RobNC

I think you underestimate the Chinese mindset and drive. They have entire buildings and mobs of people dedicated to reverse-engineering existing products. It's their way. Years ago Dell Computer mainboards were having all kinds of problems with instability and failures. The cause ended up being blown capacitors that were Chinese made copies of some formula they stole for the electrolyte in the capacitor. The joke was on them though, as the formula they hacked/stole was incomplete. The capacitors would pop because hydrogen bubbles were forming inside them- all due to a faulty electrolytic compound used(stolen). Worse was when those capacitors made their way into a power supply and violently exploded. It was a catastrophic failure when it happened inside a power supply. A large boom, sparks, smoke and flames. The Chinese have been stealing stuff a long time, and they are good at it. Just a fact.

There are 2 areas where tech could still do some good with metal detectors. Discrimination and EMI/RFI resistance. I believe after all this time there could be some gainful changes in how metal detectors discriminate. It appears most of them look at conductivity primarily. Wouldn't it be nice if the machine could do multiple checks on a target beyond conductivity alone? Why have we not yet seen more detail of a target's composition before we dig it? I find it hard to believe it can't be improved upon and refined some more. For instance, why not put in a secondary function that can be activated while pinpointing to get an approximate probability of the target's components? It could be as simple as a readout of resistance, conductivity, and probable composition. Put it into a special mode to further analyze it that goes beyond the typical scanning mode. Just food for thought. But knowing how things are if they did come up with something like that it would cost way more than most would or could pay. EMI/RFI is an increasing problem that has not been totally remedied by anyone yet. Why is this? Because they don't see it as something to tackle. They'd rather keep making new model after new model instead to keep the coffers full. Put an EMI/RFI resistance design upgrade in place. If you already have a solid build, why not go ahead and perfect i further. Call it "City Edition" or something if it makes your marketing people feel better! But why can't we work on these annoyances and at least alleviate it more. The frequencies normally seen used in metal detectors are too crowded, too much is interfering with that now. Why not go about trying some new frequencies? FCC ankle biters are the cause? If we are restricted in frequencies that can be used strengthen the boards, the coils, the shielding, whatever it takes to make at least a 50-75% reduction in EMI/RFI noise splatter. Encapsulate the boards in material once soldered that is another layer of protection. Cover your coil windings in a new more EMI/RFI resistant material. Work on those shoddy wires used for coil cables. Networking cable keeps progressing to handle faster speeds and have less cross-talk. Why have they not evolved coil cables in a similar fashion yet? Cost? Please.. Coils are essentially the same they have been for a long time. We really could do with a different approach, something to change the playing field. I think we still have some room for refinement. But not on this or that new fangled feature like a LED light or pretty logo. Let's go back to the drawing board on what is really important- better ID, smarter discrim, and more robust filtering/shielding. Who knows, there is yet a better material out there for it than what is currently being used. I realize there are some smart people here that know way more than me, but I'm telling you, there is a more efficient more effective route to go that no one has done yet vs what we see in use now. How long it will take to materialize remains to be seen, but one day it will become very clear what is in the ground you hear beeping. You will be able to "see it" from a composition probability percentage of its base materials. Aluminum, Copper, Au-Gold, Silver, etc. Sounds cheesy? Just how cheesy would it have sounded back in the 70's to someone if you would have told them "One day we will see how deep something is in the ground, and a number showing what it might be" ? We have that today. We have lighter machines than way back. But the sad news for us is that when we are gone the really awesome stuff will be here! I sure hope there are still some people around then to get all the stuff we couldn't find. And that hopefully they are still allowed to metal detect without being thrown into jail.

The best detector for someone is the one they feel most comfortable and proficient with. It will vary from person to person. At the end of the day for me it is not a competition with any other person. I go to escape the daily grind of work and stress associated with it, get some air, some movement, and maybe find something that makes me smile. it doesn't take much to make me smile when metal detecting. A clad quarter is a really good start. Some people get way too serious about everything. It's an easy trap to fall into. Don't bring all that competitive mess into your metal detecting hobby. Just enjoy what YOU like about whatever metal detector works for you. When you get bored with that one, pick a new one and start all over learning that one. *shrugs* It can be so easy.

