Trying to find the most suitable upgrade

swiftsword

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Jun 28, 2021
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I've been detecting for about a year, mostly for coins and relics in woods, green strips and trashy parks. This year, I'm planning to pursue residential permissions, so that would be yards in rocky, loamy New England soil. Most of my finds have been very shallow. I'd like to get a detector that will give me more depth, and would appreciate your advice. (I realize deeper doesn't equal better finds, but it increases the potential significantly)

I currently have the Vanquish 540 with both the 8x12 stock coil and the small 5x8 coil.
An air test revealed that with either coil I can only expect a depth of ~7" before a silver signal turns into a broken, ferrous tone that's indistinguishable from surface trash. If I subtract ~2" from that for grass and a bit of air to swing in, it explains why I haven't had any deep finds. I'd like to do better than that - if not deeper, then at least clearer.

The contenders are:

Nox 800: I figure the learning curve will be less steep if I stay with the same manufacturer. People seem to universally love theirs, and a number of coils are available.
My concern is that my current detector, which is advertising the same multi-IQ technology, is perhaps just a Nox with fewer features. In that case getting the 800 won't be a significant improvement over what I have.

Deus: I've read a ton about this machine. People praise its performance in trashy sites, but I've also read that the depth isn't as good as the Nox. I understand it discriminates very well, which would be a plus.

Deus II: I've read all the hype, but what comparisons I've seen with the nox don't seem to be very conclusive for my type of hunting; it certainly doesn't seem to blow the Nox out of the water. It's very expensive, and would entail a steeper learning curve. It also doesn't currently offer a small coil, which might be a problem in undergrowth.

I appreciate any recommendations!


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I'd say the 800 b/c:

You're already very familiar with MIQ

Deus II is still an relatively unknown machine

There's a learning curve that'll come with the Deus I

There will be a relative glut of Deus Is and 800s, but I'm giving the nod to the 800 b/c of your experience with the 540 and b/c SMF generally works better at depth than single frequencies.
 
Get the Nox. I have the Vanquish 540 and an Equinox 600 and IMO the Nox is much better in target separation and depth. Unless your hunting gold nuggets the 600 would suit you fine.

Steve
 
I went from a 540, to a 600, and just bought an 800. As others have stated jumping between these detectors is an easy move. As much as I like the Equinox for its performance, I like the ease of operation and layout. I am not sure how long you plan on keeping your "upgraded" detector, but I'd consider the 800 to gain the additional settings and adjustments. I didn't think I'd want them when I bought the 600 either, but soon learned the advantages after hunting with another 800 user. Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
Thank you all for your input! It sounds like the Nox 800 would be the sensible choice.
Alas, I had a weak moment and ordered the Deus II [emoji849] I guess we'll see how it works out. If it doesn't I'm sure I can sell it at a minimal loss [emoji6]
 
Agreed the Nox 800 would do you well and have the least learning curve of those 3.

I do think the Deus, having more adjustable advanced features, is the better option for someone not afraid to do some tweaking. But then again, you're looking at a bigger investment as well.
 
Just got notified that my Deus II will ship between tomorrow and next Friday. Woot!


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Good luck with your new machine. Lets us know how the transition from the 540 to the Deus is. I will be interested to know how it works for you.
 
Just got notified that my Deus II will ship between tomorrow and next Friday. Woot!


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All the machines you considered are high quality machines from reputable companies. You cannot really go wrong with any that you mentioned. I wish the 540 was available from the factory with the V10 coil. To me it seems to be the ideal coil for the Vanquish series.
 
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