Minelab MANTICORE Metal Detector with M8 and M15 Coils

The Minelab Manticore with the Minelab M8 and M15 coils makes the most sense for experienced coin, relic and beach hunters who want more information about difficult targets. The bundle suits someone who hunts both iron-heavy homesites and large open fields or beaches, because the three coils let you match the coil to the site.

What is in the box with this Minelab Manticore bundle

Standard contents for the Manticore

• Minelab Manticore detector with three-piece carbon fiber shaft
• M11 11 inch round Double-D search coil with skidplate
• ML 105 wireless headphones with 3.5 mm audio cable, charging cable, instruction manual and hard case
• USB charging cable with magnetic connector
• 5 screen protectors
• Getting Started Guide

This Minelab Manticore bundle also includes

• Minelab M8 8 x 5.5 inch elliptical Double-D coil (Minelab part 3011-0422)
• Minelab M15 15 x 12 inch elliptical Double-D coil (Minelab part 3011-0423)

Why these add-ons are in this Minelab Manticore bundle

M8 and M15 coils: with the standard M11, this bundle gives you three waterproof Double-D coils. On an old foundation full of nails, the smaller M8 makes it easier to isolate targets and work around obstacles. On large, fairly clean fields or beaches, the M15 covers more ground and may give more depth on some targets. Having all three lets you match the coil to the site.

About the Minelab Manticore

The Manticore is one of those detectors where the real advantage shows once you spend time learning what it is telling you. Minelab builds it on Multi-IQ+, which it says delivers up to 50% more power than the Equinox series, but what interests us most is how the Manticore combines audio with its two-dimensional target identification. It suits someone who already understands metal detecting: experienced coin hunters, relic hunters and beach detectorists who regularly run into difficult conditions. A beginner who enjoys technology and expects to take the hobby seriously can learn it, but for occasional weekend hunting there is a lot on the screen and a lot to adjust, and the Minelab Equinox 900 may be the more sensible purchase.

On a conventional detector a target ID of 80 tells you something about conductivity, but not whether it is a coin, a bottle cap or rusty iron. The 2D Target ID Map adds a second dimension: Minelab plots conductivity from 0 to 99 across the map and ferrous properties up the side, and each detection leaves a trace that fades after about 5 seconds. A clean, isolated non-ferrous target may give a fairly concentrated trace, while some iron reaches into the ferrous area. The map is not an X-ray of the ground. Minelab notes that the trace is affected by the target's composition, orientation and depth, your swing speed and the frequency, so we would never reject a target on its trace alone. Combine the audio, the target ID and the map.

Minelab Manticore search modes and key settings

• Ten search modes: All-Terrain General, Fast, Low Conductors, High Conductors and Trash Reject for inland hunting; Beach General, Low Conductors, Deep and Surf & Seawater for the beach; and Goldfield General for small nuggets in benign to moderately mineralized ground. Every mode can be customized and reset, and one can be saved as your favorite.
• Frequencies: Multi-IQ+ is the default and Minelab recommends it in all modes. All-Terrain modes also offer single 5, 10, 15, 20 and 40 kHz; Beach modes run Multi-IQ+ only; Goldfield offers Multi-IQ+, 20 and 40 kHz.
• Ferrous Limits: how the Manticore classifies targets with ferrous characteristics, with presets and four custom limits drawn on the map, in Multi-IQ+ only. Tightening them can cut down on rusty caps and nails, but set too aggressively they can reject good targets with mixed responses. We would rather dig a few questionable signals.
• Recovery speed (0 to 8) and Stabilizer (0 to 12): a faster speed helps separate targets that sit close together but can weaken deeper, isolated ones. The Stabilizer reduces false ferrous detections in the All-Terrain modes; start low and raise it only when iron falsing becomes a problem.
• Sensitivity (1 to 35): Minelab shows 31 to 35 in red as extreme. Higher sensitivity does not always mean more usable depth; run a noise cancel and a ground balance check, then set it where the detector stays reasonably stable.
• Audio and extras: four audio themes, target tones from 1 tone up to All Tones, separate volume and pitch for targets, ferrous targets and threshold, plus handgrip vibration and an LED flashlight.

Beach and water hunting with the Minelab Manticore

Wet salt sand is hard on any detector, and the Manticore's Beach modes let you pick settings from dry sand down to the waterline, with Surf & Seawater for hunting in and around salt water. In Beach modes Minelab gives salt a target ID of 0 with a low tone. Even so, wet salt sand can call for adjustments; no detector is completely immune to difficult conditions. Minelab rates the Manticore IP68, submersible to 5 meters (16 feet). The ML 105 wireless headphones in the box are not waterproof; for underwater audio, Minelab specifies its 3.5 mm waterproof headphones, and its Underwater Boost setting raises their volume. Do not run the detector from a power bank underwater or in wet, salty conditions.

Where the Minelab Manticore works well, and where it does not

Old homesites full of rusty nails, with coins, buttons and buckles mixed in, are where Ferrous Limits, the Stabilizer, recovery speed and the 2D map earn their place, though a good target close to iron is still hard for any detector. In heavily hunted parks the map and Ferrous Limits give you more information on borderline signals. Minelab rates Goldfield mode for small nuggets in benign to moderately mineralized ground; dedicated prospecting machines are in our gold detectors collection. If you mainly search clean parks or detect occasionally on weekends, a less expensive detector may make you just as happy, and if you already own an Equinox 800 or 900 and mostly hunt fairly clean ground, you may not see a dramatic difference.

Minelab Manticore battery, weight and build

Minelab lists the Manticore at 1.3 kg (2.9 lb). The three-piece carbon fiber shaft extends to 144 cm (56.7 inches) and collapses to 63 cm (24.8 inches), and the 3.5 inch color display has adjustable backlight. The lithium-ion battery is built into the handgrip; Minelab's manual gives about 10 hours of runtime, about an hour less in High Conductors mode, and less with vibration or a bright backlight. Charging from flat takes about 7 hours according to the manual with a USB charger of at least 2 A at 5 V. Minelab's manual says replacement batteries are supplied and fitted by a Minelab authorized service center. Besides the standard M11, Minelab makes the M8 (8 x 5.5 inch elliptical), M9 (9 inch round) and M15 (15 x 12 inch elliptical) waterproof Double-D coils; see our metal detector coils.

One mistake to avoid with the Minelab Manticore

With this many adjustments it is easy to lose track of what actually helps. If you change recovery speed, sensitivity, Ferrous Limits and audio all at once over a questionable signal, you will not know which change made the difference. Start with a suitable factory search mode, change one setting at a time, and do not spend every hunt staring at the 2D map; the audio response is still extremely important.

Minelab Manticore specifications

Minelab covers the Manticore control box and coil with a 3-year warranty in the USA.

Serious Detecting bundle (added free at checkout):

• Lil' Digger Double Serrated Shovel
• Serious Detecting Finds Bag with 42" Waist Belt
• Serious Detecting Carry Bag
• Serious Detecting Cap
• Double Serrated Hand Digger with Belt Holster

For our full Manticore guide, settings advice and comparisons, see the Minelab Manticore collection.