Jeff McClendon

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.......

Great post Calmark.... For me, I too would only use Deus 2 for coins and jewelry at this point but in highly iron mineralized ground where it is simply equaled or outperformed from my experience with all three by the Legend and Equinox at half to one third less in price. The ergonomics are fantastic but I wouldn't be using half of the detector since Deus 2's most outstanding part is submerged and saltwater beach hunting and its least outstanding part is gold prospecting and micro jewelry. I can use the Legend for submerged gold prospecting and micro jewelry and it will do very well. I can also use it for the same coin and jewelry hunting that I would use Deus 2 for and the Legend will also do very well. Relic hunting, I would prefer Deus 2 for a lot of that, but still, the Legend and Equinox can handle that very well too.

If I was a saltwater beach hunter and the beaches I hunted weren’t loaded with black sand I wouldn’t have even needed to do this testing or write this post. Deus 2 would be a slam dunk even knowing what I know about now. I’m not….. I like to hunt for 2 to 4 hours a day. I just wish I was in a position to walk out my door and detector prospect everyday for 4 hours or so. That would be the find of a lifetime for me even if I didn’t find lots of nuggets. Turf hunting for clad pays off for sure especially when I don’t have to drive far at all and when gold and silver jewelry gets mixed in. It does get tiresome sometimes.

Great questions 907trouble. I hope Steve or somebody answers them because I want to hear them too……..

If I had experienced, dramatic, overwhelming differences in the ground I usually hunt on, this decision would have been easy. I would have expected those kind of results from Deus 2 based on what people in other places have seen. The guys I know out here that gold prospect and that have used Deus 2 and other competitive SMF detectors saw something different which is too bad. I saw something similar to them too. We can’t all be wrong. Moving on from Deus 2 for now….. I got to basically rent a great detector for free for three months. I bought it at a brick and mortar MD store in Georgia. It was their store demo model so I got a really good deal out the door. I won’t lose any money and I really enjoyed using it.

Hey KOB, I’m sure this testing would not be welcomed by some over on Friendly………no way will I post it over there. Most people here who are prospectors and have owned a Deus 2 already know the current situation with its limitations from experience. It’s not a big deal either way. Someday XP will improve that part of Deus 2 or they won’t. I actually get some wrist pain swinging a Deus in beach sand……or trying to deal with stubble and long grass. The slightly heavier detectors like the Equinox and Legend don’t hurt me anymore than Deus 2. I get out and hunt 2 to 4 hours almost everyday swinging something. Good to hear from you…..

You don’t need to dare me…..the testing WAS done in Sensitive. Deus 2 Mono gets no depth here by the way. I’ve owned a Deus 1 or ORX since 2016 which is what Deus 2 Mono is based on. No way will I use Deus 2 Mono for coins and jewelry here after using the same program (original Deus Fast) for 6 years and hating it. Deus 2 Mono for gold prospecting however, is the best choice out of no other good choices at the moment using version 0.71

There are definitely plenty of coins left in Denver parks. Most local hunters that I know were still using older Whites, single frequency Garretts and Deus 1s until recently so they missed a lot of the 3" and deeper coins. Denver parks get a ton of use too so fresh drops happen a lot. As far as 9" to 11" making a big difference......I doubt it. It was just the opposite with 9" and 11" coils on Deus 1 and the ORX. Larger coil here for those detectors meant more trouble with ground masking.

Chuck, in the older iron trashed sites I hunt in that are highly iron mineralized I have not noticed a dramatic difference. If I did hunt often in much lower iron mineralization I would also reconsider this choice. Despite what many are showing on some YouTube channels, the super fast recovery speed and target separation of Deus 2 are hampered by the iron mineralization out here more than people may think possible. I actually saw better separation with Deus 1.

Thanks Calmark, First, my Equinox 800's are not even part of my decision process. They aren't going anywhere except on hunts with me. I look at it this way. I bought Deus 2 for the ergonomics, SMF tech for target ID accuracy (opposed to Deus 1), reports of great depth from some people, and most of all for a lightweight, easy to back pack gold prospecting detector that has SMF tech for better ground mineralization handling. I am not diving to 60 feet and I am not a big fan of the antenna system for submerging the coil. I have used that system a lot with Deus 1 so the entire added benefits of its beach and water capabilities are not very important to me. So far Deus 2 has delivered on the ergonomics and the excellent SMF tech for target ID accuracy which is way better than Deus 1. I can actually set US coin tone breaks and even very exacting notches with little worry of missing up or down averaged 2 to 3" targets like I would if I set notches on Deus 1. However, so far Deus 2 has not delivered on great depth, dramatically better ground handling than Deus 1 and it fails miserably compared to Deus 1 as a gold prospecting detector. I have not noticed any major differences in EMI handling between the Equinox, Legend or Deus 2 in my area. The Legend has met or exceeded every expectation I had for it except that it is a bit heavy with the 11" coil. I bought it to keep me from using my out of warranty Equinox 800's submerged. I would rather pay $700 for a new detector that won't leak instead of paying $425 for a replacement Equinox 800 control pod that could leak next week.......Plus, Nokta has been doing everything humanly possible to update the Legend with bug fixes, performance improvements and incredible features. I particularly wanted to see which detector...Deus 2 vs Legend had a clear advantage as far as target separation. There was no clear advantage. I have already seen in the field that the Legend with 11" coil is appreciably deeper than Deus 2 with 9" coil in the places I hunt. For me, both of those neutral to negative strikes against Deus 2 come mostly from inferior high iron mineralization ground handling. That testing and my hundreds of hours using both detectors has made it clear to me which one fits my needs and my environment the best. If XP can or will correct the gold prospecting shortcomings of the software programming I might consider looking at Deus 2 again down the road. If they release a smaller, more sensitive coil, I will definitely consider it. Right now.......bye, bye Deus 2.

