Bill (S. CA)

That's a beauty, George. The old Compass machines can still get the job done if you aren't after the deepies.

How are you liking its performance in iron? The reviews on this aspect of the Manticore are quite varied and it is very hard to discern who knows how to use the detector and who doesn't.

Steve, I only had this issue once several years ago. I was looking to buy an older detector for an article I was writing and a new member PM'd me that he had one for sale. It only took a couple of questions to determine it was a scam. Other than that one time no issues.

I had the privilege of writing for Western and Eastern Treasures for the past two decades. Like most writers for the magazine, I started as a freelancer. Rosemary Anderson liked my writing and moved me up to the title of Contributing Editor and I wrote articles and handled most of their product reports and field tests for the last several years. That's me on the far left of the December 2022 cover, the last issue that they published. Steve, Rosemary and Logan Anderson always treated me like gold, quite befitting a treasure hunting magazine. They tried their best to keep the magazine going and I will miss not only writing for them but reading the magazine. For me, a magazine was a much more comfortable medium to read about our hobby as opposed to the endless number of YouTube channels that we are inundated with.

I did and no it was not louder.

I have an Axiom that I have used several times on our beaches here in S.CA with the 13" X 11" DD coil. These beaches were heavy with black sand. Like you, I ran the threshold at -8 because the ground noise, despite repeated ground balancing, was too high for me. Running the detector silent allowed me to crank up the sensitivity beyond 4 to 6/7 most of the time and even 8. Perhaps if I had a better PI ear I could have had an audible threshold but I tested several deep targets and they all rang out solid regardless of the threshold setting. The Axiom is a powerful beach detector and given the right environment I would use it. However, while I was out there the Deus II guys were running circles around me because they were discriminating and I wasn't. I did compare signals and could not find a target that the Deus II could not find, and vice versa. A couple of guys were struggling a bit with their Equinoxes because of the black sand but I didn't get a chance to compare signals with them. For me, the Axiom I think will be a suitable "2nd pass after using a multi-frequency detector" or a tough environment detector. Please don't flame me if you are a "PI's always gets better depth" hunter. I have no desire to reopen that Pandora's box again. This is just my two cents based upon what I observed in real world hunting situations. I have yet to try the Axiom on the dry for microgold and will post those results after a few hunts. I have high hope for it given it's terrific sensitivity to small gold. Bill

I have a Stavr scoop and it is very good. If you want to go high end I don't think that you can beat the Xtreme Scoops Titanium. It is expensive but worth every penny. I have one and it is all I use now. https://xtremescoops.com/

I don't think you can go wrong with the 900 but selfishly speaking I was hoping that you would get a Manticore. Reason? You are right, it does seem to be all over the place but I think a lot of that is due to the number of testers all competing to be the go to guy for knowing the detector. Having a Manticore in the hands of a a "cagey veteran" like you (noticed how I didn't say "old?") would bring a sensibility to the rather wacky dialogue surrounding the detector. But with that being said, I will be curious as to your thoughts on the 900. Bill (S< CA)

He's quirky but he does know his stuff. What really impresses me about him is that he isn't afraid to admit that he doesn't know everything, unlike many of the YouTube experts. Plus his testing is actually hunting with a detector. Novel concept, huh?

A very nice early assessment and obviously you know what it's like to hunt in iron. Love your mentioning the old school but still very effective pinpointing technique to ID iron. Keep sharing your experiences with the Manticore as long as you don't freeze to death!

When it comes to new machines, Cal, I really like the way you cover them AND use them. I hope you can favor us with some videos when yours arrives. Bill

A buddy of mine is thinking of buying Doc's Pick: https://docsdetecting.com/product/docs-nugget-stalker-brand-gold-pick-the-only-pick-for-metal-detecting-youll-ever-need/ Anybody ever use one? Bill

Well, Steve, leave it to you to once again sum things up nicely. Your assessment of the Apex is spot on. I spent a lot of time using one and inland it just has a hard time. But at a saltwater beach it really is competitive. Best of all is that you brought up the DFX/V3i point again. I've mentioned this to Garrett several times but it's never gone beyond that. You are right, they do need a flagship and I would assume they are working on one. But what will run the MF in that unit is a darn good question. Personally I think if they apply the same creative thinking to a new flagship detector that they applied to the Axiom we might be in for a pleasant surprise from Garrett somewhere down the line.

Interesting test, Jeff. I've never used an ORX but I do have an Apex and a Legend. The Apex is a tough go in trash but excels at salt water beaches. Up until the last update, the Legend, at least for me, had similar issues in trash and struggled with iron. The last update did help a lot with that.

Great to see you back and glad you are feeling better. What a cool coin? What detector were you using when you found it? Bill

What a gorgeous coin. Interesting that you found it with the V3i. That detector was and in the opinion of many still is ahead of its time. It has come up in discussions numerous times and one has to wonder if Garrett has any plans to rebrand it like they did with the Goldmaster 24K. Personally I loved mine but the limitless options/adjustments wore me out. Wish I'd kept it. You prove that it isn't all about super power and depth, it's setting the detector up right and knowing how to use it. i know it's a lot of work but it would be cool to see a video of you hunting with yours. Thanks for posting your finds. Bill

