Jeff McClendon

I was just doing a similar comparison.......Garrett Goldmaster 24K vs the Equinox and Legend.......which do I keep. I decided to sell the GM24K. Why? I personally really like most things about the 24K/GMX as far as gold prospecting detectors. The three things I like the least are their weight.....24K=almost 4 lbs with a full tray of batteries and GMX=way over 4 lbs with batteries........and at least my 24k is much harder to ground balance in high iron mineralization than the Legend and Equinox. All three require frequent ground balance checks but it is harder for me to really tell if the 24K/GMX is really optimally ground balanced unless I leave it in tracking which I would prefer not to do. The last thing is the 24K/GMX will overload at setting 6 or 7 of 10 in some places I hunt (ground handling issues again) where the Equinox and Legend using Multi settings will just keep right on detecting at much higher sensitivity settings at the same locations. I have had the opportunity to do air and in the ground testing between all three detectors...24K, Nox 800 and Legend. Currently the Legend's 10X5" coil is still not available so exactly the same coil size testing can't be done yet for me. Comparing the GM24K with 10X6" versus the Equinox with 10X5" the GM24K has a very slight edge with similar sensitivity settings at 70%. I can't run my GM24K any higher due to overload where I have used it and tested it. We are talking in 1/4" differences or less on all of the targets I tested. If you can run a GM24K hotter, the difference might be up to 1/2". The Legend head to head with the Equinox using 6" coils are virtually identical in sensitivity and ground handling. So, unlike the GMX, the Legend can be run in Multi or at 40 kHz (and others) which is very comparable to the GMX 48kHz. I trust the Legend to be very waterproof. I also like its internal rechargeable battery, wireless audio and the vibration feature for water work and for the hearing impaired. The GMX is definitely waterproof from most accounts. It doesn't have those other features. Finally, due to the Legend's SMF tech, it has much more accurate target IDs, it has a Ferro Check, Mineralization Meter and it has the ability to run different programs for more versatility. The 24K/GMX has two search modes which are excellent, a very good follow the black sand feature, iron probability feature and very nice audio in my opinion. Its displayed target IDs are much less accurate than the Legend's however. If I didn't own a Legend or Equinox........my keeping the 24K would not even be a question. It's a great gold prospecting detector as single frequency gold prospecting detectors go. Throw in the ground handling and versatility of the Legend's SMF tech and great sensitivity to small low conductors........that decision went to the Legend.

I have my hands full with the Equinox, Legend and Deus 2 Lite. Manticore is going to have to substantially blow those three away in order for me to consider it. I have no idea if it can do that or not. Improving the Equinox exterior and waterproofing doesn't matter to me since I already did that with shaft and coil upgrades and I have a Legend for underwater. Adding the CTX 3030 Target Trace type part of the display may be cool and handy for some people. Not particularly interesting for me since I am more of an audio type hunter. Basically, I am not particularly excited by this new Minelab detector. Maybe that will change........ Thanks for the get well wishes Steve. I hope your hip surgery recovery is also going well. At least its summertime here and hot so not being able to even wear any of my shoes is no big deal. I can't even get my right foot inside of my Crocs!!!

Obviously, my starting this topic had to do mostly with me being able to justify keeping the Legend and Deus 2 at the same time since in some ways they are very similar especially with the Legend now having Pitch Tones included for its Park, Field and Beach modes which gives the user a very good ferrous/non-ferrous 2 tone VCO audio option that works great and easily competes with a similar audio option on Deus 2. The Deus 2 ergonomics and packability however, made me search for an alternative which I found by basically selling one part of Deus 2 which is half the cost of the detector. My used Deus 2 remote and its underwater and charging accessories sold on Ebay in less than 3 hours. I had it priced well but it still sold for almost the same price as a basic Legend....... So, now I am very happy with owning these two great detectors which can only get better in the future.

