My Metal Detectors, p. 1

Nokta The Legend (2023 - present)

Misled by the Legend’s low price and simplistic instruction manual, I underestimated this metal detector at first, thinking it was just another 'multi-frequency gimmick'. It was only after I learned all the hidden capabilities of the Legend through extensive field testing and experimentation with it throughout the summer of 2023 that I realized that the Nokta Legend is a real professional metal detector, despite its 'all-purpose' type.

My Legend is now my workhorse for most coin and non-ferrous relic hunting tasks. The only exceptions are the two types of coin/relic hunting activities such as 'hunt site reconnaissance' and 'deep coin cache hunting'. The Legend metal detector is not the best choice for these activities due to its unbalanced weight.

For site reconnaissance, I use either my old Deus v3.2 or v4.1 as long as its long-aged battery lasts, or the Teknetics T2+ (discussed below) when the Deus is out of power or needs more time to fine tune in difficult search conditions. Of course, the Deus is the preferred choice due to its featherlight weight - this is important when scanning a vast search area. However, if the area to be explored is very large and requires a lot of time to locate hot spots, I use my T2+ with a larger 13" DD search coil and a home-made detector harness which makes the detector weightless!

To locate deep coin caches, I use my Fisher F-75+ metal detector (discussed below) with a 13" DD or 15" DD search coil. The F-75+ has a quite effective 'Motion All-Metal' mode and a 'Cache Locator' ('CL') mode which is especially designed for this activity and useful for checking sizable targets. The Legend equipped with an LG35 search coil (13.5x12.5"/35x31.5cm DD) can also be effectively used for cache hunting; however, the above-mentioned detector harness is required to avoid shoulder and arm fatigue.

For all other coin/relic detecting tasks such as target separation, target verification and identification, unmasking coins, deep coin/relic hunting, the Nokta legend metal detector is a winner among all the machines in my arsenal! Outside of my arsenal, there are tough multi-frequency competitors. Although they cost two to three times more than the Legend, they have some disadvantages compared to the Legend. In some challenging coin/relic hunting situations, their disadvantages allow the Legend to outperform these competing detectors if the Legend is programmed and fine-tunedcorrectly.

In every in-field situation where I used my Legend side by side with the Minelab Equinox 900 and XP Deus 2 metal detectors operated by experienced users, the Legend was on par with or better than its competitors. This is most likely due to the fact that all of Legend's competitors lack certain settings, features, or even user-friendly interfaces that are essential when performing complex coin/relic hunting tasks. Legend has them all! Its wide range of customization is just mind-boggling!

I am currently working on a detailed 20 page report on best practices for finding more coins/relics with the Nokta Legend metal detector in the most challenging sites. Such sites include search areas long abandoned by detectorists due to a lack of good signals, areas loaded with iron or tiny particles of iron oxides, areas that contain coins/relics at the fringe of the detection field, former battlefields of World War II located on the sites of former medieval settlements, where desirable targets are covered with a layer of military junk, search areas containing both old coins/relics and abundant modern non-ferrous junk, etc.

The effective search methods and tricks specified in my write-up will be useful not only to Legend users, but also to users of other modern metal detectors, both single-frequency and multi-frequency. This is because the techniques of target separation, target verification and iron identification have been conceptualized at the dawn of metal detecting and can therefore be used with any mid-range or high-end metal detector. It is just that the modern machines allow for faster and more efficient use of old-school methods due to a variety of the latest innovative electronic aids - advanced features and modes built into metal detectors, never dreamed of before.

However, the "other side of the coin" is that the more customizable advanced features and modes included in a metal detector, the higher the likelihood of user error. Nowadays, only modern single-frequency $450 machines with a minimal set of adjustable features (see two models below) significantly reduce the likelihood of user error. The success of using any such detector primarily depends on correct Ground Balancing, EMI reduction, and the user's search coil discipline. And these mid-range machines can be on par with any "feature-crept" detector thanks to their fantastic factory pre-installed algorithms designed to find coins/relics in most challenging search conditions. I have proved this many times.

As for the latest multi-frequency metal detectors, their instruction manuals lack any comprehensive explanation of advanced features and modes, i.e., how changes in their settings, individually or in combination with other features, affect the detector's performance, not to mention examples of their application in specific search situations. All this essential information can only be obtained through experimentation and testing.

But not many detectorists are willing to conduct "lab tests" in the field, and so they use only conservative default settings or factory programs on their super-advanced detectors—which, of course, only leads to mediocre results. At least, those Legend users who do not like to fiddle with settings will not suffer a big financial loss after purchasing the Legend. I feel sorry for those non-tech savvy Minelab Manticore or Deus 2 metal detector users who pay over $2,500 for one with all the necessary search coils and then use it as a $150-450 metal detector.

