Minelab Excalibur II
Sreet Price $1200
Number of Reviews: 11
on 2 pages.
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Minelab Excalibur II
Battery charger
Shades of Gray in NH -
The other day I was charging my new minelab excal 2 when I smelt something burning. It was the charger, it burned up the battery pod and did something to the elect pod. Minelab tells me they have been having trouble with this and have a big back log of repairs. It worked great the first time I used it now this, they will have it for 6 to 8 weeks. Buyer beware.
Jul 31, 2010
2 Yes
2 No
Perfect
erwin in melbourne, australia -To keep a long story short,
I have a minelab xterra 705 and surfmaster dualfield and last week i bought a minelab excalibur II for metal detecting.
The surfmaster gave me lots of rings but its difficult to pinpoint and no discrimination, so I enjoyed my first days with excalibur, it was easy to use as I am not new to detecting, I found most targets much easier than with surfmaster and could at least discriminate some trash.
I guess together with surfmaster which I can use to dig special places or very deep, and xterra 705 for land, the excalibur is great to clear one beach in one day, found lots of australian 2 dollars and 1 ring even if beaches are empty since 2 months in Melbourne.
I used pinpoint mode to find objects, then changed to discrimination mode to see if I can discriminate, even if nice tone I used my experience with surfmaster to "size" object and see how deep I could be .... 5 stars!
erwin
www.treasureseeker.info
May 15, 2010
4 Yes
0 No
sd2200 thru gp3500 excalibur fisher whites dfx explorer
frank cavanaugh in harwich mass cape cod -First of all I've used the underwater fisher which was a great machine but I feel it needs help in the battery dept. It takes batteries which I don't like and the compartment where you put the batteries is very cheep.
When putting the batteries in you can bend the battery tabs, plus its not the easiest to put batteries in. But this is #7 on my 1-10 the explorer takes awhile to get use to and I really don't care for a coin meter which can get wet as well as the box. It was hard seeing the screen and if I hear something in the ground, I'm digging it and not taking the time of seeing what the screen says.The excalibur I had I feel is a very well made machine, easy to understand, great depth, can get wet and can be used during storms when the beaches get torn up.
They improved the coil so its light, you have a rechargeable battery, it goes as deep if not deeper than most machines, and the excalibur is made well so as its doesn't break. If it does break, you have to send in the whole machine. The head phones don't detach, which I don't like but I give this machine a 9.The balance needs help of a anderson bal shaft. I feel minelab has the best machines made as far as depth, number of machines to pick from that are made well. The service dept is great, but the heads of the company stink. They don't seems to care about or think of their customers. As you know, their loyal customers have been waiting months like 4-6 months for a machine, they have done other things in the past also which makes me think they are not thinking of the small people which got them started.
Maybe its the government contracts that their worried about. Now the gold machines. Every new machine that comes out, minelab says its new and improved beyond belief. I feel their not much difference between machines until you get to the gp 3000 and the gp 3500.the gp 3500 is alot quieter than the gp 3000 but b4 that their wasn't much change that was worth going from one machine to the next, but if your digging gold, then it might be worth trading in the gp 3000 for a up grade. I notice a big difference the first time I turned it on with the noise reduction. I used mine on the salt water beach. Nothing could touch it. I was digging hair pins at over three feet deep and could cover a 1/8 mile beach in two hours and get everything with a med size coil. The smaller coin machines couldn't touch it.
The sand seems to get into the ground bal. button, plus the salt air. i give the gp3000 #8 gp3500#10 but this machine takes about one year to learn the curve and even then you cant dig a target. Thats a lot of three foot holes. I feel minelab is the all around winner as far as built tuff, rechargeable batteries, the depth is as good as the others if not better, the gps are hard to use in the woods and aren't the pick up and go detectors like the coin machines are. They are heavy even with the bungee cords. Hope this helps. Love this hobby.
Apr 26, 2010
4 Yes
2 No
Can't beat the Excalibur II for beach hunting
Steve from Ohio in Akron, Ohio USA -I have owned the Excalibur 800 blue version just prior to the newest Excalibur II and now own the Excalibur II 1000.
The Excalibur II 1000 is one awesome beach machine.
