Jeff McClendon

I haven't noticed any depth loss after updating from V1.1 to V2.0. Similar to Daniel Tn, my experience with Deus 2 through all of the software updates has been that Deus 2 is now a much better detector than it was running even V.71 especially in the soil conditions around here. Better sensitivity (especially with the improvements to Goldfield), better overall depth, handles tough ground conditions even better than before, still super fast and remarkably target ID stable. This time last year I was wondering if I would keep Deus 2. Now a year later and a few software updates later......it's a keeper.

The Avantree Audition Pro over the ear headphones work really well with many current BT 5.0 APTX low latency transmitter equipped metal detectors. They have a well balanced tone range and plenty of volume and are very comfortable to wear. I hope you can keep making them for a bit longer since there are several very popular metal detectors that they work great with and are a big step up from the stock wireless headphones provided by Minelab.

Nox 700 and 900’s have had extremely rare water ingress problems compared to the reports from some 600 and 800 owners.

The CTX and Etrac can have tons of sensitivity added but it won’t make much difference. That outrageously noisy aspect of the Equinox and Manticore even in the dry beach modes has more to do with operating frequencies and target recovery speed than sensitivity levels. Just my opinion from enjoying both FBS and Multi IQ.

I didn't say that there is no need for that smaller coil. I would absolutely buy one for Deus 2 if one became available (see next paragraph) especially if XP provided a Mono Goldfield mode along with that coil that could take a selectable single frequency higher than the current top end 45 kHz. Getting into tight spaces and hunting really trashy sites with that small elliptical coil no matter what I'm hunting for would, be fantastic.

The video was made at a location with targets that have been planted for 3 years and the dirt around them has had almost continuous human habitation since at least the European Iron Age. So dirt conditions couldn't be much worse just like the dirt conditions couldn't be much worse due to Mother Nature where I often detect. That to me is the entire point. Why would Minelab spend a lot of time and effort "reimagining" a modernized FBS2 CTX 3030 when there are plenty of places and targets on this planet where it simply would not be the detector of choice or even on the list of capable and versatile Multi IQish detectors that is getting longer every day? The same is true for wanting a reimagined E-Trac that is lighter weight and maybe waterproof. Why, for the same reasons. During the six weeks that I have owned and used the Manticore and E-Trac, the Manticore has beaten the E-Trac like a really big bass drum everywhere I have compared them. It's not even close on the milder to moderately mineralized locations that I have compared them AND I really like the E-Trac even more than I liked my former CTX3030. I just don't see them going there since the higher end VLF metal detector market today seems to be focused on speed, versatility on every type of ground/beach/underwater conditions, competitive depth and full spectrum target detecting.

I did watch the entire video very carefully and took notes. I own and use an E-Trac and a Manticore. Where both detectors had solid to slightly iffy target ID/audio responses their results were very similar and accurate as far as having the same responses across their differing target ID range platforms. The first 30 targets did not pose too many problems for these detectors. The second set of 30 targets were ugly especially for the CTX. Here is the tally on these targets, with those settings, for those weather conditions and with his iPhone on airplane mode sometimes and sometimes not. Also, my Polish is pretty bad but the CC English translation was awful. I went by what the detectors told me and not the translation. The video maker's assessment and mine are pretty close. CTX absolutely missed 14 of 60 targets and was very iffy on 4 others Manticore absolutely missed 3 of 60 targets and was iffy on 6 others but cleary reading 3 of those iffy targets as iron. Those three were small gold targets that were dropping down into the iron range using the All Terrain High Conductor mode. Pretty clear which detector won. The video maker agreed at the end of the video.

It already “keeps up” with the 800/Legend enough where I wouldn’t hesitate to use it as is. If XP releases a small elliptical coil for Deus ll they will have to do a software update that allows for a much higher operating single frequency option than 45 kHz for there to be a major performance difference.

