ColonelDan

CPT, thank you for the kind words. The add ons I installed weren’t really a function of need other than Steve’s great shaft. It was a matter of convenience and what I thought was a design improvement on the product. I never regretted any of the add ons but you’re right, they weren’t “needed” Thanks again.

GB, With the aftermarket equipment i.e.shaft with compensating weight, metal arm cuff and removable control box mount coupled with the 11" coil, mine weighs in at 4.4 lbs. So ..."around 5 lbs" was a pretty accurate guess on my part. 😉 Thanks for the note

After several days of research, testing in a controlled environment and then actual operation on Cocoa Beach, my simplified bottom line: The Deus 2 is a better detector than my Equinox 800. Summary of my conclusions by area: (In the interest of brevity and simplicity, I did not include the detailed values/numbers/results from each of my individual tests…..boring!) Build Quality: Deus 2 by far. I don’t see the potential for broken coil ears, no wobbly shaft, better water proof characteristics/capability, more solidly built control box, better arm cuff and better overall design of the total unit—excellent compact travel capability. I do think the arm cuff stand could/should be wider to provide more stability when laying it on the ground. Simplified use: Equinox—-but only initially. Admittedly, the Deus 2 menus, locations and option functions have a steeper learning curve...but only after a day or two. I quickly became very comfortable with it. User manual: Deus 2. Comprehensive, better layout and easily understood. An update is needed however as the manual doesn’t cover the Beach P and Fast 40 programs which are available in the Remote Control. Another feature I think XP could add that would help flatten the learning curve would be to provide a detailed menu tree in the user manual showing where to find each function and what role that function plays in the overall operation of the unit. I would also like to see a graphic, in spreadsheet form, that shows all the factory settings for each program...just as a quick reference which allows you to see and compare the settings of each program in hard copy form. The one they do show on page 46 omits Beach P and Fast 40. Sensitivity at depth: Deus 2. It’s simply the latest and improved/better technology. Clear and more accurate target ID at depth throughout the spectrum of target size and composition. Depth: As we know, depth is highly dependent on many factors unrelated to the detector itself but overall and in general, the Deus 2 can detect targets at greater depths in most cases than other detectors I’ve used. Stability: Deus 2. More and better options to quiet the chatter even in challenging salt water environments where I do most of my detecting. The Salt Sensitive adjustment is a game changer for me as a beach hunter. I can leave the main sensitivity setting alone and quiet the detector with the Salt Sens option which only neutralizes the sensitivity to the mineralized salt! Initial Cost: Equinox…. However, in my opinion, one gets what one pays for. When you add all the after market equipment to rectify the wobbly shaft, weak coil ears, fragile arm cuff, control box cover etc, the final cost of the Equinox quickly approaches that of the Deus 2. Ergonomics; Weight and balance--Deus 2 by far! Around 2 lbs beats around 5 lbs everyday, all day. Personalized programs: Deus 2 provides slots for 12 personal programs and are easily added. Charging: Equinox. Single cable vs 3 pig tails and somewhat fragile coil clip is much simpler and less vulnerable to ham handed use. Having said that, I do like the totally wireless design of the Deus 2. Under water: Deus 2 has the edge here even though it requires the manual addition of an antenna since blue tooth just doesn’t work in the water. But I’d much rather take the time and effort of installing that wire than risk the real possibility of flooding we all know is an unfortunate chapter of the Equinox history. Pinpointer and Headphone connectivity: Deus 2. I really like how the MI-6 pinpointer pairs with the remote and can be controlled by the remote. I also appreciate how the headphones automatically connect with the remote when the remote is powered on and off. One final thought regarding the Deus 2—the back phones. I don’t like them. On-the-ear design just doesn’t make it at the beach. Ambient noise such as wave action and the crowd over comes the back phones by a wide margin. To me, they’re uncomfortable to boot. Yes, I tried the after market full cover headphones on my Deus 1 a few years ago wherein you slide the WS-6 “puck” onto the headphones. I just didn’t like that set up...I guess I’m just more of a purist in that regard. So I’ll be among the first on the list for XP’s WSA II XL over-the-ear headphones when they become available in the May-June time frame. I do like the fact that if you wanted to, you can control the Deus using just the WS-6. I much prefer using the remote however. So what does all this mean for me? The Deus 2 will be my primary detector...but I won’t be selling my Equinox 800s any time soon. The Equinox is still a very good detector...and much better since I modified it with Steve Goss’ outstanding shafts. Please keep in mind, that as I always say, these thoughts of mine may be worth just as much to you as you paid for ‘em. In the end, it’s only the view from my foxhole….

I got an email from Philippe of XP yesterday. He told me that the XP WSA II XL full cover headphones will be available in the May-June timeframe. I will have a set of those as soon as I can get my hands on them.

I have to agree with NCToad. Since I bought my first detector in 1970, I can honestly say that I have never run across such a target….or a roll of any type of coin. I’m sure there is a physical reason for the results as shown in the video but as we all know, detecting is a game of odds and in my mind, the odds of having to detect a roll of quarters are very very small so I’m not concerned about any detector’s inability to efficiently “see” it. I’m not trying to be a wise guy by saying this, just evaluating the seriousness of this demonstrated shortcoming. As I always say however, that’s just the view from my foxhole. 😉

Don’t be intimidated by the menu. Play with it and you’ll find that you’re learning your way around the options pretty quickly. Read the manual and familiarize yourself with what those options do. The more you do that, the quicker you’ll feel comfortable with it.

