Manticore Information and Questions

[Jettstar]

I was lucky enough to spend a bit over an hour swinging the Minelab Manticore at the World Metal Detecting Championships in Windeyer, NSW.

The conditions were tough with highly mineralised(goldfields), trash dense, waterlogged clay that has been detected for years. Plus there was a lot of other detectorist digging the area the previous 24 hours

The most impressive part was that with a quick rundown of how it works, it only took a few targets to work out what the machine was telling me and what I wanted to dig.

The information about the targets under the coil and the way it is displayed on the screen made it easy to lock onto a a good target amongst the trash.

The depth that it was reaching in those conditions was quite astounding!

Got a pic of the Minelab manticore working it's magic. Bottom half of the screen shows 2 target's I've just swung over at the same time. I'd be checking the one on the right, the left one is starting to touch the iron zone.

It's like a boat sonar but made for dirt

I've also added a picture of the coin(never got a photo of the manticore screen when I dug it) as it came out of the ground with a number of iron rich deposits/rusty trash around it. Let's just say the pin pointer sent me in the wrong direction and I made 2 holes in the same spot

I've been told the manticore should be available around the middle of December (got one on preorder)

DISCLAIMER -the machine I was using was still a prototype but very close to the finished product.

 

[Jettstar]

Some pics

 

[Pete E]

I am very interested to see what the Manticore offers.

From the little I have seen so far, I have a feeling that the Manticore will be an excellent coin shooting machine or if you want to notch out certain trash, but I don't see that being a huge improvement over the 800 for relic hunting here in the UK...That said I am keeping an open mind, and it will be interesting to see how it performs in the real world away from YouTube Sponsors ect...

 

[old hand]

Has anyone got a manticore. What is your opinion of it so fare how long have you been detecting

 

[gnftrs]

Has anyone got a manticore. What is your opinion of it so fare how long have you been detecting

Bought one on Saturday, went out Sunday and the wife picked up a 0.7g nugget yesterday here in the NT with one. We both detect up here, I’m running a 7k, she usually uses a 6k, both brilliant machines (Expensive though). We bought a Manticore as a spare detector, I am pretty impressed with it to be fair.

 

[PhaseTech]

Has anyone got a manticore. What is your opinion of it so fare how long have you been detecting

I've used one a number of times now - definitely not an expert on it yet, but starting to get a feel of it. What do you want to know?

 

[guipago]

Any thoughts on the manticore are VERY noticeable by their absence, 1 post then nothing, would have thought there would be a bit more airplay with a new unit out & about or is it a dud for Australian conditions?

 

[grubstake]

Make that 2 posts, or did you miss the bloke who tried out the prototype and seemed impressed?

 

[Detecta]

Any thoughts on the manticore are VERY noticeable by their absence, 1 post then nothing, would have thought there would be a bit more airplay with a new unit out & about or is it a dud for Australian conditions?

If you want to know the Manticore inside out have a look at Dankowski Detectors forum. Nasa Tom was a tester and helped in the production of the Manticore. https://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,185174

 

[guipago]

Just thought there would be more owners reporting on the good, the bad & the ugly of it seeing it's been out for a while now.

 

[grubstake]

Just thought there would be more owners reporting on the good, the bad & the ugly of it seeing it's been out for a while now.

I'd suspect that there's simply very few Aussie owners. With the successful Equinox series having just had an upgrade and Minelab offering a surfeit of rather similar coin/treasure detectors (four Vanquish models, four Equinox models, the X-Terra Pro and the CTX 3030 still apparently top of the wozza), I'd suspect many potential Manticore buyers might be feeling gun-shy.

Then factor in a consumer recession and inflation, plus serious mortgage and rental pressures - good luck finding buyers for a pricey new metal detector with no proven reputation, that looks like a bit of an orphan in an already unwieldy range.

 

[guipago]

Good points grubstake!

 

[grubstake]

Good points grubstake!

Thanks.

I was interested to read Detecta's link above, to comments made by NASA Tom (Dankowski), a US bloke who's very knowledgeable technically and was a tester for development of the Manticore. He says that it's the next generation of the technology that underpins the Equinox series and yet apparently none of the Equinox coils are compatible with it. I think Minelab are going to have their work cut out selling it!

 

[AussieTex]

Thanks.

I was interested to read Detecta's link above, to comments made by NASA Tom (Dankowski), a US bloke who's very knowledgeable technically and was a tester for development of the Manticore. He says that it's the next generation of the technology that underpins the Equinox series and yet apparently none of the Equinox coils are compatible with it. I think Minelab are going to have their work cut out selling it!

Personally, I see Minelab positioning the Manticore as a replacement to the CTX-3030 to placate those fans and we might see the technology underpinning it will trickle down to a cheaper version eventually...maybe in the EQ1k Minelab seems to be fencing the Manticore off like it did the CTX-3030. I was interested in the 3030 on and off but never really wanted one...same can be said with the Manticore. I think Minelab is spreading the product line too much anyway.

 

[chicle.deniers.07]

There you go, one more Manticore out there in Tasmania.
My new unit arrived yesterday from Miners Den after a few days and I’m very happy with the service and deal offered.
Its on its initial overnight battery charge now.

It’ll be a steep learning curve as it’s my first detector, but I’ve researched extensively and will continue to do so.
‘I’ve no dedicated single target use (ie gold vs relics etc) so it seemed to be the best option without spending big money on the $5K plus detectors out there. I do note two different size coils available for it on the Mine Lab web site now.

Wish me luck and if I find anything of note, I’ll post the details, depth etc.

Ken

 

[grubstake]

I think we'll all be fascinated to hear how you get on with it. Tassie is a place where there's been reports of success using the Equinox for gold prospecting, so the Manticore might be OK as well, although that standard coil may be on the big side for coping with rocks and scrubby undergrowth.

Good luck in the field!

 

[XLOOX]

I've used one a number of times now - definitely not an expert on it yet, but starting to get a feel of it. What do you want to know?

threads a bit old but hopefully that means you have even more time to play with the Manticore Nenad.

I was wondering how it compared to the Nox 800/900 in terms of gold depth and ground handling ?

 

[Danny13]

Manticore vs the rest , perhaps some members can give there experience with the manticore compararing it to their previous detectors.

 

[user 4485]

Not a lot of Aussie comparison or forum info around Danny.

 

[Danny13]

still cant see it beating the 3030 on the beach, else where maybe but that will depend on the the operator,