Info needed for the new guy!

[searchin70]

Hello everyone! I am at a fork in the crossroads and was wonder if I could get some input?



I’m in need of a submersible detector and have narrowed my choices down to the Excalibur 1000 or the Tesoro Tiger Shark. I will be frequenting the coastal waters of NC but also plan to use my new detector on land and in fresh water as well. I have come to accept the fact that there are no “all purpose” detectors and that a water detector will not function on land as well as a detector designed specifically for land. I would like to come as close as possible.

I have spoken with dealers that sell both products and have received different opinions from each. Some say go for the Excalibur and some say go for the Tiger Shark.

Reasons being….

(Excalibur)

The Excalibur outshines the Tiger shark but it’s too heavy on land. If you hip mount it you will run into wiring issues.


(Tiger Shark)

The Tiger shark is lower in price and has a lifetime warranty. It’s also easier to change coil sizes on the Tiger shark.


According to specs the Excalibur weighs 4.5lbs and the Tiger shark Weighs 4.5 lbs??? Why am I not being told that both units are too heavy for land use? They both weigh the same. Are the hip mounts different in some way?

I have also read way too many posts stating that “the Tiger shark is no good in the salt” but shines in fresh water? This concerns me? Can anyone provide more info on this?

I don’t want to start any product wars just want some honest opinions from some regular users.


Thanks a bunch!

[searchin70]

Hey Chuck!

Yes.....We did speak on the phone and thanks for the call back and all the info. Unfortunately our connection was pretty bad and I got about half of it. I was hoping if I posted you would pipe up. I wanted to thank you anyway!! I also figured I would get some more info from the users of this board. Please don't hesitate to sum up what you told me earlier. Like I said I really had some bad cell service.


According to specs the Excalibur weighs 4.5lbs and the Tiger shark Weighs 4.5 lbs??? Why am I not being told that both units are too heavy for land use? They both weigh the same. Are the hip mounts different in some way?

I have also read way too many posts stating that “the Tiger shark is no good in the salt” but shines in fresh water? This concerns me? Can anyone provide more info on this?


Thanks!!

[cjoej]

I can't speak for the TigerShark but I do own the Fisher 1280X and the Excalibur 800 and have pluses for both. Since you didn't mention the 1280X, I won't go into detail on it.

As for the Excalibur having 17 frequencies is an advantage and I have found it to be a good land and water detector and have found very small gold toe rings in the water with good solid signals. I also tried it in the cold weather and it still functions perfectly even with ice forming on the coil ( I have had detector coil failures in cold weather with older detectors ) while this is usually not an issue it is nice to know that discriminaton and everything else will function under these extreem cold conditions.

The 17 frequencies (same as the Minelab Soverign) are a big help in locating a variety of targets and while there is no meter, you do have Tone ID which works well both above and below water.

The other problem with working in the water is resistance to swinging the coil. Any detector will give you lots of resistance here, but the Excalibur is a slow sweep detector, so it will still be functioning at peak under these conditions. It can also be reconfigured with the control housing and battery turned 1/4 turn to one side to reduce resistance. Also the cables on the Excalibur are 'heavy duty' and not prone to damage, so this detector is a rugged package.

A spare battery pack WILL be pricy for the Exaclibur, but you can get the batteries 're-stuffed' quite reasonably (I use Car-go-Batteries in Denver, but there is sure to be a similar business near you).

IMPORTANT THOUGHT: When working in the water, tie a rope (3-4ft long) to the detector near the grip and to your belt so it can't get washed away from you by the waves. This way if you have to let go, it is easily retrieved.

Hope this gives you some insight.

Happy Hunting

Joe