surf pi dual, sea hunter, or Excalibur ll ????????

[obxsabresfan]

I live in the outer banks of nc, and am new to this wonderful sport . i am looking for some advice concerning these machines and which one will perform the best for me on the beach here. There is some black sand present here although to me it seems minimal. I've read, researched and am borderline obsessed with this topic in trying to make an educated decision before investing in one of these water machines.its my understanding that the Excalibur is the best in that it has iron discrimination, and then I've read the surf pi is deeper and that guys have gone behind other guys with Excalibur's and made finds anyone out there owned both and can weigh in on this for me as far as performance on the dry sand, wet sand , and in the water/salt????????????

 

[obxsabresfan]

-- moved topic --

 

[goodmore]

In the water a PI is an awesome machine. The further you get away from the water the more it becomes a pain in the ass because of trash. Ask yourself these questions

Can I afford a PI and a VLF detector? If no you need to make a choice
Am I going to hunt just in the water? Take it from a Maryland and Jersey hunter. Some days it is tooooo ruff out there. You will need to at least hunt the wet sand sometimes.
Am I going to hunt the cold seasons? If yes you are probably not going in the water.
Am I going to hunt after storms when the beach is torn up? There is more trash after storms also.

So a PI unit will go deeper. But if you answer yes to those questions above, and see yourself hunting in dry sand or trashy sand then a PI becomes a hindrance.

 

[mickfin]

I vote Sea Hunter, You can set up in 0 standard for the Beach it will go Deep and knock out the Black sand especially in Discreet And in Discreet 0 to 9 elimination in trashy areas, And you don`t have to worry about the Rain??? Just a rain jacket for yourself, I took mine out to a Fresh water Lake and set it in 5 elimination with Discreet it knocked out Pull tabs wile picking up Rings??? And for the $$$$$ you cant get a Better PI unit, Sure i think will be getting people chiming in But this is a true??? People that Like what thy Like , And no one will take the time out to spell your screen name out LOL Obxsabresfan, Well know that i spelled it out???? Mickfin,

 

[GONGA]

I have both the DF and Excal...and they are both very good.If you like the discrimination feature the excal is awsome I have tested mine out extensively and it has never made a mistake..However if you are a serious hunter and you are willing to dig anything and everything then you cant go past the DF it is very sensitive and it blows away the excal on sensitivity and you will definetely clean up any site thats for sure ,anything tiny like staples and up ...where I hunt there is usually a few guys with there sovereigns and excals so I deliberately go over the same ground and I am always amazed at what they miss...as for the sea hunter I cant make any comment on it coz I dont own one...good luck with it

 

[obxsabresfan]

Thx everyone for the input, its greatly apreciated! I've noticed one thing though just recently, it seems no one is selling a whites surf pi df on ebay is it that new a machine or is it that the owners love them that much???? excalibur's and excal ll are all over ebay but not one surf pi......not in weeks???

 

[bigfatcha]

yea i have a dfx 300 and work the beach but i wanna get into the water this summer im thinkin bout gettin the whites cuz ive been looking around on youtube and they do some magnificent things

 

[Craig-PI]

I'm a PI guy but every but a VLF or a Pulse machine both have their places on the beach....

I use a PI because I know I'm going to get more depth than the VLF user will but I will also have to dig a little more junk... that said I also have a Sovereign GT for the areas of the beach I wouldn't want to take a PI into.. areas where you can see a lot of surface iron comes to mind and the dry sand... If you live in area's like New Jersey then a PI wouldn't be your first choice

 

[Lake Hunter]

I've owned all 3 at one time or another and they all have their place in the different parts of the country.

But I'm also a PI guy and love the Sea Hunter Mark II for my area. The machine goes very deep. I use mine for freswater lakes and saltwater beaches and have no problems at all. I dig more trash but I also find more good targets and deeper jewelry than I ever did with the others. I've had the Dual Field and in my area of California it was not the machine for me for my conditions (very noisy,chattery at waters edge and in wet sand). . I've also had the Excalibur and it is a top notch machine but can't get the depth of a PI, but it does offer disc and tones.

When it's all said and done, you will need find the machine that is best suited for your area and your type of hunting.

The Sea Hunter is what works for me but might not work for you or others. JMO

 

[John(Tx)]

Lake Hunter,
Do you mostly use the 8" coil or the big mono on your sea hunter? thanks.....

 

[arclyt]

Dfx, dig everything--it's sand--you will enjoy the finds. And in the water listen to those faint nulls and enjoy the sites on the beach. It seems reading these forums that everyone has an opinion on what is the best and you can't have them all, so go with your choice--learn it enjoy it. I have found so much with my BHID and with my new DFX300, i will learn it as taught here on the forums and not even think of all the other MD'S. If you get bored with the MD go fishing--if you get bored with that--buy a Harley.

 

[Lake Hunter]

Lake Hunter,
Do you mostly use the 8" coil or the big mono on your sea hunter? thanks.....

I use the 8" in freshwater and 10X14 in saltwater.

They both have their place. They are a great combo.

 

[themetaldetectorguy]

The DF is awesome in the water and wet. Definitely need a dry machine though is planning on hunting the fluff. Hands down the DF though.

 

[Toymad]

I have the PI DF mainly for the water, and the BHID for the sandy stuff. They are both great machines, and Whites has the best customer service out there. if you ever need it.

 

[Dig]

I vote both PI and an Excal. Both are different types of detecting technology and as such both have their unique niches. Different types of detectors are like different types of hammers ina tool box. They all do the same thing but you dont want to do fine work with a sledgehammer and you dont want to do heavy duty work with a tiny upholstery hammer. The Excal will sort through junk at a decent depth for treasure, the PI (of any make) will punch deep through the soil with little or no discrimination from junk (which means your digging it all). One thing I will say, is that your only digging it at the beggining. Some of the PI pro's on here (of which I am not one) know their machines well enough that they discriminate with their ears the difference in sounds it makes. Start with one...and you will eventually buy the other anyway. It seems to be what happens to most of us eventually.

 

[OldBeechnut]

When it's all said and done, you will need find the machine that is best suited for your area and your type of hunting.

Got all 3 also, all great machines,........... lakehunter called it............. I would Highly recommend checking to see what the locals use on the Beach's your planning on hunting. That will give you a better Idea of what works the best in your area