. As soon as I sell a machine or two I'll be putting all this info to work when I look for an Excal.
HH
Scott
 
As stated above, the Excal II is virtually the same as the Excall 800 / 1000 with the difference being the headphones, battery system and the flashy color. Performance-wise they are the same machine internally so there is no difference regardless of what people may see . . . . the only difference might be between a hotter older or newer one due to slight manufacturing differences . . . ever get a detector that just seems hotter than your buddies?

The only point with the new Excal II's has been some "quality" issues . . . . . if you get a good one, you are golden. If not, you will be on a first name basis with the service tech. I picked up an Excall II for my daughter when she started diving with me and after 4 trips back for service in 6 months, I tossed in the towel and got her a Head Hunter Diver which has never let us down.

The original horsehoe coil models were the hottest out there but they are no longer serviced by Minelab and even Gary Storm who designed the Excalibur can not repair them anymore.

With Minelab's new policy of not repairing older models, unless you know the history of the unit, you may be buying a detector that` can not be repaired. I have not checked with Keith Willis at http://brokendetector.com/ to see if he can work on the units Minelab will not repair but that might be an option.

The existing service backlog is a tough one to swallow if your water detector is out of commission for 3 months at the height of the water hunting season.
Andy
 
Thank you for that valuable advice Andy. I have heard some talk of problems with getting service work done to outdated models but since I've never owned Minelab yet, I didn't know any details. I will definitely keep that in mind when I look for my Excal. If there's any chance of a model I'm looking at not being servicable ANYTIME in the reasonably near future, I will definitely pass on it. You say this is a "new" policy of Minelab's ? Offhand I would really have to question a policy like that. I'm not in the business of selling detectors but I would think that policy may cost them a lot of business...it may cost them mine. Thanks again Andy.
HH
Scott
 
It seems like the Excal has some issues now. What is a good alternative, Brand/Model wise that is??
 
There are a number of excellent water detectors out there and which one you select depends a great deal on the type of water you will be hunting in (fresh or salt) and the sand composition (pure white sand, marbeled black sand, etc.).

For fresh water, a single frequency VLF works very well and often have better sensitivity to small gold than the dual or multi frequency units. The Tesoro Tiger Shark is a highly recommended choice by many and it is virtually bullet-proof. The factory has been working on retooling for a connector change which has impacted availablity but there are some around still. The DetectorPro models are also solid performers if diving is not one of your planned uses although word is that Gary is working on a redesigned Diver model.

For salt water where black sand is an issue, the dual or multi frequency units will stand out from the single frequency units . . . . although you can use the single's with some finesse and understanding that performance will not be quite on par with the other units. The two the dual or multi frequency units that you here about are the Minelab Excalibur II and the Fisher CZ-21. Owning both (OK, actually an Excalibur 800, 1000 and the original horseshoe coil model for the reason mentioned in my post above regarding the realibility issues I experienced), the difference in performance in neglible. The Excal may go a tad deeper on certain targets while the CZ beats it on others. There were some build issues when the CZ-21 first rolled out but that has been corrected and the quality is where it needs to be . . . . but the complaints of the earliest ones seem to persist . . . . have had no problems with mine in the 18 months or so I have had it and I dive with mine a good bit as well as wade. The CZ-21 is solidly built and has a good reputation in terms of being reliable using a proven case going back 15+ years on the CZ-20.

The PI units are the deepest of the lot but without discrimination, you may find yourself doing a good deal of extra digging. I have and stilll do use them on salt water beaches where I know there are deep valuable targets and want the depth. I know some use them in fresh water but since the iron items (bobby pins, etc) stay where they were lost for decades unlike salt water, a PI in fresh water drives me crazy and I switch back to a VLF-type detector.

Hope this provides some information you can use . . . . .

Andy
 
Andy,

You cleared up 3 months of mystery for me in a single short post. Thanks, now I understand the basics of the water machines. I understand you have a book, I need that.:happy:
 
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