Search the Community

More than a few times, someone explained that it is not possible to balance the terrain manually in multifrequency, as it is certainly easier to do with mono. Unfortunately, I have to say that I was waiting for this feature in the new update, considering that on the Orx at the beach on wet sand, a dutiful 25/27 is ideal for quieting saline terrain. Strangely on the Deus2 I get a much more "loaded" balance, ranging between 79 and 87, when in contrast I get false signal on hot rocks and clay around 25/28... Can someone explain how to deal with this thing lowering at the best the G.B. ? I figured out to move the coil higher on the seafloor to capture a different grab, but it works relatively and never obtained a lower number than 70. What are we talking about if the proper setting is usually 25/28 for the wet/salt/sand?

This is a semi in the ground test on a 0.1 gram gold nugget for anyone that would like to use one of the "do it all" simultaneous multi frequency VLFs for gold prospecting. For the "fairness" police, please don't complain about coil sizes. The smallest coil available for Deus 2 is the 9" coil. So blame XP not me. XP include a simultaneous multi frequency "Gold Prospecting" mode on Deus 2. I would like to use it. This video shows why currently I will not use it. Video starts with checking the test area ground for targets, ground balancing, showing the target and how it is placed in the ground and then the test begins. Deus 2 uses customized FMF Goldfield and customized single frequency Mono program both with sensitivity on 95. I wanted to use the Hi Square audio, Pitch tones and the absolute zero discrimination for both programs along with a slight threshold. That is why I did not use stock default programs. All settings are as identical as I can make them except for the new Audio Filter feature which is on setting 1 for FMF Goldfield custom program 16 and it is on 0 for 40 kHz Mono custom program 15 which was an oversight failure on my part. I did retry it after making the video with FMF Goldfield custom program having Audio filter on 0. It made zero difference. Legend starts at 3:25 of the video. It uses its 6" coil with sensitivity on 23 in Gold Multi and Gold 40 kHz. Equinox 900 starts at 6:00 of the video. It uses its 6" coil with sensitivity on 23 in Gold 1 Multi and Gold 1 40 kHz. All settings are clearly shown in the video for each program being used on each detector. The ruler sticking up out of the ground behind the target is 5 cm high and the target itself is 2" deep or roughly another 5 cm deep. Legend and Equinox in the Gold Multi modes can hit this target 5 cm above the ground. They can hit it at 4 cm above the ground using single frequency 40 kHz. Deus 2 using its 40 kHz Mono program also hit this target at 4 cm above the ground. We could debate about whether Deus 2 in FMF Goldfield is actually hitting the target even with the coil bumping into the target holder. Deus 2's mineralization meter is between half and 3/4th full so moderate to high mineralization which all three detectors struggle with when ground balancing in selectable single frequency 40 kHz. This video is being sent to XP. I sent XP an email and they replied within 24 hours which I really appreciate. Thank You XP!!!!! This is the email exchange between me and XP: HI Jeff Thanks for this feedback. Yes you have right the 40khz of the DEUS II would perform very well if available also in the gold Field Program, as the mono frequencies from the DEUS II are more powerfull than DEUS 1. We will think to make this availabe in the next version. Regards XP TEAM Message : XP, thank you very much for the Deus ll software update version 1.0 and for making it Mac compatible. I am a gold prospector. I use VLF and Pulse Induction detectors. I use a VLF detector for detecting the smallest bits of gold in the 0.5 gram and much smaller size range. I have used Deus 1 and ORX for this. They work very well in their Gold modes. I would like to use Deus 2 for gold prospecting. However, even after updating to version 1.0, Deus 2 FMF Goldfield sensitivity to very small gold nuggets 0.5 gram and smaller down to 0.01 grams is extremely poor. Deus 2 Mono or Fast 40 outperform Deus 2 FMF Goldfield on these types of targets by up to 5cm. One of my test nuggets is 0.08 grams. It can only be detected using FMF Goldfield at 3cm. Fast 40 and Deus 2 Mono will easily detect this same small nugget at 8cm. Being able to use FMF technology in highly mineralized gold prospecting areas would be really beneficial. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, FMF Goldfield's insensitivity on small to very small bits of easily detectable gold using Deus 2 Mono is still very disappointing.

