Nokta Legend Beast Mode Vs Minelab Manticore - Depth Test

[RobNC]

5 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Iffy (Mike) and many posters are hung up on the target IDs produced by Beast mode and the strange tones.

The Deep Target feature is the “beastly” feature that I will be using the most from the 1.14 Beta versions. 

Totally agree with you on that. The Deep Target ID feature is perhaps the most useful thing from 1.14

That Beast mode is just not for me. I don't see any real world application of it for myself. Why in the world would I want even more instability and guesswork from a detector I'm trying to get more stable dependable operation from? It is rare if I can run sensitivity up to 22 around here. The Black Beard pirate in the Nokta video had the thing cranked to 30. Just not realistic use for me.

[RobNC]

7 minutes ago, phrunt said:

Can it catch it up to the Manticore for depth though as this video makes it look terrible by comparison, seems a lot of messing around when you have other detectors that natively hit the same depth without doing anything, especially switching into a tricky to access mode to check a target? whenever you get a suspect deep target.

I read a lot of people saying the Legend is a bit of an 8" max detector and many comment on it's not very deep compared to others, the same thing I found with my Simplex and a guy I know in NZ sold his for that very reason, although that was very early on in the firmware updates, he didn't give it much of a chance.

The Deep Target feature sounds more viable to use than Beast mode.  I think the naming of that was a poor choice as it makes it sound like it's something super powerful and perhaps got people's expectations too high.

"seems a lot of messing around". Agreed. But the Nokta Pirate Dude was seemingly enjoying it.  *shrugs* LOL

"I read a lot of people saying the Legend is a bit of an 8" max detector and many comment on it's not very deep compared to others" Well, depends on what the target is I guess. I've already found a coin down in excess of 8 inches. However it was in wood chip tot lot, not dirt and it was very wet in the bottom. Realistically though 8" would be deeper than I want to dig in this red clay rock soil. If it will do that consistently.

Phrunt I am totally in agreement with you on the Deep Target feature. I also think they should have renamed it to something more fitting like "Target ID boost" instead. It makes more sense. Heck this should have been in there a few versions back as an option.

In my humble and odd opinion I believe Nokta realizes the Legend is falling behind a little bit versus more expensive detectors like the Manticore and Deus 2. But hey, that is OK. How can anyone that is reasonable expect a lower $$$ detector to operate like a $$$$ detector?  I sure don't expect that. But I do expect it to be stable and would love to see the Target ID's tightened up even more. Refinement, not more power. More power isn't worth a poop if you can't use it due to instability and distracting chatter/false signals. Clean up the processing of signals, refine it. It will be even more of a formidable detector against others. Power alone is worthless, but separation and better processing/discrimination would be in my book GOLDEN.

Look at the Minelab Xterra Pro. It's a freaking beast power wise from what I've seen. But it is so crude in processing the signal the detector is crippled. The Target ID should have been a screen showing ?? instead of numbers. I don't hate it, but it is certainly a beep/dig detector. If you want to dig every signal that is the detector to get.

[RobNC]

On 4/20/2024 at 7:58 AM, palzynski said:

Very interesting and a little surprising , it looks like from the 2 videos that the Versa is the winner of the test with a clean and clear signal on the Mercury at 10inches ..  While the Manticore signal is weaker and a little scratchy and the Legend behind the 2 others .

Of course it is just one test and this needs to be confirmed with other targets , for example bigger coins like a 10g coin for example ...

Hi Slavomir , you have tested the Versa , do you confirm this depth difference between the Versa and other detectors ? thx

From what I've viewed on the Versa, it is one heck of a detector. It seems to offer excellent performance. The problem though? it would cost an arm and a leg to get one over here across the pond. I really wish they would make it more readily available in the USA. They would sell a lot of them. It is a VERY interesting piece of equipment.

For what it is worth, my hard line in the sand on detector cost is $900 US Dollars. For that amount of money it best do everything except dig the target. Yep, I know that is unrealistic but just how I am.

[Zaj56]

I have been using BM a lot and am really starting to like it for relic hunting. It is really easy to tell the difference between ferrous and non ferrous targets from the sounds the machine is making. There is very little falsing unless there is a very large iron object in the ground and I can tell immediately when that is the case. As far as the Nokta guy using full sensitivity I have found that I normally run my sensitivity at 20 to keep the chatter down in Park and Field...I am using 28,29, or even 30 with no chatter. This seems to make the machine feel more powerful. The only downside for me is that while relic hunting I usually dig up all good signals and I am digging up a lot more  deeper nails and spikes. Again..this is for relic hunting as I have not done any coin hunting in this mode.

[Jeff McClendon]

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Can it catch it up to the Manticore for depth though as this video makes it look terrible by comparison, seems a lot of messing around when you have other detectors that natively hit the same depth without doing anything, especially switching into a tricky to access mode to check a target? whenever you get a suspect deep target.

I read a lot of people saying the Legend is a bit of an 8" max detector and many comment on it's not very deep compared to others, the same thing I found with my Simplex and a guy I know in NZ sold his for that very reason, although that was very early on in the firmware updates, he didn't give it much of a chance.

At least where I detect, the Legend if setup for the ground conditions can hit and identify 10" coin sized targets no matter what conductivity they are. Much deeper than that and the targets (similar to the Nox 600/800) start to sound like iron. The Deep Target feature just released in V1.14 may help with that. 