I feel ya. I've got an elbow with persistent tendonitis. Hurts like Hades but I went out and detected today anyway with the Nokta Legend. I detected until it became quite brutal and it was time to quit. I say go detecting and take it easy. Don't make any sudden movements and move slower/be more careful. Watch that twisting motion or stooping/bending which will put pressure on the rib(yes I have experience with rib injury too). Go enjoy yourself within reason and enjoy life! I wish you the best and hope the rib heals well.

Downright scandalous. It is an obvious reverse-engineered Legend that has minor changes cosmetically and in the software to be disputed as a total ripoff from a legal standpoint. The icons are different in a few places. Quite crafty and sneaky. LOL The buttons are different, the materials are probably of a lesser quality. BUT, there are a lot of people that will buy this because it is less money. And truthfully, when the Chinese set out to make things sometimes they actually do a good job. I have quite a few Chinese made knives (Kizer, CJRB, QSP, Kansept) and they are just as good as my Spyderco knives in pure cutting performance but cost considerably less. They hold an edge and have properly heat treated blades. The blades come centered. And often times the actions are way better(ceramic bearings vs phosphor bronze washers). Yeah, knives and sharpening are another passion of mine. I'm not totally against trying something made in China granted they have original designs and their quality control is good. I have had some minor things happen with a Kizer knife and they sent me replacement parts directly from China. They've came a long way.

Since it was raining yesterday, last night, and today I was in the house playing around with my Legend and some trash targets along with good ones. Set my tone breaks where I wanted them, the audio volume/pitch/tones that sounded good to my tinnitus ears it really started to break through in my head.. LOL. Had some nasty square nails from past hunts and placed them close to good targets. Messed around with Recovery, Iron Filter, and Stability until I found a nice little place that unmasks just enough to hopefully make me go "hmm" when I can take it out for a hunt. I don't get these days much where work isn't totally consuming me so it was a nice bonding moment for myself and the Legend. The clear loud audio makes up for the rather weak ID numbers. I can see this detector is going to require listening to that audio a lot more than paying attention to that ID #. It's a good strong detector though, that much I can tell. It's set up now where it will absolutely scream on dimes and quarters. I like it's audio a lot better than my Equinox actually because it does not have the flute-like melody to it. The Legend audio is just really clear and strong. Good stuff.

Andy emailed me today. Great guy. They are sending me out a replacement coil. Andy is the real deal. He has helped me tremendously with this issue. If Andy knows about something he will take care of it. Thanks to everyone who posted. I can't wait to get the LG24 and try the legend out some more. Think I will go turn it on and do some air tests with different objects and see how it behaves in different modes. It's raining here so going outside is just not happening. If you ever have troubles get in touch with Andy. He gets the ball rolling!

Yep, already sent him an email couple days ago. No response yet.

Well, my dealer didn't have any stock and his distributor had no more LG24's and no ETA on when more are coming in. That was the answer I got. So he could not swap out with me. Again, I'm starting to think there is a bad batch of LG24's out there that Nokta knows about. The fix is simple- take this one back and send me a good one. Nokta can then disassemble it, microscope it, put it in a washing machine, send it to Mars or whatever, just give me one that works. Why? Because I paid for a working product and didn't get that with this coil. If they think it is more than the coil, fine. I will send whatever they want but I expect replacements and not weeks later either. And while you're at it, admit there is a potential for a problem. These are man made things, it happens. No product is perfect. How you handle issues are important. As we rack up the days with no response I will become more aggravated and have more buyer's remorse.

Oh yes, numerous times and continue to check it. No response from them as of yet. Not really instilling a lot of confidence in me at this point. I get it that things are crazy all over and do have patience. But we are coming up on day 5 since I sent that to them. I'm starting to feel a bit annoyed but not mad. Nobody wants to have something brand new with a problem. At least send me something like "hey please be patient, we will get to you soon" every few days to let me know you are not outright saying to hell with me. LOL. The resolution is simple.. replace my coil. I send this one back you send me another one. Simple right? Seems not. I still believe they have a bad batch of LG24 coils that went out and one of them found its way to me. I sent an email out last night to Andy at We Dig. It was just sent last night so I am not expecting an immediate response. I didn't buy it from him but from reading it appears he is somehow connected to the service process for Nokta. I could be wrong on that though. But hopefully tomorrow will be different.

You may gotten some EMI but you also were focused on the right kind of signals. Say what you will, that coil hit those targets. It's more important that your brain is dialed in to what the machine is saying and it appears that is the case. There will always be more things you think will give you an edge but the biggest edge is YOURSELF. You're on a good path. I wish you more finds.

