Salt and black sand - BHID 300 or CZ21 best?

[Digger28]

Hi folks,

I'm vacationing this spring on a small island with a number of black sand beaches. As I don't currently own a salt water machine I'm trying to decide what to buy. I think I've narrowed it to the following VLFs - BHID 300, Fisher CZ21.

I'm leaning more toward the BHID only because I have owned great Whites land machines in years past and I like their quality. I will mainly be hunting the wet sand and wading up to chest deep.

I would be most appreciative of anyones experience using the BHID 300 in a black sand environment. What sort of depth are you seeing on jewelry targets after adjusting for the black sand? Are you able to quiet the machine to a tolerable level in terms of false signals. Also, I'd be interested in feedback from anyone who has owned and used both units mentioned.

I'm looking to you experts in this since all my water hunting background has been in fresh water lakes with the Tiger Shark.

Thanks for your help!

-Rick

 

[therover]

I have a BHID 300 that I use on NJ beaches ( in addition to an Excal, CZ6a, DFX, HH Wader, X5 that also has hit the beaches) . There is a beach here loaded with iron and black sand. The BHID300 runs very well there and I have found that on that beach, you have to run the sensitivity no greater than the preset. Any thing more and it starts to become a little unstable. It ground balanced fine at this beach.

It still gets great depth...especially in all metal. One thing good about the BHID is that you can still ID the shallower targets in all metal by the lights.

Never had a CZ21, but the CZ6a that I used on these beaches does fine too.

I don't think, other than getting a PI (so the black sand is not an issue), that you would be unhappy with either unit. I do like the ability to ID in all metal with the BHID. Also, I realize that the ID is not as accurate when the targets become deeper, but it does eliminate having to dig lots of surface iron in all metal mode. When the target blasts fairly loud and the red light is the only one flashing...I move on. Any bump between red and orange, then you investigate. Any signal that is weak....dig it.

Whatever decision...don't look back. Move forward and have fun.

JC

 

[Digger28]

JC,

This is exactly the kind of user information I was hoping to hear. And I really appreciate the time you took to give some details as well. I was not aware of the BHID's ability to discriminate with the lights while in all metal - that's way cool !

Again, thanks for the input and have a happy holiday season.

-Rick

BTW, I was wondering how the bigger coil moves in the water. Sometimes a larger coil can be harder to swing, maybe the spider design eliminates this issue.

 

[therover]

Rick,

The spider coil does navigate through the water better than my 9.5 stock I use on my DFX. It does not float like the older style coils on the orignal BHID. Truthfully, I am much more in the wet sand and suds than in the water due to me hunting moslty in the fall and winter. In the Summer, I do go in up to knee/waist deep and the times I did, I did not have any problems with it.

You can cover some major ground on the wet sand with this unit due to being able to sweep fairly quickly. It has a quick repsonse too, and the pin pointing is really dead on. Guess it has to do with the smaller coil in the middle. Don't know much about how that works, but I do like the fact that it pin points great in both all metal and discriminate mode.

JC

 

[diggindirt]

I have the BHID 300 and use it on the NE coast (black sand) with no issues!!!

Yes, you do need to keep the sensitivity at the preset in high black sand, however the depth is still "hot" with this setting!

The new coil (larger) is very sensitive and cuts through the water just fine while hitting on the smaller stuff too!!!

White's also backs up the quality of their machines with "GREAT" customer support after the fact!!!

 

[Digger28]

Thanks diggindirt for the vote for the BHID 300. This is what really complicates the buying decision. I have folks who have effectively used this machine in black sand conditions and then others who have said it doesn't work in this environment. One poster on another forum stated that it doesn't even work well on the "cinnamon colored" beaches of California. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

I'm about ready to pull my hair out. Apparently, there is a wide variance in the make up of "black sand" , couple this with the differing detectorists skill sets and it makes the possibility of arriving at a somewhat sane consensus nigh impossible.

Maybe I should save my nickels and buy a top notch VLF and a PI for the trip. Or I might just buy a great VLF ( Excal, CZ21, BHID ) machine and cheaper PI (e.g. Sand Shark) to take along as insurance.

The problem is whatever I invest into a PI unit will not see much action except the one or two weeks a year I make it to the ocean. I live in Michigan - lots of great fresh water lakes. I'd rather invest in a unit with discrimination so that the balance of my hunting year (the 4 weeks when Lake Michigan rises above 50 degrees) is productive. But I hate to show up on a beautiful tropical island for 8 days with what may turn out to be a plate on a stick.

-Rick

 

[Digger28]

Thanks everyone for the great advice.

I purchased a like new Excalibur 1000, I know at least I will be able to hunt 2 of the beaches possibly more and the unit will work great here in the lakes of Michigan. This seemed like the best choice for the money and I got a sweet deal on the machine. HH to all.

-Rick