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Best Metal Detector Coils: What Fits What, and What It Changes
Quick answer
A coil fits one machine family and no other, so buy by machine first and size second. On an Equinox the EQX 06 is the trash coil and the EQX 15 the open ground coil. The Legend uses LG15 and LG35, and the Garrett AT bodies take the 5 by 8.
Start with the thing that costs people the most money: coils are not interchangeable between brands, and in most cases they are not interchangeable between generations within a brand either. A Minelab EQX coil does not fit a Nokta. A Nokta LG coil does not fit a Garrett. A Garrett AT coil does not fit an ACE Apex. The connector, the electrical characteristics and the physical mount are all different, and no adapter exists that makes it work. Every pick below is listed under the machine family it belongs to for that reason.
The second thing worth saying at the top is that a coil change is the cheapest large improvement available to somebody who already owns a decent machine. A small coil on a trashy site finds targets a big coil reports as one blurred signal, and a big coil on open ground covers acreage the small one never reaches. That trade is set out in detail in the coil size versus depth chart, and the coil size selector turns it into an answer for the site in front of you.
Top pick
Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch)
Minelab publishes a 6 inch round Double-D Smart Coil built for high trash areas and small target sensitivity, waterproof to 16 feet on the 700, 900 and X-Terra Pro, at 10.68 oz with the skidplate, for $225.00. The small coil is the one that changes results most.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
On this page
What does changing coil size actually change?
Three things, and they trade against each other. Coverage per sweep rises with diameter, so a 15 inch coil clears a field in roughly half the passes an 8 inch one needs. Depth on large targets rises with diameter too, because a bigger coil pushes a bigger field into the ground. And separation falls as diameter rises, because a large coil sees a wider patch of ground at once and reports everything in it as a single confused signal.
Sensitivity to small targets works the other way. Minelab is explicit about this in the Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch) listing: the small coil is recommended if you are mainly searching for smaller treasures like coins and jewellery, and it is very sensitive to small targets in difficult terrain. The same listing recommends the larger coils for covering ground and for depth on deeper targets. That is the manufacturer describing the same trade in its own words.
Shape matters as well as size. An elliptical coil like the Coiltek 10 by 5 NOX Search Coil keeps a long footprint front to back while staying narrow side to side, which is a way of having some coverage and some separation at once. Coiltek publishes it as offering superior sensitivity and pinpointing in high trash and tight spots. The Nokta LG24 Coil (9.5 by 6 inch) does the same job on The Legend and the Mars Sniper 10 by 6 DD Coil on the Garrett AT bodies.
Beginner: buy the small coil first
Almost everybody buys the big coil first and regrets it. The stock coil on nearly every machine is already a general-purpose 10 or 11 inch, so a 15 inch is a small improvement on ground you were already covering adequately. A 6 inch is a completely different tool, and it opens up sites your stock coil simply cannot work: old house foundations, ploughed-in scrap, park edges where every fifth signal is a pull tab.
Match it to your machine family and nothing else. If you are not certain which coils your detector takes, the Equinox compatibility chart, the Legend chart and the AT Pro chart list the published fitments rather than guessing.
Nokta LG15 Coil (6 inch)
$127.99Nokta publishes the LG15 as a 6 inch DD compatible with The Legend, at $127.99. It does the same trash-separation job on a Legend that the EQX 06 does on an Equinox, and it is the least expensive way to buy a second coil in this catalog.
Best for: Legend owners hunting trashy ground
Check price on Amazon Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch)
$225.00Minelab publishes a 6 inch round Double-D built for high trash areas, waterproof to 10 feet on the 800 and 16 feet on the X-Terra Pro, 700 and 900, weighing 10.68 oz with the included skidplate, at $225.00. A replacement skidplate is in the box.
Best for: trashy parks, old house sites and tight spots
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Garrett 5 by 8 DD PROformance Coil
$164.95A 5 by 8 DD PROformance coil for the Garrett AT series at $164.95. On a site where a good target is lying beside a nail, a coil this size is the difference between hearing it and walking over it.
Best for: AT series owners on iron-heavy sites
Check price on AmazonIntermediate: the elliptical compromise
The second coil most experienced people actually reach for is not the smallest or the largest, it is an elliptical somewhere in the middle. A long narrow footprint gives you a usable sweep width while still fitting between iron, and on a mixed site it means not changing coils halfway through the afternoon.
The three below are the mid options for the three main machine families. None of them fits any of the others, and there is no adapter that changes that.
Coiltek 10 by 5 NOX Search Coil
$308.00Coiltek publishes a 10 by 5 inch elliptical DD for the Equinox 600, 700, 800, 900 and X-Terra Pro, submersible to 10 feet on the 600 and 800 and 16.5 feet on the 700, 900 and X-Terra Pro, with a two year warranty, at $308.00.
