I'm thinking of upgrading a little bit

[Guy]

I've been using a Minelab Vanquish 440 for 2 years. I've watched a ton of videos. I would like to upgrade to a machine with better target separation and ground balancing features. I'm looking at the Nokta Triple Score or the Minelab X-Terra Elite. Any advice out there?

 

[markinmichigan]

Buy once, cry once. Depends on how long you want to chase this rabbit. I would recommend that you to think that your next detector will be your last detector. Your budget may enter into some of your metal detecting equation, but the Nokta Legend was a good number for me. Check Craigslist for a used detector that is better than your 440. There are plenty of options available.

Buy something that fits your budget and know that eventually you will "buy" up. Let us know what you decide on.

Mark in Michigan

 

[Guy]

Thanks for the advice Mark.

 

[jmaclen]

Thanks for the advice Mark.

Good advice from Mark.

The Legend and Triple Score have a very similar target ID system as the Vanquish 440. They also have very similar operating qualities but with many more features, faster speed and better separation. An Equinox 600 or 800 would also be a good choice since their target ID system is virtually identical to the Vanquish models. Great deals on the 800 right now.

The X-Terra Elite is based on the same much larger target ID system as the Equinox 700, 900, Manticore and X-Terra Pro which have three times the target IDs of the Vanquish and Equinox 600/800. That TID system is completely different from the Vanquish models and the ones I mentioned above and will have to be learned all over again.

 

[Guy]

Thanks J

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

I've been using a Minelab Vanquish 440 for 2 years. I've watched a ton of videos. I would like to upgrade to a machine with better target separation and ground balancing features. I'm looking at the Nokta Triple Score or the Minelab X-Terra Elite. Any advice out there?

Both are excellent choices. You really cant go wrong with either. The Nokta 3 Score we have has a excellent holiday promotion going on if you need gear and a pin pointer.

Nokta Triple Score Pro Pack - with FREE Nokta Pointer, Pouch, Digger, Hat, and Carry Bag

Nokta Triple Score Pro Pack Metal Detector - Free Shipping and No Tax! with FREE Nokta Pointer, Pouch, Digger, Hat, and Carry Bag ATTENTION: Don't buy your Triple Score until you have spoken with us first. You will be glad you did! 405-206-9010 or email us [email protected]

bigboyshobbies.net

 

[Surf Master]

Manticore goes on sale 1199.00 , now that would be an upgrade, from the beginners' detectors

 

[Diga]

Manticore goes on sale 1199.00 , now that would be an upgrade, from the beginners' detectors

Beginner's detectors?

The Equinox (X-Terra Elite), uses Multi-IQ as does the Vanquish. It's also similar technology used in the Legend (Score series). The Multi-IQ+ on the Manticore, is also Multi-IQ with a little more power output.

Both the Triple and Elite also have numerous features, settings, modes, etc, that would satisfy all but the most discerning of hunters.

 

[Sorthious]

I recently upgraded from the Vanquish 540 to the X-Terra Elite, and, so far, am very happy with the purchase. There are way more options on the Elite; GB(manual or tracking), Iron Bias options, waterproof to 16', internal rechargeable battery for about 14 hours of detecting on a single charge. The target seperation is better, although the Vanquish had pretty good seperation. I bought the Expedition Pack which had an 8 & 12" coil, and bluetooth headsets. Yes, you can upgrade even further, but on a budget, the Elite is a good choice. Good luck in whatever you decide!

 

[Surf Master]

Beginner's detectors?

The Equinox (X-Terra Elite), uses Multi-IQ as does the Vanquish. It's also similar technology used in the Legend (Score series). The Multi-IQ+ on the Manticore, is also Multi-IQ with a little more power output.

Both the Triple and Elite also have numerous features, settings, modes, etc, that would satisfy all but the most discerning of hunters.
[/QUOTE. Not much difference , I went from the Equinox 800 to the Manticore , after the Equinox he would eventually upgrade to the Manticore , 500 bucks off , tring to save him money .

