Confused

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

I posted my one an only post in May and I was looking at potentially buying an ORX or a 800 NOX. My uses would be roughly 2/3 gold 1/3 everything else. Here in Canada the prices are about $100 Can different. I was leaning toward the ORX due to its higher frequency response light weight and simplicity of use. But then life and COVID and closed US Canada border stepped in and I have procrastinated in buying one or the other. Trouble is this has given me more time to think about it.

The apparently note I said apparently  overwhelmingly underwhelming use of ORX in the goldfields has given me pause. The continued development of NOX 800 has given me pause. Thinking harder about what I want to do has given me pause. For example an ORX in a riverbed (say the kettle in BC/WA) in the water (not deep) some - is this a good idea?

Why has the ORX not apparently been well accepted? Lack of water proof? Lack of tweaking controls? Expense of additional coils? Does the NOX 800 absolutely do everything the ORX does plus more flexibility? What?

Now I'm wondering if a two detector set up might be better say gold kruzer and vanquish 540 together about $300 more than NOX - certainly affordable. A gold machine and a more versatile than the kruzer from what I can tell machine in the vanquish.

Man these choices are confusing...

-Ed-

 

[Goldpick]

You would think the Equinox 800 with the 6" coil and 40kHz (or multi) would come close to being sufficient for both prospecting and regular detecting duties, probably one of the best all-rounders out there.  If you use ORX coil underwater, you will require the antenna kit for it to transmit to the controller (wireless signal will cut out when submerged).  With an aftermarket carbon fibre shaft (ie. DetectEd), the Nox 800 should be plenty light enough for extended periods of detecting, and possibly be the better all-rounder for the sake of adjustability and waterproofing.  I detect with the Deus and Nox 600, and I do not notice much more fatigue using the heavier 600 - just depends whether you prefer a straight or s-bend shaft. 

I'll let some other more experienced operators chime in on the difference on sensitivity to small gold targets between the two detectors considering I deal more with coin/relics.

There do seem to be plenty of people using the ORX on this forum, just because you don't hear a ton of reports on it doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't been well received nor achieving good sales figures.  

Whether purchasing two separate detectors is going to provide an advantage, I'm not sure given how good these multi-use detectors have become these days.  It used to be more of a dilemma due to there being more specific detectors for both prospecting or general detecting, though I think those distinctions are becoming more blurred with more capable all-rounder detectors, particularly with respect to prospecting.

Detector development is always going to be a constant thing, and with both detectors having the ability to be updated/improved should provide some reassurance that they will not be obsolete overnight.  Best to just bite the bullet and make a purchase, you can always sell up down the track should something more suitable come onto the market.

[Rick N. MI]

Orx is easy to use in the water with the waterproof kit. It is rated to 16'.

[Steve Herschbach]

False premise really. The ORX is doing just fine on the market. However, I am one that anticipated the market already being overloaded with similar performing VLF nugget detectors. The Orx was just the latest in a string of a new hot VLF nugget detectors, and the demand from prospectors is actually for more powerful PI type detectors. It’s no surprise to me that prospectors did not flock to the Orx when most already have a machine that does as well. Yet many coin and relic hunters are finding it a fine alternative to the Deus... and there are some prospectors who are using the machine of course.

Anyway, I personally can do about as well on gold nuggets with an Orx or a Equinox 800..... or a Goldmaster 24K or a Gold Monster, etc. I would pay more attention to the “1/3 everything else” part you mention. Obviously many VLF nugget detectors are not very versatile. The Orx and Equinox offer the extra versatility for that other one third. But what is that one third specifically, and which model would suit you better for that part of the equation?

It does not have to be complicated. I’d be happy with the Orx or 800, but the Equinox is waterproof and Orx not, so Equinox for me since I do use the machine in water. Some will rightly point out the Orx can be waterproofed. Yes, true, but Equinox already is. And I really like the 15” coil and small 6” coils, which are not an option with XP. If not for things like that, an Orx would suit me just fine. Those are the little things that can make the decision... one particular feature you want that the other machine lacks.

Continued development of the Equinox is an advantage, not a negative. You want abandoned product, get a 24K.

