Jeff McClendon

Copying a good thing legally is a smart business strategy. Minelab's name for detecting modes on the Equinox were a good suggestion for use, N/M Simplex had similar names. At least the N/M proven control box waterproofing and the included collapsible shaft that is partially carbon fiber are very different from the Equinox. If the Gold Field program is selectable single frequency only and is more like a threshold based all metal mode, I would be fine with that too.

They do break after a few years of use no matter how carefully they are used. Like Palzynski said, XP would have upgraded them for the new Deus ll if they considered it to be a major problem. Since the butterfly clip is included with the new Deus ll................ The good part is if it does break where the thin piece of plastic above the mini USB port acts as a spring, they are fairly easy to secure with a rubber band, tie wrap, velcro or tape temporarily or more permanently with one of the spring installations highlighted on this sight by another poster or by instructions on YouTube. The Detector Dodads clip (for North American buyers) is an excellent product too. The bad part for new, unaware users is having a broken charging clip and seemingly no way to charge a coil with very low battery would be frustrating for sure. In the 5 years that I have been on metal detecting forums, getting the charging clip properly installed on coils and breaking the clip is by far the biggest complaint I have read about. Definitely minor but frustrating. This is just my opinion but for the price one pays for the XP Deus, Orx and Deus ll, and their much touted engineering design abilities, a charging clip that is easier to install and less likely to break (less complaints in the long run) doesn't seem to me to be too much to ask.

I don't have any thoughts.........I want actual unbiased results of testing before I make a decision on the Deus ll.

Whites made some very good detectors. They also went bye-bye due some business decisions that turned out to be wrong. Maybe publishing those frequencies was one of them while also touting those SMF detectors as being capable of handling all ground conditions well. They couldn't. So, solid performance in all ground conditions is now one of the goals of newer SMF technology. I don't need to know what is happening under the hood.....just make it work.

Thanks, the same Jeff wrote both posts and I am not bi-polar or schizo (as far as I know) so maybe you read them from your own different personal perspectives. I just use what works best for me and my usual detecting scenarios. I could care less what brand I use or how much it costs. I also simply do not listen to marketing pitches and hype with the viewpoint that what is being said or hyped is totally true. Those good folks have to promote their detectors and not mentioning weakness while pointing out the weaknesses of other detector brands seems to be "normal" marketing procedure these days. For example, I just watched Gary Blackwell/XP's first Deus ll video going over some of the features. Gary made it a point to stress the strengths of the Deus ll's target ID and notching and how they can be trusted without mentioning how poorly those two functions work in moderate to high iron and salt mineralization on the original Deus on fairly shallow targets. Gary also showed off the Deus ll's steel bottle cap rejection settings which reminded me of the Equinox iron bias. Steel bottle caps reading in the US quarter/silver range on the expensive original Deus l is very annoying. I am glad XP addressed this issue. Maybe XP did produce SMF tech that is similar to Multi IQ which would be great. Minelab did tell the world how Multi IQ was different from previous SMF tech in some of its published data. How to do it was not published. I just don't trust regularly using the current Equinox control box under water even though I have not had a problem. Minelab not giving it a published IP rating is telling....... Nokta Makro fully waterproofed detectors have been proven to work. Adding SMF even if it is really only helpful in salt beach and moderate iron mineralization will be an improvement and will sell some detectors to people who want a budget friendly designated underwater detector. That added year on the warranty is great too. For really serious underwater detectorists, the Deus 2's published IP rating and published useable depth are super impressive and that type of a promised waterproof capability comes at a cost. If XP's SMF is really good for more than saltwater........that will be one amazing detector.

Another excellent video by Gary and XP. What a nice detector.

I can't speak for Dan and what he might be wondering about with the XP underwater antenna. From the Deus ll manual, the antenna setup and attachments at the coil appear to be very similar to Deus l. In fast water or water with strong currents or underwater objects that can snag the small antenna wire, I am taping that connector for sure and adding more than just two velcro straps to the wire. I like how the upper end of the antenna wire connects to the Deus ll remote. I still wish the antenna wire was inside the shaft.

That clip looks to be well made from a 3D printer and should be a good aftermarket option. The OEM XP clip costs half as much in the USA IF you can find one. They have been sold out on most big metal detector sales sites for over a year. None on Ebay USA at the moment either. This little argument over whose is bigger/better/the best..........who cares, started from this statement: "That skinny cable will be less resistant in the water than a standard coil cable which will be on the other water detector. " and has proceeded from there to escalate into a mini detector war. I have used the Deus underwater kit, several waterproof Nokta Makro wired coil detectors and the Equinox underwater in both fresh and saltwater conditions. All three work. I have not noted a big resistance difference created by antennas and coil cables. Resistance is noticeable in coil design, weight and where the coil nut/shaft connection is located. Smaller coils have always worked better for me submerged than 11"+ coils as far as drag and ease of use underwater. I was definitely the most concerned about the XP underwater kit antenna wire coming loose from the coil. I always put on the rubber band and taped it down too along with plenty of velcro on the shaft to hold the small diameter antenna wire in place. Hopefully the Deus 2 has a more secure antenna clip and has the option of running the wire inside the shaft....... With the Nokta Makro and Equinox I did not do anything besides making sure the coil cable was not flopping around before submerging it.

