What Influences Your New Detector Purchase?

[markinswpa]

Tim although only recently joined  I have followed this forum for a while now and find the info quite helpful. The forums are the closest I get to social media so they do help when considering what products I will purchase.

My latest purchase, The Equinox 900 in early December came I think as natural progression from the 800 which I had been using for almost the last 5 yrs. It seemed to address all of the short comings that people complained of.  The build quality issue was definitely laid to rest. The expanded Id range which many ask for gave promise to better target Id. IMO it has not. One of my main gripes with the 800 when I first started using was its inability to tell a penny from a dime. I hunt alot of yards and at times would like to be more discreet about what signals I dig. In air tests it Ids fine but in my crazy soil all bets are off and often deeper pennies whether they be Ihps ,wheats or memorials will come in the 90s as does all the silver. This too happened with the 800. And it seems the other current SMF machines on the market have trouble in this area as well. I mean telling a penny from a dime. Without going into too much more detail overall I like the 900 and feel it could use a tweak or two which I believe Minelab is working on.

I had preordered a Manticore but when my dealer called the first week of Jan. I passed. The proprietary headphones is a real sticker with me,on the 900 as well, the falsing, and some of the reports I read were not all that impressive. Other than the long noise cancel I think the 900 is just as good as the Manticore.  I may give one a try in the future, Undecided.

Like you the Legend has my attention. After a dismal rollout and some preliminary issues Nokta has really done a great job on PR and updates and to give the customer what he or she wants. These days you are hard pressed to find any negative posts about it and it seems to have found its place among the SMF machines.  Strongly considering one.

 The D 2 with its latest update seems to have addressed alot of its user's concerns. I had also preordered the D 2 but the vague warranty wording, the uncomfortable backphones, the flimsy shaft and the fact you needed to tether the remote to the shaft to keep from loosing it were all issues that soured me, not to mention charging coils sounded like a real pain. And a way too in depth navigation menu, at least for me anyway,, do you want to hunt or spend all day changing settings or do you want to hunt. And if you forget to save the settings your screwed. You have to start all over the next time. And on that note after adjusting and readjusting how do you know you've got it right. and each site is different. I guess thats fine for the guy who likes to tinker but I would rather spend the time with a machine with a few simple adjustments has me finding stuff. Of the last three this one would be my least likely purchase. Again this is from reports I have read on the forums.

One more thing Youtube, although overun with videos these days back in 2016 when I was considering a Deus or an Etrac it did help me decide on which one to purchase. The reports from the forums on both were very impressive but it was a Youtube video that helped me decide. When I heard the tones on the Deus, sounded like a strangled chicken or a bug that needed swatted I knew I would not be happy hunting with that machine. 

Anyway, my thoughts. Mark

[Jeff McClendon]

Because of where I live and detect most often, the first things I look for when researching a VLF detector model are: can it effectively detect in moderate to high mineralization and at saltwater beaches with accurate target IDs and plenty of useable depth, will it detect a wide range of target conductivity and size and specifically can it easily hit really small targets like sub 0.5 gram and smaller micro jewelry and gold nuggets, does it have fast recovery speed and good target separation, does it have wireless audio, is it waterproof, is it easy to takedown and backpack and is it over or under 3 lbs. 

I have cycled through so many VLF detectors to arrive at a few that can do those things that I have lost count of the ones that I have actually tried which can't. 

The ones I own at the moment: Deus 2, Legend, Equinox 900 and Equinox 800, meet most of those requirements pretty well.

[Daniel Tn]

I'm a sucker for new tech.  That's what usually does it for me.  Other users don't usually influence my decision.  I have to see for myself if a machine fits the bill or not. Most of the time, a machine I don't like gets sent down the road to someone else.  The trouble I've often had with lesser known name brands is, you get stuck with them unless you give them away. That's what always has me hesitant about Nokta stuff...You'd best hope you love the machine you get, because chances are you are going to have a tough time reselling it. I've got that Legend package in the classifieds now and not even had an inquiry or offer for it...and that's exactly what I mean.  

[bigtim1973]

12 hours ago, Daniel Tn said:

I'm a sucker for new tech.  That's what usually does it for me.  Other users don't usually influence my decision.  I have to see for myself if a machine fits the bill or not. Most of the time, a machine I don't like gets sent down the road to someone else.  The trouble I've often had with lesser known name brands is, you get stuck with them unless you give them away. That's what always has me hesitant about Nokta stuff...You'd best hope you love the machine you get, because chances are you are going to have a tough time reselling it. I've got that Legend package in the classifieds now and not even had an inquiry or offer for it...and that's exactly what I mean.  

Yeah and I saw that right after I pulled the trigger on a legend the day before you posted yours for sale. Just bad timing. I think its a good unit too. 

[dave_e]

2 things influence my purchases...

Will it fit well, or fill a void, with my other detectors.

Is it enjoyable to use.

[mh9162013]

I primarily consider whether or not I will enjoy using it.This encompasses everything from performance to ergonomics to the ability to tinker with it. Yes, performance is important, but I like machines that allow me to tinker and experiment by adding accessories/tweaks or experiment with different batteries.

 

[Rattlehead]

I read up on the specs & features. If it appears to offer at least a few new things that sound promising, I usually just can't resist the urge to buy it and try it. I'm a sucker for shiny new gear. Anyway, once I get it, I put a whole bunch of hours on it to see if I like it as much or more than the detector I was previously using. If it doesn't offer something that I can't get from my other detectors, I just sell it and cut my loses. I then put that money back in savings and wait for the next latest greatest thing to be released. Yeah, I'm out a few hundred bucks, but at least I've scratched the itch.