Minelab Musketeer

My take on the Advantage

GT in Western Washington -
After buying my first metal detector, the Minelab Quattro, I wanted to find a fast-sweeping machine with fast recovery times.

Being new to this hobby I didn't know there were FAST machines and SLOW machines. The Quattro, as well as being my first metal detector, was also my first introduction to a SLOW machine.

Based on the reviews on this page and other forums the Advantage had the quickness I was seeking so I purchased one.

Here is my user report:

Yep, the Advantage is a fast sweeper, and it doesn't lose any sensitivity with sweep speed, and most the time you can run the sensitiviy up high to get fairly deep-seeking action. Recovery time is fast too, just like most users are saying.

It is definitely much more fun to use than the Quattro and in the same amount of time I can find more goodies with the Advantage than the Quattro even if I have to dig more trash. SPEED does make a difference!

But the Advantage is not without its problems. It loves rusty metal and I get lots of false signals. Minelab tended to select an ear-piercing frequency for this machine. I think the frequency was selected to mimic a 6-month screaming infant. A frequency that us humans have evolved to hear especially well so we could respond quickly if our baby is in harms way.

Minelab could have been more kind to its customers by selected a frequency less grating on the ears. To make matters worse there is no attenuation knob on the control box to lower the ear-piercing volume. If you are deaf the volume is fine. If you're not deaf, you soon will be. The band-aid work-around for is to use headphones with a volume control. This will allow you to lower the volume enough to gain back your sanity.


I found the Advantage a bit noisy around powerlines and RF sources. I have broadband internet and whenever I approach the incoming cable next to my home the Advantage goes crazy the same thing happens to the Quattro. I have an ID Excel and Cibola and neither of these detectors are sensitive to this type of interference (besides other metal detectors.) As a side note,a neighbor came by my place with his Garrett 2500 and Fisher CZ-7A and both of his machines had problems around the RF coming from my broadband connection.

The Advantage is akwardly balanced and the proof of this is even people who love this machine will hip-mount the control box or modify the shaft to move the control box farther up on the shaft. To me these are band-aid fixes.

Minelab could have put more thought into the ergonomics of the Advantage. I prefer not to have a control box hanging or jiggling from my side or the control box so far up the shaft that it is awkward to access the controls. This issue may not bother others but it definitely is a minus to me.

After experiencing the negative points of the Advantage, I continuing my search to find the non-obtainable perfect metal detector. My journeys lead me to the Fisher ID Excel and the Tesoro Cibola.

I have almost approached Nirvana with these two machines. Both have fast or moderately fast sweep-speeds and fast recovery times (just like the Advantage.)

But unlike the Advantage, these are light-weight, sleek, ergonomic beasts that you can use for hours without fatigue. No need to purchase hip-mount bags or drill holes into your new shaft to retrofit your control box.

Unlike the Advantage, these machines discriminate like champs in iron and trash. A rusty bottle cap easily fools the Advantage but the ID Excel or the Cibola will pick off a bottle cap with ease.

The Advantage is deeper seeking than the Excel but the Excel has a target ID, an excellent depth gauge feature, better discrimination, a pleasant 4-tone audio discrimination system, and better pinpointing abilities than the Advantage (but the Excel does cost $140 more than the Advantage.)

The Cibola beats the Advantage in every catagory, even depth and it costs the same as the Advantage!

I don't base my reviews on brand preference or price. I base my reviews on preformance, features, and ergonomics.

I rated the Advantage a 4 because it costs significantly less than a high-end machine like the Quattro and yet performs fairly well. But going to an ID Excel or Cibola is the next step up the evolutionary ladder.

Many who base the like of their machine by the price tag won't like my review. But from what I see so far it seems that mid-price machines like the Cibola and Excel are outpacing the high end machines like the Quattro.

Sep 15, 2005

76 Yes
7 No

Was this helpful to you? 

"Advantage" -- the name says it all...

Dig'n in Va. in Va. -
The Advantage has been my main "go to" detector ever since I bought my first one, I now own two. Depth is as good as any top end model of any brand, and goes deeper and works better in red iron mineralization than anything I've used. With the control box rear mounted under your elbow and the 10" coil for relic hunting it is light and well balanced. This detector can be swept slow or fast with NO loss of depth or target signal. Higher discrimination settings do NOT cause loss of depth as with some other brands. The manual ground balance can handle any ground conditions and, in fact, once you "learn" this detector the GB knob is the only adjustment you need to make during a days hunt and then it only requires a slight fingertip touch.. I keep the 7 1/4 " coil on my other Advantage to pick the goodies out of the trash and nails at old home sites. The small coil with the DD detection pattern works great at this..I could go on & on about the great performance of the Advantage, but I'll just end by saying that I have several other top end brand/models that have either been sold or see very little use since I bought the Advantage..If it was double the current price, I would still own two of them....

