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I did get the machine only when the 5x8 became available as I like small coils for noodling in the trash. And with Manticore I know it will be a small coil with depth as good as some other detectors large coils. In that regard no big deal. But that does not mean I don't want the 11" coil I paid for! It will still be the coil to use in less target rich areas.

7000 - 15" CC X Coil 6000 - 11" OEM GB2 - 6" elliptical OEM Those 3 coils hardly ever leave any of these detectors now, they suit my prospecting style perfectly. I use the 6000 almost entirely for exploration and thus I prefer the OEM over the smaller Coilteks for ground coverage and depth purposes. It was a hard call between the 15" and 17" CC's, but in the end I realized the times I was glad for a less weight and more mobility were more than the times I was glad for a little more depth, especially as I started working steeper ground.

My favorite detector/coil setup by far is the GPZ with X-Coils 8” - I’ve found many ounces with that little coil. It hits on the tiniest pieces at good depth, but also goes surprisingly deep on larger nuggets. I mostly hunt rocky terrain where the bigger coils I’ve got aren’t maneuverable enough, so they don’t get much of a look in.

The F19 will be for my daughter on the odd occasion she wants to detect for coins. It does really well on our coins with its accurate Target ID on them in mild soils at our ski fields, especially our $1 and $2 coins which are all she cares about finding. The main reason for the "upgrade" over the Gold Bug Pro's was to give her volume control, she's a speaker user like I am, doesn't want to wear headphones so being able to turn down the volume is vital, the Bug is LOUD and embarrassing to use with its loud volume that can't be turned down in a public place. Incredible isn't it, their detectors like the Gold Bug Pro are so dated they don't even have a way to control volume.

I my Deus 2 8 MAR 2024 so she is only 6 weeks old. But, It seems mine might be an older unit. It did not come with a Carbon Fiber lower stem, nor did it come with the screen protector. The deepest this unit has been in the South Florida Saltwater is less than 24" inches, and the antenna wire is turning black at the bottom 😞 I spent $1,430 on the machine, and it is already having issues. I am wondering if I made a mistake buying this. As a former military ARMY soldier, and Scuba Instructor, I know how to rinse and keep gear in brand new condition for years.

Solid reasoning, this. Ha, that price was too sweet to ignore, eh? What kind of detecting will the F19 be for, and/or do you see it filling a particular niche?

A huge bonus to any Turkish company is their currency exchange rate. 32 Turkish Lira to 1 US$. Exports being their primary focus. Their inflation rate is seriously bad too... Their people seem to vote on a populist agenda, rather than fiscal common sense. But, their country is bountiful, produces great, cheap food, manufacturing industries are expanding and providing lots of jobs. Electricity prices are way better than the EU average too. So, as long as Turkey remains only an associate member of the EU and doesn't use the Euro as their currency, Nokta will remain a major player. Giving Minelab serious competition is always gonna be a bonus for us end-users.

I found gold with my Manticore the first day of using it. The more I use it the more I love it.

Steve, You may not need the 11 inch. I have all three and only use the M15 or the M8. My 11 inch just rides in the car as a backup. LOL Used the M8 at a park on Tue. Only my second truf hunt in almost 5 years. The park is filled with can slaw and old nails, but I did manage a 1939 Merc and 6 wheaties. Out of the other 10 cents, 8 were copper and only 2 zincs. It was hitting about 5 targets or so per swing. The M8 is legit. Joe

Gpx5000 - 19" Evo, 15" Evo, 12"x8" Evo Manticore - M8, M15

Well, just the 11" coil but if that's all I had I'd be seriously irritated. As it is the reason I got the detector was the 5x8 coil finally being available, so I got both at the same time. The 11" coil worked for two seconds, then gave a Coil Disconnected Shutting Down error. Disconnected and reconnected several times same result. 5x8 coil works fine. Did the software update with the 5x8 coil and did a reset. 11" coil still acting like it is not connected, 5x8 coil working fine. Probably a bad chip in the coil. Luckily I had the spare coil or I'd not know if it was the coil or the detector. I just sent an email to Minelab Service 3:30pm today so I will update with how the process goes with getting the coil replaced.

