Jeff McClendon

Same coil. I just don't know how big it is. Sorry.

I was able to use it for about an hour on my trip to Arizona in a head to head with the Equinox 900. I was cleaning out a small natural nugget trap between to large basalt boulders in an active wash where I have found two roughly 4 gram nuggets in the past. The Legend and Nox 900 didn’t find any gold but they cleaned up half a dozen lead, tin and wire targets that were less than 0.1 gram that were on bedrock. Had any gold been there they both would have easily detected it.

6” for the smallest stuff. 10x5 is just a great all around coil.

6” and 10X5” Both were excellent. Nox 800 performance level

What he said for sure. Some detector software engineers set defaults on these more complicated SMF VLF detectors very aggressively (XP). Others like Nokta go in the other direction and setup defaults so the detector will behave a little better for newbies.

All four SMF detectors that I currently use can have a big target ID spread on zinc pennies depending on what condition they are in. I use 6 or Full tones for coin and jewelry most of the time. The Legend and the other SMFs I use have such good audio ID accuracy that I often don't look at the screen until I am ready to pinpoint a target for recovery. The audio tones tell me plenty about each target. For a beginner, that much audio variation may be too much sometimes.

Bill, version 1.11 software also has Park defaulting with 2 tones, recovery speed 5 and iron filter on 8. I think Beach still defaults to 2 tones also. I can only speculate. Park is probably used a lot by new users and beginners. Having Park Multi on 2 tones (ferrous/non ferrous) recovery speed 5 and iron filter 8 really simplifies things for a new user. Personally, I would probably hunt saltwater beaches in default 2 tones or the 2 tone Pitch audio anyway so that one makes sense to me.

Monte was one of the truly good guys in this hobby. I never met him. I did exchange letters, emails and online posts with him. He was always very quick to offer technical help when it was asked for, encouragement and support for me when I was having issues with a detector conundrum. He never preached at me, never got cross or put off with me for respectfully questioning his thoughts or for disagreeing with him. He was very generous with his time both in his correspondences with me and with friends of mine who actually knew him. Most of all, I will miss reading his posts on all things metal detecting. Thank you Monte. Well wishes to Monte Jr. and all the rest of Monte's family, many friends and detecting acquaintances.

Check this out: I have owned all of the Vanquish models. They ace this test, no problem and have the same results as the Equinox models when they are using their Multi IQ technology. If the X-Terra Pro has the same implementation of 5, 10 and 15 kHz selectable single frequency tech as the Equinox models and the X-Terra Pro will be used on moderate to high iron mineralized ground or saltwater beaches with lots of black sand, even with a good ground balance, the target ID accuracy may start to resemble the testing linked to on targets at 3" depth or deeper which is where Equinox selectable single frequencies start to rapidly up average everything where I detect. The XT Pro is waterproof and it will have better target separation/recovery speed than the Vanquish models. Iron handling may also be a bit better. Ground balancing would be a tossup for me in most of the soil conditions around here. If I was debating between a Vanquish model and the X-Terra Pro for the detecting areas I detect in right now I would have to get both. I would probably just get the Vanquish 440 and the XT Pro but I would want wireless headphones for the XT Pro (another $140 or so). Then I would notice that Minelab conveniently offers the Equinox 700 which comes with wireless headphones for $599 US, tack on the 15% USA military discount and I can get the Nox 700 for around $500 US which would be less money than a Vanquish 440, XT Pro and ML 85 headphones. If I lived in an area with little or no iron mineralization and I was mostly hunting with a ferrous/non-ferrous agenda instead of perfect target IDs, I would seriously consider the XT Pro. If I need really good target IDs on deeper targets than surface to 6" and I don’t need waterproof .........Vanquish.

Clad dime is doing that on both Equinox models using 40 kHz and on Deus 2 using 25 kHz during this testing.