Best for: iron-infested sites where you still want coverage
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Nokta LG24 Coil (9.5 by 6 inch)
$135.99Nokta publishes the LG24 as a 9.5 by 6 inch waterproof DD for The Legend, supplied with a coil cover and mounting hardware, at $135.99. It trades a little coverage against noticeably better separation than the stock 11 inch.
Best for: a single coil for mixed sites on a Legend
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Mars Sniper 10 by 6 DD Coil
$112.50Mars publishes a 10 by 6 inch waterproof Double-D compatible with the Garrett AT Gold, AT Max and AT Pro, at $112.50. It sits between the stock coil and the 5 by 8, which is where most people find they actually want to be.
Best for: AT owners who find the 5 by 8 too small
Check price on AmazonExpert: the big coils, and when they are worth it
A large coil is a specialist tool for open, relatively clean ground: ploughed fields, pasture, dry beach above the trash line. On anything with iron in it a 15 inch coil will make your machine worse, not better, and that is not a criticism of any particular coil.
They are also heavy, and weight at the end of a shaft is felt at the shoulder rather than in the hand. Minelab publishes 1.46 lb for the Minelab EQX 15 Coil (15 inch) with its skidplate against 10.68 oz for the Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch). Over four hours that difference is real, which is why a sling or harness usually gets bought at the same time.
Minelab EQX 15 Coil (15 inch)
$290.00Minelab publishes a 15 by 12 inch Double-D with more depth capability than the EQX 06 and 11, waterproof to 10 feet on the 600 and 800 and 16 feet on the X-Terra Pro, 700 and 900, at 1.46 lb with the skidplate, for $290.00.
Best for: open fields and dry beach
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Coiltek 15 inch NOX Search Coil
$338.00Coiltek publishes a 15 inch round Double-D for the Equinox 600, 700, 800, 900 and X-Terra Pro, submersible to 10 feet on the 600 and 800 and 16.5 feet on the rest, with a two year warranty, at $338.00. It is usually chosen for how it balances on the shaft.
Best for: covering large open ground on an Equinox
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Nokta LG35 Coil (13.5 by 12.5 inch)
$169.99Nokta publishes the LG35 as a 13.5 by 12.5 inch DD compatible with The Legend, at $169.99. It is the cheapest large coil in this catalog by a wide margin, which matters because a big coil is the one you will use least.
Best for: ploughed fields and open pasture
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NEL Hunter 12.5 by 8.5 Coil for AT Pro
$142.00NEL publishes a 12.5 by 8.5 inch Double-D for the AT Pro at 17.2 oz with the cover, epoxy filled and fully submersible with a marine-grade coating, and states that it copes well with high and medium soil salinity, at $142.00.
Best for: AT Pro owners hunting open ground and beaches
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: Do not buy a 15 inch coil for a park. On trashy municipal ground it will merge three targets into one signal and you will dig fewer good things than you did with the stock coil, which is an expensive way to get worse. Do not buy a big coil at all if your shoulder already complains after two hours, because the EQX 15 adds nearly a pound at the far end of the shaft where you feel it most. And do not buy any coil on this page without checking your specific model against the compatibility chart first: the NEL Hunter 12.5 by 8.5 Coil for AT Pro is cut for the AT Pro and the NEL Hunter 12.5 by 8.5 Coil for ACE Apex is cut for the ACE Apex, and they are not the same part.
Which coils fit which machines?
This is the table to check before you buy anything. Fitment is as published by each coil maker, and a coil that is not listed for your machine will not work on it.
Every coil in this catalog fits exactly one machine family, and no adapter exists that makes a Minelab, Nokta or Garrett coil work on another brand.
