Looking impressive but.........

[Carl-d-Frogg]

I've been keeping an eye on this machine for some time now. My only concern is using this on the wet salt beaches. How well will it perform? You see, I hunt 80% on beaches and I would hate to buy the XP only to be let down!
I love the fact that it only weighs 2lbs. and can telescopic. I use my Minelabs and they seem to work great on the beaches but, after a couple hours they get heavy. Would I get the same performance from the XP or should I stay
with my Minelabs?

 

[Andy Sabisch]

There is no one perfect detector for all applications becuase all the other companies would be out of business.

The Deus is no exception . . . it stands apart from the crowd on many fronts but trying to compare a single frequency VLF to a multi-frequency detector when operating in wet salt beach areas will produce an expected result . . . the Minelab (or Fisher CZ) will outperform the Deus.

The Deus will flip the tables in fresh water areas and in salt areas without black sand due to the 18 kHz sensitivity; however, if you are a dedicated black sand beach hunter and have Minelabs, you probably need to be looking at a support system for the weight since the performance will be less than what you currently have with the Minelabs . . . . it is a shame that despite 20 years of complaints from the users that the best solution that Minelab has come up with is a 5.3 pound (albeit better balanced) detector with the CTX 3030.

Others may provide a different perspective but wet, black sand beaches was never the primary intended area for the Deus although it does work there - just is not the standout that it is in other areas and other applications

Andy

 

[Carl-d-Frogg]

Andy, thank you very much! Its kinda what I thought in this case. Having tennis elbow just makes it hard to hunt for hours with my E-trac but, I like the multi-frequency ability. It simply works. I just can't seem to let go my $ for the CTX to gain more pounds. I was just hoping for a solution to make detecting a little less ware on my arm and more practical. I guess, like everyone else, will have to wait for the next great thing to come out. I know the Deus is a good machine from what I'm seeing. I was just wondering how the Deus would compare to the E-trac on the wet-salt beaches. Thanks for answering my question Andy!

 

[jcgam]

I'm relatively new to the Deus and I have no experience with Minelabs, but I can tell you that I found a ring 4 inches under the sand in a wet salt beach just a week after getting this detector. It was about 2 feet from the water line. I'm not sure what qualifies as a black sand beach, but I do see many particles of black sand mixed with the wet grey. Larger amounts of black sand causes false hits which for me seems easy to ignore. I suppose other detectors will perform better in this environment (meaning deeper?) but I enjoy swinging the Deus because it is so light. I have a bad shoulder from a work injury and I can still swing it all day long. Plus, no other detector gives me such amazing wireless versatility. Sometimes I leave the control console in the car and just use the headphones (which are also very comfortable) and this allows me to vary my grip on the tube or pole for greater comfort.

 

[Andy Sabisch]

I did not mean to insinuate that it does not work just will not work as well as a dual or multi frequency detector will in these conditions. It is more sensitive to fine gold than the FBS / BBS units - several times I have literally put a piece of gold I found with the Deus on a Minelab coil and di not get a response . . . but larger items will be detected deeper and at a cost however which is weight.

There are techniques that allow the Deus to do quite well in these conditions but the point I made to the posted question is that if you have Minelab detectors already, getting a Deus to step up performance for salt water sites will not meet one's expectations . . . if weight is a factor then the game changes

Andy