Manticore Plus Goldmaster 24k

[mntnflyr4fun]

I own a Manticore with m8 m9  coils. I intend to spend some time this summer in the goldfields and am wondering if I should invest in a dedicated gold machine like the Whites/Garrett 24k or similar VHF technology or with the coils I own for the Manticore whether my success rate would be comparable to the dedicated gold machines.

[phrunt]

The positives I see with the GM24k over the Manticore is the GM is not bump sensitive at all where as the Manticore is very bump sensitive, so if you're detecting in a rocky area or really uneven ground with little bushes everywhere using a Manticore can be quite annoying with it reacting to touching anything where as the 24k will remain silent when bumping it around.  I would not be surprised if I've missed a fair few bits of gold dismissing them as just another bump with the Manticore, you can get overwhelmed with it reacting to bumping into things all the time and requires a lot more rechecking areas and concentration.

The 24k also handles hot rocks better.

Otherwise, both are similar in performance and I would imagine the Manticore handles bad ground better, although I don't know that for sure, just the SMF detectors tend to do so.

 

[Gold Junkie]

there is a link to my experience with the Manticore vs dedicated sf gold detector and PI.  I do not have a bad experience with the Manticore being overly knock sensitive,  but I have heard others claim it is.  Knowing what I know now, my manticore is my go to vlf in the gold fields.  

 

[Steve Herschbach]

I do not have an issue with coil knock on my Manticore either. In fact I scrub very aggressively with the 5x8 coil with no problem. I do run the fiberglass rods - a must have for nugget detecting. I am only able to run 20 - 28 (usually 22-24) sensitivity in my ground; maybe in milder ground jacked higher it exhibits but for me a non-issue.

I own both and to get best performance out of the Manticore on tiny gold you need to be an expert rider on a bucking bronco. You’d better know what all the controls do and how they interact and be prepared to use modes other than Gold Mode. It’s a lot to learn with hot rocks being especially problematic. The 24K offers comparable performance with far less effort on the part of the operator. Long story short it’s less about which one of them is “better” and more about you and your style/proficiency level and preferences. Since I love pushing things to the edge I find myself using the Manticore more than the 24K these days but I also think it would be a complete disaster as a nugget detector for some people. For me it’s possible, even probable that the Manticore will replace the 24K entirely for me as a VLF nugget machine. Yet it want to reiterate and repeat that it may not play as well for some people, especially as ground and hot rocks that people have to deal with vary a lot. As they say in the car ads, your mileage may vary.

It’s an issue I plan to settle completely by the end of this summer…. Keep the 24K or not? I have a lot of time on and gold found with Manticore in real bad ground, but am still not confident enough to ditch the 24K.

[RONS DETECTORS MINELAB]

I have learned to turn down the sensitivity to where it settles down the erratic numbers and highly do recommend the fiberglass rods from SteveV to reduce the knock influence that can occur with the stock carbon rods when in prospecting mode. 😉

[phrunt]

I'm starting to think I may have a faulty M8 coil, mines pretty bad, I'll have to try my M11 on the same spot and see if it works better to verify it.   It's fine in everything other than gold mode though.

[Jeff McClendon]

I have not experienced any coil bump sensitivity using my Manticore and its M8 coil. I also have not run sensitivity over 22 using Manticore's Gold Prospecting program.

If I run my Whites GM24K with too high sensitivity it will overload which is normal behavior and lets me know to turn down sensitivity.

So, maybe where you are hunting the iron mineralization levels can play a big role in whether your Manticore will be bump sensitive or 24K overload quickly or not.

One cool thing about the Manticore is its positive (black) and negative (red) target ID numbers which also work in its Gold Prospecting mode. Like Steve H. has mentioned in other posts, I too hunt in dirt that will turn a US nickel that reads a non ferrous target on the surface into a ferrous target if I bury it 3" deep or so. The Manticore will identify that nickel as a black number 26 or 27 on the surface and a red number 26 or 27 at 3 inches deep. My Goldmaster 24 K will have numbers in the mid 70s to low 80s (non ferrous) for that same nickel on the surface and it will be a 01 (basically 100% iron) buried 3" deep.

Just as an aside, I tested my Algoforce E1500 Plus today using the same awful test dirt with the same nickel. It passed beautifully. Target ID for the nickel on the surface was 34. At 4" deep it was 34 which is pretty amazing.

[Gold Catcher]

4 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

One cool thing about the Manticore is its positive (black) and negative (red) target ID numbers which also work in its Gold Prospecting mode

For nuggets under 0.5 grams at depths of 1 to 3 inches, the red line is largely unreliable—you risk missing a significant amount of gold by trusting it (sens 22-24). Instead, ID stability in the 5-20 range becomes far more crucial for detecting small nuggets. When dealing with nuggets above 2-3 grams, the distinction between red and black becomes more meaningful, and for those over 5 grams at depths up to 3 inches, the system is nearly foolproof. Note that for larger nuggets the ID can go up to 30-40 with solid black.

That said, using the Manticore effectively for small nuggets requires substantial experience. My M8 also exhibits bump sensitivity despite having a fiberglass rod, though it performs considerably better than the stock rod. However, as Jeff noted, this could be influenced by soil conditions. Hotrocks remain a significant challenge for the Manticore, and perhaps some AI-driven learning could provide solutions in the future.

GC

[Steve Herschbach]

12 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

If I run my Whites GM24K with too high sensitivity it will overload which is normal behavior and lets me know to turn down sensitivity.

That one feature alone can keep novices out of trouble. Perhaps the greatest error made with Manticore since day one has been people pushing sensitivity related modes/settings too high for conditions. Just because Minelab made a detector that can go 100mph does not mean that’s how it should be driven. Manticore can easily be put into overload while seemingly still working. With the 24K it will buzz at you and refuse to work unless you lower the sensitivity to eliminate overload.