XP have actually caught it up to the point where amazingly enough, I no longer see the need for a 9X5 elliptical coil in order to up the sensitivity to small targets. I doubt that slightly smaller platform will make any difference. At the moment, Deus 2 Version 2.0 software using the FMF 9" coil is equal to Deus 1/ORX using its 9" HF coil whether Deus 2 is using its FMF gold prospecting mode or its Mono modes running at 45 kHz as far as small gold prospecting. From Deus 2 to the Legend I am seeing Deus 2 slightly less sensitive to small gold than the Legend with its 6" or 9.5X5" coil. Slightly means .5 inch or slightly less on targets smaller than .75 grams. Deus 2 runs much quieter and could be tweaked even more on your milder ground. The Legend and Equinox 800 using the same sized coils.......I don't see a difference. I don't have the Manticore M8 coil so I can't do a head to head yet.

So, I was getting ready to weigh a small Arizona nugget a few days ago in my office. It was late enough at night for me to know better but I managed to drop the little bugger, it hit the top of my bare right foot and that was the last I heard of it. My office has "Berber" type tufted carpet with lots of gold threads. I looked for that $8.00 or so tiny nugget for about 6 hours total on my hands and knees with a bright weapon light and with my 2.50 magnification reading glasses on. After moving all the furniture around, finding two of my daughter's long lost earring studs and getting frustrated several times, I finally got the idea to put a new bag in my vacuum cleaner, vacuum the carpet, and pan out the contents of the vacuum cleaner bag. While having that thought I decided to check my office chair one more time. It has five plastic rolling casters. I already had checked the casters themselves thinking that the tiny nugget could be literally stuck to one of the casters. I got my bright weapon light and just caught a glimpse of something gold INSIDE the housing that the metal pivoting leg to the caster wheel goes in. There it was. What I won't do for gold...."My Precious".

I know I am "quoting" myself but I thought I would give the E-Trac one more chance today at a park with dirt that is much less iron mineralized with only 2 of 10 bars on the Deus 2 iron mineralization meter consistently filled. I was using the E-Trac, Deus 2 and Manticore today. My plan was to pick an area to grid with the E-Trac, flag 4 really deep targets and then go over the same area with Deus 2, check (not dig) those 4 targets I flagged with the E-Trac, while also flagging any additional deep targets that I did not decide or hear or chose not to flag when I passed over them with the E-Trac, and finally I would do the same with the Manticore and then recover any flagged targets with the Manticore and then just do a Manticore hunt elsewhere in the park. I ended up flagging 10 targets, 4 with the E-Trac (11" coil), 4 more with Deus 2 (13X11"coil) and 2 more with the Manticore (11" coil). I recovered the E-Trac's targets first. Both Deus 2 and the Manticore did not care for 3 of the 4 flagged E-Trac targets and they were bent nails. I would not have dug them using the Manticore or Deus 2. The E-Trac's 4th target was a copper disk about the size of a US nickel with four very small wedge shaped indentations pressed into it at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock position. No clue what that was but it was a full 11" deep. The other six targets were 1917, 1944 and 1945 Wheat Ear pennies, two very deep late 1960s clad dimes and a very deep 1961 US Jefferson nickel. This park was built in 1910 and it has not been heavily disturbed so finding these "older" coins in the 8 to 12" depth is very predictable. Digging those deep targets with a screwdriver..............whooh! I then took the Manticore for its own little hunt. Ended up with a 1917S Mercury dime that was a full 11" deep, another 10" deep 1917 Wheat penny and a really nice 3 gram 14K really thin necklace that just happened to be balled up about 3" deep. I also dug a lot more clad and a few pieces of deliberately dug trash like aluminum screw caps and pull tabs and a bling necklace. The Manticore absolutely loves to hit hard on US nickels. I thought the Equinox 600/800 was a nickel machine too, but not like the Manticore. Even using the Normal audio type setting, US nickels sound like a handball striking a wall at an indoor handball court. Totally unmistakeable sound quality even down to about 8" depth where I detect. Digging lots of nickels for me also means digging the occasional gold ring that has the same target IDs. The first photo is the display while detecting the 11" silver Mercury dime. The next photo is the display with the coil over an 8" deep US Jefferson nickel with the target ID showing red number 25 even though the actual ID is a black number 25/26/27. Those red/black alternating numbers for US nickels reminds me of the 12-13 and 13-13 Fe-Co numbers that I sometimes get on US nickels using the E-Trac. The last photo is a plate of finds for the hunt. I really enjoyed using the Manticore today. I was hoping it would suit my needs and just plain old detect better than the Equinox 700/900 that I tried out a year ago. So far, I absolutely love the Manticore much like I loved the Equinox 800 and even though I am not crazy about the expanded target IDs, I am starting to believe that the Manticore really is a worthy successor to the Equinox 800. Thanks Gerry for making a deal with me on the Manticore and also.......thanks Minelab for correcting the mistakes made designing the shell for the Equinox 600/800 and coming up with the hopefully revolutionary Manticore.