After snatching a couple of hours at the day off for a session, I'm back to pissed off today. The Bh-01 headset to which an earpiece had exploded was barely able to transfer sound even at volume 9. Eventually with a gentle current but a constant wave motion, I was forced to look at the screen to figure out what was going on under the coil. That said I am about to set about building a piezo headphone and end of story🙄. I kindly ask anyone who has already discussed this topic, to direct me to the post link for the male connector and positive/negative pole diagram. I saved screenshots a while back, but can't find the folder on my pc. Thank you all in advance🙏

Tough times for me lately to edit a whole video 🥲. Shorts seem to be the only way to hold and share the memory of a session. Here, the baptism of Deus2 🔥 Happy hunting to all of You! https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrXhZHQqDpU/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Had a three hour group hunt today with men and women from our Denver area metal detecting club at a local park. Screwdriver or probe hunting only by order of the city of Denver. I was using Deus 2, 9" coil Sensitive 5 tones, 95 sensitivity, discrimination 10, reactivity 2, silencer 0 audio response 4. Iron mineralization meter was 8 of 10 bars consistently. I was specifically looking for gold jewelry (skunked) silver jewelry (also skunked) silver coins, older coins and modern USA coins. I collected and threw away a lot of trash that I just picked up off the surface of the ground along with detecting and throwing away quite a bit of gold range can slaw. The 1919D Mercury dime was a full Teknetics Tek-Point deep so at least 9". So was the 1947 nickel and the wheat pennies. These targets were whispers but there were enough correct target IDs to dig. I think I could have found more silver coins but I got tired.

I rarely find anything worth posting here, but I think you might enjoy this. I have a standing permission at an old farm yard here in eastern Massachusetts. I've been over this particular spot six or eight times, and found a Barber dime just before the end of last season. So that's where I started last night. Deus II, Sens FT, square tones. Settings probably wouldn't have mattered as this signal was pretty clear – low eighties, fairly clear tone with a slight scratch on the outswing, and a bit of an unctuous warble. So a bottle cap, or more likely a big screw top from a liquor bottle. I dug it anyway because I wanted to clear the trash out and hopefully find more coins. It was very dark already, so when I flipped the sod, I could barely tell that I had a pocket watch or compass, so on I went. once I cleaned it off a bit at home, I explained to my son that this wasn't plated because there were no flakes coming off, but that silver sometimes comes out gold toned. At that point the back falls off. I got so excited about the inscription that I didn't read the case marks. So it took quite a while for me to realize that this was, in fact, a 14k gold watch!

I have heard some positive comments regarding target separation with the Manticore, especially in thick iron. Deus has traditionally had a great rep in this regard as well. Would like folks who have used both machines to weigh in on this aspect of performance. Please provide relative context for any observations or assertions including modes, settings (especially recovery speed/reactivity and audio settings), soil conditions, target types/composition, and ferrous/non-fertous trash density. Thanks. Since M-core is limited to the 11" coil let's keep the discussion constrained to 11" or 9" coil comparisons. Leaving Nox and Legend out of the discussion for now to keep things simple and because they both have smaller elliptical coil options available that just complicates apples to apples comparisons. Have at it... I don't have a Manticore so I will mostly stay on the sidelines unless general logic or technical facts discrepancies are noted or I have questions.

With a GPX leading the way marking bullets so that we could test...which VLF would you say did the best? T2 with stock coil. Deus2 with 9 inch coil and 11x13. MCore with 11 inch coil. All Metal modes on all 3 machines. Deepest bullet was 14 inches. Most were 8 to 10 inches. Take your best guesses and I'll do a write up later.

