How is the Nokta Makro Legend for tot lots & gold?

[Cherry Picker]

I had to sell my Deus 2 but am thinking about finding enough gold to buy a Legend. I am up to 15.9grs of 10k. I hunt mainly tot lots now so sensitivity to small gold is most important. For those who use the Legend in a tot lot of environments, how would you rate it? My buddy still uses a Whites DFX and I have yet to find a small piece of shiny stuff the DFX doesn't hit just as well as any top detector I've tried. I just can't pack a 5lb detector anymore or I'd just buy a good use DFX.

Right now I'm using the Minelab X-Terra Pro. It does OK, but by the time I got the 8" coil and wireless headphones, I'd have more money in it that I could have bought a good use Legend.

10k Gold for 2023

10k

 

[jmaclen]

From my experience with the Legend in tot lots, if I have it setup in either 40 kHz or in one of the simultaneous multi frequency modes that uses mostly 40 kHz, it does great. I have also used the Legend with its 6" coil for gold prospecting in really iron mineralized dirt. It easily hit sub tenth of a gram (.05 to .09 gram) nuggets even an inch or two below the surface. Most 10 to 14K stud earring backs weigh around .3 grams for comparison.

My only issue with the original Legend is its weight. With the original stock 11" coil and the original aluminum upper shaft and thick arm cuff, it weighs 3 lbs. 4 ounces on my scales. Deus 2 weighs almost a pound less even using its 11" coil. The original Legend with 6" or 10X5" coil weighs about the same as Deus 2 with 11" coil.

If you decide to buy a Legend, I would get the "new" version that has a much lighter stock coil and much lighter all carbon fiber shaft. I have handled one briefly (didn't get to weigh it) side by side with the original and the new stock Legend is way lighter than the original.

Really nice gold finds!!!!

Just my experiences.

 

[Diga]

HI CP.

Tiny gold will be no problem. I routinely get earrings so small that my pinpointer has problems hitting them. I use the high weighted SMF mode of M2, or the SF of 40 khz. I, like close to all Legend users when polled, much prefer the 9.5x6 coil, over the 11" round coil. For ludicrous trashy sites, many even prefer the 6" round coil. In regards to coil size vs tiny target sensitivity, I haven't tested that, but as you know, the larger the coil, the less sensitive it is to tiny targets.

 

[Diga]

Jeff posted while I was typing my reply, and he said most of what I said

 

[Valley Hunter]

If you are a Tot Lot hunter .. I would get the XP DEUS with the HF 9,5 x 5" coil and run #9 HOT program
Lots of used DEUS with 2 coils for sale

 

[Cherry Picker]

If you are a Tot Lot hunter .. I would get the XP DEUS with the HF 9,5 x 5" coil and run #9 HOT program
Lots of used DEUS with 2 coils for sale

I just sold my Deus 2, and had the Deus 1 before that. Loved them both. Best tot lot detector I have owned. The problem is, the wife & I are on a fixed income from social security disability. I had to sell my D2 to pay for getting a new primary care physician. Mine moved. I was only able to afford it in the first place because I got backpay for disability and I figured If I was going to get me a high-end machine, that was the time.

I think the Legend, at 2.9lbs, would be good for me. I had the Simplex+ and liked the tones. I have the X-Terra Pro now but I just don't feel it has the tot lot touch. It has the 12" coil, and would cost me $150 to get an 8", and and another $150 for wireless phones, which the D1 & D2 spoiled me on. I figure I can sell my X-Terra to make up some difference since it is like new. I'm slowly building up my gold. The rings just haven't been good this year but lots of smaller stuff. They locked up all the school tot lots this year when school shut down for summer. Not sure why since in all the years I've been hunting them they have never been chained shut. Oh well, school starts again here next month.

I saw a Legend with WHP and a small coil for $400. I'd give my X-Terra Pro and my gold for that.

 

[markinmichigan]

As mentioned above, The Legend with the 6" coil finds the smallest speck of metal. I've got about 5 months under my belt and it's a keeper, love it.

Mark in Michigan

 

[too_pointer]

As mentioned above, The Legend with the 6" coil finds the smallest speck of metal. I've got about 5 months under my belt and it's a keeper, love it.

Mark in Michigan

Mark, how is your weather today ? Off & on around the upper, lower Mi. Ground should be getting softer by now. Good luck on your future finds.
too_

 

[bigtim1973]

You could get an orx with an HF coil too along with the wireless backphones if you like xp stuff
And if you get that elliptical coil you can use it in 74khz too.

Just another option for you.

Also a ws6 deus 2 master set up....you would be surprised at what all you can do with that since your already somewhat familiar with the deus 2 already

 

[Diga]

CP,

When you hunt tot lots, do you dig the ferrous ID targets? If so, do you dig all ferrous targets, or do you just dig the ferrous ID's that are close to the nonferrous ID's?

 

[Cherry Picker]

I recover it all. With the Deus, and v0.71, any 04 solid was 98% of the time a paperclip or bobby pin. Anything that gave a 04-06, and higher was often a chain or steel ring.

A lot of people don't think of this stuff as keepers but I do. A rings a ring, & a chain is a chain to me.

 

[Diga]

I recover it all. With the Deus, and v0.71, any 04 solid was 98% of the time a paperclip or bobby pin. Anything that gave a 04-06, and higher was often a chain or steel ring.

Ok.