Seeking advice for your next purchase without giving some more information about why you got rid of some good gold prospecting detectors would help. So would a detailed answer to Mike’s question about the GM1000. I can understand ditching the ATGold and the Gold Bug Pro based on transmit frequency reasons. The others…..???

Slender forceps. Is that the MXT Pro I sold you......get that baby fixed!!!!

I know this topic has not been responded to in almost a year. Since that time the Manticore and Equinox 700/900 have gotten into a lot of users hands. I have nothing further to say about the Equinox 700/900. I am definitely enjoying the Manticore, Deus 2, Legend and the Equinox 800. I recently picked up an E-Trac at a ridiculous price for nostalgic reasons and since I had never used one. I do have some experience with the CTX3030 and Explorer ll and also a little time with the baby E-Trac, the Safari. I can see the attraction by some for those FBS/FBS2 detectors. In the right conditions they would probably work well as in milder soil and fairly normal to sparse target density. I have done three head to head comparisons in the last 3 days using E-Trac/Manticore, E-Trac/Legend and today E-Trac/Deus 2. I used the same park where there is enough sun to keep the ground thawed, and where target density is not too bad. Iron mineralization meter on Deus 2 is half to 3/4ths full. I searched an area about 20 by 60 feet each time. I flagged 4 really deep high conductor targets using the newer SMF detectors that I thought were around 8" deep. I was correct in that assessment each time. I also subjectively counted the 2 way hit targets that I would have dug if I had time and was allowed to dig all targets. I was basically hunting with enough iron target IDs rejected on each detector to silence ground noise. All four detectors had 11" coils. On all three plots the E-Trac usually got clean hits on around 30 targets. I had to redo the first comparison because I simply could not hunt this ground using Auto Sensitivity and had to switch to Manual. I had Auto Sensitivity on +3 and it never got over 12 on this ground. I could run Manual at 16 to 18 and I got a lot more target responses especially on the flagged deep high conductor responses. The 12 flagged targets turned out to be 10 deep US Wheat pennies and 2 thicker chunks of aluminum and they were in the 7 to 9" depth range. E-Trac hit half of those targets cleanly, gave very iffy responses on two more and was completely silent on 4 of the Wheat pennies. By comparison, Manticore, Legend and Deus 2 even running at conservative sensitivity levels hit between 60 and 80 targets in those 20X60' plotted areas. Since I used them to find the deep flagged targets, they obviously hit those well too. So, I am going to once again give Minelab's Multi IQ all the credit it deserves. The recently made Manticore, Legend and Deus 2 would not exist in the form they are today if the Equinox 600/800 had not been released about 5 years ago. That detector changed my metal detecting life and truly made metal detecting both fun and very rewarding for me after cycling through SOOOO many VLFs trying to find even one that worked well enough for me to get even good results. Had I used an E-Trac seven or so years ago, I think I could have done very well with it for shallower coin and jewelry hunting. But at least where I hunt, it simply cannot compete with the Equinox 600/800, Deus 2, Legend and Manticore. Thanks Minelab for being willing to move on from BBS, FBS and FBS 2, to Multi IQ which is much more versatile and effective at least where I hunt and on the targets that I like to find from sub 0.1 gram nuggets to coins to relics and to jewelry both micro and honking big.