If you had to choose between these two units, the Deus II and Equinox 900, for coin/jewelry hunting in local parks with a medium mineralization, which would it be? I know there are various conditions to consider, but in general, I'm just talking about your typical U.S. park coin and jewelry hunting, while also looking for missed deep targets. Yes, there are several other units that could be considered, but only interested in opinions on these two. Thanks for your input...

Got my new Manticore Wednesday and headed immediately south to hunt a new Civil War permission. Cranked it up and headed out. Went about 20 yards and returned to the truck. It was a new permission. I decided I didn’t want to begin a new permission with an unfamiliar detector. I headed out instead with my D2 with the 11x13” coil. And never put it down. Across 2 days, I dug 100 bullets, several artillery fragments and sabot pieces (I know there’s a complete shell there), and various other relics. I said to myself, “I have 2 D2 remote controls and 2 coils that I know and love. Do I really want this Manticore right now?” So after not digging a target with it, I am leaning toward passing it on to someone else.

You just nicely summed up Daniel why most serious gold nugget prospectors have a PI. I agree on the F75 all metal also by the way - best VLF all metal mode I have ever used. If a person wants an alternative to PI at a low price and super ergonomic, they need look no farther than using a F75 in all metal mode. It won't handle hot rocks like a PI though so beware that. Few people have ever disputed that the Deus is the better dense trash hunter compared to Equinox, and looks like the Manticore vs Deus 2 story is playing out the same. Which kind of sucks for me as I'm not a fan of the XP system in general when it comes to menus and wireless coils. I prefer the Minelab wired coils and menu setup. Don't try to convince me otherwise - everyone has preferences and those are mine. But when it comes to performance and audio the XP and I get along just fine, and end of the day that's the way I swing.

This started out as *not* a battle between the two. The site I like to test detectors recently sold and I was finally able to get in touch with the new owners and re-acquire permission for it. I have about another yr before it gets turned into a housing development. What it is, is a practice range from the Civil War. There are minie balls everywhere on it...the problem is, they are in 4-5 bar dirt and on most every VLF machine they will read as iron. We figured this out years ago and it has just always been my place to test new detectors in a 150+ yr old test garden. I started out here with the Manticore. All Terrain General with Normal audio profile, 5 tones. Sens was at 25. Long press noise canceled and ground balanced...off I went. Observation number 1...it behaves a lot like the Equinox in hot dirt in that it is real chatty and falses a lot. I hunted with it quite a while and found 2 really shallow bullets and a whole lot of non digging time between them. I just wasn't locating signals 😕 My plan was to try and get back on the bullet site...and if that had failed, I was going to go down the road to a farm I have permission for, and hunt some iron patches with the D2 and 9 inch coil. After hunting about an hour with the Manticore, it dawned on me that I hadn't had the D2 at this place either and I might as well give it a try since I was there. I went back to the truck and got the D2 out. I went to the factory Relic program and bumped the disc up to 4. Ground balanced it and started swinging. Right out of the chute I noted it was very quiet. I probably didn't go 20 feet and had a really good 70s signal. Banger signal. Out came a bullet. Filled that hole...4 feet from it another 70s. Another bullet. Both of those were relatively shallow...4 inches or so. Then a few yards away, another great signal but a little weaker audio. Still 4 way repeating. At this point I walked to the truck and got the Manticore. I wanted to see what it would do on this signal. To my surprise it was crap. On the graph, it drew a smear up in the upper ferrous range and would occasionally blip about every other pass across it. So we had one machine saying non ferrous all the way...and one that was mostly sure it was iron. I dug and a mid depth bullet was in the bottom of the hole. By mid depth I mean from the tip of my Garrett pinpointer to the on/off button. I'm not sure the exact measurement of that but 6 inches would be a fair guesstimate. And this is how it went for the majority of the rest of the bullets I found. I tried different modes on the Manticore...the only way to locate and find the bullets with it, would be to hunt a totally open screen and dig EVERY THING. So in that regard...the Manticore *IMO*, falls into the lump of the vast majority of other VLF machines for hot dirt. Remember I said that it was "well rounded"...well that still holds true. It can do a lot of things pretty well...but hot dirt is not one of its strong suits. What is surprising to me is how well the D2 ran in it. I started in Relic mode but quickly found out that General mode hit them just as easy with a bit more pleasing audio. I did NOT dig any deep ones...about pinpointer deep was the deepest but I had several in that range. All were great signals and this being with the 9 inch coil is even more impressive. Right now...if you told me I could keep only one machine. I would keep the D2....despite hating that stupid antenna for hunting in water. The Manticore is well rounded...but the D2 has a bit more strengths in the types of hunting I do.