Just for people that are new to my posts, I can get long winded quick. I did this testing for me and me alone to help determine which of these two detectors will be saying bye, bye. I am posting it here for anyone that wants to read it. This testing is not definitive, absolute or even remotely relatable to what you may see in other testing videos, may experience or have experienced if you actually read this post. This testing was semi controlled. I used a 18" by 12" by 12" black plastic container filled to within 2" of the top with dirt from my backyard that has had all detectable targets of any kind including hot rocks removed. I did not remove any of the tiny magnetite particles with a magnet. It has been allowed to become very dry and crumbly over the 4 years that it has been in this container. It shows 10 of 12 filled up bars on the XP Deus 2 magnetite mineralization meter. This dirt is as bad as it gets around here and mimics the unwatered dirt in the ground in this area up until yesterday when we got some well needed rain.....it is still raining today which is awesome for our water shortage here in the Colorado Front Range area. EMI was also an issue......... This testing includes foil and beaver tail aluminum targets vs a US clad quarter in separation testing and a depth test that includes a .25 gram piece of lead from a fishing sinker that was cut in half and flattened (mimics a small gold nugget or piece of micro jewelry), a modern US nickel, a modern US clad dime and a modern US clad quarter. The target separation test had three parts and no targets were elevated so all were at the same level laying on top of this nasty dirt: test 1. foil or beaver tail laying directly on top of the clad quarter, test 2. foil or beaver tail laying roughly one quarter's diameter above the quarter, so on the Y-axis or parallel to the center spine of the detector's coils and test 3. the foil or beaver tail laying roughly one quarter's diameter left of the quarter on the X-axis so perpendicular to the center spine of the detector's coils. Normal speed coil sweeps for both detectors were as flat as possible and roughly 2" above the test targets. See photos below. The depth test was done in the same container using two slightly different sized 8" long PVC pipes sunk vertically into the dirt 4 years ago. Inside the smaller PVC pipe is a foam insert with notches cut into it at one inch intervals that are big enough to insert coin sized targets. See photo below. The results from the depth test may be startling to some. These results are however fairly consistent with what happens in some areas of western Denver when the soil is bone dry. Add in some moisture and the results will improve by 1" to 2 " on coin sized targets. The improvement on micro jewelry and small nugget type targets is minimal since they already are so close to the ferrous/non-ferrous borderline. Just for your information, these separation tests, depth tests and field results are very similar to the Equinox 800 results on coin sized targets. On micro jewelry and small gold nuggets, the Equinox and Legend are roughly equal from my experience. Both detectors were properly noise cancelled and ground balanced. Deus 2 target IDs for the test targets on the test dirt's surface are: .25 gram lead =30, US clad nickel =63, US clad dime =91, US clad quarter =96, square of candy wrapper foil =26, beaver tail from a ring pull =61. Legend target IDs for the test targets on the test dirt's surface are: .25 gram lead =14, US clad nickel =26, US clad dime =46, US clad quarter =51, square of candy wrapper foil =11, beaver tail from a ring pull =23. The settings I used are the ones that I have settled on to hunt most of the time for coins and jewelry from trial and error. You can question them if you want, but I already have. They work as well as some others I have tried and much better than others that are recommended back east or in the UK. Deus 2 9" coil (I don't have the 11" and won't buy one since I don't need it and it is not as comfortable to swing for me): Sensitive 5 tones, discrimination =10, sensitivity =95, frequency shift (today) =3, volume =3, iron volume =3, reactivity =2.5, audio response =4, silencer =1, bottle cap reject =1, notch =OFF, 5 tones with tone breaks set at 10/59/65/88/. Legend 11" coil (can't wait for the 10X5"!!!) Park M1, discrimination on the G-ground setting, sensitivity =25, frequency shift today =4, volume =4, iron volume =6, recovery speed =5, iron filter =3, iron stability =3, 6 tones with similar tone setting to Deus 2 above that help me audibly distinguish possible target conductivity and type of US coin. ________________________ Deus 2 foil directly on top of quarter test: solid IDs from 87 to 96 indicating a high conductor. ID stability lessened near the edges of the coil Legend foil directly on top of quarter test: solid ID of 48, indicating a high conductor, very stable. Deus 2 foil roughly 1" away from quarter