Deus 2 V2 Vs. V0.71 (long)

[F350Platinum]

1 hour ago, UKD2User said:

It's very good to see some objectivity supporting what I already intuitively 'know' -  or perhaps you could just call it 'confirmation bias' (😁!).  I installed V2.0 as soon as it was available and would not go back to any other version.

I seem to remember reading Tom Dankowski, on his forum, suggesting - in a completely different context - that a certain amount of 'bump sensitivity' is a good thing.  I guess because it shows that the machine is working to the best of its capability.

Thanks UKD2,

I am only slightly aware of Mr. Dankowski, and that's only seeing mentions on this forum. 🤔 I've long followed my "own nose" so to speak. 😀

My goal here is simply to help dispel myths and give those who are on the fence about updating some firm ground to land on the other side 😅

There is no substitute for accurate documentation, but in the absence of that, speculation abounds, either good or bad. Putting some hard data behind speculation has put my mind at ease, since I've been doing a lot of speculating 😏

I'm not out to shame others into updating, there have been valid reasons not to, and I wish those users well.

Comparing my new custom programs to the old ones was really informative. XP went out of the way to make a good detector much better, but I haven't seen much to support it. I think that is primarily the reason others have not updated as it serves them well as is. My thought is fear that earlier versions may be dropped, but so far you can roll back to anything you want.

[phrunt]

I appreciate this sort of testing, and the information you provide on the Deus 2, it might be time I jumped the fence and gave one a go.  The tight target ID's are the thing that perked my ears, I don't care about its gold prospecting deficiencies as I rarely use a VLF now for gold and when I do I'm very well taken care of with my current rigs so all I care about is coins and jewellery for its purpose.

[Jeff McClendon]

35 minutes ago, phrunt said:

I appreciate this sort of testing, and the information you provide on the Deus 2, it might be time I jumped the fence and gave one a go.  The tight target ID's are the thing that perked my ears, I don't care about its gold prospecting deficiencies as I rarely use a VLF now for gold and when I do I'm very well taken care of with my current rigs so all I care about is coins and jewellery for its purpose.

Hi Simon, 

I just want to make this a clear as possible.

I complained loudly about Deus 2's Goldfield sensitivity deficiency for over a year. To my surprise, XP not only responded to my emails to them and the videos I sent them very cordially, but more importantly, they addressed that lack of sensitivity with the V2.0 software update.

At the moment my Deus 2 with 9" coil using the FMF Goldfield program is just as sensitive to small sub 0.25 gram gold as the modified Mono program running at 45.5 kHz which is the highest available single frequency setting in the Mono program. For the Mono program I lower discrimination to -6.4, use Pitch tones and a bit of threshold and otherwise use the same settings (Mono does not have Disc IAR) as FMF Goldfield. If there is a difference, I can't find it.

The only way that XP might improve Deus 2's gold prospecting performance is to offer Goldfield as a selectable single frequency option similar to how it is on Deus 1 and the ORX. Even then, the difference would be minimal.

I don't want others still thinking that FMF Goldfield is still messed up, hasn't been fixed or is lacking compared to Deus 1, the ORX or Deus 2 in its selectable single frequency Mono mode. It has been fixed, seriously.

Now, whether the entire Deus/Deus 2/ORX line of detectors is not as good at gold prospecting as some other versatile SMFs or dedicated gold prospecting VLFs.........that is another story and at least for me, is site dependent.

[phrunt]

Thanks Jeff, I'm more talking about very low end 0.0X and more importantly 0.00X gram size gold which in your tough soils are probably a bit out of the question, the 0.XX stuff is considered big gold to me 🙂 the really tiny stuff is the only reason I can really justify using a VLF these days and I find it really fun finding those micro specs, a real challenge.

Either way, it's great they've done such a good job improving it to make it a genuine all-purpose detector, I will add one to my arsenal in 2024 sometime when I get sick of trying to justify another detector I've recently purchased.  

It seems the general consensus is the Deus 2 has a very stable tight target ID and that's only improving, and that's what I want in a coin detector.

[Jeff McClendon]

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

Thanks Jeff, I'm more talking about very low end 0.0X and more importantly 0.00X gram size gold which in your tough soils are probably a bit out of the question, the 0.XX stuff is considered big gold to me 🙂 the really tiny stuff is the only reason I can really justify using a VLF these days and I find it really fun finding those micro specs, a real challenge.

