Waterproof vs Weather/splash proof?

Looking at the previous (and current) attempts to make general purpose coin/relic/beach detectors waterproof, it is apparent that some of them seem to suffer from issues in one way or another. Some are isolated cases, though they still occur all the same.

The CTX is an obvious one, with long running issues surrounding the battery seals (has been addressed to a degree), the Whites MXS has already had some examples take in water through the faceplate in an effort to emulate the success of the AT Pro, though even the AT Pro has had occurrences of warped front covers that might have lead to water ingress. There is also the issue of complex coil/headphone connectors, with the AT Pro an example of a detector with fiddly and expensive plugs that are prone to pin breakage (looking at $50+ just for the plug). I am betting that those that have had issues in the past with water ingress, would have little or reduced confidence on taking their "waterproof" detector back under water again, especially if warranty is in short supply.

My point being, should waterpoofing be allocated only for dedicated beach/river/lake detectors vs general purpose detectors that will spend 90+% of their time spent on dry land, or at worse, only working shallow water or use during wet weather?

Ideally, a splash/weather proof detector would in theory be competant enough to survive an accidental drop in the water if detecting the shallows, and also offer all weather capability.

In many cases waterproofing simply adds extra cost, weight and complexity to a detector that is rarely going to see a full submersion in its lifetime, though no doubt it is a good marketing tool for the manufacturer (or more of a headache in some cases). Yes there is a market out there for those that detect lakes and rivers with a VLF, or in the surf with an FBS or dual/multi frequency detector, though I would think probably not enough to warrant making general purpose, mass produced dirt detectors as rated fully waterproof.

Is it desirable, yes, absolutely necessary, probably not.

Whites and Tesoro originally had the right idea by introducing dedicated fresh/saltwater waterproof detectors, along with the Excalibur from Minelab, and CZ-21/1280X from Fisher, though even these are not completely immune from the odd leakage, depending on the amount of use and preventative maintenanced applied. I can't speculate on what the yet to be released new Fisher models offer with regards to waterproofing, time will tel I guess.

Even the not so popular Fisher F44 had the right line of thinking for a lightweight coin detector, being weatherproof enough to withstand wave splashes and heavy rain, just not complete submersion, persinally that's all I would expect or want from a dirt/beach detector.

What are your thoughts on the subject. Should waterproofing be relegated to specialised detectors, or also applied to general purpose mid to top end detectors as well - is it worth the hassle for both the consumer/manufacturer?

all coils should be waterproof, everything else splash/rain proof. Then make detectors for swimming.

As for the Whites Black Box machines, They have Gaskets on the Pods and the speakers are Mylar and RTV's so water can't get in there and the have Rubber seals where the top of the control box meets the bottom and around where the Knobs and switches meet the con troll box, You can use them in the rain without any problems and I have seen many statements from well known people who can vouch for that, and I have used them in the rain myself, But I have always used them with covers on just because I like to keep them clean, Not once have I ever had an issue with heavy rain, One of the worse types of rain over here is the fine rain It just soaks ya to the skin, but my MXT faired better than I did,

When I think about the concept of the MX-Sport, It is all Wrong and that is not knocking Whites, But the MXT can be used on the Beach but there are better machines for the wet salt Line, Does it work on the beach ? Yes, But Because everyone here knows what BBS and FBS are about the best for that task, So to try and emulate the MXT in to a waterproof housing and market it as a beach machine is Nuts because the MXS is about 3 x more unstable than the MXT, Fresh water rivers maybe ? but not the beach, and as you said Duel or multi frequency machines fare better, and Whites already made one of those,

NEWS FLAST, 2 months ago Whites removed the Duel Frequency Beach Hunter 300 from their product list, But since yesterday it is Now as part of their Current list of Detectors Again,

See here, http://www.whiteselectronics.com/metal-detectors

If a person is going to be wading in the water then maybe a water proof machines is a good idea, but they lack a lot of the features that land machines have except the CTX and the AT Pro,
I wouldn't mind having one but I don't need it and I doubt I would use it either,

John.

I'm glad the CTX is waterproof after getting nailed by a wave after those recent storms on the East Coast, was retrieving a target and the detector was fully submerged and washed 2 metres up the beach. I don't think I'd swim with it until I upgrade the seals and battery one day.