Nokta The Legend Metal Detector Reviews, p. 1

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Retail Price: $749.00 (€662.00, £561.00)

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10 Reasons Why Nokta The Legend is My Go-To Coin/Relic Detector

by Sergei UpstateNY, USA -
last time updated: January 4, 2026

My review is based on my experience using the Nokta Legend metal detector since May 2023. This detector was extensively put through various air/bench tests, mineral effect tests, as well as experiments in my 100-target test garden and field-testing in real hunt sites under various search conditions.

If it were not for the almost daily testing, experimentation and use of the Legend throughout the first season, I would not have been able to discover a few remarkable capabilities of this detector that are not even mentioned in the instruction manual. All the details will be given in my in-depth write-up - "How To Metal Detect Like a Pro", which covers the application of a professional coin/relic hunting style using the Nokta Legend metal detector (I am currently working on the last four articles, and my write-up will be published in the coming winter months).

My review contains the pros and cons of the Legend metal detector, which were discovered either immediately or later during its testing and use. All the cons will be listed and described in this review later. My review will also include solutions (if any) to the problems associated with the cons described. In cases where only the manufacturer can correct the shortcomings, I will include my suggestions to Nokta.

Before outlining the pros and cons of the Legend, I would like to note that due to the incredibly low price of the Nokta Legend and its simplistic instruction manual, you should not think that this is just an ordinary mid-range, 'all-purpose' multi-frequency metal detector. 'Value for Money' does not apply here because, in some challenging metal detection situations, the Legend can outperform competing metal detectors that are two or three times more expensive.

In the fields, my Legend has done it several times when I used it side by side with competing detectors operated by experienced users! This was most likely due to the fact that all of the Legend's rivals - the latest multi-frequency metal detectors, lack certain features and settings that make a big difference. But the Legend has them all!

Here are examples of key features missing from competing metal detectors. The adjustable 'Audio Gain' setting is not available in the Minelab Equinox metal detectors. In the Minelab Manticore metal detector, this feature does not exist in a simple level-adjustable form as it only offers three factory preset options of modulation, is only available for three of the four audio modes, and requires menu diving to get to its selectable options.

Another adjustable key setting, 'Tone Volume', is not available in the XP Deus 2 machine. And there is one 'uncommon' adjustable feature in the Legend, that I call 'unintentionally muted Threshold' as it is not supposed to be in the firmware version v1.11, but it happened to be in mine and remains in my Legend even after I installed the version v1.15. None of the Legend's multi-frequency rivals have this 'hidden' depth-increasing feature (it will be detailed in my future article).

Like its competitors, the Nokta Legend has multi-frequency options. The Legend's advantage over its competitors is that its multi-frequency performance can be greatly enhanced by the most advanced Tonal Discrimination and a wider range of customization compared to competitive metal detectors.

In my local hunt sites, the Legend outperforms the Minelab Equinox 600-900 metal detectors in low to moderate iron trash areas, and the XP Deus 2 in super trashy areas. The Deus 2 cannot compete with the Legend in such areas because the Deus 2 does not have the optional 6" (LG15) and 6x9" (LG24) 'sniper' coils that are available for the Legend. In less challenging search conditions, the Legend is on par with the XP Deus 2. By the way, the Legend outperforms the XP Deus 1 in all search conditions.

The Nokta Legend is a capable machine. If you fine-tune it right for any particular coin/relic hunting task under existing search conditions, you will turn your Legend into a high-performance metal detector that will allow you to complete your task with maximum results. Considering the pros I listed below, the Legend undoubtedly can be used professionally. But to do this, you need to fulfill all the requirements described in my future write-up.

In today's metal detecting reality, most hunt sites have been cleaned out of GOOD signals. The Legend gives me the opportunity to bring coin and relic hunting back to life at such sites by offering me wider avenues to create and use comprehensive combinations of settings ('search programs') that allow me to successfully complete previously unfeasible tasks.

These tasks, impossible to execute with the metal detectors I have used before, include discerning coins significantly disguised with ground mineralization, coins completely masked by iron, and coins that other modern multi-frequency metal detectors cannot distinguished from iron junk. The latter include coins at the fringe of the detection field.

By successfully performing these and several other challenging tasks, the Legend is able to make the 'pounded' sites productive again, thus bringing you lots of metal detecting fun!

That is why the Nokta Legend metal detector is now my workhorse for most coin and non-ferrous relic hunting tasks. All the other metal detectors in my arsenal have been taking a rest since I got the Legend. And only some of them are rarely called into action when a certain coin/relic hunting activity needs to be done, and the Legend is not the best choice for that activity due to its unbalanced weight, especially when the LG35 search coil is used. Because of it, the two types of coin/relic hunting activities for which I could but do not use the Legend are 'large search area reconnaissance' and 'deep coin cache hunting'.

After searching for coins/relics with my Legend and experimenting with it for two seasons, I eventually was able to define and summarize all the following pros and cons of this metal detector. Although there are 26 cons of the Legend outlined below, none of them are critical to the detector performance. However, I gave the Legend 4.5 stars because of these shortcomings, and Nokta should address them.

