My thoughts on the Minelab Manticore after 50 hours and beyond!

[The Rebel]

Thanks for the excellent write up. As my V3i is in the shop for repairs I was able to swing my buddies Deus 1, DFX and NOX 800 on Saturday.

After swing the Deus and NOX I found myself liking the NOX and may buy a Manticore as it appears to have similar bells & whistles as the V3i.

I'd like to get some field reports from any cellar hole hunters that swing the Manticore to see what they have to say.

 

[Rattlehead]

Thanks for the excellent write up. As my V3i is in the shop for repairs I was able to swing my buddies Deus 1, DFX and NOX 800 on Saturday.

After swing the Deus and NOX I found myself liking the NOX and may buy a Manticore as it appears to have similar bells & whistles as the V3i.

I'd like to get some field reports from any cellar hole hunters that swing the Manticore to see what they have to say.

I swung a V3i for years. Great machine. Comparing the two, the Manticore will give you the nice color display, lots of performance improvements, and all of the bells and whistles you could want, but in a lighter weight package with a menu layout that’s much easier to use. Maybe a little learning curve involved, but if you can run a V3i, you can run anything.

Good luck if you decide to try one.

 

[The Rebel]

It sure is/was. Why Whites did not last is beyond me. Their customer service was great, Mary always took care of me. The V's menu was a nightmare to scroll thru at 1st but I got used to it. Once I had my programs set, I barely went into the expert menu anymore, just the on-screen basic settings.

Yea, from 4.4 pounds to 2.9 pounds makes for a longer day of swinging. I can do the long days, but man feels like my shoulder / rotator cuff is screaming.

Have you swung any cellar holes with it?

 

[Rattlehead]

It sure is/was. Why Whites did not last is beyond me. Their customer service was great, Mary always took care of me. The V's menu was a nightmare to scroll thru at 1st but I got used to it. Once I had my programs set, I barely went into the expert menu anymore, just the on-screen basic settings.

Yea, from 4.4 pounds to 2.9 pounds makes for a longer day of swinging. I can do the long days, but man feels like my shoulder / rotator cuff is screaming.

Have you swung any cellar holes with it?

I haven’t. Not many cellar holes down here in the SE unfortunately. Sure looks like fun!

 

[Cherry Picker]

It sure is/was. Why Whites did not last is beyond me. Their customer service was great, Mary always took care of me. The V's menu was a nightmare to scroll thru at 1st but I got used to it. Once I had my programs set, I barely went into the expert menu anymore, just the on-screen basic settings.

Yea, from 4.4 pounds to 2.9 pounds makes for a longer day of swinging. I can do the long days, but man feels like my shoulder / rotator cuff is screaming.

Have you swung any cellar holes with it?

My understanding is Whites had some internal issues that got them shut down. They were the best, in my opinion, American-made metal detectors until the end.

 

[marcomo]

My understanding is Whites had some internal issues that got them shut down. They were the best, in my opinion, American-made metal detectors until the end.

Similar to what happened to Tesoro and so many other family-owned companies of all types. The first generation founder who builds a successful company retires then dies and the next generation doesn't have the same passion and/or business acumen. Engineer and inventor Carl Moreland, who had formerly worked for Whites, said something a while back on one of the forums alleging gross mismanagement and something to the effect of multiple family members using the company as their personal bank.

 

[itsaring!]

Similar to what happened to Tesoro and so many other family-owned companies of all types. The first generation founder who builds a successful company retires then dies and the next generation doesn't have the same passion and/or business acumen. Engineer and inventor Carl Moreland, who had formerly worked for Whites, said something a while back on one of the forums alleging gross mismanagement and something to the effect of multiple family members using the company as their personal bank.

I used to do Plumbing work for some store owners that had a chain of stores that shut down. The kids who inherited it even thought their faucets were solid gold with internal gold parts. Wish I had bought a truck load of TRX pinpointers when someone told me Whites wasn't going to make it. I'd be rich now.

 

[marcomo]

Wish I had bought a truck load of TRX pinpointers when someone told me Whites wasn't going to make it. I'd be rich now.

You and me both, brother!