That's a really nice trip in my book. Sure wish I could hit some things like that. Hope you find a LOT more.

After careful thought I guess they didn't paint the keys because once you get your dirty fingers/gloves all over the keys from digging everything it will make a dirt outline around the keys. Then you can see what the keys are for!

We'll see about that. I did get a "confirmation" if you call it that right after I sent in the request but it was obviously an automated generic message. You can see that below. But since then nothing further. "Nokta Detectors USA Technical Service <usa.service@noktadetectors.com> Thu, Mar 21, 9:41 PM (5 days ago) to me Hello Robert Wxxx, service entries are handled in the order received. You will get an email once the issue has been entered and our teams review your issue and determine the resolve. If any other information is needed, our service center will contact you via phone or email."

Well what about to cut costs? Could also be a power consumption issue seeing as how the Legend is multifrequency simultaneous vs the simplex one frequency. Perhaps the Legend consumes way more power and adding lighted keys would further deplete the battery. Hard to say. But I think most will agree the keys need some sort of markings.

The good news is this is a water based acrylic paint. It does not react, destroy, or otherwise harm the keys themselves. I could get out some Dawn detergent, a soft bristle toothbrush, some water, and get it off without any harm whatsoever. That is another reason why I chose it. It's not something that etches into the material like a lot of other paints. You can even put this paint on glass without an issue. Would be glad to prove that to Nokta if it ever becomes an issue with a warranty claim on the control unit itself on down the road. They would be more than welcome to test the paint against their key material for degradation. There would be none. I'm of the opinion they did not put lights under the keys because it may have compromised the solid waterproof rating the Legend has. It's a totally sealed membrane looks like. Putting a clear window under the buttons would have introduced a water intrusion vector after the detector was used for years maybe. Who knows. Glow-On also makes a tape that glows. If one was inclined they could use an X-Acto and cut the tape into fine strips to fit into the indents on the buttons.

After having seen others paint the keys on their Legend I decided to try something totally different. I used Glow Paint. It was tedious, and I can probably get another coat on it but this is how it looks both day and in darkness. I like it. Again, it was tedious due to how the paint is. I used a bamboo skewer to apply the paint inside the button indents. Wiped excess off. Found out it was easier to just coat the button and immediately wipe off excess. This is what it looks like after 12 hrs cure time. The paint used is Glow-on. I had some Neon Green on hand from another project but I'd prefer it to be blue. The stuff isn't cheap but a little goes a long way. https://www.amazon.com/Super-Phosphorescent-Sights-Concentrated-lasting/dp/B00GUA92RQ?ref_=ast_sto_dp Again, this stuff works best in multiple coats. What you are seeing is just a thin single coating. Will probably apply at least one more layer. But giving this 24 hrs between applications works best. Thought you might find it interesting. EDIT: Oh, I also installed a Skinomi screen protector to the display. In the picture it has a blemish but I have since wiped that off. I cut the piece to fit. It's a Matte version of their clear model. Really cuts down on glare in the sunlight.

It's a shame that a new coil is having a problem, period. I used the LG30 yesterday and was noticing it also ran more quiet at higher sensitivity than the LG24. The legend definitely speaks a different language than the EQ800 or the XP ORX I have. I noticed some audible pops on certain targets in the yard. Granted, there is some iron but everything I dug yesterday were junky things. I do have a test bed in the back yard and it hit every single legitimate target. I really need to make another newer one. The battery went down to 2 bars. So about 5.5 hrs since charging. Not unusual though for a new battery to need a few discharge/charge cycles to reach full capacity. I'm liking the Legend, and look forward to seeing what it can do with a good LG24 when Nokta finally contacts me. I contacted who I bought the detector from. He was willing to do a coil swap, but there is no stock and no ETA from his source on when they will have more. Just taking a guess here- based on my experience over the years with electronics and such. I believe there is possibly a bad batch out there and I was just unlucky enough to get one. Things happen in production and on equipment in a production line. Often times something like this can happen and before they realize it, there are some weird/faulty units out in the wild. I get it.. But that doesn't mean I enjoy enduring such an event. LOL

