Bill (S. CA)

Precisely, Jeff.

Good info here, Jeff. The only factor I might add, and I don't know how you would measure this, is balance. For example, I like the Deus II a lot but for me it is nose heavy, just like the original Deus. The Legend and the Equinox have better balance. If I use a Deus II for several hours I feel the strain in my forearm while on The Legend and Equinox I don't.

Steve, Are you talking about the user profile button on the side of the Equinox box? If so, I couldn't agree more. I have a second mode set up on my Equinox but if I wear gloves I simply can't push the darn side button in to switch between modes. It's a real pain and I have to take my glove off every time I switch so the end result is that I seldom switch modes. I will give Minelab credit for at the very least making the buttons they do have easy to see. The Legend buttons, which are all black, are impossible to see in the daylight unless you either put white paint on them or buy the control box cover.

This reminds me so much of off seasons in professional sports. For example, when football ends, all we get is a bunch of opinion driven b.s. from talking heads who are filling air time. Same thing with detecting. Like you guys, I concur that the speculation and opinion blathering is worthless nonsense. But it will never go away I'm afraid. The Pandora's Box of unlimited media access has been opened and its effect will be all around us forever. What I have noticed is the disappearance of the posting of hunt results from detectorists. Not these mind numbing thirty minute videos of coils swinging over grass or sand but just simple pictures of cool stuff found. Years ago on the Findmall forum there was a guy named Mike Moutray who was a master of the Minelab Explorer. He would post his finds via pictures and a written description and they were really fun to follow. No discussions of settings or testing or anything. Just hunting. I still believe that those posts have value. I just don't know if the world we live in now feels the same way.

Ah, the Mr. Bill mods. Haven't heard that in years. What were they specifically, George?

I concur, dsb, but I've found often times corporate logic goes counter to to what we view as plain old common sense. I mean, would you buy this detector because it was a signature edition? https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/garrett-jase-robertson-signature-edition-at-max-metal-detector I wouldn't but I guarantee you people are buying them. Never overestimate the brains of the consumer.

George, By calling this Closet #1 it implies that perhaps you have other closets? My goodness that's a lot of machines. I have to tell you that the thing that impressed me most is what great shape you kept all of the detectors in. I'm curious, I see White's, Garrett, Minelab, Tesoro, Troy but no Tekntetiks, Fishers or Compass. Are they in another closet? Thanks for sharing the pictures, fun to look at on a Sunday morning.

This may be something as simple as Minleab having the Equinox shell and looking in the closet to see what else they can pack into it. I recall when the X-Terra's came out there was talk about Minelab using the X-Terra shell for then current model lines like the Explorer and even the Excalibur. Since it would make no sense to put BBS or FBS into the Equinox shell (might not fit anyway), why not try to breath life back into their single frequency line? I owned all three of the X-Terras at different points and the coil swapping was, for me, a pain. But at a low price point with that appearance of added tech they might be able sell a few.

I get what you are saying but you have to reach a point where a detector is locked. Eleven updates is excessive and can convey the idea, fair or not, that the manufacturer did not do enough testing before release. I am also not in favor of customer beta testing only because if you ask 100 different detectorists what they would want on their detector than you will get 100 different answers. The Legend is a good detector. Issue this update and outside of bugs let it be. Time for Nokta Makro to move onto other detectors, like a PI for example. Just my two cents worth.

Since you are new to the hobby I would recommend either the 700 or 900. They are super easy to use in the presets and work well in all environments. The Deus II is a powerhouse but could be a bit complicated for newcomer. The Legend is an excellent performer but due to all of the updates the menu and shortcuts are a little challenging. I have hunted saltwater beaches with all three and they all perform well in the saltwater environment. I haven't used a Manticore yet so I can't comment on that. Welcome to a really fun hobby! Bill

Well that's nice and cryptic. I have a feeling they may be taking their time so they can finally lock the detector and stop with the update craziness.

I'm wondering the same thing. They locked the Beta testing on January 23rd and not it's February 9th.

As others have said, in my view the 15" is all about coverage. I do not personally think it goes any deeper than the stock coil. However, keep in mind that it is a larger and heavier coil. I hunted for 4 hours straight with mine on Saturday and about 1/2 way through i was wishing I had the stock coil on instead.

A few years ago a guy walking his dog in a park without a leash homed in on me. You know the feeling, right? Another unofficial guardian of all spaces public was going to give me a lecture. Well he did. After he explained to me that what i was doing was illegal and dangerous because of the holes I was digging (and filling, by the way), I looked at him and asked "Do you want to let your dog know as well?" The bonehead looked at me, puzzled, as I nodded in the direction of his dog, who was digging a huge hole at the base of a tree. The I told him to "F off." and resumed detecting. Never saw him again.

