Deus vs v3i

Jarrett

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
479
Location
Alberta,Canada
So narrowed my new detector down to either a deus or a v3i. Just have no idea between the two. The deus from what I've heard is a killer in separation and not masking targets. Also the v3i is susposed to be one of the best out there for target id. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I've read that the v3i isn't worth the money. A few reviews out there say this. But no one can tell you why it's not. So anyone with experience with on please let me know what you think. The good bad or ugly. What's the favorite things you like about it. What is the major advantage of having it. Ect.

Now the dues. Well seems like again it's loved and hated. I've read a few places that it's depth isn't that good at all less than 7 inches in reality on a quarter. I'm getting deeper than that on my 4000. Is this just some people that don't know the settings? How much of a "turn on and go" detector is this?

I've read quite a few reports from people on both detectors that they spend more time tweaking settings than actually detecting? Is this a worry I honestly wouldn't mind figuring programs out and what not. But not spending more than a minute or two (after learning the machine) to dial it in to my hunting spot.

Thanks everyone again for all the help.
 
Everyone's different, they are both great machines, and both have their good and bad aspects. I decided to go with the V3i. I like the large HD color display, the menu's, the adjustable tones, the ability to run all 3 frequencies together and see how they register on the display, I also like the polar plot and sizing displays. They both have wireless headphones options. White's customer service is also tough to beat. Some people really like the Deus. It comes down to which options you like best, and need most, for me the V3i fit the bill, and it works well here in PA.
 
I have both.

v3i will give more target info, deus is more of a tone only, dig it all machine; vdi not as stable.

I dig all above iron when in the woods. Deus in iron is King.

when in the park or on people's nicely manicured property, v3i allows you to more readily ID target, and not dig unnecessarily

deus is very light, v3i not so much


deus you will set up and use and 'listen' ; v3i you will 'tinker' endlessly...

v3i = 2 year warranty
deus = 5 year warranty


v3i = made in America
Deus is French...

try 'em both!
 
V3i is probably the most customizable detector made. That drives some people crazy, and others (like me) love that part of it.

If you ever plan on hunting a saltwater beach, get the V3i.
 
V3i is probably the most customizable detector made. That drives some people crazy, and others (like me) love that part of it.

If you ever plan on hunting a saltwater beach, get the V3i.

+1, that's one thing I like about the V3i, it's so customizable that you can tune it for just about any site, or type of hunting. I even made some programs that mimic my F75 as far as recovery speed and tones. It's basically countless detectors in one package. Everything can be adjusted from frequency, to tones, to filters, to recovery speed, and displays. The downside is that it takes time to learn the full capability of the detector. The upside is that there are 10 stock programs and countless proven custom programs you can copy off the net. It's hard not to like it because it can be tuned to everyone's liking, however if you don't have the time or patience to learn it, then you might not like it. Also, it is heavier than the Deus if weight is an issue.
 
Dues

I think they hyped this machine up , and it's not what people think when they use it, and over priced, I like the V3i , new to it, but like it so far, nice addition, Has the best target ID with more info., out their, and nice color screen that my e-trac ,and F75se don't have, good luck in your choice http://www.myersdepot.com/ Phil gave me a great deal on the V3i and a nice discount on coils, high end sponsor happy hunting Earl
 
I think they hyped this machine up , and it's not what people think when they use it, and over priced, I like the V3i , new to it, but like it so far, nice addition, Has the best target ID with more info., out their, and nice color screen that my e-trac ,and F75se don't have, good luck in your choice http://www.myersdepot.com/ Phil gave me a great deal on the V3i and a nice discount on coils, high end sponsor happy hunting Earl

You would be wrong in your thinking then. Lol. Have you ever even used a deus?

Op, if you want to learn about the deus and its abilities go to this site below. Do a search on deus and you will have some good reading. There are some very smart people there that actually test different machines and give their honest findings. One of which is tom dankowski who used to work for fisher labs, now works for nasa and his and a few others knowledge of detectors is amazing.
http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/list.php?2
 
You would be wrong in your thinking then. Lol. Have you ever even used a deus?

Op, if you want to learn about the deus and its abilities go to this site below. Do a search on deus and you will have some good reading. There are some very smart people there that actually test different machines and give their honest findings. One of which is tom dankowski who used to work for fisher labs, now works for nasa and his and a few others knowledge of detectors is amazing.
http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/list.php?2

I love all that reading. Big factor in what detectors I purchase.
 
Hey thanks everyone for the replies. Didn't know you could run the v3i in all 3 frequencies at once. Read about that but wasn't sure what exactly that ment. Sounds like one nice detector. Weight and learning curve aren't issues for me at all. I have decided to upgrade to a ATP as well. Mostly as a back up and buddy detector. This is a tough decision for my primary detector. I've read I think every thread on the other fourm. Lots of useful information out there for sure. Can't believe that he charges $1200 for a one day seminar on metal detecting though. My little brain says that the more I spend the better it should be but seems like the more I read the more that isn't the case. One other thing is how do they both hold up with emi interference?
 
Hey thanks everyone for the replies. Didn't know you could run the v3i in all 3 frequencies at once. Read about that but wasn't sure what exactly that ment. Sounds like one nice detector. Weight and learning curve aren't issues for me at all. I have decided to upgrade to a ATP as well. Mostly as a back up and buddy detector. This is a tough decision for my primary detector. I've read I think every thread on the other fourm. Lots of useful information out there for sure. Can't believe that he charges $1200 for a one day seminar on metal detecting though. My little brain says that the more I spend the better it should be but seems like the more I read the more that isn't the case. One other thing is how do they both hold up with emi interference?