Yup, it's make an offer - see the Fisher Forum for a few deals people have been getting. If you offer too low they will counter offer. In fact if you are logged into eBay and simply look at the page, you probably will get an offer. This way they are not breaking their own MAP rules. Impulse AQ is listed at $1999 guy offered $1200 and they countered with $1300, which he took. $700 discount and free shipping. $200 under the super duper introductory price that only the first 100 buyers were supposed to get.

Yes, my favourite coil selection was based upon giving me the best chance in any situation. Sadly X-coils no longer make any GPX coils, although they're considering it again since the Algoforce came out, and if the Nokta uses GPX coils that would really seal the deal, but it probably won't. I have a few of their GPX coils but the 10" is without a doubt the standout to me.

Looks like a selection of coils that I would think would cover almost most any target at any depth or size possible with a detector. I might have to rethink things a bit. I just checked their web-site and they do not offer this coil anymore, kinda would like one, hopefully they bring them back.

Admittedly I had lost all interest in First Texas and their detectors for some time, I haven't been detecting all that many years but I jumped through the First Texas ranks with a GBP, GB2 and two models of the Teknetics T2 along with their F-Pulse, now I even have an F19 on its way. It appeared with their lack of new products and very dated models they were just another generic detecting company, not something to really pay much attention to. My most recent of their purchases was the F-Pulse not all that long after it came out, while a decent pinpointer it is hardly something to be excited about a company's prospects over. Other than a coil that nobody seems to know much about and I haven't been able to find anyone that actually bought one they haven't really released anything for a very long time, and when they did it was just a rehashed older model, or as we like to call them paint jobs. Recently they started an Ebay firesale letting buyers dictate the prices they are willing to pay for their detectors, and people have been getting fantastic deals, but if you sit down and think about it for a bit are the deals really fantastic or are they about the price the detector should be in today's market, with the various competitors leaving these models well behind, it seems more like they're working out the prices people would be willing to pay and running with it, they've probably sold more of their higher end detectors in the past month or so with this firesale than they have in a year or two. Suddenly First Texas is being talked about again by people that had little interest in their detectors when they were full price. Many of us predicted this would happen one day where their high-end machines are basically entry level in the modern marketplace. I was thinking this is it, they're just going to clear out the stock and wind up the hobby detector part of their business, then I took at look at their Facebook group, I hadn't bothered to look at it forever as they were just a stagnant business. To my surprise it was very active, mainly with their marketing of course but active none the less. Every few days they're doing posts marketing their products, this really took me by surprise, and they had no indication at all they're doing an Ebay fire sale, another surprise, if there was a good place to announce it you would think it would be their Facebook group with 24000 followers, that's a broad reach of people that would see their sale that may not know about it. I think they're just settling into the new normal, working out the ideal pricing for models where they can get sales and will then return to their status quo of selling the same old models for the next decade. They appear to have a larger focus on metal detecting products outside of the hobby market on their Facebook group too, which probably demonstrates where a much of their detecting income is derived from. Their last marketing post was only 2 hours ago. Here are some of their recent marketing posts. So, they do have a pretty active marketing person on Facebook, and someone making up fancy marketing pictures. I hope they survive as a hobby detecting company, and I really hope they've got at least one more "New" detector up their sleeve, a Gold Bug 3 would be something many of us would appreciate, but I'm sure a F75 SMF would be more of a crowd pleaser for a bulk of Fisher fans.

Well... it did find you gold so you shouldn't be too hard on it. D4G

September 24 2002 Digging Deeper We all got an early start to our workday. The weather is still holding up with temperatures in the 70’s and no rain. The haul road is in great shape and we are trying to get our glory cut finished before the next storms set in. Jacob said we are on borrowed time and the weather could change quickly. Even snow could be here soon which would likely end our season. Jacob is still working his way deeper and the test pans are fair with some coarse gold. Nothing like we are thinking we might get but we are absolutely convinced that there is a big pot at the bottom. If only Jacob could get down there with the excavator. He is trying his best and that’s all we can ask. We washed another 100 yards and will do a cleanup in the morning. Not expecting anything great but it will add to our totals. I called my wife tonight and told her we are getting near the closing of the mine for this year. Can’t wait to get back home. TO BE CONTINUED ............

