AUgetter

I just realized I said "detector" when I should have said "detectorists" in that last sentence.

Rick...I guess if I end up with a GK I will have to use it in water that's not much over my head. Over half my targets have been in less than 10' of water anyway.

Thanks for the responses. BTW there was a typo in my last post. It should have read "I have used a friend's for 4 summers" not 2. referring to the Mark II loaner I used. Skullgold...I think you are probably right. Best to stick with detectors designed for scuba use, but that still leaves me wondering what detector would be better for small stuff. I do have some experience marine scuba detecting. I don't find the density of targets in salt water that I see in freshwater and don't really see the need for a small target detector there though.

Up until now, my hunting has been mostly in freshwater lakes in beach areas for jewelry. This fall, I want to start nugget hunting on land and in rivers while traveling out west. Mid summer to fall, I'll be back in my old freshwater lake haunts hoovering up the jewelry that the vacationers lose. I'll check out the Pulse Dive, but I'm not really looking for a back up to my Mark II as much as a detector that does a better job on very small chains, earrings, etc. than the Mark II. Sometimes I'll find small stuff in holes that I dug because of a hit from a larger target, so I'm sure I'm missing some gold targets I might find with another detector made for small stuff. I know some other scuba detectors. I'll hit some of them up to see if any of them has a Pulse Dive and get their opinion on it or better yet get one on loan for a try out.

I am not dissing Minelab. In fact, I am applauding them for making the best detectors around. I'm only wishing that there was some stiff competition to pull the price down a bit. JM...I'm not new to detecting. I have been scuba detecting for about 5 years using a Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II. Fairly successfully, I might add. Granted, what I do is a niche in this world. Once retired, I plan on getting into gold detecting more underwater and on land. My choice for land will be the GPX 6000. Underwater, I'll probably just get another detector for shallow use that will enable me to find smaller targets, especially gold. Right now, I'm seriously considering the Gold Kruzer. The only thing that worries me about it is potential leakage from long term underwater use. Most of the small stuff in scuba is found at under 10 feet, but in poor vis it's easy for a diver to get distracted and end up at 20 feet, which would probably mean bye bye Gold Kruzer. I'm also seriously looking at the Minelab Excalibur II, but It's way more $ than the GK and at it's lower frequency selections, I'm not sure how great it would be on the small stuff. Either way, I'll not ditch my Mark II. It has been great for me and I KNOW it...it's limitations and advantages. What I really wish is that Garrett would upgrade the PI on the Mark II while charging $1K/unit or less. THAT would be a stupendous thing for me.

Argyris...did you end up buying a Sea Hunter Mark II? I have used a friend's for 2 summers. He only uses his on winter tropical diving trips. I had great luck with it on freshwater beaches. Unfortunately, he has relocated for work because of COVID and I'm now in the market for an underwater detector. A SH is on the top of my list, since I know it and it's good to 200'. I've been diving since I was 11 and many of the finds I made with the borrowed SH were with scuba. All were above 15' however. Another detector I'm considering is the Gold Kruzer. It's got wireless waterproof headphones included and it operates at a very high frequency, so it could really pick up the small stuff. Downside, it's only waterproof to 15'. I wonder if anyone out there has used it in shallow diving situations and could give us some feedback. Also any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Wow....thanks for the detailed responses. I'm amazed at the wealth of knowledge to be found in this forum. I am not an engineer, but, based on the price of the Minelab detectors, I would guess there is a huge profit margin. This situation usually breeds competition in a big way. Are there patents that are blocking development of PI detectors that are comparable in quality and performance? I guess MineLab is being smart, unlike most US companies, in not outsourcing manufacturing to Asia, which would make the detectors cheaper short term, but would ultimately, probably destroy the brand. I understand that the market for detectors is relatively small compared to a multitude of other electronic devices and that situation always supports a higher profit margin. Maybe the high price is a good thing, since only the serious detectorists will be the ones out there hoovering up the last of the decent gold to be found? I am involved in detecting for the excitement of discovery, not for profit. I'm not sure many of us are in it trying to make a living, but it would be nice to at least have a fighting chance at making enough $ in found relics, jewelry, and gold to pay for the detector before the warranty expires.

If this question has been addressed elsewhere, I apologize in advance and hope someone can give me a link for it. I have noticed that other companies besides Minelab are coming out with PI detectors for less than $3K. How do these detectors compare to the best Minelab detectors for Gold and also relic hunting?

Good stuff GB and Gerry. I really appreciate the detailed responses. I'm excited. Tomorrow I'm picking up a very nice, slightly used one ton truck to pull my 5th wheel. My old one was getting a bit long in the tooth. This new one has a lot of bells and whistles and most importantly, is 4WD, so I will have an easier time reaching good gold and relic hunting areas. 4 months to go!!

I am retiring at the end of August. I will be pulling my 5th wheel around the US hunting nuggets and relics. I have been mostly vacation detecting for a couple of years now. I am really looking forward to doing A LOT more of it with way better equipment. I have met a lot of other detectorists out there and what I'm looking most forward to is making friends with more of you. I get a lot of enjoyment from sitting around the campfire swapping stories, getting to know people and absorbing some of the vast knowledge of how and where to hunt. I hope to see y'all down the road!

Wow! Thanks all for the fantastic responses to my post. I look forward getting training. I'm also very interested in joining the GPAA or maybe even the LDMA. It would be nice to hear your feedback on how worthwhile that would be. Should do a separate topic post if I want to know more about the associations?

I will be retiring in 3 months...yaaaa hoooooo! I have been detecting for relics for about 2 years. I plan on buying a new or used Minelab detector in the next couple of months and trying my hand at gold detecting. I will be roaming around in a custom 5th wheel set up I've been working on for the past year. My question is, how advantageous would it be for me to take gold detecting training from a store I buy from or from a private party that offers it?