abenson

Nice bunch of finds Jeff! I especially like the 2 seated quarters as those are getting hard to come by these days. I haven't posted much on the forum over the last few months. But I can't agree more with what's already been said about both the Garrett Axiom and Minelab Manticore, they are a great combination. In fact I just recently got rid of my GPX 6000 for a few reasons I won't go into great detail about, and kept the Axiom. But I just feel like the Garrett Axiom is a better fit for the sites I hunt. So when a PI is needed, I'll be using the Axiom from here on. As has already been said, the Manticore is a fine VLF and I personally feel like it's the only one I need. Although, I will be keeping my D2. But, like Steve, I'm getting tired of all the work that goes into digging every target and when long drive times and short hunt times prevail, I've got to make every minute hunting count. So, Axiom when I need it, but most of the time I'll be using the Manticore for everything including gold nugget hunting.

Nice bunch of nuggets Dave! Good to hear about your success with the M9.

Typical delays that every metal detector company has when releasing a new model.

The only place I use Silencer above 0 is in Western ghost towns littered with bottle caps and flat tin. Even then I only use it when the audio fatigue just becomes too much. I'll run the bottle cap reject at 2 and Silencer at 2. But it negatively affect the D2's unmasking ability.

It really depends on what sites you hunt. I personally got rid of the Legend and kept the D2, but I rarely hunt parks. I'm usually hunting for gold nuggets or military relics, so the D2 and Manticore I feel like are better for the sites I hunt the most. If I didn't have any sites that contained a lot of iron I'd probably just go Manticore for everything. D2 is just better in iron IMO than anything out there, so I keep that in the lineup for the ghost towns and sites loaded with square nails. That being said, the modern SMF's are so close in performance anymore I really don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

I've also switched to the Axiom for my hot dirt relic hunting. Sold the GPX shortly after I got the 6000 (which I also use for relic hunting) because I was tired of being tethered to the GPX 4500. Not that you couldn't buy the smaller battery (which I had) and use a wireless blue tooth module for headphones. But the fact that Minelab refused to make an upgraded GPX, finally had me looking for alternatives. I just wish there were more coil options for the Axiom. I've for the most part been finding Civil War period bullets with the Axiom.

I've used and found gold with all of the mentioned detectors. It all comes down to the size of gold you compare them on and how bad the ground is. The Manticore will find small shallow gold neither of the other 2 will even see. The 5000 on the other hand will see bigger deeper gold than the other 2 especially in high mineral or hot rock infested ground. IMO you really can't do an overall comparison and declare one winner for all situations. Now if you just want to know which one is the most versatile for the majority of the situations, I'd say the 6000 is the clear choice.

All Equinox coils are supposed to work on the X-Terra Elite.

The dealer I use has 1 person on the list for a Vortex. Looking like I could still get one pretty easy if I wanted one.

At some point I may get one. I was on a list, but decided to drop from it last week. I'm sure it will be a great machine, I just don't see it replacing anything I already have, so I'm not in a big hurry to get a Vortex.

Well said Steve. Pretty much agree with all that's been said so far. I don't mind when people give their opinion and a friendly conversation materializes. But, when they all out attack another person or company with uneducated comments it does no good for all involved.

Nice find Steve! Those large cents are hard to come by out west.

Nice results Dave. I unfortunately rarely have that kind of luck in spots I hunker down on work a magnet and rake through. You must have hit a hot spot. There always seems to be plenty of ghost town related stuff and very few coins when I go to that kind of work. But it does give a person hope to see 2 coins and other interesting stuff show up within your raked out site. Quarter is a nice bonus and you didn't have to work as hard for it.

I had a CZ 6a (basic same tech as the CZ 3D) as my main machine for 10 some odd years. Loved it on the beach, but had a love hate relationship with it park and relic hunting as it loved deep rusty nails. I don't think I would even pay $299 for one anymore.

I've been on a list with a dealer since before Garrett even confirmed a new machine was actually a thing. At first I thought I'll pass. But now I'm thinking might as well try it out and support Garrett. The price is reasonable, so not much at stake even if I don't like it.