LukeJMG1986 Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Hi, I'm new to this forum and fairly new to metal detecting. I currently have a bounty hunter tracker 4, and I'm definitely looking to upgrade. I had my eyes set on the minelab equinox 800. Upon further research I sort of realized that the 600 is only really lacking the 20 and 40 kilohertz frequencies. Obviously the 800 also has many more options as far as settings go. My question is is the 800 simply a better machine for gold prospecting? and will a 600 perform just as well at finding gold jewelry? I'm not particularly into gold prospecting in the traditional sense but I do like Urban prospecting 4 jewelry. Will the 20 and 40 kilohertz frequencies be of any benefit in hunting for jewelry? Or will the 600 do just as well for the $400 less? I'm a poor man so if I can get a quality machine out of the 600 I'm all for it, but if the 800 is that much better then I'll fork over the $400 I guess LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah (FL) Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Look through the Equinox section of the forum. There is a section at the top that has all you are looking for. SteveH has an article expounding upon the differences and similarities of the 600 and 800. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/11875-how-much-better-is-the-minelab-equinox-800-than-the-little-600-or-is-it-not-to-be-or-not-to-be/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-119118 "The 800 has the Gold Mode which is specifically designed for finding the tiniest gold. If you were into micro jewelry maybe that would be of interest. For normal rings and such, not so much. In general most jewerly hunters will do just as well with a 600." 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Valen Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 10 hours ago, LukeJMG1986 said: I currently have a bounty hunter tracker 4, and I'm definitely looking to upgrade. I also have the Tracker IV, and when I looked at all the detectors I decided on the Equinox. I did my homework on the 600 and the 800 and chose the 800 for one simple reason, what if I ever had the chance to go prospecting out west. For that reason I decided to go with the 800 as I live in central Illinois there is not that much gold reported. However I am going to do a search at a friends property that may have had an old mine on it. I do plan on going prospecting some day and with the 800 I won't need to purchase another detector to do it. I fully understand money situations so I put mine on a credit card and pay it off slowly over time. I can get out now that warmer weather is almost here and save up the change I find to help pay it off. Welcome to the forum and we are here to help each other. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Valen Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 10 hours ago, LukeJMG1986 said: I currently have a bounty hunter tracker 4, and I'm definitely looking to upgrade. I did forget about a new up and coming detector called the Vanquish. There are excellent reviews from people on here that prove just how good it is. Minelab Vanquish 540 Pro-Pack Waterproof Metal Detector with 12" and 8" Coils you can search this out and find it even cheaper than the 600. Good luck on your decision, and let us know what you get. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase Goldman Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 9 hours ago, 2Valen said: I did forget about a new up and coming detector called the Vanquish. There are excellent reviews from people on here that prove just how good it is. Minelab Vanquish 540 Pro-Pack Waterproof Metal Detector with 12" and 8" Coils you can search this out and find it even cheaper than the 600. Good luck on your decision, and let us know what you get. Just a point for clarification. Unlike the Equinox, the Vanquish detector contol box is NOT waterproof and needs a cover (included with the 540) for rainy conditions. The coils ARE waterproof and submersible. Great detector for the price though it does have specific shortcomings like lack of adjustable ground balance settings. Suitable for most detectorists needs under a variety of (but not all) conditions and situations. Great coin and jewelry shooter in mild ground and great dry and wet sand beach detector. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EL NINO77 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 The Equinox 800 will be somewhat more powerful than the Equinox 600 ... because the Gold programs are sensitive enough in -Mix mode to match the sensitivity and range with the Fisher Gold-Bug2 detector. 6" Equinox coil Range... for 0.003 gram gold -Gold 1 program : in Mix mode- 3.2cm... - Park 2 program : in Disc: 1.8-2 cm .... Another good advantage of Equinox 800 is the possibility to use separate 1F frequencies 20 Khz and 40 khz also programs type Park1-2, and Field1-2 , Gold1-2 programs... for example in places with strong EMI ...where sometimes the multi-frequency at the set high sensitivity may be poorly usable .... Wanquish is sensitive enough ... but will not reach deeper for small gold than Equinox 800 or Equinox 600 .. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff McClendon Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 I am one of those people that bought the Equinox 600 early on because I wanted to try one since virtually nobody could get their hands on an 800. I have thought about selling my 600 many times. Every time I do I think "are you crazy??? There just isn't a detector made that is more all purpose than the 600 except for the 800." I've tried most of the current and recently produced older detectors in the same price range as the Equinox 600 and it is no contest. Those other detectors include the Vanquish and several FBS and BBS Minelabs. So for me, the Equinox 600 is my everyday detector and I keep my Nox 800 for really special hunts like prospecting. My Nox 600 has found the fast majority of the gold, silver and junk jewelry along with plenty of relics and an unbelievable amount of US clad and silver coins. Jeff 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeJMG1986 Posted April 6, 2020 Author Share Posted April 6, 2020 Thanks for all the advice guys. I've been plugging away at the information contained In these forums. As you can see if you view my cover photo, I went with the Nox 800. I liked the idea of maybe doing a little prospecting. Ive gone out a couple times, and this animal has a steep learning curve indeed. It is just so much different then a 100.00$ Bounty Hunter Tracker VI. I will continue to read from the quality advice I've found here on the forums. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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