I hope it is just a bad batch of coils. When I got my replacement 11X7" DD it also acted kind of weird as if the Axiom didn't recognize it as a DD coil or something even after several resets. It stayed on reset default 49/49 for several minutes while I tried to ground balance it. It wasn't noisy at all during pumping ground balance, but the numbers just stayed on 49/49. The DD I sent in for replacement was super noisy even on relatively mild ground during and after pumping ground balance in Fine and sometimes in Normal timings and the ground balance numbers were all over the place. The next day I did another reset and the replacement coil has worked fine ever since and hopefully will stay that way.

I remember Carter Pennington making that video and a really good depth test video where he or someone dug a huge trench. Thanks for posting it.

I don't know if PI machines really cost that much more to manufacture. Throw in the full design and software engineering........maybe. That price you quoted is near the price I paid for my dealer demo Axiom. At this point I would easily say Yes, the Axiom is twice the detector compared to a Manticore or Deus ll. My only complaints with it are the wireless audio system, it’s not waterproof and the available coils are too buoyant for water use. Otherwise, it’s one of the finest detectors whether VLF or PI that I have ever used. If the overall audio quality and comfort level of the proprietary MS3 headphones was better suited for long hours of whisper signal gold prospecting, I would rate the Axiom even higher. It’s not a jumble of parts/ideas from other detectors that sort of go together aside from Z-Lynk and it looks, feels, operates and hunts like a premium level detector. The Minelab SDC 2300 has a similar unique build quality and so does the Whites V3i. Deus/Deus 2 have a premium build quality look about them but that shaft system although it is way cool, is seriously lacking and needs a complete carbon fiber redesign similar to the ones made by Steve Goss. And then there are the XP back of head headphones........... So a lot of thought went into the overall exterior design of the Axiom. Compare that to the GPX 6000 which to me, after owning 2 of them is definitely not a design/build type detector with complete vision in mind. Instead it and so many current mid to upper tier Minelabs are full of tech but are also full of a cut as many corners on the exterior build quality and ergonomics as possible attitude. Then there is the reality from my experience that the Axiom really can detect at a dedicated gold prospecting VLF small target level and is also very capable of GPX 4000 to 5000 level larger target detecting including relics and beach detecting while actually weighing just a little over 4 lbs and that is a very well distributed 4 lbs. Super nice detector that is well worth $3200 US.

I was able to do a nice 3 hour relic hunt with the replacement 11x7”DD Axiom coil today in an area with very crazy mineralization from salt to iron and mixed together too along with some EMI. The new coil worked fantastic, ground balanced easily and it was much easier for me to interpret what this focused core coil was telling me. I was detecting in Fine because that is what I am used to. I will detect in Large next time and just go for the bigger stuff. I recovered lots of nail fragments, .22 short and 32 Smith and Wesson short shell casings, very old shotgun head stamps, shotgun pellets and fired bullets along with small fishing weights. I did also get a USA 40% silver 1943P War nickel so the Axiom once again seems to like me. It’s mutual.