In my upcoming in-depth write-up I mentioned above, I will compile how-to's and specific combinations of settings for effective Target Separation, Coin Unmasking, Deep Coin Hunting and Deep Coin Cache Hunting, that can be used with the latest multi-frequency detectors. Program setting for single-frequency units will also be included. I hope all this practical information, based on my testing and experimentation with the Legend and other devices in various search areas and in my 100-target test garden, will help many hobbiests find more coins/relics in nail-infested and/or 'hunted out' sites.

My detailed, 3-page review that lists the PROs and CONs of the Nokta Legend metal detector can be found on this page: Nokta The Legend Reviews. At the moment my review only includes the PROs of the Legend, but soon I will add all the CONs, explaining the shortcomings of the Legend and including my solutions to problems and suggestions for Nokta.

The Legend's specifications are also listed on that page HERE

Teknetics T2+ (2019 - present)

Teknetics (owned by First Texas Products) supplied me with this detector along with 5 optional searchcoils (half of them are made by MarsMD) for free to field-test and review. And I am glad they did because I would not know about this excellent single-frequency mid-range detector otherwise (FTP does not run large-scale marketing campaigns unlike other big brands on the market).

After experimenting with, testing and using the T2+ for several seasons, I can responsibly state that this is a very capable and competitive metal detector among all the simple single-frequency mid-range detectors on the market today.

In terms of the number of good finds made at my local sites, the T2+ surprisingly outperforms its younger, more advanced "cousin" - the Fisher F75+ metal detector (see below). My local sites are littered not only with old and modern iron junk, but also accumulations of iron oxide particles and WWII military debris (countless fragments of shells, propelled grenades and mines, tank armor pieces, unexploded ordnance, etc.).

In terms of the performance of the the T2+ (T2 Ltd) compared to competing metal detectors of other brands, it can outperform all single-frequency and even high-end multi-frequency metal detectors when performing certain coin/relic hunting tasks. The T2+ (T2 Ltd) excels at distinguishing coins/relics among multiple iron ojects in areas with medium-high to high iron junk content, revealing coins/relics lying directly under small iron debris, and detecting deeply buried coin caches (when using a 13" or 15" search coil).

The successful performance of the T2+ is undoubtedly due to several cutting-edge features which are, in fact, the key features implemented in this minimalist metal detector. Their descriptions and explanations, as well as practical tips, expert advice, and combinations of settings for those challenging coin hunting tasks that other single-frequency and multi-frequency metal detectors fail to handle, will be given in my upcoming article - "Advantageous Features & Modes of Teknetics T2 Ltd", which is currently under development.

The latest model in the Teknetics T2 series, the Teknetics T2 Ltd (also known as Teknetics T2 SE), is even more capable of outperforming its rivals in a variety of coin/relic hunting tasks as it includes several advanced features that were first introduced in the Fisher F75+ metal detector (see below) and have proven their effectiveness.

However, despite its higher level of advancement, the T2 Ltd inherited old issues of the T2+. They are not critical and can be easily dealt with, however, they should be addressed by Teknetics to ensure the user best experience with detectors of the Teknetics T2 series. You may want to visit my page: Teknetics T2+ Reviews where you will find detailed descriptions of 15 PROs and 23 CONs of the Teknetics T2+ metal detector, which include lots of useful info - my practical tips, solutions to problems, and suggestions for Teknetics, as well as the T2+'s technical specifications, photos, price and reviews from other users.

With its ease of fine-tuning, amazing capabilities and several unrivaled performance benefits, the Teknetics T2+ metal detector has earned a place in our arsenal. In the beginning, it served as a primary backup used by my girlfriend in situations when her 13-year old Deus unexpectedly ran out of power while hunting. This would happen from time to time due to long-aged batteries in the Deus v3.2. They are built-in and therefore cannot be changed in the field and even easily replaced. Eventually the Teknetics T2+ became my girlfriend's 'go to' machine.

The Teknetics T2+ or T2 Ltd is the only mid-range metal detector that I can confidently recommend for professional coin and relic hunting. When I'm not in the mood to tweak my Legend's settings, I use the T2+.