If you do get a Legend, here's some other tips. Some or all of which you may already know.
The Legend's TID from 1-10 is ferrous, and 11-60 is nonferrous. 4 and lower is almost always ferrous. Something like a 7-10 could be a chain.

Note that the first tone break default starts at 10 or 11 depending on the mode you choose, so you might want to lower that to around 7.

Also, I know you're familiar with the eTrac's FE/C0 numbers feature, and the Legend has something similar. The Legend's "Ferrocheck" is a left/right bar graph. The left side of the bar graph shows the signal strength of the ferrous response, and the right side shows the signal strength of the nonferrous response (simultaneously and in real time). Like the eTrac's FE/CO, it's a very helpful tool in identifying iron falsing, compared to using tone and TID alone. For example, we're all familiar with iron falsing giving a good tone and a nonferrous ID. With the addition of the ferrous strength indicator, iron falsing is better identified, because despite the nonferrous tone and ID on a ferrous object, the ferrous strength meter or number will show ferrous content. Did you use the eTrac's FE/CO numbers to help identify iron falsing?

 

[Cherry Picker]

Ok.

If you do get a Legend, here's some other tips. Some or all of which you may already know.
The Legend's TID from 1-10 is ferrous, and 11-60 is nonferrous. 4 and lower is almost always ferrous. Something like a 7-10 could be a chain.

Note that the first tone break default starts at 10 or 11 depending on the mode you choose, so you might want to lower that to around 7.

Also, I know you're familiar with the eTrac's FE/C0 numbers feature, and the Legend has something similar. The Legend's "Ferrocheck" is a left/right bar graph. The left side of the bar graph shows the signal strength of the ferrous response, and the right side shows the signal strength of the nonferrous response (simultaneously and in real time). Like the eTrac's FE/CO, it's a very helpful tool in identifying iron falsing, compared to using tone and TID alone. For example, we're all familiar with iron falsing giving a good tone and a nonferrous ID. With the addition of the ferrous strength indicator, iron falsing is better identified, because despite the nonferrous tone and ID on a ferrous object, the ferrous strength meter or number will show ferrous content. Did you use the eTrac's FE/CO numbers to help identify iron falsing?

The E-Tracs FE & CO are my lifeline. I still have the E-Trac but I can only swing it for a very short time.

 

[Diga]

The E-Tracs FE & CO are my lifeline.

The Legend is the only detector I've used that has something similar to the eTrac's FE & CO, but I do see why you love that feature on the eTrac. I can't decide if I prefer the eTrac's FE & CO number, or the Legend's ferrous / nonferrous bar graph in conjunction with its TID. As such, I want them both!

 

[Tony-Ok]

If you mainly hunt tot lots …… XP ORX will be fine . The Legend with a small coil should work, it will just be heavier. Why did you sell your D2 ????? It would have been excellent also.

 

[Tony-Ok]

Sorry, I just saw your later post explaining your circumstance. Definitely an ORX

 

[Cherry Picker]

If you mainly hunt tot lots …… XP ORX will be fine . The Legend with a small coil should work, it will just be heavier. Why did you sell your D2 ????? It would have been excellent also.

Believe me, getting selling my D2 was a tough one, but a necessary one. I can't complain, I've been blessed to own almost all the top detectors. I love trying out the top dogs. Never had the Legend or Manticore, but all the rest. My favorite tot lot detector was the Deus 1 with the HF 9.5x5 coil. Light and amazing on small gold. Maybe I'll look at a good ORX with the HF coil. Never thought about that. I just figured the Legend was up there in reputation and in my price range.

I had hoped the Deus 2 might be the one to start my city park producing again, but alas, all my hunts told me my E-Trac & FBS was still the reigning king of depth. At least in our city park.

 

[jmaclen]

This might give anyone who wants to use the Legend for gold jewelry and micro gold jewelry a glimpse of how well it might do for a tot lot detector.

Instead of hunting a tot lot, I took my Legend with 6" coil to an area in Colorado that has some of the worst iron mineralization and hot rocks that I have ever prospected on. Every metamorphic rock from pea sized to the size of a small car is a hot rock and on top of having huge amounts of magnetite black sand, this site also has chunks of magnetite like the ones shown in the photo attached that are lying right on top of the ground and all through it. The Legend, like several other detectors I had with me including two pulse induction detectors had audio responses on the larger than sand sized magnetite and on the uncountable number of metamorphic rocks on and under the ground.

I had the Legend in Goldfield Multi with sensitivity on 22, recovery speed 5, iron filter 0, all targets accepted using the A discrimination pattern and threshold on 11. The Legend ground balanced at 1 or 2 on this ground and multiple ground balances were required to keep it under control.

I was lucky enough to get the 6" coil over a small 0.17 gram nugget/flake and the other small targets in the photo. The smallest lead fragment weighs 0.02 grams. All of these targets were less than 3" deep and all of them had target IDs that were deep in the iron range of target IDs even though only one of them is a tiny piece of iron screen wire.

The Legend did very well and was pleasant to use even at a site like this. Finding targets this size in inert wood chipped tot lots has not been a problem for me even using the Legend's Park 2 and Field 2 Multi modes. Using Goldfield Multi in wood chips might actually be overkill.

The US copper penny is for size reference.

 

[metaladdict]

My Ace kills it in totlots.
So does my At pro!
Any detector should work in totters.

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

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