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Minelab Equinox - The Beginning Of More For Less


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After years of a reputation for high priced equipment, Minelab now seems to be on a more for less campaign and it could have lasting effects on how much we are willing to pay for metal detectors and what we expect for our money. At this point, even an X-Terra 305 starts at $259. It seems that even at the low end we are going to begin to expect a couple of frequencies to play with. Minelab has the low to mid range locked down for those that are paying attention. Is multifrequency and multiple selectable frequencies becoming an industry standard like VDI? What low end machine can compete with an X-Terra 305 at $259? What mid-upper range machines could compete with the Equinox 600 at $649, or an 800 at $899. How will Garrett's AT Series and Whites' MX Sport compete with even the Equinox 600? How will they justify offering less at $722 and $749 than the Equinox 600 does at $649. How Will XP Deus justify $800-$1,500 for a machine that cannot run its frequencies simultaneously, with some requiring a whole new expensive HF coil to attain. One thing is for sure. Watching the industry clamor to figure out what their response to what Minelab is offering for between $259-$899 is going to be very interesting. Add this to the fact that Minelab now offers the only pinpointer of its kind with iron tone. It's going to be an amazing year for them, and a year of huddling for everyone else as they figure out how to market against so much performance at these values. 

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I would say XP Deus is having everything or even more than Equinox will have, the only major difference is multifrequency that is not a magic wand in my opinion. Lets wait for the first tests to see how recovery (reactivity) will perform along with Target IDs. (stability)

But I agree with you that this machine will sell, as feature/price ratio looks to be much better than on E-Tracs, CTX3030...

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I remember growing up in the 80s. Classic muscle cars were all the rage. As a boy I'd dream about them and read about them and I'd run to my bedroom window whenever I heard the distinctive sound of a well tuned V8 coming down the street just to get a glimpse of my favorite car in town, a bright red 1979 Trans-Am with T-tops. My friends and I would debate about what car was faster, better looking etc., and of course Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge etc. I came to own my dream car in the late 90s when gas was 99 cents a gallon and you could still get your hands on Classic cars at an affordable tag. Now gas fluctuates between $2.50-$4.00 a gallon and classic muscle cars in respectable shape are becoming out of reach for the average joe.

For me now, electronics, particularly metal detectors fill the void left by those old beasts that are out of my reach, and I've carried into it that same spirit of brand loyalty and debate about what machine is best for this or that. Many of us have. We love to show off our equipment, debate about features and speculate about what's coming next. Depth on a quarter has become the new quarter mile. I enjoy the machinery and tech behind it as much as I do the sport itself. As a fan of Whites and First Texas, and wanting to keep with those Made in the USA labels I wanted to believe my V3i is the best of the best. I wanted to believe the same of my F75 LTD when I had it.

But what I am coming to realize is that for my patriotism and my brand loyalty I may be cheating myself out of what is most important, and that is finding treasure. I've watched advance after advance come from other machines while I stubbornly stuck to the Trans-Ams of the industry. In the forums I'm seeing most of the resistance to the Equinox come from guys like me, but more than anyone from guys that have grown attached to their Deus. So the debates are going to grow more interesting as the Equinox spreads rapidly to other hands in a short while. I agree that multifrequency is not all that matters, but it is the next evolution. Machines that lack it are going to become less and less desirable. If the Equinox can pick through iron anything like the Deus in addition to its multifrequency abilities we will have a true monster on our hands. 

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