XP Deus 2 With 9" Coil Vs Manticore With M8 Coil

[GB_Amateur]

On 2/20/2024 at 12:13 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

So yeah Hugh while I am more comfortable with Minelab the fact is I may have to be an old dog learning new XP tricks. I am at a point where I want to pick one machine and be as expert as I can be with it as opposed to bouncing between two.

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

It’s the easy answer in these forums - just own both. That however is of no help to the large number of people for whom these are expensive investments of money needed to pay bills. Or who don’t want 6 detectors cluttering up the place.

Between the two posts you've detailed three reasons:  learning time, cost, and storage.  In my case #1 drove me to the Manticore over the Deus 2.  But, always trying to be open-minded, I'm not sure I made the right choice.  Still, I learned from the Equinox that, for me, it takes a long time to really get familiar with a new (complicated) detector.  I haven't seen any world beater performance with the Manticore yet, but I don't expect that.  Every other time I take it out it gets a bit more comfortable (mentally, that is).  I expect that to continue.

[Skull diver]

I will follow this post carefully.

Although I don't yet own a Manticore, after a year and a half using the Deus 2 with 9" coil, although it is an effective and sensitive tool on really thin pieces, I am extremely displeased with the much scattered concentration of low conductors IDs.

I won't add anything else and I don't want to polemic, but if a solution doesn't come in a future update, I will sell the Deus 2 for a Manticore, even at the expense of lower detection depth and lower resistance in immersion depth.

[stupot]

Greetings from England!

This is actually a very, very difficult topic to reply to - hence my late entry!  It just boils down to personal preference. Unless you have two highly experienced operators checking together, preference is all we have.

The Deus 1 I ran for 10 years & used both the HF coils when they became available, it changed it remarkably for the better. I detect mostly on arable land & the coast looking for older items. On the shore, the 10x5 D1 coil was excellent in dryer stony but heavy iron spots. Industrial rivers & beaches where big iron, bars, chunks, chain occur - a lot of iron. Not particularly 'holiday' beaches. Outside of that I had the Eqx with the 10x5 coiltek (superb) These two covered everything for me at the time.

We always wanted a MF Deus & we finally got one. Initially, they only had 11" coils available, but a few months later the 9" arrived. This was like night from day for me personally, I took the D2 to the worst spots I had a cleaned up on & did even better. The D2 has the right facilities on the detector to control the responses from old iron like silencer, bottle cap & recovery etc etc. HiSq became my standard hunting audio after years of PWM. I only hunt audio whichever machine I have. Speed is of the essence on the coast & I won't waste time looking at its display. So the 9" got full marks easily.

The Manti replaced my 5 year old 800 & I used it a lot on fields looking for ancient items. When the M8 coil finally arrived, I quickly got one and used it on the places I took the D2 with the 9" on the coast. That is now my favourite buy why?

Working exactly the same spot as I did with the D2, I can make some observations but thats all they are unfortunately. In spots of big iron I always move as much as I can from the surface in this spot. I very carefully 'paint' the area as if painting with a 2" brush. Carefully & very slowly going at it from all angles - the MOST important factor I think. I did take my old Compass XP Pro there & also did very well! and why not? a great old machine with a CONCENTRIC coil....This is now 2 years of pummeling the same 50 yard square area. The d2 found a massive amount of stuff there, mostly coinage & related type items. The M8 has done me extremely well in the same spot, I was a little surprised but I know the Manti for me, responds better to small to very small non-ferrous items with its audio. That's NOT to say the D2 wouldn't detect them.

All I can say is that i'm finding more smaller items (as well as plenty of bigger) than I did before with the d2. But, the amount is consistently higher quite easily. However, an obvious answer is that I have already taken out a lot of other stuff making it easier for the M8. But, I don't think so as the last three trips still yielded 150 old coins with the M8. Easy ones for the D2 as well, but in amongst that, are these smaller less conductive pieces consistently more than I found pre-M8. I do feel its footprint is a big part of the answer, but obviously the Manti itself I feel can respond better to tiny collectable items so that's included as well.

But the D2 is always, always, my first choice to get in quick & clear out at the fastest possible rate.

I think the end result is that the factors are:

1. The operator & their technique

2. The site

3. The detector (very last)

[Jeff McClendon]

Here are semi realistic direct comparison results for small gold nuggets and a USA nickel test of Deus 2 9" coil versus Manticore M8 coil.

Deus 2 version 2.0 FMF Goldfield, Disc IAR 0, Sensitivity 95 of 99*****please note*****, reactivity 2, audio response 3, threshold 4.

Manticore Goldfield Multi, Prospecting audio, no discrimination, Sensitivity 20 of 35 ******please note***** recovery speed 4, threshold 4.

I used a pair of Nokta Legend headphones and a wired audio cable with both detectors. EMI was an issue. 

I used a 0.05 gram nugget and a 0.15 gram nugget under 1" of moderately to highly iron mineralized Arizona gold field dirt. This dirt's magnetite mineralization almost filled up the Deus 2 iron mineralization meter. 

I used a 0.25 gram nugget under 3" of the same dirt.

I used a 5 gram USA modern nickel under 4" of the same dirt

Any depths reported beyond those were "air gap" depths swinging the coils an inch or a few inches above the top surface of the dirt.

 

 

Here are the results of each detector giving 2 way hits.

0.05 gram nugget under 1" of AZ dirt no air gap:         Deus 2 Good 2 way hits. Manticore Good 2 way hits

0.05 gram nugget under 1" of AZ dirt and 1" air gap:   Deus 2 No response.       Manticore Good 2 way hits

0.15 gram nugget under 1" of AZ dirt and 1" air gap:    Deus 2 Good 2 way hits. Manticore Good 2 way hits

0.15 gram nugget under 1" of AZ dirt and 2" air gap:   Deus 2 Weak 2 way hits.  Manticore Good 2 way hits

0.25 gram nugget under 3" of AZ dirt  no air gap:        Deus 2 Good 2 way hits. Manticore Good 2 way hits

0.25 gram nugget under 3" of AZ dirt and 1" air gap:   Deus 2 No response.       Manticore Good 2 way hits

0.25 gram nugget under 3" of AZ dirt & 1.5" air gap:    Deus 2 No response.       Manticore Weak 2 way hits

5 gram US nickel under 4 " of AZ dirt no air gap:       Deus 2 Good 2 way ID 62. Manticore Good 2 way ID 26

Those target IDs were correct.

5 gram US nickel under 4" of AZ dirt and 2" air gap: Deus 2 Fair 2 way ID 00.    Manticore Good 2 way ID 26

Manticore target ID correct.

5 gram US nickel under 4" of AZ dirt and 5" air gap: Deus 2 Weak 2 way no ID: Manticore Weak 2 way ID 56 

[Skull diver]

2 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

5 gram US nickel under 4" of AZ dirt and 5" air gap: Deus 2 Weak 2 way no ID: Manticore Weak 2 way ID 56 

This figure makes me think a lot about the allocation difference between the two...

Thank you!

[ColonelDan]

On 2/20/2024 at 12:13 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

I am at a point where I want to pick one machine and be as expert as I can be with it as opposed to bouncing between two.

Steve,  I came to that very same conclusion many moons ago.  I am totally focused on the Deus 2 and don't even read about or consider other well known/ excellent machines....this from a former Minelab devotee for decades.  

At 77, the brain hard drive can only store so much.  I admit that at one time, in my youth, I had an extreme curiosity linked to a photographic mind.  However, that photographic mind has long since run out of film!   😂