Yes, there was nothing under there. I installed the LG30 coil and it is not having any problems like the LG24 is. I'm convinced the LG24 is bad. Now how long it will take for Nokta to respond and offer a solution remains to be seen. As stated above in response to another reply, I installed the new LG30 and it did not act erratically like the LG24. Based on the responses here from experienced users of the Legend and from what I've seen with this one, it's bad in my book and should be replaced. Only 4 hrs on the coil. The LG30 has about an hour on it now since my testing with it today. The LG30 was much more stable in all aspects vs. the LG24. That is kind of backwards but how it played out. There is no way the LG24 I have is "normal" or even "ok" after seeing how much more stable the larger LG30 was. I am concerned how Nokta will address this one. Ready to give them a chance, and I would hope they do the right thing.

Going to try the LG30 tomorrow. I've only had limited experience with it tonight in the house. And it did not seem to be anywhere close to the LG24 with the falsing. I could touch the LG30 coil all the way around and it did not false. Even tried gentle pressing on coil cover like I did the LG24, and the LG30 only chirped a single time. Sensitivity 10. This Legend came with the 1.11 firmware already installed. I'm wondering if a Factory reset would do anything about this situation.

I was running Park in M1. Also tried M3. Sensitivity was never ran higher than 16. Took down to as low as 10 and still noticed the falsing. I didn't do any coil scrubbing or come into contact with the ground on my sweeps. The only time that coil touched the ground was when the detector was being put down to dig a target. I did run across some weeds and of course got the blip-beep sound off. Sounded chatter for a second but this was out in someone's yard today, in the country. I had already done an auto noise cancel and ground balance. Tried putting the GB at Zero also but it didn't seem to act any differently. The ground I was hunting this evening seemed slightly sandy in spots. I also used it here at my house earlier. It was acting very similar with the touchy coil at home too. Not to say it didn't find things. I dug up a little 22LR bullet this evening. It wasn't very deep though. But shows the Legend is sensitive to small things. Sort of like my Equinox is.

Greetings everyone. I received my new Nokta Legend yesterday. I also purchased the LG24 coil with it. So immediately that coil was the one I installed and used. I'm having some odd falsing. Any time the coil comes into contact with something (small brush/ tall weeds) or when I sit it down to dig a target it flases/chirps. Turned the sensitivity all the way down to 10 and this still happens with abrupt movement or any type of bump to the coil. I have re-wrapped the coil cable on the shaft and checked connection twice now with no change. On a whim I decided to put the coil facing straight into the air and gently pressed around the coil. When I reached the Nokta sticker it did the falsing. So then I gently tapped the bottom of the coil cover with my finger and false again. No ring, watch, or anything else on at the time. Is this something that is "normal" with these Legend coils? It sure doesn't seem normal to me. I contacted who I purchased it form and he referred me to the Nokta USA support form. I filled it out. Has anyone else seen this problem? I'd hate to think I just bought this thing and it has a problem. Only 4 hrs use. Dry land, no water, and I'm not a coil scrubber. Not seen this with my other detectors, but did remember some of this in the past with a Teknetics T2 LTD with a Cors Shrew coil, just not this severe.

This is good info. Thanks to all who posted about this. I just received my Legend today. Not took it out yet for a hunt. I'm really impressed with the build quality. It looks and feels well designed. To be totally honest, I didn't expect it to be this nice. It's not a "cheap" detector but it is less $$$ than a new Equinox. And it is an awful lot less than a Deus 2 or manticore. Looking forward to trying this one out in the next few days if the wind and rain don't ruin it. This is my second Nokta/Makro detector. The first one was a Kruzer that turned out to be a defective dud. Can see that Nokta has changed a lot compared to that. Right now I'm totally fascinated with this Legend, there is nothing like the allure and mystery of a new detector. Happy Hunting

I hope it works out. I'm working towards getting a Legend. It seems fascinating enough to mess around with a while. Just what I need to get me back into dirt fishing. My poor Equinox 800 will just have to be jealous. Besides, me and that EQ800 have an understanding- The Legend will just be my side squeeze.

Hmm I've been away too long from the game. Work has consumed my life. It's time to head back out into the dirt, even if I have to crawl. It seems now is a good time to try a Legend and the Nel Snake coil. IF you can get your hands on one of the coils. Still have my XP ORX with X35 11" coil that has been sitting a long while(regularly charged). That may be what I try to sell to help fund a Legend and Nel Snake combo.