Minelab Manticore Vs Equinox 800/900 For Gold Nuggets

[Chase Goldman]

45 minutes ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

Sure the manual may say something to the effect of only needing 1 gold mode. Why take away what you already have and then charge $500 more?

Below info from Minelab Equinox 900 Manual on page 14.  Makes sense to me to have 2 after reading what each does.

Both the EQ-900/Manti operate kHz pretty close to the same in Gold Mode at 20, 40, Multi IQ for 900 and 20, 40, IQ+ for Manti.  I just wonder why no 2nd Mode?

 

 

Gerry - The reason is that the Nox Multi-IQ piece (high frequency weighting and processing under the hood) is fundamentally the same for Gold 1 and 2.  The only difference between the two is the user adjustable settings (Recovery Speed Setting) which can simply be replicated by utilizing the Custom User Profile.  If you adjust the user settings identically for Gold 1 and 2 (Disc, Threshold level, recovery, iron bias, ground tracking) you will see they are the same.  This is NOT true for Park 1 and 2, Field 1 and 2 or Beach 1 and 2.  Even with identical user settings they will behave differently on the same targets.

At one point, I recall that Nox Gold mode was going to use either 40khz single frequency and/or 40 kHz weighted Multi-IQ by default and at the last minute they chose Multi-IQ.  They probably planned for 2 modes similar to what they did for Park, Field, and Beach and then realized at the end of the day, there basically is really is only one true Nox Gold mode and Gold 2 is just an unnecessary user setting variant “filler” mode.  The probably translated that logic to M-core.  Agree that to prospective M-core users, though, it appears on the surface to be a potential shortcoming compared to the Nox.

I personally think the M-core custom user profile implementation needs an overhaul to make it more intuitive and flexible.  You should be able to set up and save multiple custom combined Disc patterns AND ferrous limit profiles (not just the ferrous limits profiles, as provided today) that can be applied to any search mode as desired by the user.  That would help make the single custom user profile more flexible because it would not be tied up (wasted) by a mode profile that simply has a different discrimination pattern.  But that’s just me.

[Steve Herschbach]

1 hour ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

Steve H. - Yes I went back and viewed that very post I started last year.  I was hoping after 2 to 3 months there would be more information and knowledge shared by now for our Gold Hunters.  So far it still seems pretty silent?

Because the serious gold hunters don’t really care about the minimal difference between the Equinox and Manticore on gold. I’ll be swinging a PI while the VLF sits in the truck and I’ve already got a couple detectors that are good at that. 

[abenson]

Well if my biggest concern was gold I wouldn't buy the Manticore the way it sits right now. Equinox is a proven platform with multiple coils available. Once the Manticore coils start to roll out, then maybe. It's hard to say right now because I haven't had a chance to get the Manticore out in gold country. But that 2D screen may have some use when hunting gold. No not telling lead from gold, it might be useful in mineralized ground telling gold from iron bits though. From my experience so far if you get a target that touches that middle line you better dig it no matter what else the trace looks like.

[GB_Amateur]

10 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

I'm starting to feel... the Manticore is more geared towards the masses.

I resemble that remark!  For sure I can't answer the Eqx 900 vs. Manticore for native gold.  But here are some thoughts on your first post above:

You mentioned that for the Equinox 800/600 pre-release you (plural) were given a private demo, etc. with engineers.  If I recall, the introduction of that detector in September 2017 was at Detectival (only), at least for the public.  For the Manticore (and weaker 😏 cousin 900/700), you didn't get the same treatment.  Instead Minelab not only hits Detectival as in 2017 but keeps their engineer (Mark Lawrie) in Europe for 2 full weeks.

Unlike some purely end-users who have mumbled here, I don't feel shortchanged when some other part of the world gets the treatment we in the USA are accustomed to.  (And, BTW, I think we *are* getting the best prices even now.)  But I think there is more to this rollout than simply "it was Europe's and Great Britains's turn".

Let's start with the USA pricing of the Manticore:  $1600.  Hmmm, does that sound familiar?  Yep, the retail price of the XP Deus 2.  What detector (potentially) superceded the Eqx 800 for coin&relic and had a much deeper water rating than the 800?  Deus 2.  What's the biggest selling detector in continental Europe?  (Not sure, but the XP Deus 1 and Deus 2 were/are quite big.  And I think they are big in the British Isles.)  This is no longer "your father's Minelab."  This is Codan's (controlling) version of Minelab and (IMO) the bottom line is all that matters.  Figure out your biggest competition and take them on ASAP.