Fisher F75+ (same as the F75 and F75 Limited) (2019-2021)

Fisher (also owned by First Texas Products) gave me this detector along with 6 optional searchcoils (half of them are made by MarsMD) free of charge for field testing and review. The F75+ is a current flagship of Fisher and a "cousin" of the above listed Teknetics T2+. Visually, the F75+ and T2+ differ only in color. The F75+ is more advanced than the T2+ as it incorporates more features and modes in addition to those that also exist in the T2+.

The advanced functions and modes of the Fisher F75 include the following: 'Digital Shielding Technology' ('DST') function that supresses Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and ensures silent operation even at the maximum sensitivity level (99), 'FA' - the 'FAST' search mode, providing the highest 'Recovery Speed' but resulting in shallow detection depth; designed for super trashy areas only, 'JE' - the 'JEWELRY' search mode providing more sensitivity to small and low-conductivity targets, 'PF' - the 'PLOWED FIELD' search mode for hunting in irregular ground, 'CL' - the 'CACHE LOCATOR' search mode for finding sizable coin caches and metal masses (using a 13" or 15" search coil) buried up to 3.3 feet (110 cm) deep, 'Static All-Metal' (this operating mode is used to find deep large coin hoards and sizable military relics such as steel helmets, ammo boxes, assault rifles, machine guns, anti-tank rifles, parts of field artillery, large uxo, etc.) - a non-motion search mode (similar to 'PinPoint' mode) that does not require the searchcoil movement to get a target signal, Automatic Deactivation of 'Settings' Knob is a very practical and convenient function that prevents unintentional changes to settings if your hand accidentally touches the knob during operation, and Back Light - a useful feature for those hunting in low light or total darkness.

I should note that the latest model of the Teknetics T2 series also incorporates some of the F75’s advanced features, such as 'FA', 'CL' and 'FeTone' ('Iron Volume'), that have proven to be quiet effective. The F75’s 'FeTone' consists of 3 Audio modes: '2F' (full iron volume), '2H' (lower iron volume), and '2L' (lery low iron volume).

The F75 offers the following 6 Audio modes that use 'continuous processing' of target responses: '1F', '2F', '2H', '2L', 'bP' and 'CL'. 'Continuous processing' (or V.C.O. - Voltage Controlled Oscillator) of target responses makes a big difference in coin/relic hunting because it gives the operator a "feel" of the depth, size and shape of the detected target. The remaining 6 Audio modes of the F75+ use 'continuous processing' (or "beep" type of target responses: '1', '1n', '3', '3H', '4' and 'dP'.

As you can see, this assortment of useful features allows the user to easily employ a great number of detecting tricks used by professional deep-coin and deep-coin-cache hunters. Since the F75+'s 'iron' range on the Discrimination scale is not as extended (only 0-15) as that of the T2+ (0-40), the F75+ is not very suitable for iron relic hunting. However, despite having a relatively "short" iron range, the F75 is the only metal detector on the market that can effectively reveal coins lying right under small nails (using the 'See-Thru-Iron' method).

Descriptions and explanations of advantageous features and modes of the F75, as well as practical tips, expert advice, and combinations of settings for challenging coin hunting tasks that the F75 can perform best, outperforming other single-frequency metal detectors, will be given in my upcoming article - "Advantageous Features & Modes of Fisher F75", which is currently under development.

The manufacturer claims that the F75+ can be used as a gold-prospecting detector, but I do not think it can detect gold flakes given the F75+'s operating frequency of 13kHz, which is too low for gold prospecting. The plus of its "gold-finder" characteristics is that the F75 is very sensitive to small non-ferrous targets of low conductivity. However, what I discovered during comparative field-testing of the F75+ against the T2+ was the F75+'s slower 'Recovery Speed' incorporated into its Discriminate search modes compared to those of the T2+ (T2 Ltd).

This is also a characteristic of the 'Motion All-Metal' mode when it is activated from the 'bP' Discriminate mode - one of the most producing modes of both the F75+ and T2+ models. As I determined through testing, the Response Speed of the 'bP' and 'bP-All-Metal' modes of the F75+ is much slower than that of the T2+'s similar modes. This was the reason why the T2+ outperformed the F75+ when searching for coins in trashy areas where the F75+'s 'FA' and 'JE' modes were not suitable for use, but the 'bP' mode, due to poor target separation, could not provide sufficient idication of deeper coins that were partially masked by iron debris. Unfortunately, such trashy areas prevail in hunt sites in my locality, so my use of the F75+ has been reduced to one or two metal detecting tasks described below.