Hi everyone, my first post here! After reading hundreds of posts and watching YouTube videos online for the last 6 months I've decided to choose one of the following detectors: Legend, Deus 2 or the Manticore. I have very little experience in metaldetecting. The only experience I have is 4 months searching on the saltwater beach with a Makro Racer 2 in 2017. Unfortunately I had to stop and now 6 years later ready to start again. My biggest problem is that I can't visit a metal detecting dealer to see and feel the different models. The only place I'm going to metal detect is the saltwater beach looking for coins and jewelry. I don't plan to go in the water (waist, diving). I live about 8 minutes from the beach (by bike) so portability is important to me (backpack and go). These are the configurations I like with their corresponding prices: - Nokta Legend (WHP): 600 euro (nokta offer valid until march 31, 2023 or while supplies last) - XP Deus 2 (WSA2 + RC): 1450 euro - Minelab Manticore: 2000 euro As you can see the Deus 2 is 2.5x times more expensive than the Legend and the Manticore almost 3.5x times. Unfortunately no discounts are possible. If there are no differences between the three models for my situation (searching on the saltwater beach) then I'll look at the other criteria (weight, warranty etc.). If one of the detectors is better but cost 2x to 3x more then that's no problem. So price is not really a problem. Some specs I found online (mainly focused on weight and dimensions): Nokta Legend Weight: 1.4 kg / 3.0 lbs Collapsed Length: 63 cm / 25 inch (with coil?) Warranty: 3 year Headphones: Bluetooth aptX Low Latency XP Deus 2 Weight: - S-Telescopic + Remote + 9" coil = 865 g / 1.9 lbs - S-Telescopic + Remote + 11" coil = 990 g / 2.2 lbs - S-Telescopic lite + Remote + 9" coil = 800 g / 1.8 lbs - S-Telescopic lite + Remote + 11" coil = 925 g / 2.0 lbs Collapsed Length: 58 cm / 22.8 inch and 65 cm / 25.6 inch (equipped with a 9" coil) Warranty: 5 year Headphones: WSA2, WSA2 XL Minelab Manticore Weight: 1.3 kg / 2.9 lb Collapsed Length: 63 cm / 25 inch (with coil?) Warranty: 3 year Headphones: Minelab ML-105 Some positives and negatives: Nokta Legend: + price (much cheaper than the Deus 2 and Manticore) + Bluetooth aptX Low Latency headphones compatibility - weight (heaviest of the three) XP Deus 2: + weight (much lighter than the other three models) + 5 year warranty + choice for a small headphone (WSA2) + backpack 240 perfect fit for deus 2 (portability) - menu learning curve? Manticore: + color screen + navigating menu - only one headphone option Of course there are more pros and cons between these detectors and these can only be answered by people who own these detectors. I really want a high end detector (no vanquish, simplex etc..). Tips and suggestions are welcome!