Either way, it's great they've done such a good job improving it to make it a genuine all-purpose detector, I will add one to my arsenal in 2024 sometime when I get sick of trying to justify another detector I've recently purchased.  

It seems the general consensus is the Deus 2 has a very stable tight target ID and that's only improving, and that's what I want in a coin detector.

Deus 2, 9" coil FMF Goldfield will hit 0.01 gram nuggets now at 1.5 to 2" air test. Before v2.0 software it struggled to hit 0.1 gram nuggets at 2" air test.

Deus 2 with the 13X11" coil has made all the difference for me as far as hitting deeper silver US dimes which are 18 mm, 2.5 gram coins. With that coil it is beating the Manticore with 11" coil by an inch on in ground wild targets. Target IDs really are very stable but that is after doing a ground balance at least in the dirt around here. So, target IDs can vary one or two numbers from day to day depending on ground conditions. That has been going on since the original software version so I am use to it.

I really no longer have anything bad to say about Deus 2 aside from the water antenna and the design build which marries a remote that is too bulky and heavy for the shaft system connection point that was not much of an issue with Deus 1 and the ORX with their smaller and lighter remotes. My Deus 2 remote is constantly falling off and the shaft cam locks are already getting loose and the entire detector is ridiculously unstable when on the ground and is constantly falling over. You already know this since you own a Deus. So, great performing detector that needs a thoughtful shaft upgrade/

[phrunt]

Thanks Jeff, the Deus 1 shaft has to be one of the biggest failures of all time when it comes to shafts, if not the biggest so to see they carried that over to the Deus 2 doesn't give a lot of confidence, but then again it appears to simple things often get forgotten by metal detector manufacturers of all flavours in pursuit of performance so falling over detectors and twisting shafts are part and parcel of a modern detector.  One's slogan is performance is everything, and it truly appears they don't care about anything else 🙂  The Deus shaft should be great, all fantastic with one fatal flaw that really makes no sense they could make that mistake

I don't measure targets by the centimetre, millimetre or less accurately inch as American's do, I measure by my own rules which include shallow, OK and deep, I'm not near as accurate as you are with my targets, some detectors surprise me with depth, others don't, some surprise me with sensitivity, others don't.  I really have no idea of any accuracy of targets I dig and in no way can I dig a hole to accurately determine depth especially when using a pick gold detecting in rock hard ground nor do I want to spend the time doing so, I just know sometimes I'm happy with detectors and their depth, or their sensitivity, and other times I'm disappointed.

Plenty of people I know have no motive such as yourself and F350 like the Deus 2 and are happy with it, and that's good enough for me.  I'll give one a try.  I wasn't overly impressed with the Deus 1 but I also understand the differences environments can bring so I just have to accept it may not suit me or my needs but it clearly was a popular hit with others with their needs and ground type, and targets available to them.  

The funny thing with detectors it's often not that people are wrong with their opinions, they're solid as a rock right in their ground, put them somewhere else in the world and they would be shocked, what they thought was absolute fact suddenly becomes questionable.  I will never say someone is wrong with their opinions on detectors as unless I'm in their shoes I can't possibly know.  

I just take all trusted opinions and average them out and hope for the best 🙂

[F350Platinum]

4 hours ago, phrunt said:

I appreciate this sort of testing, and the information you provide on the Deus 2, it might be time I jumped the fence and gave one a go.  The tight target ID's are the thing that perked my ears, I don't care about its gold prospecting deficiencies as I rarely use a VLF now for gold and when I do I'm very well taken care of with my current rigs so all I care about is coins and jewellery for its purpose.

Thanks, I appreciate the nod. 🙂

I've dug 2 gold rings now over a year in massive expanse of farm, the first on V0.71 and the second small one on V2. I've also found a couple in brackish water with some black sand and other minerals when I decided to get serious and put the waders on.

Each one caused an unquestionable and solid response. I wish I could describe it. It's no accident I found them because they were there. 😏

If I get a faint 89/90 while on the beach, I am 90% certain I am going to dig a US clad dime at anywhere from 6" to 12" deep. 91 to 93 and it's going to be a US clad Quarter. I have found probably 30 or more this past year. 94 and up is a toy 🤣, but I've seen this response for larger silver coins too.

