Arthur,
From your posts, it sounds like you've already made up your mind about the Deus. You have a number of years on "ol' faithful" and it has / does serve you well. I have a friend of mine that I sold a Compass Magnum to in the 1980's and he still uses that same detector and makes some great finds. I have shown him other detectors over the years and while he liked them for various reasons, they never clicked like his Compass did and as a result, he stayed with what he knows and what works.
If there was one detector that did it all and did it better than everything else, there would be one company making detectors . . . and since there are multiple companies with multiple models, that says something.
Look at pickup trucks . . . want to get into a debate? Tell a Chevy owner that your Ford is better than his and see what happens. There are plenty of 25 year old pickups out there still getting teh job done so is a 2016 model required . . . probably not for everyone.
I've watched this thread from the sideline with some interest as from the start, you have stressed how poorly the Deus does compared to your 25 year old detector. I still have detectors from the 1980's that will hold their own in the field but I also know that the technology found on the new models is light years ahead of what was available in the 1980's. The ability of the Deus (and some other top units) to pull targets from among trash, at depths that some might call fish stories and do it with less weight and better balance makes all the difference to those wiling to learn the unit.
As Micheal and others have replied to your original post have saids, it takes time and if you have a detector you have used for decades as you have, relearning techniques and understanding what you are changing takes longer than someone that has never swung a detector. I sold a guy a Deus a month or so that had never used a detector and at the club meeting last night had coins and other finds that made even the guys that had been hunting for 30+ years take notice.
If the Deus is not for you, then it is not for you. Many people that had been hunting for years have tried Minelab's and never were able to make teh leap . . . going back to what they were comfortable with. The Deus is an amazing tool that offers upgradability that other detectors can't offer, wireless capabilities, lightning fast recovery and great detection depth . . . but to get the most out of it you need to understand the unit and why you adjust certain settings.- making adjustments without that will always result in frustration with ANY detector.
Attitude often plays a role and if you are frustrated and feel that your WIlson R/C does a better job in your area and for your type of hunting, then the WIlson will always come out on top for you.
We should be out there enjoying the time we have available to hunt and getting frustrated or being disappointed in the performance of our detector selection is counter-productive.
Just a few thoughts on this thread . . . .
Andy Sabisch
XP Deus Forum Moderator