New MI-6 - Initial Observations

[txop]

I have been a Deus user for about 4 months and have made some of the best finds of my 20 years in metal detecting. I think using full tones along with the fast recovery speed is what has helped me. I usually always hunt with Gary's "HOT" program. Just works for me.

Since I got the Deus I never liked using my standalone pinpiointer because it was hard to hear with the headphones on. Also I mainly hunt in the city and it seems like every time I use my pinpointer a plane is flying low overhead or the lawn guys are out in full force. The other day a lawn crew got out across from a vacant lot I was hunting and started up their gas blower. It ran solid for 20 minutes. Couldn't hear my pinpointer at all. I could fell the vibration but I like the sound better.

I started doing research on the MI-6 right after I got my Deus. All I could find was a lot of post saying how it didn't work well so I steered clear of it. When V4.1 came out I started researching both the firmware and the MI-6. I read all the post and watched a lot of Deus videos, including the guru's from the other side of the pond. Most were using the orange pinpointers or similar. Kind of disheartening when none of the hard core Deus users are using the MI-6 pinpointer. I wrote a few of the guys here that have tried them and received mix reviews. I was even nervous about trying V4.1 because it did not look like there was a path back to V4.0.

So a few days ago I started looking at them and V4.1 again. I decided I would never sleep again unless I bought one but I went a step at a time. I first upgraded the firmware to V4.1. It was easy and quick to do. I don't understand why XP feels the need to wipe out our custom programs. No need for that. Just save them off first and reload them. Put out a disclaimer that they may need adjusting after the update. There must be another reason that I don't know??

I spend an hour or so in my small test garden playing with it and all seemed good to me. I left the GB on manual and set to 88 where I have always run it. So the next logical thing to do was order the MI-6 and get it shipped here without the wife knowing about it. Well that didn't work out too well. My wife hunts also so she saw quickly I had a different color pinpointer. Would have been better if XP had copied the orange color. Think about it.

So today after explaining to the wife why I needed the new pinpointer I took it out of the box to play with it. Pretty cool and easy to use and change setting standalone. Then I paired it up with the remote, changed the mode to number 7 and started to play. I love it. What a cool setup! So I figured while I was back at work I would put it on charge. There was a problem right off the bat. The cap was so tight I thought I might have to get some vice grips after it. I gave it everything I had and figured there must be a secret I didn't know. To make a long story short I got it off. It was just a lot tighter than I expected. I know it's waterproof so maybe that is why it was so tight?

At this point I have only played with it at my house in the test garden. I was really expecting the worse but I was pleasantly surprised so far. It switches back and forth flawlessly and it's quick. I must have switched it back and forth a hundred times and never lost my coil or pinpointer connection. I did notice that when the pinpointer is on the light on the coil changes to a super fast blinking and then back to the slow blinking when it's turned off.

If I had anything to complain about on my Deus itself it would be the way the plastic parts scratch so easy and lose there original brightness. Minor complaint but if you use a Deus you know what I am trying to say. The plastic is just not up to par with what you would expect on a high end detector. I see the pinpointer as doing the same. I still have my original black pinpointer and I can wash it off and it still looks good after many years of use. I don't think the MI-6 with be as rugged but they sell replacement parts including the cases so that is good as long as they are priced right. I just like to take good care of my stuff.

That's about it for now. I have the day off on Friday and will be out hunting all day at many different places. I'll report back and add my thoughts after an actual day of detecting. Hopefully I am still as pleased as I am now. If not I can go back to my old black one and will at least have this out of my system. The speaker in the MI-6 is underneath the waterproof cap and makes it almost useless as a standalone pinpointer. Others may feel differently but it's pretty quiet. I have many other detectors that I use from time to time and will most likely be able to live with it but it needs to be rethought. I wonder if the new MI-4 will be the same?

So far so good. Feel free to comment especially if you are a happy user. I would like to see some positive results. Seems like people only post the bad stuff on products.

HH

 

[Mark kus]

I also bought a MI-6 and it works great but I have not updated to 4.1 I also have made some great silver finds in the past two months,
I could suggest to you to buy covers for your Deus mine looks brand new always kept it covered they’re cheap insurance to protect
The remote and you can just wipe them off with a wet cloth and you can buy the plastic tip guards to prevent the housing from wearing
The MI-6 is the best pointer I’ve ever used paired with headphones I hunt at night and don’t disturb anyone it’s a great machine but
I will soon have a minelab Equinox for water hunting this is where the Deus is behind maybe a multi band frequency machine from Deus
Is in the works??
Sunday’s good finds.