With all of the talk about the Manticore, Deue II and Legend, I thought I would take out my old Equinox and see if the poor outdated detector could find anything. Son of a gun, it still works. Yes that's sarcasm. I hadn't been to the parks in many many months with my Equinox so I decided to hit an old LA park Sunday morning just for fun. While I didn't hit anything great, I was reminded of what a truly exceptional detector the Equinox is. Its separation with the stock coll in high trash is just astonishing. I hunted a slope by an old merry-go-round in Griffith Park, a spot that has been hit and hit and hit and hit for many years. It is literally a carpet of low conductors. If you want do dig 15's through 18's all day let me know and I'll send you the GPS coordinates. Despite all of this trash i was able to pull out over two bucks in long-burined, dirty clad, including a 1951S Wheatie. It was really fun and I just love the way that the Equinox can see through the trash. The only downer for me was that I couldn't pull one single nickel despite digging a ton of 13's. This slope had a lot of a certain type of old pull tab that read a solid 13 with good tone and they fooled me every time. Anybody else run into these buggers? In summing up, I'll just say that I'm interested in these new machines just like everybody else. But this hunt reminded me of what a special detector the Equinox is and personally I am in no hurry to send it to the closet. Bill

I have several friends who swing Deus II's who have had similar experiences with nickels. One buddy dug 53 in one day! What I find curious is that none of my friends have found a single gold target in amongst all of those nickels.

Jeff, I completely agree with you. And I can assure anyone who cares to listen that I know the Gigmaster personally and he would never make a video to "garner hits." He asked a logical question based on his experience and the design similarity of the Manitore.

phrunt, I agree, very nice post you wrote up. I'm curious about your comment regarding the CTX being the best at hitting deep silvers. A number of years ago when the CTX came out several of us did head-to-heads with the Etrac and did not find the CTX superior on deep silver. Plus if I remember correctly the CTX did not have the high sweet tone on silver that the Etrac did. Unfortunately the dialogue was on another forum and as usual it turned into a conflict between Etrac bashers and CTX bashers and it got way out of hand. Did you ever try this comparison? Bill

You are not going to believe this, but I found a picture of an early prototype of the Manticore being tested. Apparently the first models had a minor fire issue due to the new high power of the machine.

Honestly, claims about more power in metal detectors have been going on for decades. I remember in the 1970's it seemed like every new detector would beat any machine by several inches. If you added all of the claims up we would have been digging pennies at three feet deep! To me the 50% claim is marketing. In some tech way it might be accurate but I actually just laughed when I first heard it because it took me back to the old days.

I'll probably get ripped for this but I elected not to go to the beach today and instead ran a Compass 77B Yukon at a very trashy old park. Just for pure fun. Yes I dug a mountain of old ring tabs. But I also dug several nickels and a 1964 silver dime. And I had a blast. Sometimes for me I like to step away from all of the tech just to clear my head. Using an old detector does the trick for me. All you do with the little beast is turn it on and adjust the tuning. If any of you do try this, you will be astonished how many old, shallow low conductive trash targets are still in the ground. Targets that on occasion could be something good, just like the three nickels I dug proved. The beach is a couple of weeks away for me right now. Tides are lousy and I'm back to working weekends. But as soon as I can I will be out there giving midalake's tips a try!

Jeff, Hmm. A tough question. There are so many factors to consider that often times these decisions can be very difficult. I have extensive experience with the Equinox and have put a good amount of time in on the Legend. Between those two detectors here in Los Angeles, both at the beach and inland, I found both to be competitive but the Equinox was a constant winner in depth, target separation and overall good targets in my pouch. Again, just my experience. As to the Deus II, I have not hunted with one yet. But I have hunted with several buddies who all owned Equinoxes and have switched over to the Deus II. Of them, only two went back to the Equinox, and both said it was because it is just easier and more fun to use. But the guys who kept the Deus II's are seeing a different animal, again just in my opinion. At the beach it hits targets that neither the Equinox and Legend can read. I have verified this several times. And inland, as a coinshooter, I haven't seen a gamechanger like this since the Explorer demonstrated the depth limits of White's detectors in supposedly hunted out parks years ago. One of my buddies took his Deus II to a park that we have all hunted to death with Explorers, Etracs and Equinoxes and in one six hour day of hunting he dug 53 nickels! That number is no BS and no big fish story. It is true. Even he couldn't believe it. My other buddies have noticed this difference in nickels as well as another interesting phenomenon. They are digging old coin spills, in particular wheatie coins spills, in these same hunted out parks. Some mixed in with silver (dimes mainly). I'm not an engineer so I have no idea what the Deus II's multi-frequency is doing differently but it is yielding results that I can't explain. If you are wondering if I am going to get a Deus II, I'm not sure. For me, its interface isn't very intuitive, at least to what's left of my brain. Also, as with the Deus I, I find the detector to be nose heavy when I've held one in hand. The Legend and Equinox are heavier but balance-wise they don't bother me and I can hunt for several hours without arm/shoulder fatigue. A good post to inspire discussion, Jeff. Bill P.S. Jeff, your best find of all is somehow hunting 2 - 4 hours every day! Man would I love to be able to do that!

This has really become a fascinating discussion. For midalake, is the "double ring" you speak of the "ding/pause/ding" that you mention? In other words, you get a "ding" then a brief pause followed by another "ding?" I'm having a bit of a hard time visualizing this. I know it's asking a lot, but if you have a short video of this phenomenon you could post it would be very helpful. As to Beach 2, I like others, have avoided using it due to the diminished transmit power. But your results certainly indicate that this is flawed thinking. I am genuinely excited to try this but of course am stuck at work and have to wait...darn it...