Tesoro Tiger Shark Vs Minelab Explorer

[ringpull]

Can anyone help me please, I am in the market for a good beach machine for doing the wet sand and also in the surf , I have heard good reports on both machines and was wondering which is the better of the two for finding gold rings, also does the Tiger shark handle black sand well.

Thanks

Bryan

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

If you're looking for a beach machine, in my opinion the Explorer is WAY overkill. Because at the beach you want to dig everything. Aluminum trash and gold share the same conductivity and no machine out there can tell the difference. So digital readouts and Smartfind and all that is pretty much useless. And if you drop it in the water or get hit by a wave you will have an expensive paper weight because the Explorer is a land machine and is not waterproof.

The Tiger Shark would be the better choice of the two machines you mention because it is fully waterproof and about half the price of an Explorer. Unless you're talking about a used Explorer. I have not personally used a Tesoro but have heard good things about them. Another option (and my choice) would be the Minelab Excalibur. Best beach machine, in my opinion. Everybody I know that has one has racked up an impressive collection of gold jewelry with it. I have. I use an Excalibur for the beach and an Explorer II for land, for what it's worth.

 

[George-CT]

a Excalibur and Sovereign, both Minelabs. In fresh water, at least here in Connecticut the Tiger Shark is a great machine for small gold etc. I use it almost exclusively in fresh water. In salt water, it never did the job. To get it to hunt here, I needed to tune it down to the point there was no point in using it.

The Excalibur in Salt water or fresh is great. Runs quiet, great on rings etc. Small gold in fresh water, like crosses, fine chains, the Tiger will out hunt it. Wet sand both work well, as does my Sovereign with the Wot coil or any other coil for that matter.

A freind of mine has the Explorer and he hunts both salt and fresh with it and does very well with it, but its not waterproof. If you forget in salt water or a wave hits it, good chance you ruin it.

Thats my results, the choice needs to be yours. Salt water hunting, in the water or surf, to me Excalibur is the way to go. There are many others also but those are the ones you mentioned.

Good luck in your choice.

George-CT

 

[detectahead]

George, was you getting to much chatter from the Tesoro while in the water? on wet sand? Would like to know, thought of getting a sand shark. I hunt mainly river but if I went to beach would like to hunt in water. Your opinion would be appreciated. Richard WNC

 

[George-CT]

enough to hunt salt water in this area, CT, I had to turn the sensitivity way down, to the point there was no point in using it, and even then, wave surge would still make noise. I really like in for fresh water, best small gold unit I've used especially on fine ankle chains etc. The tones are in are anoying but once you learn what its saying, it will do the job in fresh. I've heard of a few guys getting them to hunt in Tx, FL and Calif on some beaches and not others. Minerals, black sand etc, effect them more than others it seems. The salt mode it has, did nothing. I'm not sure how that works, if it just drops how sensitive it is, or how it works, but it didn't here in New England. I hunt a lot of fresh water here in spring time, after the kids have burned pallets and they leave alot of nails, which will drive it nuts also. There I use the Excalibur and pull our stuff that other machines can't get past the iron nails.

Even wet sand here, certain area did not allow it to perform. iN dry sand, I could use it, the Tiger and no complaints, but in the salt water, not good for me. I've had it for 5 years, bought it new, and have tired a lot of different setups, coil, settings, but no where near the performance it has in fresh water. I wish it did as its a trouble free unit. Again, I just use it in fresh water now, and the Excal in salt. I should mention I'm fussy, in that I like a quiet running machine and or barely threshold tone. But in the salt, it was far above that that unless I had a nickel on the surface in the water I could not tell a good signal from garabge.... I sure hate to put it down, but thats been my honest results for past 5 years with it. 2 of my buddies I hunt with got them also on my results for fresh water and we could not get their TS tohunt in salt either so it was not just a fluke with mine.

The only other thing with the machine is a clicking sound when the connection to the box enters the water. I keep my control box mounted low on the shaft as I hunt a lot of fast rivers here with it, and it helps keep the coil on the bottom. Otherwise, trouble free.

George

 

[ringpull]

Thank's guy's for all your advice, I made a typing error with the question it should have been Excalibur instead of Explorer, even so you have answered all of my questions and now I have the information to make my choice.

Best regards

Bryan

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

Excalibur by a mile.

 

[George-CT]

n/t

 

[detectahead]

n/t

 

[Martin(Qc)]

I hunt with a tiger and my duddy use an excal. In fresh water, there is no match for the tiger shark. I also own a detectorpro and sorry but the Tiger is simply the best. BUT that is in fresh water. If you plan on hunting mainly the slat water, then you'd be better off with the excalibur. It will go a little deeper and will not react as mutch on black sand and highly mineralized soil.
For me, there is no problem, i'm simply too far away from the ocean, so the tiger rules. But if i were living near the coast, i would probably choose the excalibur.


High point for the tiger :
*super sniffer for the small gold
*run an entire season with the same AA batteries
*lifetime warranty
*Turn on and go simplicity
*Cheaper than excalibur

Low points of the tiger :
*does not go extra deep (average inches in sand) But that is usually more than needed in soft water.
*Coils are a bit fragile

High point of the excalibur:
*Multitone discrimination, make it useable in relic hunting
*good dept
*Better performing in salt water

Low point of the excalibur:
*Batteries has to be charged almost everyday
*rather pricy
*Not as sensible for small gold
*Many complaints about broken plastic components and falty wiring.

 

[Beachcomber]

Tiger Shark works geat in Freshwater and terrible in Saltwater. Excalibur is great in saltwater but the Tiger Shark will beat it in Freshwater. SO if you will hunt mostly in Freshwater the Tiger Shark is the better choice. If you are going to hunt primarily in and around the saltwater the Excalibur is the better choice. JMHO

HH

Beachcomber