 

[txop]

Got out for a couple of hours today to try out the pin pointer. It switch back and forth perfectly. Almost no delay at all.

Now I have to get use to the pin pointer. In pulse mode it's just not the same as my other pin pointer. I can't put my finger on it yet but it's going to take some getting use to. It just sounds different than my other one I have been using for years. I have the sensitivity set to 35 which comes out to about the same distance as my original black pro pointer. I didn't try the pitch mode yet.

One other thing was strange to me. Sometimes when hunting I'll miss the spot where I pinpointed with my coil. In the past I would just pick up the deus by the rod and run it over the target quickly. Then continue pinpointing. That's not so easy now. I grabbed my deus to do that today and realized it was shut off because the pin pointer was in use. Will just have to get use to that.


If you use a Deus you must have an MI-6. I nearly forgot that my short outing was the first time I had used V4.1. I had the GB set to a manual setting of 90 and it worked fine. I use a manual GB of 90 so I couldn't see anything different from V4.0 I will have to go read about the update again. Maybe there is something new I missed.

I have six other detectors and all I use now is the Deus. I do carry my X-terra with a 5" DD coil with me just in case I get into a place where I need a small coil. It's a great backup detector but a slow recovery rate so it requires a slow swing.

Anyway I hope this quickie review helps anyone else that is on the fence like I was.

HH

 

[parkgt]

If you use a Deus you must have an MI-6.

I have used my Deus for 4 years without one and cannot see how it would find anymore than the Garrett Carrot does.

If I didn't own a PP I might consider it, but to me the cost to replace a perfectly working unit is not worth it.

 

[txop]

If you use a Deus you must have an MI-6.

I have used my Deus for 4 years without one and cannot see how it would find anymore than the Garrett Carrot does.

If I didn't own a PP I might consider it, but to me the cost to replace a perfectly working unit is not worth it.

I wouldn't have bought one either if it were not integrated in the whole system. As I said in the original I hunt in noisy places where I simply can't heard the Garrett. Just are constantly landing and high traffic. Thats just the places we have available to hunt in the city. If you can easily hear your while wearing headphones are backphone's then it your call. Now that they lowered the cost to $159 at most places it's worth every penny to me.

It's like anything else you make your own decisions. I stand by my comment that you need one if you own a MI-6.

HH

 

[Mark kus]

I love it and if you hunt at night like I do it’s silent!

 

[parkgt]

I love it and if you hunt at night like I do it’s silent!

Where and why?

 

[txop]

So I have used the MI-6 in the field for several hours now. I did have trouble with it on two occasions. On both of the occasions it was the first time that I had used the pinpointer in that session. I was able to turn the MI-6 off and back on and from then on it worked. There were a few times that the switch from MI-6 to Deus or back would take a couple of seconds longer than normal. Not a big deal but but you I don't trust it 100 percent now. So now when I switch it on I wave it by the detector upper rod to make sure it's switched. Not a big deal.

I also hunted with my X-terra a couple of times since it has the 5 inch coil. I put the MI-6 in program 2 so I could use it standalone. It's just barely usable as a standalone pinpointer because the speaker is behind the end cap. You can barely hear it. If it wasn't for the vibration I would say it totally unusable as a standalone. An the vibration is not as strong as others.

If the new MI-4 is a MI-6 minus the radio link I would not recommend it. Sometimes I wonder why manufacturers release products. Maybe it's quieter in France Someone at XP surely knows the speaker is all but impossible to hear. I never water hunt so I will probably buy an extra cap for it and drill reall small holes in it so I can hear it. Then I will have the old cap if I do go into water hunting.

So as an integrated PP with the Deus I give it a 4 out of 5. It still needs a little work on the firmware to be 100 percent reliable. As a standalone PP it get's a 1 and that is being generous.

Am I glad I go it? Yes. In the environment I hunt, with headphones I could not hear my Garrett well enough.

To parkgt, I get you love your carrot from your comments here and on another thread. My advice to you is to keep doing what you are doing as it works for you.

I hope this infor help someone make a decision one way or the other.