10 PROs of Nokta The Legend:

PRO #1:
'Built-To-Last' Construction of a Carbon-Fiber Telescopic Stem - Since I started testing and experimenting with the Nokta Legend metal detector in the fields almost daily in May 2023, putting the device together and disassembling it each time, I have not had any issues with its telescopic 3-piece stem so far. What I like about this stem is that you can lock it into place at whatever position you want, and it folds down small enough to fit in a medium-sized bag or backpack.

Unfortunately, the main drawback of the straight stem is that it causes significant swinging fatigue, especially when using search coils larger than the LG24 coil. I would love to see Nokta develop an S-shaped telescopic stem for the Legend, similar to the one used on the XP Deus metal detectors! In terms of ergonomics and comfort, S-shaped stems are unrivaled.

Another thing I really like about the stem on my Legend is that it is keyed thanks to its trapezoid cross-section. This prevents the stem from wobbling and its lower shaft from rotating around its axis. This makes detector assembly easier and faster, especially in the dark, and eliminates inaccurate alignment of the search coil relative to the control box. The latter has been an issue with the latest Minelab metal detectors equipped with round stems. When I used the Minelab Equinox 900 detector a few times, I found it very annoying that I had to turn the lower shaft every time to visually align the coil when assembling the detector before searching or when changing the coil while searching.

A Quick Note: Unfortunately, Nokta has moved from the XP Deus style keyed shaft (a shaft with a trapezoid cross-section) to the Minelab Equinox/Manticore style round shaft in the stem design of their upcoming Legend 2 metal detector. The claimed benefit is that the detector is now slightly lighter and the user can now rotate the coil sideways for more compact storage. What?! Maybe some users need to rotate the coil sideways for storage, but I have never needed to do so to make my metal detector more compact. It is as simple as disconnecting the upper and lower shaft. Because of the round shaft, Legend 2 users will now be forced and likely hate to rotate the bottom shaft into position each time they assemble the detector or replace the coil.

The rest of the Legend's mechanicals are remarkably sturdy as well. Other than a couple of minor issues with the searchcoil cover and the 'out-of-step' armrest design (details will be given in the 'Cons' section), I have not had any of the mechanical issues that typically plague competing metal detectors of other renown brands. Such issues include cracked coil lugs, loose cam locks, a wobbly handle, a 'playful' control box (it can be moved left and right), a broken lower shaft, or a broken armrest.

Also worth mentioning is the angle between the upper shaft and the Legend's L-handle. This angle is less than that of other modern metal detectors with similar telescopic stems - which makes it easier, more accurate and less tiring to wiggle the coil while isolating a high-tone signal or maneuver the coil over uneven terrain and around surface obstacles. Also, the clever handle design also keeps your hand from riding up and rubbing the control box.

Finally, the Legend's construction is fully waterproof - which allows me to coin/relic hunt in the rain or snow, and also to quickly clean the Legend by simply submerging it in a stream or ditch of water nearby and brushing off any dirt from it. When metal detecting in the rain, I only keep Nokta wireless headphones under the hood of my rain jacket because these headphones are only weather resistant.

When I used the Legend with wired headphones to search for coins in a deep stream, I submerged it completely in water many times. The Legend's construction withstood the water pressure without a problem as I did not experience any leaks or dysfunctions.

My Review Continues on the Next Page > > > Pros #2-#7

Specifications of Nokta The Legend:

• Technology: VLF Multi-Frequency
• Frequencies: Multi(2), 4kHz, 10kHz, 15kHz, 20kHz, 40kHz
• Audio Frequencies: 100Hz - 1200Hz, Adjustable
• Construction: Waterproof up to 10ft (3m) deep
• Length: 25 - 52" (63 - 132cm), Adjustable
• Interchangeable Search Coils: Yes
• Search Coils: 11" (28 cm) and 6" (15 cm) DD Search Coils
• Arm Rest: Adjustable
• Arm Rest Strap: Yes
• Adjustable Shaft: Yes
• Apps: None
• GPS: No
• Depth Indication: Yes
• Control Box Mount: Standard
• Number of Frequencies: 5
• Exclusive Feature: FerroCheck to Inspect Trash Targets
• Programmable Target Id: Yes
• Target Id Segments: 60
• Audio Tones: 60
• Tone Volume: Yes
• Tone Break: Yes
• Tone Pitch: Yes
• Threshold: Adjustable
• Discrimination: Adjustable (All Metal, Ferrous Off, Ground Effect Off, Notch Discrimination)
• Notch Filter: Yes
• Pinpoint Mode: Yes
• Frequency Shift: Yes
• Noise Cancellation: Yes
• Adjustable Speed of Target Response
• Sensitivity Setting: 30 Levels
• Ground Balance: Automatic, Manual, Tracking
• Vibration Mode: Yes
• Search Modes: 4
• Search Mode Types: Beach, Park, Field, Gold Field
• Custom User Profiles: 4
• LED Search Flashlight: Yes
• Display Type: LCD
• Backlit Display: Yes
• Volume Control: Yes
• Bluetooth Compatible: Yes
• Digital Clock: Yes
• Time Tracker: Yes
• Interchangeable Headphones: Yes
• Headphones: Low-Latency Bluetooth Wireless Headphones (included)
• Battery: 5050mAh Lithium Polymer
• Battery Life: 8-20 hours, depending on the operating frequency and settings
• Rechargeable System: Yes
• Weight: 3 lbs. (1.4 kg)
• Warranty: 2 Year Limited Warranty