Reasons To Hold Onto Equinox 800 In Light Of Deus 2

[Goldpick]

I can't understand the logic of being put off having to charge the wireless coils, what if you forget to charge your Equinox, still the same issue of being a non starter??

 

 

[strick]

If you forget to charge your detector before you leave home you deserve what you get lol. For those of you that do not hunt for relics/old coins around old homesites and or town sites filled with nails you haven’t a clue about the value of the XP Deus. It is king in this type of environment. Which is why I’ll have one in my arsenal. 

Strick

[mh9162013]

 

I can't understand the logic of being put off having to charge the wireless coils, what if you forget to charge your Equinox, still the same issue of being a non starter??

 

 

Adding another thing to charge means twice the work to get your machine fully charged, including increasing the chance of forgetting something. It also means roughly doubling the opportunitiy for electrical or mechanical failure. Then there's doubling the battery replacement costs.

Also, there are plenty of stories of people heading out to a hunt with only a partially charged Equinox but they thought it was fully charged. It's not like they can just pop out a few AA cells or 9V batteries and get going again. And operating the Equinox with a battery bank attached isn't the most ideal situation (added weight, more wires, lost waterproof ability, etc.)

I don't think having a wireless coil is as bad as some people seem to think. But I do understand and relate to the opposition of a wireless coil.

Like many other things in life, there are advantages and disadvantages.

[Jeff McClendon]

 

I can't understand the logic of being put off having to charge the wireless coils, what if you forget to charge your Equinox, still the same issue of being a non starter??

 

 

I can't understand it either. 

When I take my Equinox for a hunt I check the battery level on the screen which tells me battery information for the control pod. I charge it if needed along with my wireless headphones and my backup WM08 whether they need charging or not since I don't really know for sure. Wireless headphone charging requires 1 cable and 1 USB port. The WM08 requires 1 magnetic connection cable and 1 USB port. The control pod requires 1 magnetic connection cable and 1 USB port. So, three different cables and three USB ports and I need to clean off the magnets since there is often iron sand/magnetite stuck on mine. Also I need 2 different USB to magnetic connection cables to charge both the control pod and the WM08 at the same time.

I don't know how Deus ll will be setup for charging.

I do know that Deus l actually shows me the charge level of not only the control pod/remote but also the WS4/WS5 audio module and the coils right on the display screens of the remote and the WS4/WS5. So, there is no guessing or reason to not know the charge level of all three. Also, the Deus 1 charging cable is a 3 in 1 cable which needs just 1 USB port and has all three necessary mini USB/butterfly clips at the other end. The weak point in this charging system is definitely the butterfly clip for charging the coil. They break easily.

The Deus l coil to butterfly clip sucks. That alone is one reason to stay with the Equinox. 

For me, knowing when to charge the Deus components is easier and actually more fool proof than the Equinox. My WM08 charging/charge light has never worked so I really don't know if/when it is fully charged.

However, the Deus I and no doubt the Deus ll tell you all you want to know about remote control pod, audio module and coil charge levels right on the screen. So, not remembering, forgetting or not knowing is not an excuse with the Deus. It tells you all you need to know and the 3 in 1 charging cable is another "reminder". The Equinox does not do that and it requires 1, 2 or 3 USB ports depending on which components are being used. 

Charging issues between the Equinox and Deus l/ll are about a tie in my opinion.

 

[basstrackerman]

Don't forget about charging pinpointer, gas in the truck, water etc lol.  This has to be a joke right ? The deus is no more trouble than changing 8 AA batteries all the time and needing 9 volts for tesoro and pinpointer. It's way less trouble for me to charge a few things instead of running out and buying batteries.  Just my opinion 

[mh9162013]

 

Don't forget about charging pinpointer, gas in the truck, water etc lol.  This has to be a joke right ? The deus is no more trouble than changing 8 AA batteries all the time and needing 9 volts for tesoro and pinpointer. It's way less trouble for me to charge a few things instead of running out and buying batteries.  Just my opinion 

You're mentioning things that have no other option. There's no vehicle or pinpointer that you can operate without replenishing its power source (whether you're swapping out a battery, filling the fuel tank, plugging it in, etc.). But there are plenty of metal detectors where you don't have the charge or maintain the coil and its lithium battery.

Is it a big deal? No, but why add more work when you don't have to (assuming the Deus has a comparable alternative to suit your hunting needs)?

