which DEUS for wife?

[soimcrazy]

I asked in another post for suggestions for a detector for my wife for xmas. A few mentioned the XP Deus.

Never heard of it.

Anyway I looked it up and see they have 4 models ranging from $799 to $1565


Anyone care to comment on their model and what they like/don't like about it?

And any suggestions or recommendations?

Wife will detecting in woods and fields at home here in Virginia. Lots of CIVIL WAR stuff to be found, coins too. No gold nuggets or such.

Whats would you buy your wife?

 

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[smokeythecat]

I have the Deus with the ws4 headphones. The WS5 had the big muff heaphones, but they are not necessary, even in windy conditions and up the price of the machine. The Deus is essentially one model, comes with various coil choices. I'd go with the basic package WS4 and loop that comes with it. A little less expensive that way and you won't lose anything. Mine sucks gold, silver and relics right out of the ground. Turn on and go if you please, tweak a thousand ways if you want.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

I agree with smokey

 

[HuntinDog]

You need the remote to have full ability to adjust all of the settings and for any future updates.
That being said... at a minimum I would get the package with the remote and the 9" coil.

 

[Iron Buzz]

You need the remote to have full ability to adjust all of the settings and for any future updates.
That being said... at a minimum I would get the package with the remote and the 9" coil.

I can't imagine trying to use the Deus with only that tinny little speaker on the remote. Headphones are a must, IMO. I personally far prefer the WS5 over the WS4 for sound quality (I own both), although opinions there do vary. I also can't imagine using wired phones with that little 1/8" jack except for a rare emergency.

 

[vferrari]

It would really be useful to know how serious you or your wife are into metal detecting relics. Also, where you actually live in Virginia makes a BIG difference. If you live near the Potomac, the Bay, or Tidewater, South/Southwest Virginia, Winchester, or the Shenandoah Valley then you will be dealing with mild soil and just about any VLF detector will serve you well. If you live anywhere near Fredericksburg, Culpeper, Orange or other central Virginia civil war hotbeds you will be dealing with highly mineralized red clay that renders most VLF detectors practically blind. Even the Deus needs to be tweaked in a very deliberate way to enable it to be useful under these conditions. If you live in Northern Virginia, unless you live on a Farm or have plenty of Permissions, the restrictions against metal detecting are worse than the gun control laws and can get you into a lot of trouble if you attempt to detect public lands. That is actually true throughout much of the state other than the public spaces near the Tidewater beaches.

That being said, if you are still wanting to get her started relic hunting in VA then though I am a whole hog Deus fanboi, without any other knowledge of what experience you or your wife have with detectors, it might make sense to start off with a much less expensive but very capable and user friendly relic detector. I recommend the Tecknetics T2 or Teknetics Patriot. Both are very capable detectors for the money (~$500 or less for gently used units for sale now on Tnet) and very straight forward to operate and will find plenty of relics in normal soil conditions. The Minelab Equinox looks like a killer detector also based on the advertised specs but is iffy to be coming out by Christmas, plus no need for your wife to be a guinea pig to help Mindlab get the bugs worked out (two models ranging from $650 to $900). You will also need, as you probably know, to invest in a capable pinpointer (at least $100), a capable shovel, pouch, gloves, digging hand tool to completely outfit your relic hunter.

If you are still determined to get a Deus, first see if you can find a gently used package here on TNET classifieds. What you should get: 9" coil, control box, shaft/stem assembly and a set of wireless phones. I personally recommend the WS4 backphones vs. the WS5 over-the-ear phones for the following reasons: The backphones are completely submersible which means that if it starts raining you can just leave them on and keep going no problem (the remote is not waterproof but you can place it in a waterproof phone bag/case or just stuff it in a waterproof pocket and you can just keep detecting by sound using the headphones alone). The WS5 are weatherproof but cannot take a complete dunking. Also the WS4 puck can be removed and you can mount it on the detector stem or on a third party wrist mount or armband pouch and use the mini display on them for target ID (but then you need to plug in a set of headphones into them (using a separately purchased headphone adaptor plate) or into the control box in your pocket if you want to hear signals. More sensibly, you can plug the module on to one of any number of third party headsets and replicate the over the ear headphone experience of the WS5's which gives you the flexibility of either configuration depending on what is most suited to your detecting conditions (cold or hot weather, noisy or quiet environment, etc.).

Since the Deus can be used with just the wireless phones and the mounted coil, that is the Deus Lite setup you have seen for ~$800. As others have mentioned, you miss out on some of the features that are incorporated into the remote such as the displayed target information, the built-in coil pinpointing function, and the ability to modify the built-in programs and save them as custom programs. I would only recommend getting the lite setup as a second "backup" unit that could be used/borrowed by a hunting partner (you or the kids) while your wife uses the the full blown unit with the remote. The remote can be used to enter programs into both coils so you only need one remote to program all the coils you own. If you were to go this route. I would get two different coils one coil for the full setup and one for the lite setup. Personally, if I were to go this route I would by the 11" coil, remote, and wireless phones. And then purchase an HF 9" coil, wireless phones, and coil mounting stem and you have a complete backup set while being able to use the capabilities of the LF COIL (the lower frequencies are good for deep high conductors like silver coins) and the HF coil capabilites with the higher frequencies for mid-conductors like gold or lead and brass relics. Unfortunately, you cannot at this time purchase the HF coil as part of a headphone, remote, stem, coil package. if you get this whole hog setup you can also both go detecting because you will have two coils on stems and two wireless headsets. You will have to duke it out for the remote.

Also, if you are going whole hog, you might want to also look at the XP wireless pinpointer that integrates with the Deus such that the pinpointer sounds off within the Deus headphones when you switch over to it.