Its 32 degrees F with north winds blowing 15 to 20 mph so I gave up on detecting today. Anyone thinking of buying a current or newer model Simplex, ORX, Deus 1 or X-Terra Pro who has tough soil or saltwater/black sand beach conditions might want to pay attention to these results assuming that the selectable single frequency tech in the Equinox, Legend and Deus 2 is similar to their single/selectable single frequency only model counterparts. I did decide to do some outdoor test garden target ID comparisons between the simultaneous multi frequency technology and the selectable single frequency technology of the Equinox 800, Equinox 900, Legend and Deus 2. I have moderate to high iron mineralization in my test garden so these results will be on the extreme side. Check the Multi results for each detector to see what the target IDs should be relatively speaking. A US nickel 6" deep, US clad dime 6" deep and a US clad quarter 6" deep were the targets. They have been in the ground, undisturbed for 3 years at least. The 6" clad dime is a really tough target in these soil conditions. All four detectors even in their Multi setting up averaged the clad dime quite a bit. These are just my test results on a cold windy day. They may not be the same for you. So, just some information....nothing more.

If you want to use the Bluetooth wireless audio, good luck. The compatible ML85s (not for sale yet) will cost a minimum of $140 US (current ML80 price). Otherwise a third party system like Garrett's EZ Lynk and some others will be okay for land hunting until third party Bluetooth LE headphones and earbuds are proven to work with Minelab's proprietary BT LE wireless system (or not!!!). The waterproof, selectable single frequency, wireless capable, lightweight, collapsible shaft X-Terra Pro is not just a competitor for Nokta. It also makes the Garrett Ace and AT series, most First Texas Products VLFs, Deus 1, ORX and Minelab's own Go Find series look either over priced or downright silly.

Steve asked me a question on page 1. I answered it as best I could based on what I know from experience and what I have seen from the Equinox 900, Deus 2 and the Legend. So far, I am definitely not seeing a staggering or even a significant quantifiable difference in performance between these detectors apart from gold prospecting and available coil choices. Since I don’t dive, the biggest differences for me are versatility, ease of use and price. I hope XP’s upcoming software update fixes the three issues I have with it: really small target detection, weird target IDs for non-ferrous near iron and pairing/handshake issues with the WS6 as master. I hope the Nox 700/900 don’t leak and coil ears don’t break. I don’t use my speaker on my Legend so I really don’t care if it goes out. Personally, if I was doing a 3 meter drop test or a 3 meter toss test from what I have seen so far, the Legend would survive both. The other two…..I have my doubts. I don’t get into to which manufacturer said or did this or that from a marketing standpoint. I just go out and detect with these amazing detectors.

I still own my Tek G2+. No, I would not prefer it to any of the latest SMF detectors at a saltwater beach. Same goes for the Simplex, Deus 1, ORX and any other single frequency even if it has a so called salt mode especially if there is even moderate black sand. The G2+ could handle down to 8" maximum depth at the east and west coast beaches I have used it and an F19 on and that was dry to damp sand only. Very wet sand and surf where I was using them.....forget it. Anybody thinking the X-Terra Pro is going to rival these SMFs for depth in wet salt sand or submerged in saltwater probably needs to think again. I am seeing people on other forums (not this one) going goo goo gah gah over the X-Terra Pro like it is an Equinox 700/900 Lite and is the deal of the century. It may look like an Equinox but without Multi IQ SMF tech, it is absolutely not an Equinox Lite. Instead it is basically a V-Flex selectable single frequency detector that is waterproof, lightweight, with a collapsable shaft system with good coil selection, some other good features and at a very good price. It is another nail in the coffin for the current Garrett AT series in my opinion for anyone that is paying attention just like the Simplex was. It also does a number on any VLF offering from FTP using frequencies at or lower than 19 kHz.

I am probably wrong or somewhat wrong in these assumptions: the Multi Kruzer/Kruzer came from the Racer type line of Makro detectors and its predecessors and the Anfibio came from the Impact type line of Nokta detectors and its predecessors. Feel totally free to correct me, please.