[Jeff McClendon]

 

Is it a big deal? No, but why add more work when you don't have to (assuming the Deus has a comparable alternative to suit your hunting needs)?

Basstrackerman and I actually own or have owned both the Equinox and Deus. I am a huge fan of the Equinox. Unlike basstrackerman I am not a huge fan of the Deus because for me, in my soil conditions and my preferred targets, the Deus is a two trick pony: gold prospecting and hunting shallower relics in thick iron trash, both of which it does extremely well. Still, its ergonomics, build quality, warranty and track record for problem free longevity are simply unmatched.

The Equinox, in spite of its well documented flaws, can do it all easily in my area and the Deus as far as detecting, struggles most of the time.

That is a valid reason for me to stick with the Equinox.

However, checking on, charging and maintaining the internal batteries in the Deus is a simple, easy process (other than the stupid butterfly clip). It really is fool proof....check the levels for each component and charge them all at the same time if needed. 

Those of you who are just speculating are really making something out of nothing. There is no issue here. The battery being inside the LF and X35 coils or easily accessible/replaceable in the shaft for the HF coil, is not a good reason to stick with the Equinox.

Come up with something valid.

[palzynski]

For me there is absolutely no difference between charging my Deus1 Lite and charging an Equinox or my Vanquish.

- With an Equinox or Vanquish I have to charge 2 devices : the CB ( 4 nimh batteries for the Vanquish, a lithium battery for the Equinox ) and the ML80 wireless headphones 

- With my Deus1 Lite WS4 I have to charge 2 devices        : the coil and the WS4  wireless headphones 

Then exactly the same ..

Of course with a Deus1 'full' including the CB + wireless headphones I would have to charge 3 devices , this is one of the reasons why I dont use a CB ...  

I agree that the Deus1 coil butterfly clip system is a little tricky .  it requires a little care when using it , you just need to check that the coil charging led is on just after setting the clip .  Not a big deal ... 🙂

[mh9162013]

 

Those of you who are just speculating are really making something out of nothing

From an engineering perspective, it's always better to reduce the complexity of a given system, that's all I'm saying.

But there are 2 views to this. Reducing 2 batteries to 1 has its advantages. But so does avoiding an extra wire and attachment points (plug and receptacle). So as I said before, there are benefits and drawbacks to wireless coils.

Is it a big deal in practice for most Deus users? Obviously not. But I understand the negative sentiment with having 2 batteries to charge instead of one. 

[Chase Goldman]

 

From an engineering perspective, it's always better to reduce the complexity of a given system, that's all I'm saying.

But there are 2 views to this. Reducing 2 batteries to 1 has its advantages. But so does avoiding an extra wire and attachment points (plug and receptacle). So as I said before, there are benefits and drawbacks to wireless coils.

Is it a big deal in practice for most Deus users? Obviously not. But I understand the negative sentiment with having 2 batteries to charge instead of one. 

Right - it is a matter of design tradeoffs to reach the desired objective.  XP was gunning for reducing claptrap and sources of frustration IN THE FIELD with a completely wireless platform - i.e. dealing with coil wires to change coils, reducing weight to the bare minimum (again cables matter here) and enabling a verstile setup that enables various configurations including detecting without the need for the controller box because most of the processing is done in the coil and wireless phones provide for the essential detector controls (albeit with some limitations and a cumbersome interface).  Achieving that objective and its resulting advantages results in most of the downsides mentioned here that tend to counter some of the advantages (i.e., coil cost vs. ease of replacement, fewer accessory coil options, limitations in underwater use, extra batteries to deal with but that is now a fact of life with ANY detector if you choose to use wireless audio and pinpointer accessories)).  In Deus II it appears that XP has tried to address at least one of the most glaring weaknesses of a completely wireless platform - underwater usage - by dealing with the environmental sealing of the control unit and making the antenna a very simple clip on attachment (with the coil and controller designed to accommodate the custom clip) that now appears to have been thought out as part of the design rather than on Deus I where it was an annoying kludge that appeared to be noticed AFTER the design was set.  Also, salt beach performance and the other general advantages that come with Multi Frequency VLF (even better iron handling potential a la SMF iron bias methods). At the end of the day there is no winning of the argument, and it is a foolish to focus on specific advantage OR disadvantage because it all comes down to how the individual detectorist prioritizes and values each of these advantages/disadvantages for themselves.  Everyone is going to have a different prioritized list.