Thanks for posting Alain. I too have a Sensitive, 5 tone, Square Wave audio user profile setup for my Deus 2 Lite My Deus 2 used remote control and the underwater accessories and charging cable for it sold on Ebay in less 3 hours!!!! Now I am happy and can justify keeping both the Legend and Deus 2 Lite since they are very good detectors and very fun to use. As Chuck noted, this Deus 2 Lite setup is in the Legend/Equinox 600 price range and with the neoprene stem mount and audio adapter it makes for a highly versatile land and shallow water simultaneous multi frequency detector that really works well even in high iron mineralization. Just don't gold prospect with it yet.......the Legend or Equinox 800 are far better for that task. Alain, there is so little written about the WS6 at least in English. I have a few questions. How many user profiles are available and can I have multiple user profiles per program or only one....like can I have two or more profiles based on program 1 General for instance? Also, it appears that one of the features missing on at least my WS6 besides the XY screen is the ability to turn the notch feature OFF. Mine has the option for 00-00 but not to turn it OFF which I would prefer. Maybe I am missing a settings step somewhere. Otherwise, there are somethings that I really like better on the WS6 than the big remote besides just the weight. For me, it is much easier to navigate, set notches, tone breaks and tone pitch, the enter pinpoint mode button and the exit pinpoint mode are the same button, etc. After using the remote for two months, I will definitely miss the really nice rubber buttons and easy to see screen. However, I just didn't need its waterproofing at all. XP was very accommodating for users who won't be diving or fully submerging their Deus 2. The greatly expanded features included with the standalone WS6 and the screen improvements are really fantastic and make a Deus 2 Lite much more than just a second rate alternative with very limited features like one found comparing the original Deus remote to the WS4 module.

Both are excellent detectors for sure. For me and where I hunt, Deus 2 is mostly a huge improvement over Deus 1 and the ORX. For people that are familiar with the original Deus and ORX, moving to Deus 2 should be easy For me also, the Legend is totally a big improvement over any other Nokta detector that I have ever used. Its user interface is pretty different from previous Nokta Makro models however, except for the Simplex. thanks for the kind words bigtim1973!!!!

Somebody from Minelab marketing must have wrapped that coil cable…..

I am still trying to learn the three high end SMF VLFs that I already own plus the Axiom when it’s released. Manticore will have to wait

I am not getting any younger for sure. I also blew out my peroneal tendon (second biggest next to the achilles tendon) in my right ankle two days ago. I had chronic, nagging issues with the same tendon in my left foot all during Covid......At least the one in my right foot decided to skip the chronic/nagging stage and just popped. Sounded like a single gunshot (with ear protection on) and felt like I got hit with a sledge hammer on the outside of my right ankle...... just walking along a nice mountain trail, didn't make a misstep, turn my ankle, lose my footing, it just popped out of nowhere! So, I decided to compromise a bit since I seem to keep getting some mobility injuries. It might be a good idea to keep at least one really lightweight detector in case my shoulders start acting up like my ankles seem to go haywire. Since XP improved the WS6 module features a lot and even added a way to make the ID numbers as big as the screen (like on the remote) and I don't really need the big remote for underwater work.....I am just going to keep a Deus 2 Lite setup and sell the Deus 2 remote, case, charging cables and underwater packet. That should make someone happy out there that might want an underwater remote and a surface remote in the future. I'm not in a hurry since I am not even supposed to drive right now...........forget that BTW. If you need an extra Deus 2 remote and remote accessories, one will be listed at a very good price soon or just let me know

Thanks for the reply Andy and for the excellent video!!!!!

Using Deus 2 ground notch in Goldfield, does one have to weigh the risk of missing legitimate targets within the notched range of target IDs? At least where I often detect, the two notch areas are the absolute lowest target ID on Deus -6.4 and Equinox -9 for eliminating excessive ground noise and around the ferrous/non-ferrous tone break for some hot rocks. Those are two places where lots of nuggets ID due to size, depth and iron mineralization.

Same exact results for me.

