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Minelab CTX 3030 & XP Deus


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Steve,

How is the XP Deus working for you? Is it really a worthwile addition for a CTX owner with small 6" smart coil for unmasking?

I tried the Nokta Relic. I wanted to like it but too many false signals had me digging tons of trash.  Some iron gives high signals even just 2 inches down in my dirt, out of the hole it goes low signal. I don't have time for that. Coins go into the upper nineties for target ID so a nail & coin look the same. I understand it's different in other States with milder soil.

I finally bought a new CTX instead. These machines work here!

I never seem to be able to get away from a Minelab. (Fisher has been good as well. Accurate target ID)

-Don

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17 hours ago, Don71 said:

Steve,

How is the XP Deus working for you? Is it really a worthwhile addition for a CTX owner with small 6" smart coil for unmasking?

I honestly do not have much time running the Deus. My take so far agrees with what I think most people would say, and that is that the Deus is best for somebody who wants to go after all non-ferrous targets. It can cherry pick to a certain degree but at the end of the day its target id accuracy is not up to what the CTX delivers. You can't beat a CTX for working groomed lawn areas where every hole must count. The CTX is no slouch in trash either, but the Deus by all accounts holds an edge there. The Deus also weighs less than half what a CTX weighs and there is little doubt that is a factor for many people.

At the end of the day if I had to choose between the two it is an easy choice. CTX all the way for me for overall capability. Being waterproof and multi frequency give it a clear advantage around water, especially salt water. The Deus I honestly got mainly in anticipation of the upcoming V4 update and new 9" x 5" coil. That coil should make a machine that is already a winner in dense trash even better. The ability to run and up to 40 kHz may be enough to take the Deus from being just another run of the mill do it all machine when it comes to prospecting to maybe one of a very few in terms of small gold capability and ability to work trashy areas.

Right now I would say the Deus make a nice but not needed complement for the CTX unless one is really focused on eking every last bit of non-ferrous from beds of nails. The V4 update may make the case even more compelling - at least that was my thinking.

I will be using both the CTX and Deus a lot more in the coming months, often side by side on found targets in bad ground, and will offer more when I have a better informed opinion. If you Google around however you will see lots of people who think the CTX/Deus combo a good one for multiple reasons. I am sure other forum members have more they can add to the conversation.

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Thanks for the response Steve. I might pick one up when the V4 9x5 coil comes out for those heavy trash situations. I know there are a lot of people out there that love the Deus. For now, I am still learning the CTX. (I bought Andy's book)

-Don

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Don, It depends on whether you are mainly a relic hunter or a coin shooter. If you are a relic hunter buy one. Study the manual. Read Andy's book. As many times as it takes until you understand the interaction of the settings(it's not that hard). Put some hours on it and you will have the Aha moment. Then you will be the commander of arguably one of the very best relic detectors ever made.

If you are a coin shooter and have some extra loot to spend I would still buy one. You can configure this machine to pluck coins from trash. JMHO

Maybe Strick will jump in here. He has had both machines for a while now.

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Hello Merton, I am a coin & jewelry hunter with the CTX. Relics are not really worth my time unless made of precious metals. (I don't live on the East Coast where there are good historical relics to dig.) I would buy the Deus for plucking old coins from the trash as you say.

I will order Andy's book on the Deus and see what I can learn. I am looking at the 9" Deus Coil or waiting for the new elliptical coil. (V4)

-Don

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I would probably still be frustrated with the Deus if Merton did not show me how to use it. I say if you are a serious coin/jewelry hunter then you need both the CTX and the Deus.  If you ever get into a lot of iron around old home sites then the Deus will out shine the CTX due to it's shear speed. I've not spent much time hunting parks with the Deus because the CTX has better depth ID capabilities as Steve alluded to earlier. I usually bring both machines if I go to a relic spot. I'll use the CTX 80% of the time then pick up the Deus just for a change or if I'm in the iron. The Deus is nice to bring on trips because it folds up and  stores easily. The Deus with the small coil combo will do what the CTX small coil will do but deeper. For small jewelry the Deus in fast mode (18khz) might have the edge over the CTX . Hope this helps

strick

deus 2.jpg

deus ocean.jpg

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Hi Don,

'I'll throw my two cents (found them the other day :smile:) in on the Deus. I can't really help on any of the technical stuff, but I can say I love using it and keep it around with me pretty much all the time folded up in a little backpack in my car...ready to play in seconds.

because it's so discrete and travel friendly I use it a lot. I also have andy's book, it's great.

clark

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I've been using a Deus since day one and helped develop the CTX and have run all of them including the E Trac and X-Terra's, GMP's, F75's, T2's etc 

Last year I Tested several new detector models and the Top 2 other's used most often were the E Trac and latterly, the T2 as I liked it's 'hot zippy behaviour' in some of my good test sites that thanks to more recent modern farming practices grass gets cut more than once a year and other crops get harvested sooner thereby opening rough and stubble fields at summer's end.

Since testing the "Racer Red" (original) and more recently the "R2", it's curtains for all the others listed above as I just really like and appreciate what the "R2" does simply  and when it's language is learned has made me appreciate that "better or best" doesn't have to come in the form of the most expensive price tags in the marketplace today.

When I turn heel and march out of [ a field ] I get back into my vehicle and [ never ] have to second guess myself: "Was I using the right / the best settings today? Did I miss stuff?"

That dilemma is over.

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

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