In regard to coin/relic hunting, the F75+ proved to be efficient only when separating good and bad signals with the 'FA' mode at super trashy sites, and when detecting "fringe" coin-sized and larger targets with the 'bP' or 'bP-All-Metal' mode in areas with low to moderate iron junk content. After field-testing and using the F75+ for several seasons, I came to this conclusion: coin cache hunting is where the F75+ really shines! The F75+ turned out to be an effective deep seeker when used with a 13" DD or 15" DD search coil in either the 'CL' operating Discriminate mode or the 'Motion All-Metal' search mode activated from the 'CL' mode.

Since the F75+'s 'CL-All-Metal' mode has its Response Speed preset to zero, it outperforms the T2+'s 'bP-All-Metal' mode in detection depth while also providing numerical target identification. The effective electrical conductivity of detected targets is displayed numerically (VDI numbers from 0 to 99) on the LCD screen, just like in any Discriminate mode. This allows for accurate Target Verification which is done by switching between the Discriminate and 'Motion All-Metal' modes. Not to mention that the user interface allows you to do this lightning fast by slightly turning the 'SETTINGS' knob with the side of your thumb!

Combined with continuous signal processing, the F75+'s 'CL' or 'CL-All-Metal' mode allowed me to utilize a special old-school method for distinguishing the weak iron-sounding signal of a large, deeply buried object (such as a 67 oz./2l glass jar filled with large copper coins at a depth of 33 in/85 cm) from weak similar-sounding signals produced by small, shallow iron junk targets. While this method works well with analog metal detectors, it is almost impossible to use with modern digital detectors, with the exception of a couple of units (the above-reviewed Nokta The Legend is one of them). Since the latest model in the Teknetics T2 - the T2 Ltd, also has the 'CL' mode, the F75+ and T2 Ltd are the only two mid-range metal detectors on the market today that can be considered true coin-cache hunters!

In regard to ergonomics, I enjoyed using the F75+. Its body is so well balanced that I did not get any arm or shoulder fatigue after six hours of swinging it even with a large 13" search coil attached. Not to mention the long operating time of this metal detector on one set of four AA batteries - 40 hours -similar to the Teknetics T2+. For comfortable long-hour operation, I hang my F75+ on a homemade detector harness that makes the F75+ weightless. To keep my F75+ in upright position on uneven ground and out of dirt and mud, I affix the Nokta Impact's detector stand that ideally fits the F75+'s tubular 3-piece stem of 7/8" (22 mm) in diameter.

Headphones must be used with the F75+ to get the most out of it. To improve maneuverability when using the F75+, I decided to exclude the wired headphones from the search/recovery process because their cable always gets in the way. Instead, I decided to use a universal wireless headphone system. For that, I modified the F75+'s upper shaft to mount an enclosed wireless transmission module for wireless headphones, just like I did on the Teknetics T2+ and G2+ metal detectors - see details HERE

The unexpected serious failure happened at the end of the second season of field testing. The rotary 'SETTINGS' knob of the F75+ interface started to malfunction, i.e. it did not change the parameters of the selected functions or modes during infinite rotation. Fast switching between modes turned into a time-consuming and annoying attempt to get the knob to work.

Because it was impossible for me to find a replacement for the broken mechanical potentiometer, I could not normally use the F75+ like before, and eventually placed it into my closet. I only take this detector to those search locations where I expect to find a deep cache of coins. Since the T2+ features the same interface, its potentiometer may be prone to similar failure.

Descriptions of 18 PROs and 21 CONs of the Fisher F75+ metal detector, also including lots of useful info - my practical tips, solutions to problems, and suggestions for Fisher, as well as the F75+'s technical characteristics, photos, price and reviews from other users can be found on this page: Fisher F75+ Reviews

Teknetics G2+ (2019 - present)

First Texas Products (FTP) provided me with this simple yet quite effective detector along with 4 optional searchcoils (2 of them are made by MarsMD) free of charge in exchange for extensive field testing and validation. FTP claims that the G2+ is an all-purpose treasure detector for its versatile function which includes a gold prospecting machine. However, in reality the G2+ only gives high performance in detecting tiny and small NON-FERROUS targets such as small low-conductive relics (sheet-bronze fibulae, gold jewelry, pendants, love charms, military insignia and buttons, musketballs, lead bullets, etc.) and thin-sectioned milled gold and silver coins and tiny hammereds at depths from shallow to medium.

This is because of its operating frequency of 19 kHz, which is optimal for tiny and small relics and coins but actually too low for gold prospecting. This operating frequency is ok for finding small gold nuggets, but not as small as gold flakes, with a 5" 'Sniper' search coil. The 19 kHz frequency is not suitable for detecting medium-deep, deep and "fringe" high-conductive coins, coins larger than the US Quarter (25 cents), and other high conductivity objects to which maximum sensitivity can only be achieved with the operating frequency of 4-8 kHz.