This is a Manticore and Deus 2 side by side park hunt video in a northeast USA park where plenty of silver coins have been found by the detector users in the past using Etracs and CTX. There are several targets that show the Manticore display clearly before digging along with lots of good information. The only thing I wish they had done is have the detectors using external speaker audio. But this was in a public park and they were concentrating on the deepest targets where headphones are essential. No BS, no editorials, no implied bashing and most of all.....no drama. Just two outstanding detectors and two very experienced detector users hunting together with live digs.

Just a quick post about some weights for recently released detectors for those that want or need to pay attention to swing weight. I weighed all of these on the same scale. Your scale may give different results but the difference between different detectors should be close. All weights include coil covers. Deus 2 with 9" FMF coil, WS6 mounted on the shaft with the XP Neoprene shaft mount = 33.2 ounces Deus 2 with 9" FMF coil and full remote mounted on the shaft = 35 ounces Nox 900 with stock 6" coil and stock lower shaft = 37 ounces Nox 800 with stock 6" coil and Detector Innovations Tele-Knox shaft system 37.7 ounces Nox 900 with Coiltek 10X5" coil on the Detector Innovations 18mm Tele-Knox lower shaft which fits the Nox 900 shaft = 41.6 ounces Nox 900 with stock 11" coil and stock lower shaft = 44.1 ounces Legend with stock 6" coil = 45.5 ounces Legend with 10X5" LG24 coil is 46.1 ounces Nox 800 with stock 11" coil and Steve Goss one piece carbon fiber upper shaft (no counter weight) = 46.5 ounces Legend with stock 11" coil = 52.6 ounces

Hi everyone, I have had an XP Deus 1 (with 9'' x35 coil) for years and have been very happy with it. In my research area I have medium to highly mineralized volcanic soils (the deus mineralization bar is always half up, often full). Despite the mineralization, after having found the right settings, I have achieved good results. I have found most targets no more than 4-6 inches deep and therefore the Deus 1 is unable to go any deeper into these terrains. Now, I'm considering buying a Deus 2, in the hope that it will be able to penetrate mineralized soils more and therefore find other targets where I searched with the D1. Based on your experiences, is the D2 really more performing than the D1 on mineralized? Did you find other targets where you searched with the D1? Thanks for your help!

Someone in another thread mentioned the Manticore and 900 being used to slow down the amount of XP Deus IIs flying off the shelves. I'm not a dealer and maybe I'm bias, and don't keep up with all detectors, but has the D2 or Legend been flying off the shelves? I know a guy that bought both the Legend and the D2. A couple of more friends have the D2. I traded a detector for a Legend, but it has seen very little use. The guys I mention are really hard core and tend to have many detectors to begin with. I see more talk about the D2 than the Legend, but overall at least in my view neither of those detectors have had a major impact on the detecting scene. From what I have seen it's not like everyone and their brother felt they had to run out and buy one. The Legend is affordable. The D2 has a better reputation as state of the art, and is possibly the best over all detector out there at the moment. So am I wrong? Have either of these flown off the shelves? Have either made the impact they were supposed to make? I'm sure Minelab has had both the updated 700-900 and Manticore in the works for quite awhile. I guess they could have pushed them out to regain market share, but it would seem to me they are both normal roll outs that have been in the works for some time now.

Here is an interesting test of the Manticore vs the Deus II on a gold bar and a gold ring masked by two nails. Which machine is better at sniffing out the gold?

Had anyone seen these numbers that show up in the ID? I've seen P20 and a couple of others today. Mostly saw them when the detector was in an overload condition, but I think I saw them when it wasn't as well. 🤔 It's no big deal but I wonder if this has been discussed, I don't spend time looking at the id's much, and they are hard to photograph because they don't stay on the screen very long. They're also not always there. 👻

Looks like XP are improving things for Divers, they listen and act on it obviously, suitably impressed. S-Telescopic Dive Shaft DEUS II Dive Shaft: The first telescopic S-stem designed for divers! This Dive Shaft has all the advantages of the patented XP stems. The ergonomics have been studied by our research department in collaboration with divers. Instant storage and greater manoeuvrability than conventional stems. Specifications The handle is the same as the XP S-TELESCOPIC Lite handle. The lower stem support is monobloc and specific for this shaft. The stainless steel camlock pin holding the pressure plate is replaced by a plastic pin, to avoid being detected by the coil. This stem is 75 cm long when extended; 45 cm when collapsed. Weight 285 gr. On the holder a new connection point has been added to attach lanyard from remote control. This stem is also very convenient on land for children up to 1m20.