I really like the coverage of the 10 inch coil and the new electronics in the II's. The newest version seems to be more stable than the older versions. I also like the design of the new coil as the new 10 inch coil is as easy or easier to pull through the water as the old 8 inch. It is lighter for sure and also is slimmer which aids in the movement through the water.
Pin pointing is a snap with the Excalibur II. It does take practice but the pin pointing will come to be natural after a very short while.
I like to run in all metal all the time and use the discrimination mode to check to see if the target is iron or something of value.
All metal mode does seem to be deeper in most instances.
I would highly recommend getting a straight shaft for the Excalibur as the ergonomics of the Excalibur's factory shaft is really uncomfortable.
The older versions of the Excalibur had the older headphones which were uncomfortable and not really all that good. The new Koss yellow headphones are a marked improvement over the older blue headphones. Not having to change the headphones to after market headphones will save you around $175.
I would also recommend getting an extra battery pod for the Excalibur as you will be spending lots of time on the beach with this machine.
Don't sell the Excalibur II 1000 short for land detecting. I use mine for land detecting and it is as deep as the Sovereign which is the land only version of the Excalibur which is to say that it is very very deep. 17 frequencies running all at the same time allows for most targets to be detected even in some pretty bad conditions like black sand.
Don't forget that you will need a good sturdy sand scoop if you are using the Excalibur on the beaches. Hit those beaches at low tide and watch what you will find. Amazing!
If you are looking for a great amphibious detector then the Excalibur II 1000 is a very good choice.
Feb 04, 2010
26 Yes
0 No
Good beach MD.
Dmitry in Russia Moscow -
I wrote about Fisher CZ-21. Fisher leaked after 2 weeks of use, and I bought a Excalibur. Both of them do not see the little gold ornaments, but the Excalibur have better discrimination of trash and Fisher have tonal identification. 8 battery of Excalibur is better for charging, Fisher have four 9.6 volt battery, in Russia AA battery I can find in all shop or fuel station.
Jul 25, 2009
11 Yes
3 No
Minelab safari.....
GREG in NEW ORLEANS L.A. -I've been useing the minelab safari now for about three mounths now and I am finding more now then ever!!! Take time too learn the tones and your new detector it will pay off. I have used most of the top brands out there and hands down the safari wins, Its one of the most easy detectors too learn... SO get out there and find some treasure. You now own one of the best detector out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apr 22, 2009
6 Yes
13 No
The Excall II
Tom//MI. in Mi. -(You did not post my 1st. Post about this Excal II.)
So maybe if I don’t tell them there are some really good book out there on the excal II and that the books can help them learn how to use their Excal II better. And not tell you the name of the books and don’t give you a web site where you can go buy it. They might post this one but check ebay anyway.
Ok all in all the Excal is the best one out there. I have two of the now one with the 10" coil the other one with the 8" coil. They both have their place to be used. The 10" will go deeper then the 8" but if you get into a place were there is a lot of trash the 8" will work better for you as the Excal likes to null when you go over trash (And let me tell you the 10" is alot bigger then the 8" ALOT Bigger.
If you are looking for coins and rings that may not of been lost for along time and you think they are in the top 8” or so you can run you Excal II in the dis mod. It will tell you all you need to know about what is there and if you don’t want to dig all the coins you don’t have to. You will get to know the gold sound soon. After all what you really want to find is lost gold rings anyway right. As you just spent over $1,200.00 for your Excal II So find some gold and pay for your excal II or buy a 2nd one.
So if you are out there all day and you can’t get a hit run your Excal II in the all-metal mod. It will go alot deep & when you find a deep hit check it in the dis mod. And if it does not null out when you go over it (in the Dis mod) move some sand away with you foot and check it again in dis mod. Most of the time it’s a good target But. If it nulls out I move on & I don’t dig it . And some times if it sounds like a coin some times I still don’t dig it I’m looking for gold. Let the other guy dig it.
In the all metal you can get down some 6" deeper then in dis mod.
You are going over a lot of good deep targets when you are in the dis mod and you don’t even know it. It is a little more work this way but you will find some more deep gold ring this way. And remember you don’t have to dig all them deep coins sounds if you don’t want to. With the Excal you will get to know what gold sounds like
Tom
Mar 20, 2009
36 Yes
2 No
Pleased So Far
Jerry in S FL in Palm Beach Gardens, FL -I got my Excal 10" from Kellyco about a week ago. I consider myself a rank amatuer in detecting since I have not owned one since I was a kid some 30 some odd years ago.