As usual Simon, you have said the most important thing which ultimately for me also is detector performance especially in tougher ground conditions. I am happy with my Deus 1 setup for what I use it for. I am extremely happy with the Equinox. I haven't had any of the leaking or coil ear issues that others have had. I really like Nokta Makro detectors. I will be buying the Legend when it is available. I need a budget friendly, proven waterproof, selectable single frequency/SMF detector that can also be a gold prospecting/gold jewelry alternative to the Equinox, especially in freshwater. It doesn't have to be as good as the Equinox to make me happy. If it really does perform as well or better than an Equinox 600/800....great.

Lots of opinions in your post including Steve “solved the mystery for marketing ………”. What mystery? A $1500+ SMF detector is probably better than a $949 SMF and definitely better than $649 SMF or a $635 SMF. All I can say is for that price difference the Deus ll had better be over twice as good as a Nox 600 or the new Legend in every detecting scenario that the Nox currently does very well in. Looking at specs and features means absolutely nothing if the actual SMF tech is not equal to or surpasses the market leader in the selectable single frequency/SMF “do it all” category which clearly is currently the Equinox 800. Right now I would take my Equinox 800 anywhere on this planet on dry land and shallow saltwater surf and it would do very well. There is one scenario where I would prefer to have the original Deus which is shallower nonferrous targets in thick iron trash. There is one scenario where I would prefer a Simplex, Kruzer or Anfibio over the Equinox which is submerged freshwater. I have owned and used these detectors extensively. As others have noted, until some very experienced, neutral reviewers are able to do actual side by side testing on wild targets in extreme and varied ground conditions, any pre-release opinions about actual real world, tough conditions performance compared to the Equinox 800 are just daydreaming.

I have broken two Deus butterfly charging clips………I have never been called heavy handed by anyone and I rarely break things. I would not call those charging clips cheap by the way. I do consider them to be poorly designed.

If, and it is a big if, Deus 2's SMF can really handle the nasty dirt and hot rocks in high iron mineralized gold fields (and at Culpepper VA too) then similar to the Equinox, its roughly 40 kHz SMF Gold Field mode will do just fine for gold prospecting. If its SMF tech fails in that environment those 48 to 81 kHz HF coil single frequencies will be sorely missed. So, I am definitely holding onto my HF coils and my Deus 1 Lite setup until I know for sure how well the Deus 2's SMF does in high iron mineralization and on hot rocks.

Looks like I might have ruffled some feathers. Oh well. I was just trying to answer Joe’s questions, not stir up trouble. I am really impressed with the features and potential capabilities of the Deus 2. If it’s SMF technology works really well in more than just salt beach scenarios, XP will truly have a full featured, versatile, general purpose SMF detector that similar to the Equinox will be able to detect very well in a multitude of soil conditions and for a wide variety of target conductivity including small gold nugget prospecting.

Deus is not a French word. In French it would be Dieu. Deus (Classical Latin: [ˈd̪e.ʊs], Ecclesiastical Latin: [ˈd̪ɛː.us]) is the Latin word for "god" or "deity". Latin deus and dīvus("divine") are in turn descended from Proto-Indo-European *deiwos, "celestial" or "shining", from the same root as *Dyēus, the reconstructed chief god of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon. In Classical Latin, deus (feminine dea) was a general noun[1] referring to a deity, while in technical usage a divus or divawas a figure who had become divine, such as a divinized emperor. In Late Latin, Deus came to be used mostly for the Christian God. It was inherited by the Romance languages in Galician and Portuguese Deus, Catalan and Sardinian Déu, French and Occitan Dieu, Friulian and Sicilian Diu, Italian Dio, Spanish Dios and (for the Jewish God) Ladino דייו/דיו Dio/Dyo, etc., and by the Celtic languages in Welsh Duw and Irish Dia.

