Skate

Good to know. Imagine how good it's going to be when I was able to get the ID and Tone in the weakest of programs. That's why i said it's idiot proof. I did revert back to Beach P as it just seems to gel with me.

I got out again yesterday to the beach. I have yet to hunt in the dirt but I'm not complaining as I regularly hunt the beach now about 80% of the time. The main thing I noticed again was target and tone ID is spot on. I once again dug every target regardless of tone or ID just to verify what it was seeing in the sand. I started with the Dive program because I think I read somewhere it was deeper. I could be wrong but it didn't matter as the good targets were few and far in between. I kept the settings pretty much stock but lowered the reactivity to 1.0, upped sensitivity to 97. Here's where the D2 is awesome (so far). Every target was what the D2 said it was going to be before I dug. On my Nox I would always dig every iron grunt in the wet sand because many of the tones cleared up and ID'd themselves after a scoop or two of sand was removed. On the D2 if it warbled an iron tone it was iron, EVERY SINGLE TIME. Every penny tone and ID came back as a penny. I hit a nickel fairly deep and it was LOUD and crisp in terms of tone and the ID never moved off of 62. The tone and ID capabilities of the machine are uncanny when compared to any other detector I have used. The key for me is when I can get the 13" coil because I think it will beat everything else currently available at the beach. I think the D2 will be the better option for folks looking for an upgrade in performance in their current detector. If you are someone who really enjoys detecting the D2 is will fill your quiver. I liked my D1 but it sucked at the beach so I got an Equinox but the D2 is a better detector for me given what I want to do going forward. I will hopefully hit the dirt soon. HH Skate

It's my understanding that windows is the only platform offered and as an exclusive Mac user we have to get creative to get the update. I'm assuming there must have been an extra cost to writing the software outside of the Windows platform or maybe Apple IOS is not what it is here in France.

This may have been covered before but does anyone have any insight on what other coil options are planned for the D2? I'd like more coverage for the beach but would rather have something larger than the 11 to go with my 9". I'm finally retiring in June so I need to start saving now for upcoming expenses. Thanks! Skate

That's a nice ring. I too hope they are real. Diamonds are a husbands best friend

very satisfied. I'm not into detector wars and harbor no ill feelings to those who would. I think detecting is fun. I look forward to every swing and every hole I get to dig.

I got my 9" XP II yesterday and after charging it up I started to play with it. After about 5 minutes I could see where this thing was going. It's incredibly easy to use and set up for whatever task in terms of detecting I could ask of it. Here's what helped me and got me ready to use it: 1. Gary- Seriously about the best detector teacher on the Interwebs. I could listen to him teach about shoe tying and come away satisfied. If I die before him I'm going to ask my wife to contact him to do my eulogy. Pay him whatever he wants as no one tells a better story. 2. Calabash- his videos are short and to the point. Who cares if he says how great the XP is? If you get all riled up over metal detector videos you ought to consider other hobbies. I learned a great deal about getting started by watching. I'd love to hunt with him someday because it would be FUN! 3. Mental Metal Guy- Another great use of youtube. You'll want to skip the first 1-2 minutes of the videos because it's basically dramatic music and a Fort Bedford ad but the rest of the videos are great. He will teach you all the basics in a different way than CB but between the two you will know how to operate the D2. I think he called me a clown in a forum post awhile back but I don't hold grudges so if he could help me find a gold ring I'll be a clown all day. 4. Griffinds guy- more good how-to stuff on the D2. I'm a school teacher and the kid at the end (I'm assuming his son) is a bit like the smart a$$ know it all who always tells the teacher they are wrong but the info is top notch and will help you if you'll listen. 5. Chase- Read what he says. If he says something he is likely right. I flew clear across the country 5 years ago and did an XP bootcamp with he and Andy in Gettysburg. He was right then about detecting and he is right now. Don't question him just listen. I hit the beach this morning for my first time out. Started in Beach. I did a frequency scan. Hit the wet sand and it was chatty. I remembered something about what Chase said about Beach P (remember, do what Chase says) and I switched to Beach P. OMG, it became so quiet and I began to hunt. The tone was in pitch and while it was different than my 800 I just decided to go with it. It was fine. After about 4-5 targets you could easily tell what something was. Iron sounds crappy, you can easily tell. I dug everything and Modelo is now #1 in terms of what drunk people drink at the beach in 2022. The bottom line was this D2 is a breeze to swing and if you'll take the time to learn it BEFORE you get into the field or beach you will have zero problems. If you make a mistake TURN IT OFF and then turn it back on. I dug a silver medallion that was at least 16 inches deep in the wet sand. Could my Nox 800 have found it? Who cares? Performance wise this thing is sweet. Again I dug everything this morning, and after an hour I could tell what everything was going to be based on the tone and the ID. Every signal that said "I'M IRON" was iron. Every bottle cap was a bottle cap and every penny was a penny. The hardest thing for me today was putting the RC on the stem and yes I had removed the cover(like I said, Idiot proof) but I finally got it on. I'm going to figure out a way to tether it on to the shaft because I had to traverse about 20 feet of boulders to get to me spot and all I could think about was what if I slipped and knocked it off into the abyss. I solved the problem by taking it off and putting it into my pocket. Now there are some folks who will complain that for $1600 XP should have included a cup holder, a place to rest your cigarette and beer but if you paid $1600 you likely missed out a better deal elsewhere but in the end it's only money and XP has produced a winner. For a person with a junk elbow it's the bomb. I'll admit I'm going to become a fanboy and buy the 280 backpack because I'm tired of getting yelled at that my detectors take up too much space in the car. I hung my 800 up on the wall and I don't plan on using it for the forseeable future as I want to put the hours on the D2. I'm going to hit a park tomorrow so I'll do some dirt fishing with it and see how it goes but I suspect that it will kick some serious booty. Hope this eases some minds about what detector to save up for if you're on the fence. Skate

That's awesome. How confident are you becoming on the D2?

