Which Metal Detector Is The Best? | Minelab Equinox 800/900, Manticore, XP Deus Ii, Nokta Legend?

[Ridge Runner]

In my opinion they all good to great detectors but none are no better than the person behind it. If you haven’t spent the time in the field learning to what your detector is telling you then none is any good to you.

 Chuck 

[broadfield]

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

There are clear differences between the Equinox 800 and Deus 2 for instance. Took less than an hour for me to sort that out.

Care to elaborate please?

[Digalicious]

1 hour ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I know that the Equinox 600/800, Equinox 700/900 and the Legend are very similar "under the hood."  Deus 2 however, takes a different approach to iron discrimination and iron audio from the others as does Deus 1 and the ORX. Somebody with a lot more knowledge and clear thinking than me can explain it hopefully. I just know there is something fundamentally different going on inside those XP models when it comes to iron target handling.

Yes Jeff, I recall that you have previously said that. My statement was more generalized in the same way Loren's 0 in a 1000 was 🙂

Are you saying that this different approach is finding more goodies in iron trash than the others, or is less prone to iron falsing, or ???

When you first mentioned this to me, I did look for some demonstration videos comparing the D2 to other SMF detectors in iron. I did find videos about how the D2 performs in iron, but no head to head comparison videos.

 

[Jeff McClendon]

22 hours ago, Digalicious said:

Yes Jeff, I recall that you have previously said that. My statement was more generalized in the same way Loren's 0 in a 1000 was 🙂

Are you saying that this different approach is finding more goodies in iron trash than the others, or is less prone to iron falsing, or ???

When you first mentioned this to me, I did look for some demonstration videos comparing the D2 to other SMF detectors in iron. I did find videos about how the D2 performs in iron, but no head to head comparison videos.

 

All of these detectors false in iron using their SMF technology which is why some form of adjustable iron bias is important. They will also all find targets in thick iron trash.

Deus 2, Deus 1 and the ORX are marginally better at it sometimes from my experience. That is all I'm going to say.

Looking for videos demonstrating any of this is fraught with peril as Loren clearly stated in the video you posted.

So, if you are looking for and depending totally on video proof to satisfy you quest for knowledge......good luck.

[Digalicious]

I sure know the importance of an iron bias control for iron infested sites. To the point that it makes a night and day difference with good finds compared to a preset IB.

Anyway, I was hoping that Nokta would reduce the IB on the Legend even further, and they just so happened to announce that the final v1.11 to be released on March 1st, will have an even lower iron bias.

 

[strick]

3 hours ago, Dan Fox said:

Care to elaborate please?

I'm sure he will but he has already spoke plenty about that if you search you will find it. 

strick 

[strick]

5 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

His answer was basically that these detectors are close enough in performance that for general use a person can't go wrong with any of them.

Thanks for sparing me the 17 minutes of my life the suspense was killing me lol....Thats the only guy I ever blocked on this website...

strick 

[Jeff McClendon]

47 minutes ago, strick said:

I'm sure he will but he has already spoke plenty about that if you search you will find it. 

strick 

I'm definitely keeping my mouth shut and my fingers off the keyboard. I have said more than enough about that Deus 2 subject.

[Steve Herschbach]

6 hours ago, Dan Fox said:

Care to elaborate please?

Equinox is marginally more sensitive to the smallest low conductors. In my very extreme high magnetite content soil, Deus 2 will hold accurate target id on high conductor coins to substantially more depth than my Equinox 800. The two detectors hit the target to the same depth, but the 800 starts upscaling as much as two inches sooner than the Deus 2, pushing the targets up and around into reading ferrous. The D2 tended to hold accurate id close to the bitter end and then just lose the target. That one thing made me buy one. And of course in dense ferrous the limited time I spent so far with the D2 saw it picking smallish non-ferrous out of dense square nails better than the 800. Really the only edge I saw for the Nox was on really small gold or foil. I must reiterate this is Sierra type heavy magnetite blond soil derived from granitics, not red soils derived from serpentines. Mileage will most likely vary in other type soils.

[abenson]

Don't agree with Loren I'll elaborate leter.