The G2+ can find large, high-conductive coins only when they lie at depths within its effective Discrimination range of approximately 5-6 inches for them, i.e. when these coins lie at shallow and medium depths. This can be turned into the advantage when using the "See-Thru-Iron" method of unmasking high conductivity coins lying right under small- and medium-sized nails. However, the G2+ is not as effective when using this method as the Fisher F75 or Teknetics T2+ (T2 Ltd) metal detector.

Eventually this machine joined my arsenal of metal detectors as a back-up for finding "difficult" targets such as small, low-conductive coins and non-ferrous relics at shallow to medium depths in search areas littered with iron. The G2+ earned this status by demonstrating high performance in detecting tiny hammered coins and small 'milled' silver coins in trashy areas of "worked out" sites. To be honest, I did not expect such performance from a simple metal detector with a minimal number of adjustable settings.

The key to the G2+'s effective performance was, first of all, the factory-configured Discriminate and 'Motion All-Metal' search modes, just like in the Teknetics T2+ discussed above. Unlike the 'All-Metal' modes in analog metal detectors, the G2+'s 'Motion All-Metal' has a relatively fast 'Response Speed'. This is why it can be used not only for checking questionable targets, but also for regular metal detecting. Although I must note that it would be more convenient if the target's VDI read-outs were displayed in the same way as when using the Discriminate mode, rather than just three bars showing the approximate classification of the detected target in the arc above.

Another advantageous characteristic of the G2+ search modes is that their audio is based on "continuous processing" of all detected targets in the All-Metal mode and detected non-ferrous targets in the Discriminate mode (when using the 'V-BREAK' feature discussed below). While the 'sampled' (or 'beep') audio response is just a "snapshot" of the signal, the 'continuous' or V.C.O. (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) audio target response has variable pitch and volume, allowing you to get a good "feel" for the size, depth and shape of the target.

This is why headphones must be used with the G2+. In fact, this is the only way to get the most out of this detector. For comfortable operation of the G2+ without wired headphones, I modified its upper shaft to affix an enclosed wireless transmission module for wireless headphones - see details HERE

When used with the elliptical 6 x 10" DD 'sniper' search coil, the G2+ provides decent Target Separation in both the Discriminate and 'Motion All-Metal' search modes. To achieve maximum depth penetration in the Discriminate mode of the G2+, which is a semi-computerized analog metal detector, you should follow a simple rule of thumb: do not reject any VDIs on the Discrimination scale even when you execute the 'See-Through-Iron' technique to detect coins that are completely masked by small nails or tiny iron debris.

This rule should be strictly followed because rejection of any VDIs on the Discrimination scale (0-80) reduces the detection depth! In trashy areas detection depth does not matter; however, this same rule must be followed for effective Target Separation, i.e. to hear responses from coins partially masked by iron objects.

That is why the 'Zero-Discrimination' setting must be used to get the most out of the G2+. Detecting in the iron-littered area while using the 'Zero-Discrimination' setting is historically considered unacceptable by many detectorists due to the rapidly acquired ear fatigue caused by numerous iron-grunt signals. Fortunately, this is not a problem with the G2+ because it offers a simple tool to avoid ear fatigue from the iron noise - a manually adjustable 'Iron Audio' feature called "FeTone".

Another advantageous feature of the G2+ is the adjustable 'V-BREAK'. In the Discriminate mode, the 'V-BREAK' allows you to convert the 1-tone audio of your G2+ into 2-tone audio. The 'V-BREAK' can be set to indicate any target with a VDI value in the range of 0-80 (the Discrimination scale) with a LOW tone. When used in combination with the 'FeTone' function reducing the audio volume of the 'iron' range (0-40), the 'V-BREAK' allows you to create various Audio-Discrimination patterns consisting of low-pitched and medium-pitched tones which can be of low volume for iron targets and normal volume for non-ferrous targets.

Descriptions and explanations of features and modes of the G2+, as well as practical tips, expert advice, and combinations of settings for challenging coin hunting tasks will be given in my upcoming article - "Advantageous Features & Modes of Teknetics G2+", which is currently under development.

Descriptions of 7 PROs and 19 CONs of the Teknetics G2+ metal detector, also including lots of useful info - my practical tips, solutions to problems, and suggestions for Teknetics, as well as the G2+'s technical characteristics, photos, price and reviews from other users can be found on this page: Teknetics G2+ Reviews