| Coil | Size | Fits | Job it does | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minelab EQX 06 | 6 inch round DD | Equinox series, X-Terra Pro | Separation in dense iron and trash | $225.00 |
| Minelab EQX 11 | 11 inch DD | Equinox series | Stock general purpose, or a replacement | $280.00 |
| Minelab EQX 15 | 15 by 12 inch DD | Equinox series, X-Terra Pro | Coverage and depth in open ground | $290.00 |
| Coiltek 10 by 5 NOX | 10 by 5 elliptical DD | Equinox 600, 700, 800, 900, X-Terra Pro | Coverage while still fitting between iron | $308.00 |
| Coiltek 15 inch NOX | 15 inch round DD | Equinox 600, 700, 800, 900, X-Terra Pro | Large open ground, aftermarket balance | $338.00 |
| Nokta LG15 | 6 inch DD | Nokta The Legend | Trash separation | $127.99 |
| Nokta LG24 | 9.5 by 6 inch DD | Nokta The Legend | The mixed-site compromise | $135.99 |
| Nokta LG28 | 11 inch DD | Nokta The Legend | Stock size, or a replacement | $144.99 |
| Nokta LG35 | 13.5 by 12.5 inch DD | Nokta The Legend | Covering ground fast | $169.99 |
| Garrett 5 by 8 DD | 5 by 8 inch DD | Garrett AT series | Working between nails | $164.95 |
| Garrett 8.5 by 11 DD | 8.5 by 11 inch DD | Garrett AT Pro, AT Gold | Stock size, or a replacement | $144.95 |
| Mars Sniper | 10 by 6 inch DD | Garrett AT Gold, AT Max, AT Pro | Between the stock coil and the 5 by 8 | $112.50 |
| NEL Hunter for AT Pro | 12.5 by 8.5 inch DD | Garrett AT Pro | Depth and coverage upgrade | $142.00 |
| NEL Hunter for ACE Apex | 12.5 by 8.5 inch DD | Garrett ACE Apex | The same coil cut for the Apex | $149.95 |
Fitment and dimensions are as published by each coil manufacturer. Waterproof depth for a coil is often different from the depth rating of the detector it is fitted to, so check both figures before submerging anything.
Does a coil change need anything else doing to the machine?
Usually yes, and it is worth knowing before the parcel arrives. Most machines want a fresh noise cancel and a fresh ground balance after a coil swap, because the coil is part of the tuned circuit and the machine's idea of neutral ground shifts with it. The ground balancing guide walks through the procedure, and the manual for your specific machine is the authority on whether yours stores settings per coil.
Your target ID numbers will also shift slightly, particularly at the edge of depth. That is normal and it is why the reference pages on this site always give a range rather than a single number. If you want to know what your own machine says with your new coil in your own soil, bury known targets at known depths and write down the readings. The test garden guide covers how, and it is worth more than any chart written by somebody hunting different dirt.
Finally, fit the cover. Minelab supplies a replacement skidplate with the Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch) and a coil cover with the Minelab EQX 11 Coil (11 inch), and Nokta includes a cover and mounting hardware with the Nokta LG24 Coil (9.5 by 6 inch). Where one is not in the box, the coil covers page lists the published fitments. A cover costs a fraction of a coil and it is the only thing between the winding and a buried brick.
How we chose
We did not test any of these coils in person and no depth or separation figure here is a result we obtained. Fitment and dimensions are taken from each manufacturer listing and stated as such, and where a maker does not publish a figure the page says so. Picks were chosen to cover the three jobs a second coil is bought for: separation in iron, coverage in the open, and replacing a stock coil that has been damaged.
Sources
- Minelab EQX 06, EQX 11 and EQX 15 coil product listings
- Coiltek NOX 10 by 5 and 15 inch coil product listings
- Nokta LG15, LG24, LG28 and LG35 coil product listings
- Garrett PROformance 5 by 8 and 8.5 by 11 coil product listings
- NEL Hunter and Mars Sniper coil product listings
Frequently asked questions
Will a coil from one brand fit another brand of detector?
No. The connector, the electrical tuning and the physical mount are all different between brands, and no adapter exists that makes it work. Coils are also often specific to a generation within a brand: the NEL Hunter 12.5 by 8.5 Coil for AT Pro is cut for the Garrett AT Pro and the NEL Hunter 12.5 by 8.5 Coil for ACE Apex for the ACE Apex, and those are different parts despite sharing a name and a size.
Is a bigger coil always deeper?
On a large target in clean, mild soil, generally yes. On a small target it can be worse, because a big coil spreads its field over more ground and a small object returns a weaker share of it. In trash a big coil is clearly worse, since it sees several targets at once and reports them as one. Depth is always a range tied to target size, coil and soil.
Which coil should I buy second, after the stock one?
The small one, in most cases. Your stock coil is already a general-purpose 10 or 11 inch, so a 15 inch is an incremental change on ground you already cover. A 6 inch such as the Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch) or the Nokta LG15 Coil (6 inch) opens sites the stock coil cannot work at all, which is a bigger difference for less money and less weight on the shaft.
Do I need to re-balance the detector after fitting a new coil?
Yes. Run a noise cancel and a fresh ground balance after every coil change, because the coil is part of the tuned circuit and the machine's baseline shifts with it. Some machines store settings per coil and some do not, so check your manual. Expect target ID numbers to move slightly as well, especially on deep or corroded targets.
Are aftermarket coils as good as the manufacturer ones?
Coiltek, NEL and Mars all publish fitment, waterproof ratings and warranties for their coils, and NEL states that its Hunter is epoxy filled with a marine-grade coating usable without a cover. People buy them for sizes the manufacturer does not offer or for how they balance. Check the warranty terms on your detector first, since fitting a third-party coil can affect cover on some machines.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.