My Manticore will also tend towards iron in the higher iron mineralized dirt that I hunt in especially on lower and mid conductive coin sized targets at around 10". Anyone just getting 8" max using their Legend must be hunting with iron rejected and with the iron filter on the default 8 setting, one of the smaller coils and/or they have the worst dirt on the planet.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Every time I think I'll jump onboard and buy one I read stuff that puts me off!  Although as soon as I can get my hands on a Nel Snake for it I'll buy it regardless for a waterproof creek gold detector, albeit second hand as even though we are a tiny market they're regularly available second hand, usually they're on multiple owners though.

There are lots of absolute newbies to detecting giving their opinions about the Legend on Facebook and even making YouTube videos. Some of what they are saying is leaking onto the forums. They obviously don't know much about detecting yet, especially deep target detecting and I disregard most of what they are claiming.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

The Deep Target feature sounds more viable to use than Beast mode.  I think the naming of that was a poor choice as it makes it sound like it's something super powerful and perhaps got people's expectations too high.

I like the name for the Deep Target feature. For me it really helps to clean up the iron/not iron choice on 8 to 10" deep ferrous and non-ferrous targets if I keep the setting on 2.  In testing on 8" test garden coin sized targets and on actual 8" deep wild targets it has worked great. So far, I have gotten more information and cleaner hits using it on those targets than the Manticore gives me in ATG All Metal using 5 tones, in places where I really need good information. 

[Jeff McClendon]

1 hour ago, RobNC said:

Totally agree with you on that. The Deep Target ID feature is perhaps the most useful thing from 1.14

That Beast mode is just not for me. I don't see any real world application of it for myself. Why in the world would I want even more instability and guesswork from a detector I'm trying to get more stable dependable operation from? It is rare if I can run sensitivity up to 22 around here. The Black Beard pirate in the Nokta video had the thing cranked to 30. Just not realistic use for me.

I have not found Beast Mode to be unstable. I don't find the Legend in general to be unstable either. It is well behaved for me as long as I do a noise cancel, properly ground balance it and don't go much over a sensitivity setting of 25 and if I make sure to take the target IDs for border line deep and for surface targets with the coil actually centered over the target.  

I can see Beast Mode being a very good tool for double checking areas where deeper relic and coin sized objects may be lurking as long as there aren't any buried utility lines in the same area. So, rural areas with open fields or woods with little to no infrastructure build up. I can easily see me or someone less experienced going after electrical, gas and water line/sprinkler systems using Beast Mode if they use it in the wrong area.

[Jeff McClendon]

Anyone expecting the Legend to beat out the Manticore with both running maxed out sensitivity (if that is even possible) is going to be disappointed and also probably needs to really take a good dose of reality with their next aspirin dose.

For me anyway, the Legend is an improvement on the Equinox 800 and matches or exceeds it at most locations aside from Midalake's saltwater beaches. Expecting anymore from it is just fantasy.

[EL NINO77]

On 4/20/2024 at 1:58 PM, palzynski said:

Very interesting and a little surprising , it looks like from the 2 videos that the Versa is the winner of the test with a clean and clear signal on the Mercury at 10inches ..  While the Manticore signal is weaker and a little scratchy and the Legend behind the 2 others .

Of course it is just one test and this needs to be confirmed with other targets , for example bigger coins like a 10g coin for example ...

Hi Slavomir , you have tested the Versa , do you confirm this depth difference between the Versa and other detectors ? thx

If I were to compare the Rutus VERSA with other detectors... it has a really good performance on highly conductive targets...,, on medium conductive targets as well,,, and on low conductive targets it has a performance .. which can really exceed the best detectors on the market...... regardless of the price class...

 

[JCR]

 What EL NINO just stated for me too.  The Legend is an excellent all around detector. Very deep and accurate if set up & used correctly. Where it falls short for me is on deeper targets in my mineralized red dirt. The V1.14 Dt adjustment helps significantly. The Be mode also, but Dt is more practical for me unless the ground is very clean & I am only searching for deep larger relics.    
 Because I have the Versa, it will be my primary unit for deeper targets on my red dirt sites both with and without iron. I will still use the Legend with the LG 35/13” coil too. On low mineral sites set up right with the big coil & using Dt it can be deeper than the Versa on some targets. I’m glad to have both rigs.

[RobNC]

On 4/21/2024 at 4:20 PM, EL NINO77 said:

If I were to compare the Rutus VERSA with other detectors... it has a really good performance on highly conductive targets...,, on medium conductive targets as well,,, and on low conductive targets it has a performance .. which can really exceed the best detectors on the market...... regardless of the price class...

 

Hey Sir.. You're just making it worse on me with this Rutus Versa lust condition I've developed. That thing is awesome!  Only negatives are price, availability, and a small-ish screen. If the videos can be trusted on its seemingly supernatural ability to separate, it's a real gem of a detector. That right there is what I've always looked for and never found.

Sadly, like most things it may look good but you never know until it is in your hands. Will you mesh with it, understand it, like the feel, the sound, etc. So many things come into play. Youtube can sometimes be a terrible influence.

I remember a long time ago I got my hands on a new Minelab Explorer S. I never found a single coin with that thing. It just didn't make any sense to me how it worked, and all the flute music really threw my mind for a flip. It was a somewhat heavy detector too but I was younger then and could swing it with no problem. Due to its cost I really didn't want to use it for fear of tearing it up. So it was sold (at a loss). Looking back today on that situation it's clear I was a moron back then who had no patience and a bad case of being unrealistic to think it would magically find things because it costed more. Much younger, stronger, had hair on my head, and stubborn but still a moron nonetheless.  I don't want to repeat that lesson again, so I haven't launched out to buy a Rutus Versa no matter how much it costs or what I must sacrifice to get it. My mediocre sites don't warrant such money to be spent at this point in time. If things align right, and I get an inflow of cash (very unlikely)I would gladly obtain one. But for now it is a detector that looks appealing and something to drool over.