 

[Jtracss]

I recommend Minelab Equinox 900 and never buy another machine again. Not a fan of the Nokta Legend, the constant chatter and noise eventually drove me away from Nokta. I have 2 Legends. My wife also uses the legend and she has grown tired of the constant chatter as well . She thought she could put up with it, but she has finally had enough. I switched the Nox 900 about a year ago and never looked back. Quiet, super light and goes deep, couldn't happier. Whatever your budget allows go for it, Have fun.

 

[markinmichigan]

I recommend Minelab Equinox 900 and never buy another machine again. Not a fan of the Nokta Legend, the constant chatter and noise eventually drove me away from Nokta. I have 2 Legends. My wife also uses the legend and she has grown tired of the constant chatter as well . She thought she could put up with it, but she has finally had enough. I switched the Nox 900 about a year ago and never looked back. Quiet, super light and goes deep, couldn't happier. Whatever your budget allows go for it, Have fun.

You obviously didn't take the time to learn or "train your brain" with your Legend. All of the mid range price detectors are about the same, similar features, same bells and whistles. They will all find and detect a sliver of silver. The 900 may be a more expensive detector and I have never used one, but my Legend is as quiet as a sleeping baby after V1.17.

I don't hunt a lot but when I do I always find coins, jewelry and lots of junk. After seeing all the Minelab Hooray I might just get one to see what I may be missing. Seems to be a very capable detector. Bottlecap4u loves his and is very successful due to his permissions. To each his own and I respectfully hope you find everything you're looking for.

Mark in Michigan

 

[Jtracss]

You obviously didn't take the time to learn or "train your brain" with your Legend. All of the mid range price detectors are about the same, similar features, same bells and whistles. They will all find and detect a sliver of silver. The 900 may be a more expensive detector and I have never used one, but my Legend is as quiet as a sleeping baby after V1.17.

I don't hunt a lot but when I do I always find coins, jewelry and lots of junk. After seeing all the Minelab Hooray I might just get one to see what I may be missing. Seems to be a very capable detector. Bottlecap4u loves his and is very successful due to his permissions. To each his own and I respectfully hope you find everything you're looking for.

Mark in Michigan"

"Train my brain" lol ok sure thing there bud.

 

[jmaclen]

"Train my brain" lol ok sure thing there bud.

I have watched your Legend videos and listened to your Legend “issue” theories.

Just for context, I had the exact opposite experience from you. I find the Legend to be very stable detectors ( I have 2 also) where I detect in very high iron mineralization in the Colorado Rockies. The 2 different Equinox 900s I have tried to use here have been plagued with poor ground handling and EMI handling that resulted in lots of noise and very unstable target IDs. My Equinox 600 and Manticore do not suffer from this Nox 900 instability.

Anyway, everyone’s hunting conditions and environments are slightly to a whole lot different and it’s good to get information about different detectors from various locations.

 

[markinmichigan]

You've been crabbing about your experiences with the legend from day one. You got a bum unit. We all have bought something that didn't work out right. Good luck with your hunts. For real. Looking forward to seeing your 900 finds. At this point of the evolution of metal detectors, they are all about the same. Some guys like blondes, some like reds or brunets. They are all about the same.

Mark in Michigan

 

[longbow62]

I had a Legend. I just did not jell with the screen and menus. Honestly I never gave it a real chance especially after all the updates and ended up selling it. I have a buddy who used his way more than I used mine and he liked it more than the 900 by a lot. I think Minelab just updated the water proofing of the 900 and threw the 99 I.D. segments on there without doing what they needed to make it as stable as the Manticore is. The Equinox 800 is still a winner in my opinion. I never had an issue with just 40 positive I.D. numbers. I have had a Manticore since early 2023 and honestly haven't hunted once with the 800 since I got it. Right now with the Manticore at $1,199.00 it's a heck of a deal.

 

[Jtracss]

I have watched your Legend videos and listened to your Legend “issue” theories.