For that matter, wish I had bought a few Tesoro Mojaves around 2018-2019 after the initial furor died down. A couple early users on the forums hyped it big time and a good bit of demand followed. There was an early shortage of Mojaves because Tesoro was financially struggling and playing with scared money at that point so they only obtained enough parts for a small initial run. Vince Gifford didn't want to get burned with too much inventory like had happened a few years earlier with their previous new detector, the Outlaw. The Mojave was a nice enough little detector with a well-regarded 7" coil. But after some initial buyers realized it didn't magically make coins jump out of the ground, slightly used ones would pop up on the classifieds in the $150-160 range.

 

[longbow62]

Luckily I did not lose any money when I sold my Mojave. Tesoro's are definitely not my cup of tea. I guess if you had used them for years they might be easier to use. I found the Mojave pretty much useless. Comparing it to for instance the Manticore. It's like the difference between today's Supercars and a Ford Model-T.

 

[marcomo]

Agreed, longbow. The one thing the Tesoros do very well is find stuff in heavy iron. I do wish I still had the Silver Sabre I parted ways with. Rusty Henry at Tesoro sold me a 5.75 coil that he put onto it and then tuned the detector to it since it was a fixed gb machine. That detector with the little coil on it was super hot (for a Tesoro), it air tested a silver dime at 9 inches. In carpet of nails type iron, I think it unmasked better than my Equinox with the sniper coil on it.

 

[Cherry Picker]

Used the Tesoro Mayan & Inca for many years. The Compadre was king of the tot lots.

 

[The Rebel]

Still would like to hear from any cellar hole diggers using the manticore.

Also, any news if they'll be offering a smaller sized coil rather than the stock coil in the future?

 

[UT_Dave]

Also, any news if they'll be offering a smaller sized coil rather than the stock coil in the future?

An 8x5.5 elliptical. Some day. Maybe.

Manticore M8

- Dave

 

[longbow62]

An 8x5.5 elliptical. Some day. Maybe.

Manticore M8

- Dave

I look everyday to see if anyone has that M8 coil yet, and what the price will be. I need it to complete the kit.

 

[UT_Dave]

Yeah I need it too. Only in certain conditions, but it does happen. Have used my 800 with the 6" instead of my Manticore a few times recently.

- Dave

 

[The Rebel]

I wrote to ML Customer Service today to get some info to see what coils were available for the manticore as well as if there will be coil choices when you buy. Got this as a response:

The Minelab MANTICORE comes standard with the M11 Coil. Minelab has plans to release additional accessory coils in the near future.

The additional accessory coils are the following sizes:

• M8 (8"x5.5")
• M15 (15"x12")

Unfortunately, Minelab MANTICORE Coils and other Accessory items are not available at this time.
We are anticipating an August/September timeframe for when accessory items will begin shipping to Minelab Dealers across North America!

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Great review of the Minelab Manticore. I have finally got to start using one now that my customer's orders are filled. I can say that I am very very impressed!

Minelab Manticore - No Tax, Free Shipping!

Minelab Manticore - Free shipping and no tax! Free Minelab Carry bag, Minelab Shell Finds Pouch, and Lesche digger with Equinox 900 purchase! ATTENTION: Don't buy your Manticore until you have spoken with us first. You will be glad you did! 405-206-9010 or email us [email protected]

bigboyshobbies.net

 

[Rattlehead]

Great review of the Minelab Manticore. I have finally got to start using one now that my customer's orders are filled. I can say that I am very very impressed!

Minelab Manticore - No Tax, Free Shipping!

Minelab Manticore - Free shipping and no tax! Free Minelab Carry bag, Minelab Shell Finds Pouch, and Lesche digger with Equinox 900 purchase! ATTENTION: Don't buy your Manticore until you have spoken with us first. You will be glad you did! 405-206-9010 or email us [email protected]

bigboyshobbies.net

Thank you Bart.

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Its lighter, faster, deeper and more versatile than the CTX.

Agreed! The Manticore is much more pleasurable to swing.

 

[BootyHunter]

To address the screen protector issue, I'm with you, the stick on protectors are terrible. If you do luck out and get it on right, it will gather dirt and mud around the edges and look awful. I use a product called "liquid nail", made for cell phone and tablet screens. Its easy to apply, just wipe the screen with an included cloth, clean with an alcohol pad, let it dry then drop 4 or 5 drops of an included liquid on the screen, wait 10 minutes, then wipe the screen with the included cloth again. Its easy, it prevents scratches and doesn't collect dirt and mud. I use it on all my cell phones and detector screens now.