Manticore Coils Compared: M8 vs M9 vs M15
The short answer: your Manticore ships with the M11, the all-rounder, so the coil you add should solve the problem the M11 leaves open. Hunting iron-choked homesites and trashy parks: the M8. Wanting more separation than the M11 without giving up much coverage: the M9. Chasing depth on open fields and dry beach: the M15. All are waterproof Double-D smart coils and all carry their own skidplate-protected housing.
Side by side
| M8 | M9 | M15 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size and shape | 8 x 5.5 in / 20 x 14 cm elliptical | 9 in / 23 cm round | 15 x 12 in / 38 x 30 cm elliptical |
| Built for | Target separation in dense iron and tight trash | Separation with more coverage than the M8 | Maximum depth and ground coverage |
| Where it earns its keep | Old homesites, pounded parks, iron-saturated relic ground | Mixed sites where you want one step tighter than the stock coil | Open fields, pastures, dry beach, deep-target hunting |
| Trade-off | Slowest ground coverage of the three | The compromise pick, by design | Loses separation in dense trash; more effort to swing |
| Shared by all three | Waterproof Double-D smart coils made by Minelab for the Manticore's M-series connection; not interchangeable with Equinox EQX, X-Terra V-series, or Coiltek NOX coils | ||
Which one do you need?
Choose the M8 when your best sites are the ones everyone else gave up on: iron-choked cellar holes, century-old parks, ground where targets sit inches from nails. Small coil, tight footprint, and the Manticore's Target Trace working at its sharpest. This is the coil we recommend first to most Manticore owners.
Choose the M9 when you want better separation than the stock M11 but the M8 feels too slow for the acreage you cover. It keeps a round footprint, so pinpointing stays familiar.
Choose the M15 when the ground is open and the targets are deep: plowed fields, pastures, dry sand. It trades trash-site manners for reach and coverage, which is exactly the right trade on clean ground.
Want to go even bigger? Coiltek makes the 18 in / 46 cm Mythtek for the Manticore, the largest coil available for the platform.
See everything the platform takes on the What Fits the Minelab Manticore page, or start with the Manticore itself.
Still deciding?
Call us at 256-284-2247 and tell us where you hunt. We swing the Manticore ourselves, and coil choice is a two-minute conversation about your ground. The story is more important than the artifact.