In terms of gold prospecting IB/VLF, I'm pretty sure the Eqx 800 still has no outside competition.  (Well, OK, the Garrett/White's 24K is right up there, but maybe hasn't hit Codan/Minelab much in the wallet....)  No rush among the Codan stockholders to improve that.  But even the much less expensive Nokta Legend (apparently not bad with nuggets, either), although not quite as powerful in some ways than the Deus 2, is directly competing with the Eqx 800/600 in terms of coin-and-relic detecting.  Squeeky wheel gets the grease.

Bottom line is the Manticore takes on Codan/Minelab's most threatening (in terms of profits) competitive model for the coin/relic/beach/shallow-water side of detecting.  That's getting most of their attention right now.  Europe and its coin&relic trashy sites is probably where they have the most to gain, market share-wise so their focus is most intense there.

[Steve Herschbach]

5 hours ago, abenson said:

Well if my biggest concern was gold I wouldn't buy the Manticore the way it sits right now. Equinox is a proven platform with multiple coils available. Once the Manticore coils start to roll out, then maybe. It's hard to say right now because I haven't had a chance to get the Manticore out in gold country. But that 2D screen may have some use when hunting gold. No not telling lead from gold, it might be useful in mineralized ground telling gold from iron bits though. From my experience so far if you get a target that touches that middle line you better dig it no matter what else the trace looks like.

Yeah if I was forced to pull the trigger today I’d get an Equinox 900 instead of a Manticore if gold nuggets were a serious concern. I know it works, and I have the coils already.

[phrunt]

Minelab are so smart, having so much confusion around which is best for what and putting that little edge on one model over another mostly by coil options and then releasing multiple new models at once so now people want them all 🙂

[Gerry in Idaho]

On 3/2/2023 at 11:25 AM, phrunt said:

Minelab are so smart, having so much confusion around which is best for what and putting that little edge on one model over another mostly by coil options and then releasing multiple new models at once so now people want them all 🙂

Yes, folks want them all, but not many are actually pulling the trigger.  My phone is not blasting off the walls...yet anyway.  I have most everything except Manti's.  We all know the issue with them.

[philber]

On 3/2/2023 at 6:06 AM, Chase Goldman said:

I also hope we don’t have to wait 3 more years for Coiltek coils for the Manticore like we had to wait for the Nox.  I don’t know if ML realizes it or not (which makes me question their overall consumer business model savvy if they don’t), but simply striking a licensing deal for the embedded coil interface electronics with Coiltek for accessory coils in manner that enables Coiltek to release accessory coils for M-core in a time frame similar to or even faster than ML’s spool up of their own M-core accessory coils could actually tilt fence sitters into purchasing an M-core without ML having to invest any additional capital.  Their track record of aloof behavior with respect to accessory coil options and availability from a customer demand perspective makes them appear to be blind to this fact.  And I’m not just talking small circular coils, but an elliptical slightly bigger than what is presently envisioned would be welcomed by non-prospecting users to fill the remaining gap between the stock and the planned ML 8x5.5.  A solid coil body or skid plate variant option would also be welcomed.

 

THIS.

Yo, Minelab.  Here's that "clue" you've been searching for; maybe you should "get it".

[deathray]

What you wrote up Gerry, is why I bought a 900. My Deus is on life support, so ready for new vlf. If the manti had a 6 inch coil, I would have bought one...had one with my name on it, passed on it. Now...if it would only stop raining/ snowing here in Cali...the winter from hell

[Gerry in Idaho]

On 3/15/2023 at 6:45 AM, deathray said:

What you wrote up Gerry, is why I bought a 900. My Deus is on life support, so ready for new vlf. If the manti had a 6 inch coil, I would have bought one...had one with my name on it, passed on it. Now...if it would only stop raining/ snowing here in Cali...the winter from hell

I've been in discussion with Trevor at CoilTek and they will be working on a smaller coil for the Manticore.  It's going to be Ellip in shape as well.  Hopefully they can get it out later this year.  Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Yes the winter this season has been so annoying and long.  Here it is almost April and I have yet to break an ounce of nuggets, heck I've yet to find a nugget in 2023.  To be exact, I have yet to even dig a gold ring this year.  Now that's most certainly not my style.