Well, I'm not going to try to convince anyone of anything... only share my path since first getting into metal detecting (through T-Net) many, many years ago. I will say that regardless of the detector used (or money spent on it), a majority of how you view your detector & abilities start with the location you're detecting on. If it's a trashy park, a majority of your finds will be trash. Same for a historical area, or a really popular beach area.
So I started with an old White's IDX Pro that was gifted to me by an old member here on T-Net by the name of Grizzley Bare. I used that machine for about 15 years and did really well with it in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama and down here in Florida.
At some point during that time, I bought a used Minelab Explorer XS with Sunray coil, headphones & in-line pinpointer. Other than being super heavy, I absolutely *loathed* the sounds that Minelab machines made (still do, actually). I didn't get a ton of use out of that machine, so it basically collected dust until I gifted it to someone.
A few years back, I wanted to upgrade to a brand new machine and was financially in the position to do so. I did a LOT of homework on the current manufacturers (R.I.P. White's & Tesoro) and the current detectors on the market. I kept coming back to this company named Nokta Makro (now Nokta Detection Technologies) out of Turkey. I knew I wanted an all-around machine that was fully waterproof/submersible, so I settled on the Nokta Anfibio Multi. It was a GREAT machine, especially for relic hunting! I bought waterproof Gray Ghost Amphibian 2 headphones and could go out in the water like I wanted. However, the only drawback from that selectable single-frequency machine became VERY evident at our saltwater beaches... it was not very stable in or around saltwater, though I could manually ground balance to zero and lower the sensitivity to make it work. I kept going with my Anfibio for a couple of years.
Going back to last year (2022), Nokta finally released their first Multi-Frequency machine (The Legend) to compete against the Minelab Equinox 800 (known by everyone for the leaking & breaking issues for about 4 years)... but the Legend was at a fraction of the cost. Being that this was a Multi-Frequency machine, I already knew that it would be MUCH more stable in & around saltwater... so I planned on saving up to upgrade. I bought my first Legend Pro Pack last summer (2022) and immediately was SUPER impressed with it! In the meantime, Nokta listened to the feedback from their customers & testers, and released several software updates to give us certain features we wanted to see (or see changed), as well as patching a few minor bugs that popped up. These updates only made this affordable machine even better. After using my Legend for about 6 months, I was convinced that this was the best machine I've personally ever used. I decided to sell off my old Anfibio Multi, donate another new detector to my pastor... and purchase a SECOND Nokta Legend WHP as a backup machine. I did just that.
Now I'll admit that though the Nokta machines are amazing... do they have their faults? Sure. I've yet to see or use a detector that hasn't fallen short in some aspect. But the issues I've experienced have been minor EMI issues and other small stuff that honestly, wouldn't make me regret spending the money I did on them. It's not the same, to me, as major issues like leaking head units, breaking coil tabs, or breaking arm cuffs. These things would be an absolute deal-breaker for me, and likely cause me to ditch that company and their low-quality products. Instead, I've been REALLY happy with my choice to use Nokta's machines and back a company that listens to their consumer base and makes changes based on that feedback. They've already announced a new PI machine that they're working on, which I'm sure I'll probably look at adding that to my collection when it releases. But that's my personal take & experience in this hobby over the last 18 years. And I'm hopefully looking forward to many years to come... 🙏🏽
Bran <><