Jun 11, 2005

34 Yes
1 No

Was this helpful to you? 

Minelab Musketeer Advantage

Malcolm Fullbrook in (Kent) United Kingdom -
I have just got the minelab today and was very suprised at its ease of use and the depth i got from the machine.I only got it as a back up machine but it was so good i am going to use it as my primary machine instead.All in all a great machine for its price and am very happy to add it to my collection..

Jun 02, 2005

12 Yes
0 No

Was this helpful to you? 

So impressed. I bought two!

Robert in Calif. -
Purchased the Musketeer to get back into detecting, after being out for a few years. I was so impressed by its performance and depth. That after the original one was stolen from my car, and even though i had since purchased a Minelab EXPII and a Whites DFX. That I went right back out and bought another Musketeer. The depth of detection is truly up there with the high end machines. So don't be afraid to use it in those heavily hunted parks. And the response and recovery time it has from target to target is so quick, that it's also excellent for those trashy areas.

May 30, 2005

9 Yes
0 No

Was this helpful to you? 

It has depth but thats it......

Andy,NM in Alamogordo,NM -
My impression of the Advantage.....

Depth is really in the high end department.
I don't like the balance of the detector. Sure you can hipmount it or modify it by moving the control box under the arm rest. But if you do that you don't have easy access to the controls anymore. But if you are that guy who digs everything over the disc setting you set, or hunt in all metal, you don't need access to the controls. I like to play with the disc while hunting and the advantage doesn't even have reference numbers for the disc. I don't like the memory of the coil cable either. Why don't they use an easy to handle coil cable like the other companies ?
If Minelab would put the electronics in a µmax version it would make an awesome detector. I can't understand why Minelabs smallest coil is an 8" coil and you have to buy an aftermarket 5" coil for it.
So except for depth this detector is far away from what i would call an "all around great unit".
Andy

Jan 27, 2005

13 Yes
14 No

Was this helpful to you? 

This detector is nothing but the truth!!!

John in Southern New Jersey -
This detector is excellent, I can bury a fresh dime in the ground at 7" deep and pick it up in any direction I swing the coil. The coin is laying flat. No need for a HALO using this detector. You can max out discrimination and get the same depth!!! The double D coil is a far superior pinpointer and covers more ground than a cocentric coil will. The standard 8" coil (actually a 7.25 ") is almost all you need. The manual ground balance is great on this detector.
no hunter should be without this detector!!!
If you want a killer coin/deep seeking/precision pin pointing detector this is the one!
One more note: with the 10" coil this detector is as deep as the explorers & sovereigns, don't let the price tag fool you, best secret in metal detecting!!!

Jan 17, 2005

14 Yes
1 No

Was this helpful to you? 

Minelab Advantage Detector

Tony in Michigan -
TID machines are great (I have 4 of them) but I have been putting the Advantage through the same worked over areas that my more expensive TID machines have gone over. A major coup for the Advantage . . . found my first Barber coin ever with it that was right near a huge rusty nail.

It was found where the others have been over time and again. I've been finding wheat backed pennies as well in these iron nail areas here on the farm that the other, more expensive machines have missed.

I give it a rating of 4 out of a possible 5 stars because no detector is perfect.
The Advantage is more than worth the money!

Oct 26, 2004

19 Yes
2 No

Was this helpful to you? 

Minelab Advantage Metal Detector

BOB / TUCSON in USA -
Best performance in this price range.

Oct 23, 2004

9 Yes
3 No

Was this helpful to you? 

Minelab Advantage

Tom in USA -
Totally agree with Ed. This machine is not a basic/beginner model in performance. Only the price puts it in this category.

The performance is there to equal or beat most anything out there in the single tone non-ID category. Wanna find the deep stuff in iron? This is one of the best for pulling the deep non-ferrous targets out of iron. Great audio, the fast recovery = great separation in iron/trash and it works very well regardless of sweep speed.

Got an older worked out site that you know must still hold some goodies? Then get an Advantage to find out what's left.

HH

Sep 16, 2004

14 Yes
1 No

Was this helpful to you? 

Highly recommend

Ed Erdman in USA -
For the money you won't find a better machine, period. Has excellent depth and target separation. Single tone machine which is good for a beginner, although more experienced hunters will probably prefer a multi-tone machine. Very easy to use, be sure to adjust the ground balance as this adds a good deal of depth. Also this machine actually goes deeper in discriminate mode than in all-metal. You can swing it at about any speed you like. It does really love rusty bottle caps though, and some folks think it's heavy (I don't).

Still, you won't find a better machine for the money - I have never seen one yet. This in fact will go head to head against machines costing hundreds more in terms of depth. I can highly recommend it to about anyone.

Jun 28, 2004

88 Yes
1 No

Was this helpful to you?