Being laid up after surgery for another 4 weeks I got bored and thought I would do some comparison air tests between the current big three SMF VLFs and the excellent XP ORX. So Deus 2, ORX, Legend and Equinox 800 were air tested outdoors in a low EMI environment using settings that I have used in moderate to high mineralization. These are not settings that will give the absolute best depth on these targets during an air test. So please don't suggest a reactivity of 0 or 1 for instance since that would be unrealistic in the areas I hunt. So would maxing out the Audio Response on Deus 2. I also can't do anything about the 6" vs 9" coil size discrepancy....... These are settings that actually work in the real world in tough gold prospecting areas where many of these smaller targets will actually give target IDs that are in the iron range or even at the very bottom of the iron range depending on depth. So think of them as conservative settings that can be pushed a little bit to gain an extra quarter of an inch. The simultaneous multi frequency setting on the Legend and Equinox will absolutely out perform the selectable single frequency settings on those two detectors as far as being able to ground balance better, handle hot rocks and magnetite better, and run more on the edge. It is just the opposite on Deus 2..........The ORX is a solid performer and does really well even though it is just selectable single frequency. Just for reference, I remember finding some of these nuggets with the ORX and with the Equinox 800. The depths those targets were found at were within .5" of these air test results. So think of these results as the best possible depths in mild soil using the selectable single frequency settings and subtract a bit for higher mineralization. As for the SMF results, they are very realistic even in high mineralization. XP Deus 2 Settings Goldfield: Square Wave VCO, disc IAR=0, Sensitivity =95, Iron Vol. =3, Reactivity =2 or 2.5, Audio Response =4, Threshold=6 Mono with Pitch Tone Square Wave: disc. =-6.4, Sensitivity =95, Frequency =45.4 kHz, Iron Vol.=3, Reactivity =2 or 2.5, Audio Response =4, Threshold=6 XP ORX Settings Fine Gold: PWM VCO, disc IAR=0, Sensitivity =95, Frequency = 54 kHz, Iron Vol. =On, Reactivity =2 or 2.5, Threshold =4 Nokta Legend Settings Goldfield: VCO, disc. =A for All targets accepted, Sensitivity =25, Frequency =Multi, Recovery Speed= 4 or 5, Iron Bias =1, Threshold =6 Goldfield: VCO, disc. =A for All targets accepted, Sensitivity = 25, Frequency = 40 kHz, Recovery Speed= 4 or 5, Iron Bias =1, Threshold= 6 Equinox 800 Settings Gold 2: VCO, disc.=All targets accepted, Sensitivity =20, Frequency=Multi, Recovery Speed =4 or 5, Iron Bias = F2 set at 0, Threshold =4 Gold 2: VCO, disc.= All targets accepted, Sensitivity =20, Frequency =40 kHz, Recovery Speed =4 or 5, Iron Bias= F2 set at 0, Threshold =4 I did test Equinox 800 in Park 2 with 2 tones set on Multi with the same settings for those that happen to have an Equinox 600. The results were very similar to Gold 2 Multi above minus .25 to .5" so as has been said by me and others, Park 2 and Field 2 are perfectly acceptable gold prospecting modes. US Mercury dime is for size reference.