I have and extensively used both the TRX and ProFind 35. When I ordered the Deus 2, I also got the MI-6. Why? The link to my headphones. I can hear the signal much better/clearer while detecting on the beach around all that ambient noise from both the waves and the depositors.😉

I’m currently in the Arctic Circle and won’t be home until 18 Feb. 😏 Fortunately, I had mine shipped, along with my hunting buddy’s, to his house so I’ll pick it up from him when I get home. The flattening of the learning curve will then begin! 👍

Re: depth. Exactly….at least in my opinion. All the reports on detectors I ever published ignored raw depth since so many factors affect depth that are outside the detector’s influence. I focused on sensitivity at depth instead and still prefer sensitivity and separation in my detectors.

Wow! 🤩 Great job Joe....

For my money....Deus II without hesitation.

The old adage that, " You get what you pay for." holds true in spades where sand scoops are concerned..and it's the next most important piece of equipment besides your detector that you have on the beach. At least that's been my experience and all I hunt are beaches. The best out there that I know of: Sunspot (Stealth) https://j9h.6d6.myftpupload.com/ Xtreme https://xtremescoops.com/ T-Rex https://thegolddigger.com/collections/detecting-adventures-sand-scoops (The T-Rex is carried by many dealers) Buy quality and you'll only buy it once. Just the view from my sandy foxhole

I NEVER notch out anything. I let the tones and VDI tell me what can be ignored. You'll quickly find out that the minute you notch out those pesky targets, you'll walk by gold that falls into the same range as aluminum. Just fact....

Good move Steve....thank you.👌

🤔 Thanks. Sounds like a good solution but I think I've discovered an even easier approach....for me that is. My hunting buddy has a PC with Windows 10. I'll just make my way over to his house and update the Deus II from there when the time comes. 😁

I'm hoping they soon offer updates based on n Apple Mac IOS platform. I grew weary of Windows long ago so I currently run Linux OS and have a Mac laptop.

Well, they're either going into my hobby room or study as artifacts or if I do sell them it will be at fire sale prices. I'm at critical mass on metal detecting equipment! 🤣 As I said, I'll still have my two EQX 800s that I use regularly. Even if I'm on a LONG wait list I'll never lack for something to hunt with! 😉

On display in my study perhaps... as a museum artifact? 😃

I plan to keep my two EQX 800s but.....what do I do with my highly modified Excalibur II and my CTX 3030 with 4 coils and all those accessories??

99% of my hunting is on saltwater beaches and in the past, in the surf itself. Yes, saltwater is very corrosive to metal if left unattended. I keep my connections clean by cleaning them after every hunt so I haven’t had charging problems. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the same will go for the Deus II connections but I’ll know more once I get my hands on one. 😉

That's exactly what I was planning to use all along. 😉 Minelab provided numerous screen covers with the Equinox that should last a life time on the Deus. They measure 2.5" square after cutting off the black multi language strip. As basstrackerman says, just cut it to fit the Deus II 2x1.5" screen.

18/19 seems to be the most common break point between the mid tone and high tone targets that I tested. Granted, I primarily focused on common targets I find on our beaches so my break point of 19 isn’t gospel for all situations nor all possible targets that may fall at that point on the ID spectrum. Why Minelab chose 17 was most likely based on the particular target array they selected during testing. The difference between 17 - 18 is insignificant based on my beach experience. Just the scale from my foxhole….😉

99% of my detecting is done on Florida's beaches and I've experimented with tone settings as has been discussed in this thread. Ultimately, I settled on 3 tones and it's worked very well for me. ~ My attempt at using 50 tones proved impossible for me...information overload! I then tried 5 tones and although much more understandable than 50, I felt that 5 tones was really unnecessary and might even be overkill. Why? ~ ALL targets fall within 3 categories/zones of conductivity of Low, Medium or High so it made more sense for me to focus on those 3 zones and then align the tones accordingly. The tones provided information on what zone I was dealing with while the VDI gave me some rough indication as to where that target fell within the range of that zone. ~ I also wanted a system that wasn't apt to cause me to ignore good targets because they were similar in make up to worthless targets. Example; gold and aluminum are both mid level conductors and generate similar VDI within that range, I therefore didn't want to exclude anything within the Mid or High level conductivity scale. Yes, I'll dig aluminum so as not to pass up potential gold and dig other high conductive targets so as not to pass up silver. ~ I tested quite a number common targets of varying size and metallurgical composition and came up with some common VDI ranges that I see on our beaches for each of the conductivity zones. I then modified the 5 tone option to 3 tones which suited me just fine for the beach hunting I do. My results: Low conductive targets ranged from -9 to 0 and I assigned it Tone level 1 (the old iron grunt) Medium targets ranged from 1 to 18 so I chose Tone 12...a nice mid level tone High conductors were 19+ so I gave them the highest Tone level of 25 To reduce five tones to three simply involves assigning the same tone for three zones of the five possible zones: i.e. Zone 1 = Tone 1; Zone 2 = Tone 12; Zones 3, 4 and 5 = Tone 25 ~ In my work with a local museum however, the 2 tone option could also be used. When digging museum quality artifacts, iron is a valued metal so I dig everything. I also dig it all when I detect along Florida's Treasure Coast as remnants of the ships fall within the iron or low conductive range and are often times found along our beaches. Just the view from my foxhole...your view may vary.

I’m putting my money on Calabash regarding a beach test.