I read a lot a great reviews and some bad reviews about this detector and I was afraid I may have made the wrong pruchase.
I do not understand the battery problems many are having. I have flown RC since a kid (17) and have a lot of experience in the care of rechargeable batteries so I immediately cycled the batteries and don't anticipate any NiMH battery problems.
Anyway, our (me and my 10 yr old son) first two days out at the beach (S. Florida)were pretty productive. We were able to discern the different tones for the different materials and amoung the things we found (lots of coins) was a melted titanium glob (assumed to be from the Challenger disaster) at about 6", and a fragment from a silver spoon from the 1715 fleet (Colored Beach Site) at about 10". We also found a fish hook at about a foot and I presume the nickel plate was the only thing that triggered the detector since we were discriminating other iron objects.
So far so good
Jan 02, 2009
9 Yes
1 No
Loose knobs? EASY FIX!!!
Gerry in Florence, OR. -I want to make an ammendment to my previous review. I called Minelab, and for all those out there with the control knobs that spin on the knob shaft here is a really easy fix. Minelab said that you simply pry off the yellow button on top of each knob, and there is a tiny 1/4" nut. Give it half a turn and presto, problem fixed! He said for some reason this was not printed in the user manual. I tried it on mine, and it totally fixed the problem.
Again, want the best? forget the rest and buy an Excalibur II.
Oct 06, 2008
26 Yes
2 No
Excalibur II goes to Hawaii
Gerry in Florence, OR. -I did alot of homework before deciding to buy the Excalibur II. I first was leaning towards a Whites PI or the new PI Dual Field, but after trying to pinch pennys and buy a used one on ebay...and ending up with two dead machines, I went all in and bought the Excalibur II. I found a bunch of good reviews on Kellyco's website, where I eventually bought mine from.
The detector arrived about 3 weeks before I went on my trip, and setup was a snap. After charging the NiMH pack overnight I tested the machine on several coins and a couple different types of jewlery. The Excal II has a tone differential for different types of targets. For example a penny will sound different than a quarter or a gold ring. Or a pull tab to a quarter etc.
Upon arriving in Kauai, I hit a couple of snorkling sites and due to not having an air supply and a weight belt, I was limited to about 5 feet of water. However I did find a cell phone sim card in about 1 inch of underwater sand. I left the water and hit the beaches, and thats where this thing really started to shine.
I was soon finding qurters, dimes and nickels anywhere from a few inches to over a foot in the sand.
My crowning glory however came at Poipu beach one morning when I got a signal that sounded like a quarter (nice solid and loud!) I dug down until I had a hole around a foot deep, when I no longer had a signal in the hole. I then took handfulls of sand and passed it under the coil, and soon had that monster tone. To my amazement, there staring back at me was a real heavy mens wedding band! It was solid 14K white/yellow gold. First gold ring I have ever found! I was totally stoked. I never found another piece of jewlery the entire trip, however the Excalibur II did net me an additional $5 in change. Not bad for 5 hrs of detecting over the course of a week and a half.
The Only complaint I have with this machine is that after going in and out of the water several times I did have the "Disc/Pinpoint" knob slip on the knob shaft. Apparently this is a common issue, albeit minor I wish with a detector in this price range Minelab would get their act together and fix the problem. There is a fix that an owner can do (and I will likely do), kind of lame that after spending that kind of money you have a mickey mouse issue like that pop up.
Another thing I had read about that many new owners didnt like was the fact that there is no charging indicator light on the charger or the machine to alert you to a fully charged battery pack. Big whoop! I charged mine when I initially got it, and never had to charge it the entire trip. In fact, the manual says that one charge is good for 14-19 hrs of detecting. I dont know about you, but not many guys I know detect for more than about 5-6 hrs at a stretch, so the charge light is not an issue for me. Charge it overnight and youre good to go.
If considering an underwater/beach machine, I would definetely recommend the Excalibur II. If youre going to spend $900 on a new machine anyway, why not spend a few hundred more and buy the best. Read the reviews, when your ready to buy, give Kellyco a call. You'll be glad you did, I know I am!
Oct 05, 2008
16 Yes
2 No
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