No clue as far as adding frequencies via an after release update. I also don’t see any reason to add higher frequencies since the Deus 2 is more of an all around multi purpose detector. The Deus 1 HF coils were originally designed for XP’s gold prospecting detector the Depar 600 which was later modified and became the ORX. The HF coils lowest frequency is 13.1 kHz and the highest is 81 kHz so those coils encompass the medium to very small sized gold nugget range and use the highest frequency of any gold prospecting VLF on the market today. So obviously the HF coils were gold prospecting specific coils that also are great for relics and for target separation. They actually were never fully supported on the Deus 1. Looking at the specs for the Deus 2, it is not specifically geared for gold prospecting (only one Gold Field mode whereas the ORX and even the Nox have two) and its 40+ kHz high end frequency is on the low side for really small gold nugget prospecting especially if its SMF tech struggles with high iron mineralization. Using the really high single frequencies available on the Deus 1/ORX HF coils of 50 to 81 kHz actually helps in high iron mineralization.

The Legend has a Bluetooth transmitter not a 2.4 gHz transmitter so green headphones won’t work. Don’t know about pinpointers.

Having owned several Equinox and Deus detectors along with most of Nokta Makro's detectors since the Racer 2, I have zero problem recommending all of them. I have had a minor issue with each manufacturer......Nox Bluetooth transmitter issues, Deus butterfly coil charging clips constantly breaking, Gold Racer coil knock sensitivity. Minelab warranty service was outstanding. XP service was too. Nokta Makro......not good but there was no USA repair facility at the time. I have dunked my Noxes, beat the crap out of them, dropped them (all five) and treated them like I would treat a good pair of hiking boots. So anyone that thinks the control pod can't taking a beating is mistaken. Sure, some of them leak. Same for all of the Nox coils which I have treated like a tool instead of a classic car that I want to keep in mint condition. The exact same goes for the XP Deus components and the Nokta Makros too. Outstanding design, build quality, durability and function aside from the two components already mentioned. The Deus 2 costs almost twice as much as the Legend. Maybe there will be some major performance differences in addition to the underwater ratings and uses of the Deus 2 vs the Legend. I really like the looks of both detectors. I already have a Deus 1 with both HF coils which can do something that the Deus 2 can't which is run at frequencies above 50 kHz. So, the Deus 2 even though it has much better audio choices than Deus 1 just doesn't fit my needs as well as the Legend, which has no nonsense underwater capabilities (no antenna) and has grip vibration along with plenty of outstanding features which on the surface rival the Equinox. Having been a Simplex user and admirer, I look forward to owning a Legend.

For you folks in England with milder soil conditions than what many of us in the Western USA have.......the Legend may be just fine compared to the Equinox. For me, the Equinox was a very fulfilling answer to a long standing prayer for a VLF detector that can operate efficiently in really bad soil conditions. If the Legend can do that too......fantastic. I have my doubts about that. It will do what I need it to do which is replace the Equinox 800, Equinox 600, AT Series, Gold Kruzer and Simplex for submerged water coin, jewelry, relic and gold nugget detecting. If it ends up being capable of more compared to the Equinox in bad dirt/beach conditions......thank you Nokta Makro!!!

The QED for people outside Australia is definitely a risk. Mine worked fine for what it could do which is relic hunting and larger 1 gram and up gold prospecting in moderate soil. Ground balancing the QED in really bad dirt is iffy and everything depends on getting it properly balanced of course, just like a TDI, in bad dirt. I think Nokta Makro can do better than the QED........ just take a GP3500 and clone it with all of the after market mods included and put it into a FORS or Impact form factor housing.

A GPX 4000/4500/5000 in the GPX 6000/CTX3030 type form factor that still used all of the current 5 pin coils...........that would cost over $2000 US for sure. I would pay $3999 US for that detector in a heart beat, however.

I already sold my AT Gold, Simplex, and Equinox 600 to make room for the Legend. I need an easy to use (no extra antenna wires) IP68 waterproof trusted, SMF with good coil selections, handle vibration for indication of submerged targets (who needs headphones and bone phones), great up to date features, decent ergonomics and high enough frequencies for micro gold jewelry and backup gold prospecting. I will keep my Equinoxes (2 800s), Garrett 24k, Deus 1 Lite with both HF coils for the tiny gold that every other VLF misses since it runs at up to 81 kHz and be happy until the next Equinox comes out.

Yep, you and Nenad usually gets my feeble mind into some kind of forward gear.

I would like it even better if it was a GPX 5000 in the same configuration. I managed to get my GPX 5000 down to 6 lbs with Doc's amp/small battery/carbon fiber shaft combination along with lighter coils that weigh 800 grams or less and wireless headphones. I can almost manage it without a bungee for most of the day. 5 lbs (ditch the metal housing and heavy arm cuff)........add a grip mounted small display with control buttons (not steel toggles).........4 lbs would really be great.

Multi IQ SMF Minelab Vanquish 340 ($199) and 440 are already under $300 US.

Doc‘s Gold Screamer amp, two 7.4v batteries, charger, short power cable and nice GPX control box cover cost the same as one Minelab GPX 7.4v battery and are 1/3 the weight. Replacement batteries are $45.