I have the Nokta Makro Legend ranked at number one due to the high premium that I put on value.  It is a highly capable metal detector but it is not the most capable metal detector on the market (but close). 

My rationale for this rating is that you can buy a Legend for 599 dollars. and I would consider the Legend to be 95% of a XP Deus 2 (which retails for 1600 dollars) and 98% of a Minelab Equinox 800 (which retails for 999). So far, I have used The Legend for about 60 hours. Nokta Makro is making updates and the ratings above are not final. The ranking at number 1 might change very soon! What I do know is that this is a ridiculously capable metal detector for 635 dollars and I was able to match 29 of 30 (expert level) Minelab Equinox signals on beaches and on land. As of April 2022, I consider the XP Deus 2 metal detector to be the most capable on the market. 

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Depth: I took my Legend to the beach and the park and matched signals with 2 expert equinox users. 29 of 30 very difficult signals were matched. The one that was not matched was due to iron overpowering a non ferrous signal. Nokta is currently working on an Iron Bias update. I rated the depth slightly lower than the Minelab Equinox because some of the signals were very weak, even though it was a match. I sense that there are others to come that will not match the Nox but I could be wrong.

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Separation: The separation is very very good. But there is something different around iron. Iron seems to overpower the Legend, more than the Equinox or Deus 2. I notice also that I dig less iron with the Legend.​

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Sound Inference: I could hear the difference with sizes of the object, but I could not get as much information out of the pinpoint compared to the Equinox. On the Equinox and the Deus 1 and 2, you can really localize the signal. The Legend has a terrible pinpoint that pulls in everything. Sound inference while you are swinging is learned over time however and the score in this category will go up or down. A pinpoint that does not localize is something that I am hopeful gets rectified in future updates.

 

Target ID (Visual) Inference: The Target ID is unreliable. Depth and interference skew the quality of a target ID on any detector, but it is markedly worse on The Legend.

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Ergonomics: Not Deus light but not heavy either. Well balanced. I gave it the same grade as the Equinox.

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Build Durability: Brick House. Telescopic shaft that is sturdy. Well insulated and the only issue that I have seen is with the switch on the headphones. It should be a button that was covered instead of an on/off switch. Sand and dirt have gotten in to the switch which has prevented me from turning it on and off. I used my vacuum cleaner to fix this problem. 

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Battery Life: 20 hours of battery life.

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Swag (Add On's): 

Waterproof DD Search Coil 15 cm / 6" (LG15)

Waterproof DD Search Coil 28 cm / 11" (LG28)

Waterproof DD Search Coil 35x31.5 cm / 13.5"x12.5" (LG35)

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Pinpoint: The pinpoint is one of the weaknesses of The Legend. It over amplifies the signal and can catch surrounding signals.. A user can tell more from the Equinox, the Vanquish, the Deus 2 or the Deus 1.

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Navigation: Navigation was super easy. The stability setting is a little difficult to get to but it is an excellent setup.

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Handles EMI: I need to test a lot more but so far so good.

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Utility In Water: I am very satisfied with detecting in the wet sand on the beach. Make sure that you update your detector because the first iteration of the firmware was chattery at the beach. Most importantly for this section, I have been monitoring closely and I see no evidence of the control box flooding like the Minelab Equinox famously does.

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Saltwater Beach: Make sure that you have the latest updates for the saltwater beach issues with being chatty in the salt. You also need to make sure that you know how to get to the stability setting. Try setting stability to 3 if it is too chattery on a beach.

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Trashy Park: It did very well in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn; a park that is littered with iron and modern garbage. Having that sad, it missed a silver signal at the end that was picked up by the Minelab Equinox.

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Handles Iron: It is one standard deviation lower than an Equinox or Deus 2 in iron environments. It does separate well and you will dig less iron with the Legend. But you will give up high conductive targets in immediate proximity to iron.

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Relative Value:  The Nokta Legend is priced at $600 dollars and you get wireless headphones, a flashlight, a clock on a detector that is similar in capabilities to the 800 (which costs $999). So far, the Legend has matched signals with the Equinox successfully on 29 of 30 holes in varied settings. Keep in mind that Nokta just came out with its first round of updates and the Equinox has had multiple versions already. The Equinox might be more capable than the Legend (that remains to be seen) but the value goes to the Legend.