I agree, the stock 11" is a great coil on the 6000 outside of its issues. I have been lucky with it so far in regards to those issues. The 10x5 is great for in the water creek detecting on the 6000. It has kind of taken over from the Gold Monster for me in that department because of its extra depth & edge sensitivity while still deadly on the tiny stuff. The 10x5 has proved itself to me finding gold in creeks the GM missed. Being just that bit deeper. On absolute bed rock scrubbing I would still give the GM the nod but throw in a bit of gravel & more depth then the 10x5 holds its own. Throw in some crevices & the ability of dragging the 10x5 on its edge down those crevices & its edge sensitivity comes into play as well. Like any detector & coil combo it comes down to the terrain, & the size & depth of gold expected. No one set up is going to do it all. D4G

I just checked Ebay and they are still listing my CZ-21 with 10.5" coil for full price- $1579. I guess you have to make an offer on that one to see how low they go? Probably going to try to sell mine is why I was interested in their price.

Nobody is blaming them for an anniversary since nobody including Minelab cares. It’s just a marketing tool and not why they are blowing the Manticore out the door at deep discount. I’ve been too deeply involved in how the corporate world works to be anything but cynical about stuff like this. They are not anyone’s friend and not doing anyone any favors. It’s all pure cold hard business calculations at work.

I'd love to see the whole new lineup. But it smacks of liquidation sales in that they are burning bridges with dealers. That and seems like most of marketing was fired or quit. None of that is laying groundwork for a big release, but I could be wrong and hope I am.

He has very limited data relying on free wifi so I guess he'll pop up his photos and story when he gets home. I hope we can point the finger to an area where he finds gold, be nice to add a little NZ flake or two to his collection 🙂

I've used the following coils: GPX 6000 with 10"x5" Goldhawk; Equinox 900 with 11" stock coil. Though I don't have this coil at present, I've used the 9" Goldhawk coil quite a bit.

Quartz Rock With A Faint Tone I was out in the Nevada desert with several buddies chasing the gold near a bunch of old hard-rock gold mines. I found so many pieces of old blasting caps with the Equinox, I thought I was going to go crazy because of the nice non-ferrous reading on the Nox. The Oldtimers sure did a lot of work in the area as there were massive mine dumps in front of the adits, all of them running in a crescent shape around the mountain. I headed up a little gulch that ran up and away from a large mine, and I started finding projectile (lead) after projectile, over and over again. And, the trouble with spent rounds is they ring up on the meter right in the gold range, so after an hour of finding my own lead mine, I headed back down the mountain. I walked over to another mine dump from a smaller mine, and I started finding square nails and more bits of wire and blasting caps (if I'd have kept all those bits, I could have started my own copper mine too), so I headed back to the rendezvous point to see what the boys had found. One of them had an oval piece of white and stained quartz about the size of a folded pita, and he was swinging his Gold Monster back and forth over the rock, and he kept getting a weak signal. (The meter would hop over toward the positive side, but then skip back.) My buddy had a rock hammer with him, and he started chipping off chunks of that quartz, then they'd scan them. With every chunk that gave no signal, he put them in a little pile. He kept chipping off chunks until there was only about a golf ball-sized piece of the original rock left. In that chunk there was a signal, and when he hit it with his rock hammer, it opened along a fracture line and there was the gold! Nothing big, but the only gold we found that day. All the best, Lanny

I narrowed it down to my favourites per detector. If I was forced to narrow it down to 3 it would be the 10x5" Coiltek on the 6000 and the 15" CC and 8" on the GPZ, those two are very different in their application so I can't pick between them. If I was forced to pick a VLF I'd take the Manticore although I prefer using the GPZ and GPX now over VLF's, that took me years to decide but I just don't really enjoy VLF's now looking for gold. I haven't gelled with the 12x7", its lack of edge sensitivity really bothers me and I just prefer the 10x5" and saying something like the 12x7" will give more depth doesn't overly matter, if I wanted that I'd stick with the stock 11" as it gives more depth than both of them while maintaining almost all of the sensitivity, so the 10x5" is more for the shape and size than anything and the 11" for all other applications, the 11" is a stock coil that's actually really good, apart from its quality issues it's a hot good coil and the aftermarket coils aren't overly necessary unless size matters. Something else too, I've probably had the 12x7" on the GPX the most as I've been too lazy to take it off 🙂 I've given it a good chance.