Just for context, I had the exact opposite experience from you. I find the Legend to be very stable detectors ( I have 2 also) where I detect in very high iron mineralization in the Colorado Rockies. The 2 different Equinox 900s I have tried to use here have been plagued with poor ground handling and EMI handling that resulted in lots of noise and very unstable target IDs. My Equinox 600 and Manticore do not suffer from this Nox 900 instability.

Anyway, everyone’s hunting conditions and environments are slightly to a whole lot different and it’s good to get information about different detectors from various locations.

Glad it works for you.

 

[Jtracss]

You've been crabbing about your experiences with the legend from day one. You got a bum unit. We all have bought something that didn't work out right. Good luck with your hunts. For real. Looking forward to seeing your 900 finds. At this point of the evolution of metal detectors, they are all about the same. Some guys like blondes, some like reds or brunets. They are all about the same.

Mark in Michigan

Than I would need to chalk up all 4 Legends to bum units than, yes i have have gone through 4 of them, 2 I still have, 2 were sent back to Nokta to investigate the issue. I refuse to believe all 4 were bum units, there is no way. I have gone so far as to work with Andy to try and figure out why the issues were occurring with many of the units he was getting in for repair, myself included. Myself and few others in the community spent hours and hours digging into the USB driver issue, thought we found the culprit with the old USB drivers being used; But turned out that it didnt solve everyones issues with the instability. I know Andy was working with the Nokta engineers as well, but I am not sure how that turned out. I have not just been complaining I have actually put in countless hours trying to find a solution. My inbox was flooded with people saying they were experiencing the same issue. That's when I decided to try and at least help figuring it out, but admittedly I failed, couldn't figure it out.

 

[Kansashunter]

I totally get what you are saying about Nokta. A few years back, I was hearing about so many Youtubers using the Nokta Anfibio, so I had to get one. But also I had 3 800's all set up with different coils. I gave this machine a very fair shot but I just did not like the sounds, falsing, depth was never accurate, so there was nothing I liked about it. Since then, I have purchased the 900 and the Manticore. The Manticore has more similarities to the 900 than the 800 so if you were ever to upgrade, it is a simple switch. Glad to hear someone else is very dedicated to the Minelab.

 

[jmaclen]

I totally get what you are saying about Nokta. A few years back, I was hearing about so many Youtubers using the Nokta Anfibio, so I had to get one. But also I had 3 800's all set up with different coils. I gave this machine a very fair shot but I just did not like the sounds, falsing, depth was never accurate, so there was nothing I liked about it. Since then, I have purchased the 900 and the Manticore. The Manticore has more similarities to the 900 than the 800 so if you were ever to upgrade, it is a simple switch. Glad to hear someone else is very dedicated to the Minelab.

The Kruzer models, Anfibio models and the Simplex have audio that I personally don't like at all. Since they are also single frequency detectors, they don't work well at all where I hunt.

The Legend and Score series are totally different detectors from those other Nokta Makro models. The Legend and Score series sound a lot like a Minelab Equinox 600/800 and detect a lot like one too for many people who have owned both.

The early Legends had speaker issues that Jtrcass experienced multiple times. I have owned three different Legends and never had that issue but I am not a saltwater beach hunter and I wear headphones or earbuds when I detect instead of using the speaker on maximum volume.

Some Windows users had issues with software updates that caused the update to be corrupted resulting in lots of EMI like noise and loss of depth. I am a Mac user so I never had that issue either.

Some Legend users were first time detector buyers because of their price and were first time high powered simultaneous multi frequency VLF detector users or were upgrading from very tame beginner level detectors and were and still are overwhelmed by the amount of noise that any recent SMF detector can make if setup incorrectly for the conditions they are being used in.

The bottom line is, there are many reasons why a person may dislike and distrust a certain detector. For me anyway I try to figure out a way to either change my approach to it or change it through a software update if one is available. Otherwise, that detector goes bye, bye.