That's a really good haul. A lot of the latest and greatest as far as VLFs have been to help people hunt in more extreme ground and beach conditions so they give hunters more choices for areas to hunt effectively. I owned and actually liked the Treasure Master and Treasure Pro for awhile. I liked the MXT, MX5 and the MX7. Same with other less expensive single frequency detectors and some single freqs that cost more than the Legend. For me where I often hunt, those single frequency detectors got 1/3 of the depth they get in less challenging soil conditions and also lost any kind of reliable target ID at 2 to 3" depth here. I did a video once for a guy back east, showing me setting up a Tesoro Silver Sabre uMax with the disc knob turned all the way up to max and swinging over a 3" deep nickel and a 3" deep pull-tab. I also put the same targets on the surface. On the surface they were discriminated out of course. 3" deep they were coming through the discrimination like it wasn't even turned on and hitting hard like a quarter would or big silver.... Had I been using one of those at the site I hunted yesterday, I would have recovered more trash than coins since the aluminum trash that I managed to avoid with the Legend would have read like zinc pennies or clad dimes or even higher the deeper its was. So, the newer, faster, multi frequency detectors do offer some people a real measurable advantage.

I totally forgot to mention that I sold my latest GPX 6000 not because it is a bad detector.....just the opposite. It is a great detector. I just need something more like a GPX 5000 instead. So yes, selling the GPX 6000 is helping to fund the Axiom. I still love to use VLF's in the high altitude gold bearing areas nearer to me so I will be taking two detectors with me instead of just one like the GPX 6000. So, that is a compliment towards the GPX 6000 in my opinion.

Thanks Steve for your honesty and clear boundaries for your own goals along with making it crystal clear about what you take responsibility for when it concerns the Axiom for other buyers and how it compares to other PIs from your experience so far. I have to admit, I bought a GPX 6000 based on plenty of information coming from plenty of sources I trust including you Steve. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that information concerning the GPX 6000. The problems mine (and a few other people's) had with EMI and instability simply had not been experienced enough by enough users to understand their existence or validity. Some users today have not run into any even minor EMI or instability issues.......which is very good for them. I have my name on the list for an Axiom because I want a viable replacement for my former GPX 5000 and all of the different types of detecting it could do, not because I dumped my GPX 6000s in order for the Axiom to replace it. Even though the GPX 5000 is an outstanding and versatile PI, I just have no desire to get harnessed up and swing one anymore..............

Forgot to mention that once I started to locate a smattering of pennies (and plenty of aluminum trash) I just kept circling a tree where all of these coins were situated. I ended up detecting all of the targets in an area about 50'X50' so an extremely dense amount of coins and trash. I ran out of gas........and left lots of obviously good targets from exhaustion. Most of the targets were 4" or less deep.

More clear evidence that the Legend can't umask its way out of its cardboard shipping box. Why on earth did I buy one...... 81 zinc pennies, 42 copper Memorial pennies, 15 nickels, 38 dimes, 20 quarters, 196 coins or $10.78 US found today at a Denver Colorado public park that is a sea of aluminum trash. A 3 hour hunt that completely wore me out........ three .925 silver rings too....

Unbelievable amount for return shipping just the remote. They must have a minimum shipping rate with a major carrier other than USPS or they are shipping it one day fully insured....

How do you know that the 24K is the only thing that Garrett used from Whites? Let's see, there was the Ace APEX which had simultaneous multi frequency tech that came from somewhere, and the new Axiom has some different and enhanced technology that didn't just come from the Infinium and the ATX. Where could some of the SMF technology for Garrett's SMF AT series that we all know will be happening eventually be coming from????? Just my opinion, but it's a possibility.

It will get lots of use for sure. thanks Jim!

The one Snakejim sold me looks just like that one. I don't know how much I would use the big coil. The Miner Johns folded mono and 6" round Mono Super 150 will get lots of use from me for relics and may occasionally get used for gold prospecting areas that have high EMI. My TDI SL also came with a MJ coil but it was much larger and completely blind to any test targets much below .5 grams from my notes.