and directly above it on the Y-axis: IDs from 76 to 82. Sounded like one target. It was easy to cherry pick and identify each target by conductivity of tone and ID by moving the coil along the Y-axis until the front or rear edge of the coil was only over one target. Legend foil roughly 1" away from quarter and directly above it on the Y-axis: IDs from 20 to 22. Sounded like one target. It was easy to cherry pick and identify each target by conductivity of tone and ID by moving the coil along the Y-axis until the front or rear edge of the coil was only over one target. Deus 2 foil roughly 1" away from the quarter and directly to the left on the X-axis: three distinct target IDs and corresponding tones in the 50s, 70s and 99 which clearly showed multiple targets swinging from right to left. Swinging from left to right there was blanking/nulling of the background noise and then 99 as the coil's left edge left the foil and was only over the quarter. Legend foil roughly 1" away from the quarter and directly to the left on the X-axis: three distinct target IDs and corresponding tones in the 20s, 40s and 50s which clearly showed multiple targets swinging from right to left. Swing from left to right there was blanking/nulling of the background noise and 48 to 55 IDs as the coil's left edge left the foil and was only over the quarter. _________________________ Deus 2 beaver tail directly on top of the quarter test: solid IDs 88 to 96. Legend beaver tail directly on top of the quarter test: solid IDs 49 to 52. Deus 2 beaver tail roughly 1" above quarter on the Y-axis (like above): one target sound only. IDs 72 to 82, targets easy to separate like above with good IDs using front and rear edges of coil. Legend beaver tail roughly 1" above quarter on the Y-axis (like above): one target sound only, IDs 33 to 36, targets easy to separate like above with good IDs using front and rear edges of coil. Deus 2 beaver tail roughly 1" directly left of the quarter on the X-axis (like above): sounded like one target swinging in either direction, ID 99, not easy to separate, target IDs for beaver tail 44 to 50, quarter 99. Legend beaver tail roughly 1" directly left of the quarter on the X-axis (like above): sounded like three distinct targets from right to left with IDs of 38-46-54, swinging left to right there was blanking/nulling of the background noise and then target ID of 46 or 54 when the left edge of the coil moved past the beaver tail. Easy to cherry pick with beaver tail reading 23 to 30 and quarter reading 46 to 55. _______________________________ Depth test Coils were swung as close as possible to the top of the PVC target holder. Deus 2 on .25 gram lead at 1" depth: =faint response with target IDs jumping from 30 to 99. 2"= no response. Tried default Goldfield.....no response at 1". Legend on .25 gram lead at 1" depth: =iffy response with target IDs jumping from 11 to 20. 2" =faint response (definitely something there) IDs alternating 11 and 60. 3"= no response. Default Gold Field using the A discrimination setting (all metal) hit this target down to 3". At 3" it was a faint response (definitely something there) with no ID, only tone. Deus 2 US nickel at 3" depth: =61 to 64 ID, good audio, 4" =64 to 74 good audio but crossed over tone break, at 5" =64 to 99 iffy audio and multiple tone breaks crossed, 6"=faint response 99 ID or no ID. 7" = no response. Legend US nickel at 3" =ID 26 strong audio, 4" =25 to 29 good audio but crossed over tone break, 5" =25 to 60 iffy audio and multiple tone breaks crossed, 6" =25 to 60, faint audio, etc. 7" =no response. Deus 2 US clad dime at 3" =ID 91 to 93 good audio response, 4" =91 to 96 iffy response, 5"=99 or no ID faint response, 6"=no response. Legend US clad dime at 3" =ID 45 to 48 good audio response, 4" =44 to 52 iffy response, 5" =44 to 58 iffy response, 6" =48 to 60 faint response, 7" =60 to no ID but know something is there, 8"=no response. Deus 2 US clad quarter at 3" =ID 96 to 97 strong audio response, 4" =96 to 99 good response, 5" =97 to 99 iffy to faint response, 6"=99 to no ID very faint but know something is there, 7" =no response. Legend US clad quarter at 3" =51 to 52 strong audio response, 4" =50 to 54 good response, 5" =53 to 58 iffy response, 6" =56 to 60 very iffy response, 7"=58 to 60 faint response, 8"=no response. __________________________________ the photos show the targets and testing scenarios. The top foil/quarter and beavertail/quarter were the actual test targets. Thanks for reading if you actually did.

That 1964 P Rosie came out of the ground looking just like that. It was a shallow target under a fir tree so I don't understand its origins/condition. Since it was shaded and more protected from the extreme weather here, maybe that was a factor. That dime has some damage on the rim and some discoloration so definitely not mint or uncirculated. Some of the silver jewelry came out of the ground very clean also....others did not.