$1200 for a one day seminar?! That's highway robbery, no matter how good a teacher he is, unless you get a free high end detector with the class lol. I haven't had any EMI issues, mainly due to the fact that you can change frequencies, filters, and even if you have to lower the RX Boost, you can compensate by running it's boost mode which isn't affected by EMI. It's much more stable than my F75 when it comes to EMI. The nice thing about running all 3 frequencies is that you can see how a target registers in each one, for example a coin will spike on the 2.5 frequency more than 7.5 and 22.5, where as a gold ring would spike on the 22.5 frequency, and vice versa. It's definitely a fun detector if you like technology.
 
Hey coiltosoil, Ya sounds pretty fun the features you speak of makes it seem worth it there alone. Is it quite better at picking up and iding targets accurately compared to others you used?
 
Hey coiltosoil, Ya sounds pretty fun the features you speak of makes it seem worth it there alone. Is it quite better at picking up and iding targets accurately compared to others you used?

Oh yeah, there isn't a single detector out there that will give you more target info. For the price it's also much lower than many of the other high end detectors. I purchased a factory refurbished V3i from Phil that came with a brand new pair of White's Pro Star headphones for just over a grand, basically it was a new never used detector (literally it was a new detector), with new accessories, and full 2 year warranty. That was another factor in my decision. You can technically run two screens as well for double the target info, for example you can run spectragraph in search mode, then when you hit a target, you flip the trigger forward into analysis mode you can have a secondary target ID display. I use spectragraph in search then polar plot for analysis. If you lived around PA, you could give mine a try. Check out some of the videos on youtube. Try them both out if possible and see which one you like more because they are so different.
 
So I wish I had somewhere to try these. I've been watching a ton of YouTube videos on these machines and I can't believe how jumpy the vdi is? With my delta 4000 a clean target up to 4 inches won't jump at all maybe one number or two max. With one piece of small iron in the hole won't jump at all up to about 4 inches either. Anything more than that in depth or more targets it's completely useless! But been watching these 2 machines perform and clean targets are jumping like crazy? Not sure what's up with that but honestly my $200 detector seems to Id better than $2000 dollar ones? Read a ton on all the cool features but watching them in action seems like a huge waste of money. I'm i being paranoid or is there actually a difference in target id on a cheap vs expensive machine? Hmmm just don't know what's up. Any one have a link for any info of a video that shows you a definitive comparison on performance? Like slaps you in the face with good clear cut evidence on machine performance between different models? I'm really starting to think it's all hype and you don't get any more out of a high end detector, maybe I'm wrong but the evidence just isn't there for me. Seems like a upgrade to a 500-700 dollar detector is worth It but after that it's really marginal at best. Am I wrong is it night and day in difference.
 
So I wish I had somewhere to try these. I've been watching a ton of YouTube videos on these machines and I can't believe how jumpy the vdi is? With my delta 4000 a clean target up to 4 inches won't jump at all maybe one number or two max. With one piece of small iron in the hole won't jump at all up to about 4 inches either. Anything more than that in depth or more targets it's completely useless! But been watching these 2 machines perform and clean targets are jumping like crazy? Not sure what's up with that but honestly my $200 detector seems to Id better than $2000 dollar ones? Read a ton on all the cool features but watching them in action seems like a huge waste of money. I'm i being paranoid or is there actually a difference in target id on a cheap vs expensive machine? Hmmm just don't know what's up. Any one have a link for any info of a video that shows you a definitive comparison on performance? Like slaps you in the face with good clear cut evidence on machine performance between different models? I'm really starting to think it's all hype and you don't get any more out of a high end detector, maybe I'm wrong but the evidence just isn't there for me. Seems like a upgrade to a 500-700 dollar detector is worth It but after that it's really marginal at best. Am I wrong is it night and day in difference.

My detector locks on with the more shallow targets? Maybe they have it set too hot and it's picking up EMI? You'll probably see about double the depth also with either of the above detectors.
 
So you can get an accurate id up to about 8"?

8in on a coin should not be an issue at all. There are different ways to set the V3i ID, such as correlate and best data. Correlate takes 2 of the 3 frequencies averages to determine the target while best data takes whatever signal hits the hardest to determine it. Either way you should easily get a good VDI for a coin at 8in
 
Never used v3i.
Got and LOVE!! my Deus.

IDK where the no depth comes from, today I got a 1854 large cent out of a hole that me Lesche fit in, so what is that 9-10"?? Depth is all about the settings and how you customize them....

I will say there is a learning curve for sure, but once it starts clicking in your brain, watch out......

Deus is super light, no wires, can turn on and go, with either a saved custom program or the stock ones which are excellent!

Deus has multi freqs, can only run 1 at a time, but I can set same program in diff freqs and push 1 button to swap between them...

Deus gets software updates, so you can count on new breakthroughs and being equipped with the latest.

IDK about not being an ID machine per say as Is tarted out reading the numbers and they was pretty dang on, but I am doing as I did before and using tones, which are also customizable in pitch, number of tones and breakpoints.

I do believe you can contact XP detectors and get a free test unit to try out, they do it in the USA so I figure they do it up there.....

Deus is not a buy it, charge it and go knowing all there is to know, there is a learning curve BUT, you can from day one go out and use a stock program (10 stock ones, including gold nugget settings and 8 customizable) and find great things, there are some who only use the stock ones.....

Many programs are shared between us owners to try and we like to tell what we found, what prog or settings, it is a great community.

If you buy a Deus, give it the proper time to learn it, I KNOW you will love it and be soooo glad you got it.

IMO

Jim
 
Ya no idea just watched Half a dozen videos from different people on both detectors and the results were pretty disappointing to say the least. The air tests and test garden !!!! show good results but in the actual hunts wasn't that impressed with target Id on either machine. Guess I'll keep watching. What is this try it for free thing your talking about with the deus?
 
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