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The Minelab Excalibur II is a highly praised metal detector that offers a range of features specifically designed for underwater exploration and scuba... more

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Experts recommend Minelab Excalibur II more than Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II

As of 10 Jan 2025, experts prefer Minelab Excalibur II over Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II, but both Metal Detectors have solid expert endorsements.

As per this month's meta ranking, Minelab Excalibur II received 3 recommendations: from money.com (19 Dec 2022), Popular Mechanics (3 Jan 2025) and Metal Detecting in the USA (6 Jul 2023). By contrast, Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II received only 1 recommendation from Metal Detecting in the USA (6 Jul 2023).

Rank	Change	Price	Metal Detector	Task and Purpose	money.com	Bob Vila	ZD Net	BestReviews	The Strategist	Popular Mechanics	Your Best Digs	Metal Detecting in the USA	Tech Metals Research
12	+1	$1599	Minelab Excalibur II The Minelab Excalibur II is a highly praised metal detector with waterproof capabilities, advanced target identification, and customizable discrimination settings, making it ideal for underwater exploration and scuba diving.	-	5	-	-	-	-	7	-	9	-
40	N/A	Check price	Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8	-

Curious to see this month's entire Metal Detectors ranking? It's here

About our ranking methodology

Endorsement summary:

On 6 Jul 2023

Metal Detecting in the USA ranked Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II as #8 and Minelab Excalibur II as #9

Rank	Metal Detector	Comment
...	...	...
#8 out of 12	Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II
#9 out of 12	Minelab Excalibur II	our pick for saltwater beach hunting
...	...	...

Source: metaldetectingintheusa.com

On 19 Dec 2022 money.com ranked Minelab Excalibur II as #5

Rank Metal Detector Comment

... ... ...

#5 out of 6 Minelab Excalibur II
Best for underwater detecting

... ... ...

Source: money.com
On 3 Jan 2025 Popular Mechanics ranked Minelab Excalibur II as #7

Rank Metal Detector Comment

... ... ...

#7 out of 9 Minelab Excalibur II
Best for Underwater

... ... ...

Source: www.popularmechanics.com

After counting and adding up the 70 expert endorsements of the January rankings, Minelab Excalibur II outranks Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II. This is not to say that Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II is a bad option. Like Minelab Excalibur II, it is recommended by experts, but less.

MetaRanking Common points from expert reviews summarized.

As can be seen below, Minelab Excalibur II is mentioned by key experts in Jan 2025, while Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II is not.

Rank	Change	Price	Metal Detector	Task and Purpose	money.com	Bob Vila	ZD Net	BestReviews	The Strategist	Popular Mechanics	Your Best Digs	Metal Detecting in the USA	Tech Metals Research
1	+1	Check price	Nokta Makro Simplex The Nokta Makro Simplex metal detector is a highly regarded and versatile device with advanced features, target identification capabilities, and ease of use, making it suitable for both land and underwater treasure hunting.	5	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	1	4
2	-1	$71	Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV The Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV is a reliable and versatile entry-level metal detector praised for its reliability, versatility, and ease of use, making it suitable for beginners and casual users.	-	-	-	1	3	-	-	2	-	-
3	-	$270	Garrett Ace 300 The Garrett Ace 300 metal detector is a versatile and reliable option for general-purpose metal detecting, with impressive target identification capabilities and customizable discrimination settings.	-	-	1	2	-	-	4	-	-	-
4	+4	$299	Minelab Vanquish 440 The Minelab Vanquish 440 is a versatile and user-friendly metal detector with a waterproof coil, multiple frequencies, pinpoint mode, and accurate target identification, making it suitable for various treasure hunting scenarios.	-	-	4	-	-	2	1	-	-	-
5	-1	$384	Garrett Ace 400 The Garrett Ace 400 metal detector is highly praised for its features, performance, and ease of use, making it a versatile and reliable option for beginners and experienced users alike.	1	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5
6	-1	Check price	Garrett Ace 250 The Garrett Ace 250 metal detector is highly praised for its features, target identification capabilities, and ease of use, making it a versatile and user-friendly option for coin hunting, relic detection, and general metal detecting purposes.	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	-
7	-1	$799	Minelab Equinox 800 The Minelab Equinox 800 is a highly versatile and feature-rich metal detector that offers wireless audio, accurate target identification, and a waterproof design, making it suitable for a wide range of detecting needs.	-	-	-	3	-	4	5	-	4	-
8	-1	$430	Garrett ACE Apex The Garrett ACE Apex metal detector is a versatile and user-friendly device with features such as a waterproof search coil, wireless technology, pinpoint mode, adjustable frequency options, accurate target identification, and easy handling, making it suitable for various metal detecting applications.	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	1
9	-	$57	Bounty Hunter Gold Digger The Bounty Hunter Gold Digger Metal Detector is a lightweight and efficient detector with a 7-inch coil, visual target system, and five notch discrimination settings, making it ideal for basic metal detection activities.	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3	-	-
10	+1	Check price	National Geographic Jr The National Geographic Jr Metal Detector is a compact and user-friendly metal detector designed specifically for children, featuring a waterproof design, audio feedback, and discrimination settings for effective treasure hunting.	-	1	-	4	-	-	-	-	-	-
11	+1	$2424	Minelab CTX 3030 The Minelab CTX 3030 is a versatile and effective metal detector with customizable features, waterproof capability, and excellent target identification, making it suitable for experienced treasure hunters.	-	4	-	-	-	6	-	-	5	-
12	+1	$1599	Minelab Excalibur II The Minelab Excalibur II is a highly praised metal detector with waterproof capabilities, advanced target identification, and customizable discrimination settings, making it ideal for underwater exploration and scuba diving.	-	5	-	-	-	-	7	-	9	-
13	-3	$583	Garrett AT Pro The Garrett AT Pro metal detector is highly praised for its versatile features, reliable performance, and user-friendly design, making it suitable for beginners and advanced users alike in various hunting scenarios.	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	-
14	-	$228	Fisher F22 The Fisher F22 metal detector is a highly praised and user-friendly device with effective features, accurate target identification, and ease of use, making it suitable for various metal detecting needs.	-	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	2	-
15	+1	$128	Garrett Pro Pointer AT The Garrett Pro Pointer AT is a versatile and reliable metal detector with target identification capabilities, precision pinpointing, and a waterproof design, making it suitable for various detecting needs, including prospecting.	-	-	6	-	-	8	-	-	-	-
Show all rows

Expert Reviews There are people on the Internet whose job is to review products. Below are their opinions.

Expert reviews [11]

91

Total expert reviews: 11

with a score: 3
without a score: 8

Highest score by Kellyco Detectors	100
Average score based on 11 reviews	91
Lowest score by detecthistory.com	82

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20

Expert reviews [9]

91

Total expert reviews: 9

with a score: 2
without a score: 7

Highest score by detecthistory.com	92
Average score based on 9 reviews	91
Lowest score by fossickr.com	90

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20

From Seller:

Circuit type: Pulse Induction technology for automatic cancellation of salt/ground mineralization
Audio Threshold, Adjustable: adjust to user's preference
User-adjustable Discrimination/Elimination
Hip Mount Belt/Pouch: reduces detector weight for long searches
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From Seller:

FULLY WATERPROOF. Our multi-frequency technology, housed in a rugged platform, makes the EXCALIBUR II the best deep-diving treasure detector around. Capable of functioning at depths up to 200 ft (66m), it's the industry leader in underwater detection.
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