HH

 

[parkgt]

To parkgt, I get you love your carrot from your comments here and on another thread. My advice to you is to keep doing what you are doing as it works for you.

HH

Your honest assessment is what people need to hear to help make an informed choice. I like you own more than one detector so it would not have been a good fit as you have pointed out. So the notion that "If you use a Deus you must have an MI-6" just didn't and doesn't work for some of us.

There are several good pinpointers available; the Carrot is just the one I landed upon that works well for me in spite of having a Deus.

 

[txop]

Your honest assessment is what people need to hear to help make an informed choice. I like you own more than one detector so it would not have been a good fit as you have pointed out. So the notion that "If you use a Deus you must have an MI-6" just didn't and doesn't work for some of us.

There are several good pinpointers available; the Carrot is just the one I landed upon that works well for me in spite of having a Deus.

The reason I say this is because of the issue, for me, of hearing my Garrett PP with my Deus headphones on. Even though I have 6 detectors I have hunted with the Deus 99.9 % of the time since I have had it. I always hunt in Gary's hot program and love full tones. BTW, I do love Garrett products and I live about 3 miles from the factory. Their newer factory is state of the art all the way. They also do a really good job of supporting our local clubs and tghey also now make a wireless PP for their AT line of detectors.

Bottom line is you read all you can on a product and make your choice. I hope my posts helps someone with their purchase. I love mine when using it with the Deus. Stand alone PP, you need to look elsewhere.

 

[parkgt]

The reason I say this is because of the issue, for me, of hearing my Garrett PP with my Deus headphones on. .

I use Shure earbuds plugged into the Backphone module and hearing the Carrot is not an issue for me; plus the vibration is a better feedback loop than the audio anyway IMO. I much prefer earbuds to any of the headphones I have including the SunRay Golds, Deus Backphones or the Minelab Nox HPs.

 

[Mark kus]

The reason I say this is because of the issue, for me, of hearing my Garrett PP with my Deus headphones on. .

I use Shure earbuds plugged into the Backphone module and hearing the Carrot is not an issue for me; plus the vibration is a better feedback loop than the audio anyway IMO. I much prefer earbuds to any of the headphones I have including the SunRay Golds, Deus Backphones or the Minelab Nox HPs.

I had the carrot to I can see if you have more than one machine that would make sense to own just one pin pointer I like the MI-6 I had the carrot to and I sold it to a friend...
I like the fact its rechargeable and I can just disconnect it from my Deus to use with my NOX.

 

[Mark kus]

I love it and if you hunt at night like I do it’s silent!

Where and why?

Like I stated I hunt at night its silent so I do not disturb people Like in parks beaches That's where!!! pretty simple look to see some of my finds..
That I have shared on these forums.

 

[parkgt]

I love it and if you hunt at night like I do it’s silent!

Where and why?
Like I stated I hunt at night its silent so I do not disturb people Like in parks beaches That's where!!! pretty simple look to see some of my finds..
That I have shared on these forums.

The Carrot can also run it Silent mode.

 

[Listener]

I finally made it out for a couple of short hunts to try out the 4.1 update with the MI-6. Boy what a difference from it with 4.0. It worked flawlessly and the delay is minimal compared to before. Also dug my 1st presidential dollar this year. I was sure hoping XP finally took care of the issues and would rather use the mI-6 because of the sensitivity it has over the Garrett. Also appreciate the sound in tbe headphones when hunting parks and not attracting children with the sounds.

 

[txop]

I finally made it out for a couple of short hunts to try out the 4.1 update with the MI-6. Boy what a difference from it with 4.0. It worked flawlessly and the delay is minimal compared to before. Also dug my 1st presidential dollar this year. I was sure hoping XP finally took care of the issues and would rather use the mI-6 because of the sensitivity it has over the Garrett. Also appreciate the sound in tbe headphones when hunting parks and not attracting children with the sounds.

I not have many hours of use on my MI-6. I hunted everyday this week with it. Never failed once. I do run it past my shovel or rod each time just to make sure it switched ok. Switching back is pretty quick too. It's always ready to go when I am ready to swing. I was running at a sensitivity of 30 but up it to 35 and that seems to work best.

I used it a couple of times stand alone with my other detector and it was ok but could be louder. All in all it's the best PP for use with a Deus hands down.