I started to wonder how all of the Legend's available frequency choices would do in a depth test on the dime under both of those sample pans. By "do" I mean actually hit the target, not give an accurate ID. I know this from experience but I still after all this time wonder what the relative depth of detection difference is between simultaneous multi frequency and single frequency in a situation like I setup. So I did a quick dirt plus air gap depth test using the same dirt samples in the same pans with the same dime and with the same Legend and LG24 coil setup the same way as it was in the video. I did not do that with the Equinox 800......no need for that. The dime measured 5.5 inches (140mm) under the rim of the top sample pan. Using the Legend/LG24, Field mode at sensitivity 20, I recorded the height of the bottom edge of the coil over the dime with the two sample pans on top of it. I subjectively listened with headphones for the coil height where I could still hear an "I'm stopping for that" repeatable target response. These numbers record the distance from the bottom of the coil to the dime. 40 kHz 5.75"/146mm 10 and 15 kHz 6"/152mm 4 and 20 kHz 6.25"/158mm M3 7.25"/184mm M2 8"/204mm M1 8.25"/210mm

Bill, I always chuckle when I see target separation tests and air “depth” tests done on inert surfaces that claim to show definitive detection results that can be counted on and used in the field. Imagine doing some of the popular on YouTube 3D multi level ferrous/non ferrous separation tests but with the targets imbedded in that dirt………I don’t have to imagine that. I’ve done them all and it’s not pretty even using Deus 2.

I don’t have a problem with the time it took since I mailed the coil late on a Wednesday afternoon using snail mail from Georgia to Texas, and I received it in Colorado 16 days later. Packages take 3 days minimum to travel that far even using a premium service like FedEx. So, at least seven days of travel time plus four weekend days, Garrett Repair had my coil for 5 business days tops. I purchased the Axiom with 11X7” DD coil and 13X11” Mono coil on purpose since I don’t care for Garrett’s Z-Lynk system. It was a dealer demo unit probably because of that coil configuration without the wireless system and I got it for a great price that saved me enough money to buy a new 11X7” Mono to complete the coils that I wanted. I have used a Bluetooth system with my Axiom that works great and allows me to use over the ear wireless headphones, earbuds or neckband type hearing devices. I don’’t fault Garrett for using its proprietary wireless product in the Axiom.

Do you still have a Deus? If so, it has a really good iron mineralization meter. I wouldn’t assume anything by the Equinox ground balance numbers. Just some other possible settings changes for the 900 Gold modes to consider…….turn off ground balance tracking, lower iron bias to 1 or 0 and adjust recovery speed to quiet ground noise if default 5 is not the best setting. I would keep recovery between 3 and 6 however if there is any magnetite/maghemite in the area. The 900 is an excellent gold prospecting detector and very powerful. Like I showed in the video, turning down sensitivity to get it stable if you have too much EMI will not neuter the 900 similar to how it doesn’t hurt the 800. Also, the testing in this video with disturbed moderately iron mineralized dirt and fresh targets is probably a worse case scenario for that level of mineralization and in real world conditions both the Legend and Nox 800 might have performed better on established targets in undisturbed dirt.

I really like my Axiom. However I was having an issue with my 11X7" DD coil. It would not ground balance using the Fine timing and would usually ground balance in the Normal timing. My 11X7" Mono had no problems ground balancing in Fine or Normal on the same ground. Kind of odd. I called Garrett and they immediately gave me an RMA number. Since I had owned my Axiom for more than 30 days, they asked me to pay for shipping to them and they paid for shipping back to me. I made a video and sent it to them. I also asked for an extra coil bolt. I only sent the coil, not the entire detector. I got my new 11X7" DD coil today via FedEx and they remembered my request for an extra coil bolt, so a 2.5 week turnaround which is really good in my opinion. So far this new DD coil seems to be working much better than my original one. Thanks Garrett and thanks to Steve H for encouraging me to send it in for a checkup and replacement if needed.

With the Nokta Score, Double Score and Legend all sharing the same housing and shaft systems, I think it would be cool to be able to buy just the system control unit. There is only one Phillips head screw to remove and everything including the battery is inside the system control unit. Then again, those detectors are so inexpensive maybe it's not worth it. Nokta have already seen the need for and provided the option to purchase their own updated shaft systems and arm cuffs for the Legend which are plug and play. Why didn't Minelab do that with the Equinox 600/800 when so many complained about having to buy decent shafts for those detectors soon after releasing them????????