I bought Snakejim's White's Sierra Pulse Pro from the classifieds and got it this afternoon. It was a great deal and the detector is in fantastic shape and works great. I owned a beige special edition TDI SL for a while and didn't care much for it. Somehow, (maybe it's me) the SPP with the Miner Johns folded Mono 9X5 and the little Super 150 are hitting targets that my TDI SL couldn't hit even after doing a battery mod and I was using a NF Sadie on it most of the time. It's a head scratcher. This SPP is hitting small gold and lead targets that Deus 2 can't hit!!!! I mean, hitting a .1 gram nugget at 2" depth and a .25 gram nugget at 3" in bad dirt is great in my book on just default settings for a simple detector like this. Sure it is not as sensitive as many hot detectors like the SDC 2300 and GPX 6000, but it's turn on and go and this one anyway runs very quietly at the default settings and only gets an EMI warble when I turn the gain up past default. So far it is way better and more stable and easier to get running than the QED I had for awhile. It is super lightweight, EMI resistant enough to use in my backyard and is screaming on 6" deep coin sized targets that most detector miss in my test garden. This should be a really hot relic detector and a backup PI for the Axiom when it is released. Thanks Jim for offering it through DP Classifieds.

https://www.fool.com.au/2022/08/18/codan-share-price-sinks-10-despite-record-profit/ Motley Fool article on 2021/22 for Codan/Minelab.

That is great news Alain, thanks for posting. The new Deus 2 remote is really nice......however, so is the newly redesigned WS6 control module and its enhanced standalone features. If one is mostly an audio only type hunter and isn't diving or using Deus 2 for surf or shallow submersion (since the WS6 is not waterproof) Deus 2 Lite is definitely an alternative to paying a lot more for features that one doesn't really need. I could easily see my WS6 module's screen mounted on the telescoping shaft. Adding the inexpensive horseshoe audio adapter with 3.5mm plug in for any wired headphones, aftermarket wireless transmitters with phones and/or the aftermarket headphones which accept the WS6 module makes the Deus 2 Lite even more fun and versatile for "land only" hunters. That price is very tempting......... If XP improves micro jewelry and gold prospecting performance.........I may have to pony up!

CPT_GhostLight I was actually very happy using Deus 2. Great detector. I just don’t need a $1500 coin and jewelry detector, since at this time that is all I would use it for where I live. That is a luxury that I just can’t afford especially when I have two other detectors like the Equinox and Legend that can actually do more of what I need to do with a detector than Deus 2. I actually like Deus 2 better than the Legend as far as a really fun and exciting detector to use. Like I said already, if XP decide to or are able to improve Deus 2 for gold prospecting and micro jewelry I may get another one someday, especially the Deus 2 Lite model. That is all dependent on XP. I have nothing against Deus 2 and really enjoyed using it. Now I just need to find a buyer.

I am basically a beginner saltwater beach hunter or at least I don't have as much experience (around 100 hours) hunting some east coast and SoCal west coast beaches with the Equinox. I have hundreds of hours hunting freshwater beaches and too many hours to remember turf hunting and gold prospecting with the Equinox. I agree with some here and use Beach 1 as long as I can. When salt/black sand noise levels get overwhelming in wet sand and shallow surf, I switch to Beach 2. I usually use 2 tones, low tone for ferrous with iron volume just loud enough to hear and the other tone with volume on max for all non-ferrous targets. One tone has worked for me too. I hunt with the horseshoe button pressed so that no detectable target responses will be discriminated. I have dug some 12" deep silver and gold rings and coins that had mixed ferrous and non-ferrous audio responses all the way down to -9. The same goes for some very shallow micro gold jewelry which may give mixed audio responses between -3 and +5 or so and will give their actual target ID only on the surface. For a total beginner you might want to dig as many targets as you can to learn the detector's behavior at the beach you are hunting. If trash levels aren't too high that should be easy. If they are, you will learn fast what each trash target especially iron targets sound like. Collect a good sampling of trash targets and the targets you are after, take home some sand from the beach and practice.......