I'm only going to throw in on this topic to point out a common flaw in most, if not all detecting videos that we see on YouTube. They are made by amateur wannbe entertainers/filmmakers. I've worked in the the entertainment industry in post production on television series and feature films for over 40 years. This is why editors, producers, directors and on camera talent exist. They are required to turn out a professional quality product. YouTube and the GoPro have opened up what was pretty much a closed shop to the talent-less, the loudmouths, the idiots by providing them easy access to a place to show their content. Now they think they are either Spielbergs or Johnny Carsons when in fact most of them aren't anything but bad. I continue to sample detecting videos to give people a look because there is always the chance of finding a gem. But in terms of the individual-hosted diatribe fests that we see now, I have no interest. I would recommend to all of you folks to ignore them. If you want to watch a good show on YouTube that is simply about having fun metal detecting try the Hoover Boys. Or the Gigmaster. Bill

I will mention that to them since they have not found this to be the case. Their main issue is that they feel the round dots are not consistent in high trash. However, this is how it goes with new machines. The sharing of information is how it used to work before all of the knee jerk YouTubers came to be and render verdicts on detectors after just a few hours of use. Bill

I'll be honest and say no. I have had detectors that I liked more than others but I truly have enjoyed every machine that I have owned. Part of the fun of detecting for me has always been to find out how to get the best performance out of these quirky devices. My one rule since I was a kid that I still follow is that I will not sell a detector until my finds exceed the price that I paid for it.

For some reason this sounds like, and I hate to even bring this up, what Calabash found with The Legend. Didn't he discover (or one of his pals) that Beach mode on The Legend worked better inland than Park mode? Perhaps this has something to do with the way the various frequencies are balanced in the different modes? While I don't have a Manticore, several of my friends have bought them and their results mirror others posting here in that the TID #'s are not stable inland. However, on our S. CA beaches everyone likes its performance thus far though the machine of choice remains the Deus II. I would say that out of every ten hunters I see a the beach, 7/10 are swinging Deus II's, 1 or 2 Equinoxes and then you will still find a random PI or Fisher guy or a Manticore. This may be due to the fact that the Manticores are still shipping. Of my three friends who bought Manticores, 2 switched back to the Deus II and the other is trying different settings like Phrunt. One last thing, my buddies all like the Manticore screen but none of them feel that the 2D screen is of much use thus far.

Boy that's a good question. I've owned many an still have too many. I do wish that I had my first Minelab, a Sovereign XS with the white coil. Loved that machine. When I sold it I tried to buy it back after changing my mind and the buyer had already parted it out. Also maybe a Cutlass II uMax I loved to use when I just wanted to turn on and go.

Well put, Steve. This reminds me of some testing that I did for a manufacturer a number of years ago on a new detector. I tried it out and it was a mess. Couldn't locate coins at average depths, useless on a saltwater beach, you name it. The thing didn't work. When I reported my results the response was "well it worked in the lab!" Uh huh. It seems like nothing has changed. These wood block/porch/air tests are garbage and mean nothing. Steve's comparison to a car on blocks is spot on perfect. As to The Legend specifically, I've used it, it works. My only gripe is that they have over-updated the detector and there are so many shortcuts buried in the menu structure that I have to take a cheat sheet along with me to remember them all. I hope after this latest update they just stop and move on to other detectors.

That's really interesting, George. So is the price point. Seems like everybody except First Texas is getting into MF.

Ah, makes sense. Thanks, guys. I'll wait for that update.

Is the BETA version now locked and we should download it as final or is Nokta going to lock this version and remove the "BETA" description?

Not being a Manticore owner but having used Minelabs going back to my Sovereign XS (still miss that detector!), I personally see the Manticore being very much what I would call a "patterned" release. What I by that it that once Minelab comes up with a new platform they implement a pattern of subsequent releases based upon that one until their next new tech arrives. We went from BBS to FBS to Multi IQ with each starting off with a ground breaking new detector followed by derivative models based upon the platform. This most reminds me of the the Etrac followed by the CTX 3030. The Equinox to Manticore has the same feel.

Steve, I couldn't agree more. My reason for asking Phrunt his opinion is precisely because he is skilled hunter. I'm just burned out on all of these knee-jerk YouTube reviewers who hunt for an hour and render a verdict on a detector.