So you can get a basic (not light) setup with LF coil, remote, mounting stem, and wireless phones for about $1500 give or take (haggle with your dealer). If you get the hf coil "lite" setup I described that would be an additional $800 to $900 bucks because you would be buying the HF coil, headphones, and stem separately rather than as a llte package but if you buy all this stuff at once the dealer might give you a price break. The pinpointer will set you back another $150 to $200 each. Plus the other relic hunter accessories I mentioned above.

Hope this helps get you thinking about what all this entails and please ask additional questions.

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

I'm not sure I'd recommend a Deus for a beginner.

 

[Indiana Mark]

I'm not sure I'd recommend a Deus for a beginner.

Why not? To me it makes more sense actually. A beginner is going to need to learn their detector regardless of which brand/model they choose. Instead of outgrowing a 'beginner' detector after awhile, one could grow into the deus and all the functions and settings it has to offer, all the while having a comprehension on what the machine is telling them.
Besides, and perhaps it's just my opinion, the deus is likely to retain more resell value if/when it is decided that metal detecting may not be the hobby of choice. (This could change when we all see exactly how the new minelab performs...)

The XP Deus is as simple or difficult as you want to make it. There are preset programs that work fine for a beginner or one can adjust/alter settings to their hearts content if they choose to get that in depth with the detector.

Personally I would go with WS4 headphones, control module and the 9" low frequency coil and maybe the MI6 pinpointer.

 

[vferrari]

A beginner can be very successful with the Deus out of the box with perhaps only minor tweaks to the stock programs, just not sure I would drop that much coin on a beginner's detector unless I knew that person was totally into it. That's why I recommended the Teknetics detectors as a Detector which you can grow with without making a huge investment.

Also, Deus resale value ain't all that great, you are basically losing 30% once you drive it off the lot, comparable to most other detectors.

 

[Carolina Tom]

I was one of those that mentioned it in your prior post.

I use WS4 backphones, and like the control unit. For some reason seeing a number makes me feel better. Either 9" or 11" works fine, I tend to lean to the 9" because it is lighter and easier to pinpoint with.

I don't like headphones that cover the ears, I prefer to be able to hear the pinpointer and like situational awareness.

The real deal is that YOU get to buy a Deus, and pretend it's for your wife! Dang shame she isn't into hot rod cars.

Best of luck to you sir.

 

[soimcrazy]

Sorry, forgot to mention that she's had a Garrett Ace 250 for about 10 years now. So she's not exactly a beginner but still far from an experienced Relic Hunter.
And we live in the Petersburg area of Virginia which is about 20 miles south of Richmond. Right here in the heart of many Civil War battles. For the most part are soils around here tend to be on the Sandy side, not so much heavy clay

 

[smokeythecat]

I have the WS4 headphones, that's the small kind, the remote unit on the shaft and the 9" coil. It really kicks it. I added an elliptical coil to it, and it kicks ever harder. Got the arthritis good now, so the light weight is perfect for people like me. A 60 pound child can swing one perfectly fine.

 

[vferrari]

If she's been using an ACE 250 for 10 years and is into relic hunting, then the Deus would make a great upgrade relic machine for her. Just have her come to TNET for the pointers and get her the companion Deus handbook by Andy Sabisch.

As I and others recommended before, do not get the lite setup. 9 or 11" coil with controller stem and wireless headphones (again, WS4 is my recommendation as stated before for the reasons given). If you are thinking she might want to eventually upgrade to one of the HF coils or she searches a lot of open fields get the 11" coil, otherwise, go with the 9" coil. The Deus package price is the same regardless of which coil you choose. She's lucky to have you as a husband if you get her this detector.

 

[tnsharpshooter]

For any woman wanting to go Deus.
I recommend the full Deus package (remote, ws4 headphones and 9" low freq coil setup)
And then buy either the Vance or the other Ws4 headphone module compatible set of headphones available.

Do not buy the grey ghost Deus compatible headphones.
They don't sound good.
Don't buy the ws5 headphones- they don't sound good either.

If you are really feeling good, get the wife the mi6 pinpointer too.

Btw 11" LF coil imo not a good balance and weight for most women,,,9" more enjoyable to use.

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

I started with the 11 inch LF coil and thought wow it separates awesome vs my old machine. THEN I used the 9 inch HF coil for a couple weeks and when I put the 11 inch LF coil back on last weekend the perceived lack of separation vs the 9 inch HF coil was immediately noticeable.

 

[soimcrazy]

Whos got the best deals on the Deus detectors?

 

[G.A.P.metal]

Whos got the best deals on the Deus detectors?

Sent you a PM

 

[Stretch Da Truth]

Love the Deus!
WS5 headphones rock! Cover my ears but I can still hear everything going on around me with the volume at 3.
I swing the 11" regular coil as that was the deal I got... the 9" HF sounds like it kicks butt but I am not ready to drop another $400+ yet... got to find more $$$ first.
If she has been swinging an Ace for 10 years, she will love the Deus! Light, fast, coin/relic magnet and one sweet looking setup.
Good luck to you and be ready to want one for yourself.

 

[soimcrazy]

ok, take a look at this website, (I'm only using this for reference)

https://www.metaldetector.com/xp-deus-metal-detector



its showing 4 configurations. I'm thinking #3 config?

From what I can tell #2,3,4 are only different headsets?

I'll probably get a 9" coil since she will be doing woods detecting and not just open field detecting.

-----as far as BETTER coil upgrades......tell me about them

 

[Iron Buzz]

Don't buy the ws5 headphones- they don't sound good either.

I haven't used the Vance headphones so can't compare, but I have a rather nice collection of finds using the WS5. Personally, I love them and hate my WS4s.