The Nokta Legend 2 is Nokta's newer model next to the original Nokta Legend, and the changes are real but narrow: a 99 point target ID scale in place of 60, 19 frequency shift channels in place of 13, a 6700 mAh battery in place of 5050 mAh, a lighter build at 2.6 lb against 3.0 lb, a backlit membrane keypad, target ID shown in pinpoint, wireless firmware updates, and a new LD coil range. The detecting engine is the same simultaneous multi-frequency platform with the same five single frequencies and the same 5 m (16 ft) waterproofing. If you own a Legend and hunt trashy or electrically noisy sites, the upgrade is worth it. If you own a Legend and hunt open fields and clean beaches, keep it. If you own neither, both are on offer: the original Legend is still sold as the Nokta Legend Pro Pack. For a new buyer we recommend the Legend 2 for its finer target ID scale, Relic mode and lighter build; the Pro Pack makes sense if you already own LG coils, or want an LG15 6 inch coil and a waterproof spare battery in the box.
What changed, in Nokta's own numbers
Nokta publishes a side-by-side of the two detectors, and the table below is drawn from it. Rows where the two are the same are left out.
| Spec | Nokta Legend (Legend Pro Pack) | Nokta Legend 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Target ID scale | 1 to 60 | 1 to 99 |
| Frequency shift channels | 13 | 19 |
| Search modes | Park, Field, Beach, Gold, Beast | Park, Field, Beach, Relic, Gold |
| Target ID in pinpoint | No | Yes |
| Keypad | Rubber keys | Membrane, backlit |
| Battery | 5050 mAh lithium polymer; Nokta rates it up to 20 hours, manual says 8 to 20 hours; charge 3 to 4 hours | 6700 mAh lithium-ion; Nokta's page says up to 33% more runtime, Nokta's manual says 8 to 20 hours; charge 5 to 6 hours |
| Weight | 3.0 lb (Nokta's site says 1.3 kg, its manual 1.4 kg) | 2.6 lb (1.2 kg) |
| Firmware updates | Update Tool on a computer, no wireless | Wired or wireless |
| Bone conduction headphones | No | Yes |
| Coil range | LG series (LG15, LG24, LG28, LG30, LG35) | LD series (LD21, LD22, LD28, LD38) |
| User profiles | 4 | 15 (3 per mode; Nokta's comparison chart prints 4) |
Unchanged: simultaneous multi-frequency with the same Multi settings and 4, 10, 15, 20 and 40 kHz single frequencies, IP68 waterproofing to 5 m (16 ft), FerroCheck, Bluetooth aptX Low Latency audio, vibration, LED flashlight, and Nokta's 3-year warranty. Both detectors are on offer today: the Legend as the Legend Pro Pack and the Legend 2 as Nokta's newer model.
Where the 99 point ID scale pays off
The Legend's 60 point scale put US coins and common trash close together on the display; the Legend 2's 99 points spread the same conductivity range over more numbers, so two targets that read the same on a Legend can read a few points apart on a Legend 2. That matters in one place above all: old home sites and parks where good conductors sit next to nails and foil. It matters much less on an open field with a target every twenty paces, where you dig everything that is not iron anyway. The Legend 2 also shows the target ID while you pinpoint, which saves the step of backing off the target to read the number again.
Where the extra frequency shift channels pay off
Frequency shift is how a multi-frequency detector steps away from interference: power lines, other detectors, a phone in a pocket. The Legend has 13 channels, the Legend 2 has 19. On a quiet site neither detector needs more than one. Under a transmission line, next to a boardwalk full of detectors at a beach hunt, or in a park with buried utilities, six more channels is six more chances to find a quiet one. If the Legend has ever driven you off a site with chatter you could not shift away, that alone is the upgrade argument.
Beast mode is gone, Relic mode takes its slot
The Legend's fifth mode is Beast, which Nokta's Legend manual describes as the mode that resets the ground balance so deep coins and large masses can be detected, with a second ground balance for hot rocks. The Legend 2's fifth mode is Relic, and Nokta's Legend 2 manual describes it in the same terms: Relic detects targets at depths that cannot be detected in other modes, it resets the ground balance of the soil so deep coins and large masses come through, and it has a second ground balance for hot rocks, available only in Relic. Like Beast, Relic has an iron rejection setting from 0 to 5 to help pick out iron close to the surface (the Legend 2 manual calls it both Iron Bias and Iron Rejection), and as in Beast, both ground balances run automatically only. Nokta's manual adds that Relic works on some beaches once IDs 20 and 99 are notched out. On Nokta's own descriptions, Relic is the deep mode in the slot Beast used to fill, and a Legend owner who lives in Beast mode can expect Relic to do the same job.
Weight, battery and the keypad
A 0.4 lb saving does not sound like much until the fourth hour of a beach hunt with the Legend 2's 11 inch coil on. On battery, Nokta's two sources do not agree: the Legend 2 page says the 6700 mAh pack gives up to 33% more runtime than the Legend, while Nokta's Legend 2 manual rates it at 8 to 20 hours, the same range the Legend manual gives the 5050 mAh pack. Take the bigger pack as insurance on a long day rather than a promise of a longer one, and note that the Legend 2 charges in 5 to 6 hours against the Legend's 3 to 4. The keypad is a matter of feel: the Legend 2's membrane keys are backlit, and the Legend has rubber keys without a backlight. Try both before you decide it matters.
Your Legend coils, and the new LD range
The Legend 2 uses a new LD coil range: LD21 8 x 5.5 inch, LD22 9 inch, LD28 11 inch and LD38 15 x 12 inch. Nokta lists the LG range (LG15, LG24, LG28, LG30, LG35) for the Legend only and the LD range for the Legend 2 only, so plan on LD coils if you move to the Legend 2. For a Legend owner with three LG coils, that is the real cost of the upgrade, and it is why the question is not as simple as the spec table makes it look.
Should a Legend owner upgrade?
Upgrade if you hunt iron-heavy historic sites or trashy parks, if EMI has cost you hunts, or if you want wireless updates and bone conduction audio. Keep the Legend if you hunt open fields, clean freshwater beaches or farmland, or if you have invested in LG coils; the Legend still does everything it did the day you bought it, and nothing in the Legend 2 makes a quiet site quieter. We would not upgrade for the weight or the keypad alone.
What to do next
If you are buying new, the Nokta Legend 2 comes with the LD28 11 inch and LD21 8 x 5.5 inch coils, Bluetooth aptX Low Latency headphones, coil covers, a USB charging and data cable and a soft headphone case, and the LD22 9 inch and LD38 15 x 12 inch coils fit it as well. If you are weighing it against the other multi-frequency detectors in its class, our Legend 2 vs Equinox 900 post covers the Minelab side, and the best Nokta metal detectors guide covers the rest of the Nokta range. You can shop them all in our Nokta metal detectors collection.
Detectors in this article
| Best for | Detector | Price today |
|---|---|---|
| Also covered | Nokta Legend 2 | $999.00 |
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