The best and probably sometimes frustrating setting on the Deus 2 is Audio Response, they widened this parameter for V2. As a low setting it will indicate depth, and as a high setting it will increase the volume of a deep target. It can also increase EMI sensitivity, it's a value that commands attention from time to time.

From my perspective having a detector that is reliably waterproof is a bonus, and I have used the WS6 in water as well. Some of the best "rural engineering" is well documented here on DP Forum. 🙂

I do not mind switching the detector from "relic mode" in the fall to "water mode" in the summer. That's how my year is. A couple zip ties and off I go, they get clipped off in the fall.

Since I purchased the machine I have knocked the remote off maybe twice, and since I bought custom remote locking devices and a custom shaft from SteveG, I have little to no problem with the detector falling over or rolling down a beach slope even with the 13" elliptical on it, or remote issues if I'm careful to attach it properly and leave it on when charging. When an attachment knob or shaft lock wears out, I'm ready with spares. They are cheap and plentiful. 

I'm aware you are in New Zealand so some aftermarket items and replacement parts may be hard or costly for you to get.

I don't do any prospecting nor generally care about tiny stuff, but Colonel Dan has reinforced my claims about that. 😀

I'm hoping my test will influence a  depth investigation, personally I prefer to be out looking for real stuff in real places, and mostly finding as much as I can is a bit more fun than disciplined documentation. 🙄

[palzynski]

2 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Deus 2 with the 13X11" coil has made all the difference for me as far as hitting deeper silver US dimes which are 18 mm, 2.5 gram coins.

HI Jeff 

Thanks for all your infos . Did you notice a depth performance improvement between the 13X11 and the 11 on coin sized targets ( I mean between 2 and 10g ) ?  Thanks ...

[F350Platinum]

2 hours ago, palzynski said:

HI Jeff 

Thanks for all your infos . Did you notice a depth performance improvement between the 13X11 and the 11 on coin sized targets ( I mean between 2 and 10g ) ?  Thanks ...

@palzynski,

I hope I'm not misunderstanding your question for Jeff above and hope he will answer.

I've had the 13x11 coil since it first came to the USA, I was literally one of the first to use it. I bought the 11" while waiting, didn't like it much then, and honestly save for it being a blessing while recovering from a shoulder dislocation, I still don't like the 11". It allowed me to stay out there longer and stays a bit more rigid on the SteveG shaft coil yoke, but that's where it ends.

Who knows, I may have bought a defective 11", it finds stuff just fine and is slightly more accurate locating a target, but it is characteristically not as good as the 13x11".

I can say with almost complete certainty that the 11" gives false high tones on iron far more than the 13x11. I will also assert that the 13x11 separates targets much better than the 11". I'm not a scientist so I can't tell you why. Again it could be that I have a defective 11" coil, but I'm seeing this posted more lately now that others have invested in the 13x11.

Depending upon how I have audio response adjusted, I've hit US dimes (17.91mm) at depths that seem ridiculous for a VLF, 5 scoops or more on the beach which is about as deep as I want to dig. In the field my 11" long Ranger digger takes a big plug out, and I've found them in the bottom of the hole.

If I recall posts from engineers regarding coil size and shape with respect to depth, I believe there is a "sweet spot" in coil size and shape where depth is at maximum and my results in the field and beach tell me that other than the Xtrem Hunter, XP isn't going to give us another coil. 🤣

Were I to do it all over, I'd have just the 9" and the 13x11", I'm keeping the 11" as a backup if I forget to charge the larger coil and often bring it with me on another lower to use if I get tired. At US $400 each no matter the size, the 13x11 is the best value for the money if you already have the 9".

[palzynski]

Thanks a lot F350 , no youre not misunderstanding my question , everyone is welcome to answer ..

If I understand well the 13X11 goes deeper than the 11 . Then I might have a try with it and see how it goes ... My only concern is its weight ( 570g ), but I will use it only during short outings on small areas and swap to the 9 when I am tired ... 

I just remembered a previous thread  Thoughts On The 13x11 Coil? - Page 3 - XP Deus II Forum - DetectorProspector.com , very interesting ...