I feel your pain. There are too many options, and you honestly don’t know if you will like a machine until you get it and use it a while. All we can do is offer suggestions, since nobody but you can figure out what your preferences and needs are in a detector. Trust that they all work, and get the one that has the features you think you need. Obsessing over a desire to end up with the one machine that is “the best” ignores the fact that getting any of them involves some sort of compromise. That’s why so many of us end up with multiple detectors.

Good luck whatever choice you make! 

[Chase Goldman]

28 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Obsessing over a desire to end up with the one machine that is “the best” ignored the fact that getting any of them involves some sort of compromise. That’s why so many of us end up with multiple detectors.

Exactly.  You want maximum versatility (i.e., minimize the need for specialty detectors), especially in water, - Equinox 800 is recommended.  If you want gold detection ability equivalent to Deus - the ORX fits the bill nicely as it's Gold mode is identical in features to the Deus Gold Field mode.  Either the 800 or ORX can do vlf gold detection well, as Steve mentioned.  ORX is an OK coin, relic, and jewelry detector that omits some key features of Deus (some key tone options - notably, full tones and pitch, variable tone breaks (I am ok with just 3 tones as long as full and pitch were also provided), and variable iron volume, and non-normalized target ID) that would otherwise make it a slam dunk value coin alternative to Deus - and that has perhaps limited its appeal to those who do their homework and learn what ORX does and doesn't bring to the table vs. Deus for coin, jewelry, and relic hunting.  ORX still a much better alternative to the Deus lite option (no control box, just wireless phones).  Finally, yes you can put the ORX in the water with the kit - but it is still additional minor claptrap that has to be dealt with so it is a workaround solution just less optimal than for a rig designed from the ground up to be used in the water.  It should be noted that some unknown percentage of Equinoxes have experienced leaks when submerged, but it appears that Minelab is fully standing behind the Equinox by honoring the warranty no questions asked when this occurs.

[bigtim1973]

I have the eq600 and am a die hard fan of the ORX. 

I cannot speak much on gold prospecting but I can in everything else. 

Water beaches hunting get the equinox. 

For primarily a land machine go for the ORX. 

If you can save and get both it would be a great combo. 

If you decide on a vanquish I think you would be pleased with the simplicity B's the performance it gives.

Makro and Nokta make the most robust units ever in my opinion. 

The perfect machine would be one that was as tough as a nokta/makro, water proof, multiple frequency with 30  selectable single frequencies with the recovery speed of the XP units.

[GB_Amateur]

2 hours ago, bigtim1973 said:

If you can save and get both it would be a great combo.

I see a possible downside to this approach -- time.  Since I own an Equinox I can speak more reliably that it is a detector that takes quite a bit of time (well, maybe even more than that; in my case a lot of time) to learn if you really want to take advantage of it.  Yes, you can "turn on and go" with the stock mode settings.  That certainly is an advantage -- do some good detecting while you're learning.  But if that's all you are going to do with it then you might be better off getting something less complicated and cheaper.

I don't have an ORX; in fact I've never even seen one.  (I've seen a couple Deuses but that's the extent of my experieince.)  However, reading a lot here it sounds like it shares the Equinox's property that to do it justice you need to put in the time and learn it right.

Thus, for someone who isn't already a seasoned user of one of these, getting both seems like a case of doing two things at a mediocre level or learning one well (while shelving the other).  I'm not saying it's impossible to become expert at both.  At least a couple people here (Jeff McClendon and Chase Goldman to name two) have done that.  If you're as knowledgeable and experienced as those guys, though, you (EasyEd) would be answering the question instead of asking it.  😄

15 hours ago, EasyEd said:

Now I'm wondering if a two detector set up might be better say gold kruzer and vanquish 540 together about $300 more than NOX - certainly affordable. A gold machine and a more versatile than the kruzer from what I can tell machine in the vanquish.

This isn't a bad idea, and one advantage it has is that you'll have a backup.  Having said that, the only time I've ever needed a backup was when in gold country and I was struggling with bad ground and (especially) hot rocks, in which case I had a PI to take over for a IB/VLF.  However, things do break and batteries do go dead (there are ways around the latter, though, that don't involve a completely separate detector).

If the two detector solution means watering down your first choice (Equinox or ORX or whatever) then you probably will second guess yourself and end up buying a higher end detector in the long run anyway.  Now, getting a (waterproof) Simplex to back up either one of those....  Then again, I've read at least a couple posts concluding that the only thing simple about the Simplex is that the word is in its name.  😉