I've used the MI-6 since I bought my original Deus back in 2013 (has it been that long?) and it has worked flawlessly except when paired with my Deus 1. One charge gets 90+ hours of run time, and it has been virtually indestructible. I've owned and used the garrett's, the F-Pulse and the minelab pro-find. I have the MI-4 as a backup now as well. My hope is that the Deus 2 will work with the MI-6 this time. If not it's not the end of the world because I love the XP pinpointers and wouldn't use another. I'd get two because two is one and one is none or so my grandpa used to say.

Thank you for doing this. Mine is still in France on a table I think but this helps immensely.

I'm looking forward to the ergonomics the most when on the beach. 20 Years of detecting, physical training and teaching people how to hit a golf ball have practically destroyed my elbows. Currently I'm only able to stay out 1 1/2-2 hours dragging a scoop and swinging the detector so hopefully I can double that here soon. The other thing is I love new tech and the experience of mastering another machine. We have one of the best niche hobbies in that we can use the crap out of a detector and then resell it in a couple of years for a decent amount and get something new. I was at the beach this morning in Ventura at 7am and it was already 83 degrees. I feel for all the folks still dealing with ice and snow. I'm blessed to be able to water hunt year round.

Thank you GB!

I have a buddy that purchased an AT Pro 5 years ago and he used it about 20 hours total and it's been in his closet for the rest of the time. He asked me if I could help establish a value on it so he could sell it so I figured I'd ask the Garrett Forum folks for advice. Stock Coil, headphones etc. Thanks for all thoughts and opinions. Skate

To you or from you?

Regardless of machine most people walk over gold and don't dig the iffy targets on the beach based solely on VDI's. In the wet sand at depth every ring I've recovered usually grunted as iron on my Nox until a scoop or two of sand was removed and a clearer picture/tone/VDI developed. If you want the gold you need to be prepared to dig it all and ID the find yourself. My beaches are mostly always sanded in somewhat so the chance of making a wet sand find with a clear tone and ID on the first pass is as a rare as getting a Deus II in the first shipment. A repeatable iron tone is a digger.

Very sorry for your loss but this is a great place with really great people so I hope you stick around and continue to share your detecting triumphs. God bless you

Was your estimate of the second batch in April from XP?

Same here. I'm hoping some folks ahead of me on the list have decided to opt out of the initial go around but that Calabash guy keeps putting out great content. It may be months if he doesn't stop before I get mine.

Thanks Steve. You're the kind of site owner that causes people to stick around.

I had an MDT. I could not get used to the machine for anything. I never meshed with it and after 30 hours of use I sold it. I'm not an engineer minded type which is what I felt a person needed to be to use the MDT. I'm hopeful the D2 is more turn on and go like the Nox is. If I overthink it I ruin it and that's what the MDT did to me.

Welcome Gary! You are a credit to the industry. XP is lucky to have you as a spokesperson. While I wait for mine to arrive sometime this spring I can prepare by keeping track of your videos.

Thanks for the update. I would think since a lot of the testing videos seem to use the 9" we'd be seeing that one first but alas, we are set to wait a bit longer.

I've been around detecting in Ventura County since the mid 90's. I'm not interested in a pissing contest to see who has more credibility. Your passive-aggressive nature and use of sarcasm is duly noted. Blanket statements are things people use when they lack credibility. All cops are bad, all teachers are bad. You have experience with some and you cast aspersion around all. You don't know me and I think at this point that is a good thing.

Not to toot my horn but merely to show that there are many of us who do things with our metal detectors that don't involve jewelry. This is a link from my site from April 2020. I got a call from this fellow to see if I could help. Little did I know at the time the significance of the find and what I'd have to do to get there. Evidently had we not found the two seemingly insignificant parts they were going to have to shut down power between parts of Ventura and LA county in order to get the parts because Covid had caused shut downs and parts were weeks out and these two couplers meant power staying on or going out. https://www.venturacountyringfinder.com/post/electrical-rings-found-filmore I got "paid" $150 for going off-road in my vehicle, climbing 2000 feet in elevation trying to beat a major rainstorm coming and then hanging on the side of hillside to find these rings. To assume any one of the ringfinders are A-holes is just plain stupid and juvenile.

I'm a member of the Ringfinders and joined after years of people calling me to go find their friends rings for free. I liken it to owning a truck which I do and unfortunately get used to load, carry and transport other people's stuff and when I do you won't believe the number that will give me $10 for gas as if that is a bonus. Some recoveries are easy and take minutes. Others can last hours or even days and require me getting up at 2am to hunt a low tide for a person who lost their ring in 3 feet of water while playing. It's a service just like having the plumber come out to snake your line after you screwed up and poured grease down it for months on end. It sucks that they charge $100 to come out and $200 to run their snake through but that's what they're good at and if we were good at it and had the equipment we'd do it ourselves. It always amazes me how many people jump up on their soapbox to ridicule people who have used their hobby to make some extra cash. So what if someone willingly asks for help and then willingly pays you for your help? I'm going out today to see if I can recover a 24k gold tennis bracelet that's been lost for a bit. At $4.69 a gallon plus a 35 mile ride to the beach there's plenty of cost in it for me. If I don't find it I eat all the cost and time. If I do find it I make someone's day and possibly a friend for life. Not a bad trade-off in my book.