(TL:DR) Dive program, discrim 0, sensitivity 88, salt sensitivity 8. Detector wont pick up small items. I've found multiple rings on the surface and it seems to struggle with chains and earrings. My Equinox picked up the same targets it is missing. Any ideas? Hi all, I've been using the Deus 2 for about 2 months and I've found plenty of gold jewellery in the sea, lots of coins and whatnot. The only problem is on the last few dives, I've actually picked up at least half of the gold rings from the surface or found them on accident. A small 18k band was found yesterday by chance as it was in the same hole as a 303 casing. A platinum/18ct "art Deco" 10 diamond ring was also found on the surface and the Deus barely made a sound when swung over it (it was a very wiry ring, pic below). I've also just simply spotted a few plain gold bands in the rocks. The issue is I feel like I'm missing a lot of targets, I would've 100% missed that platinum ring if I didn't see it on top. When I tested it on the equinox on Beach-2 it picked it up perfect at a solid 1. I've only found 1 chain and it was a very thick brass plate chain and it was a super faint scratchy signal @ 2-3" down. I spotted a 9ct oval shape earring in the rocks too which when swung over, didn't make a sound. I'm running Dive program, discrim 0, sensitivity 88, salt sensitivity 8. Could I be using the wrong modes or settings or something? As of now, the smallest thing I've really found are 5 cent coins or that single chain.

First let me mention I'm a total newbie (except playing with cheap "toy" metal detectors in my childhood). I want a good (or the best) all around detector, mostly for treasure hunting (finding old coins/jewelry and maybe some small gold nuggets if possible). I want to choose a detector that I can live with for many years without outgrowing or having to many technical issues with. I only want one, and I'm not planning in investing in another one for at least 8-10 years. I have read about all the models above and came up with these three as they seem to fit the bill. I actually went to a shop and tried the Equinox 800 and the Deus II. Ergonomically the Deus II felt way better than the Equinox 800, but the Equinox 800 seems easier to operate and maintain (magnetic charger, only one device to charge). Battery replacement when/if the battery goes bad is easy on the Equinox. Not so much on the Deus II. To me it seems a hassle to charge both the main unit and the coil. And it seems a little iffy to change battery in the coil (involving knife and glue). I don't know about the main unit. Is it possible to swap the battery in it by yourself? In many videos I have watched, the Deus II seems to react quicker and also have better depth than the Equinox 800. I am a bit confused now which one I should get. Then there's the upcoming Manticore (a little too pricy, but if it's that much better than any of the other two I'll still consider it). In the shop I actually got an offer to swap in the Equinox 800 for a Manticore when it becomes available without loosing too much money if I choose to upgrade. Didn't get that offer on the Deus II. To summarize it: Deus II: Pros: 1. It felt sooo good in the hand - like driving a fancy expensive car 2. Seems quicker, might go deeper? 3. User upgradable firmware adding modes and fixing things Cons: 1. I'm worried about the batteries life span and charging hassle 2. Doesn't seem to find as small objects as the Equinox? 3. Seems harder to configure if you're a newbie Equinox 800: Pros: 1. Easier to maintain. One magnetic cable to charge it. Nothing more. Easier to swap out the battery if it goes bad. 2. Better at finding smaller objects? 3. Easier to configure for a newbie? Cons: 1. After testing the Deus II, it didn't feel right in the hand. Like going from that fancy expensive car to an old used cheap car. 2. It's older tech than the Deus II I guess, might still be as good or better? 3. Read about leaking water and cracking at the charing port. Is this a real problem? And the Manticore isn't released yet, so I guess it's hard to know how it performs? Will it solve all the cons I've listed for the Equinox 800 and get some pros from the Deus II? So right now my choices are: 1. Get the Equinox 800 right now and play around with it for 1-2 months, getting a feel for it. If I like it I'll keep it. If not I'm upgrading to the Manticore and hoping it will be a better experience. 2. Get the Deus II and be stuck with it (not gonna even check out the Manticore as I won't get a good deal upgrading it). Which route should I go and why? Am I wrong about my pros/cons list?