Reasons To Hold Onto Equinox 800 In Light Of Deus 2

[Chase Goldman]

 

In France , the Deus2 release date will be starting from December if I refer to what is currently displayed on all the French MD internet sites ..

An example below:
XP DEUS II Pack 22FMFRCWS6 - metaux-detection.fr

Thanks - good to know.  Since both Deus and Nokta units will have to be imported into the US with the attendant supply chain/shipping issues, first availability at US dealers is probably still pretty much up in the air - unless XP is guaranteeing simultaneous availability in the US and France (doubtful) plus would have more confidence in even the 28 December date if it was officially mentioned by XP themselves.

[CPT_GhostLight]

 

Since both Deus and Nokta units will have to be imported into the US with the attendant supply chain/shipping issues, first availability at US dealers is probably still pretty much up in the air - 

Yeah, that's a whole thing. Even if units ship to the US in December, they could be sitting on a container ship off the west coast until July. 😐 

[basstrackerman]

 

Yeah, that's a whole thing. Even if units ship to the US in December, they could be sitting on a container ship off the west coast until July. 😐 

Unless they come to Florida port.  

[ColonelDan]

Many solid thoughts in this post for sure.  A few of my own:

1. Wireless vs Wired:  I'm 99% a salt water beach hunter with my EQX 800 and the way I grid a beach, I often go from the damp sand to the wet sand and then into the surf (only about 1 foot deep due to concerns over water intrusion so I keep the control box dry).  Given that, a Deus II for me would have to be constantly wired from coil to control box in order to work in the surf.  For that reason, a totally wireless capability would not be that enticing since the wire from coil to box would be a permanent configuration.

2. Waterproof:  I owned a Deus  and found it to be a solidly engineered machine so I'm not a skeptic where XP claims of being waterproof are concerned.  Were I to make a wager, I'd bet on much better waterproof performance in the Deus II than was the original ML waterproof claim for the EQX.  Being truly waterproof is important for me and not because I hunt deeper than 1 foot in salt water these days because I don't.  Ours is an outdoor hobby so I think all detectors should be waterproof....at the least, very weatherproof.  How many times have you been caught in the rain or dropped your detector in a puddle of water?  Even if you are a land hunter and never go near any water, replacing a damaged or inop machine due to moisture intrusion isn't a trivial thing.

3. Build quality:  The Deus I had was quality built, rugged and reliable.  No coil ear issues, wobbly shafts or arm cuff breakage.  In my view, it was a much more rugged detector than Minelab products in certain areas.  XP doesn't seem to pinch pennies as did Minelab on simple things.  Recall the original skimpy gaskets they put in the CTX 3030 that caused flooding of the battery box. The issue was solved when they came out with merely a little thicker gasket!  Their use of  cheap coil ears, arm cuffs  and wobbly shafts on the EQX series is another example.  For a few pennies more per unit, they would have saved untold thousands in warranty replacement costs in both the CTX and EQX series machines.  Although they are among the very best where software technology is concerned, I never understood that "penny wise pound foolish" approach in their physical build design.

4. Overall Performance:   This is where the EQX was superior to my original Deus.  The multi-frequncey of the EQX vs the selectable single frequency of the Deus was an obvious choice in my salt water beach hunting environment.  I eventually sold my Deus for that reason.  Now, if XP has really overcome that limitation in the Deus II with their FMF feature, I'll be happily impressed.  

I'm with all the others however who will take a "wait and see" approach.  But, given my past experience with XP engineering, I have no doubt the Deus II will be very salt water beach capable.  Will it generally out perform the Minelabs?  TBD.  Will it be found that XP pinched pennies on their build quality?  I say no. It will be a well built unit. Will it be more comfortable to use than the Minelabs?  Yes.  Will it be more complex in its settings options than the Minelabs?  Yes.  Will it's overall performance justify the higher price tag compared to the current EQX?  TBD but that will be determined solely by and in the eye of the beholder as the saying goes.

Just a few thoughts from my foxhole... 

[mh9162013]

51 minutes ago, ColonelDan said:

How many times have you been caught in the rain or dropped your detector in a puddle of water?  Even if you are a land hunter and never go near any water, replacing a damaged or inop machine due to moisture intrusion isn't a trivial thing.

Agreed!

I can't count how many times I've set my detector down on grass soaked with dew, only have have it tip over and get the control box wet.

[CPT_GhostLight]

4 hours ago, ColonelDan said:

Ours is an outdoor hobby so I think all detectors should be waterproof....at the least, very weatherproof. 

Amen to that! 😎

[Calmark]

I've not watched developments with the new Deus 2 closely at all, but I've come to the slow conclusion the past week or so I will keep my mind open and certainly watch how this new mulit-frequency machine compares with the old Deus and the Equinox.  I probably won't be an early adopter since I've got my hands full with the Nox 800 and am liking my 10x5 Coiltek. But, I'll watch how things unfold along with read reviews with interest. 

What made me realize I should watch the Deus 2 is noticing once again just how badly mineralized the ground is where I live. I have been coin-shooting and hunting for jewelry at parks and schools a lot the past 6 weeks after a 2-year hiatus with the Nox.  I'm having the same difficulties I've always had with my past detectors these past 25 years with this soil.  I pretty much max out at 5 inches at most with TID on a dime at my old sites. And that's even with the Nox, a cutting-edge technology.  It definitely has some advantages like tones, sweep speed setting, and ability to lower the volume on iron targets over my older White's machines.  Any further advances in multi-frequency in the future are sure to help with my soil conditions, so I actually wish for great reports from the Deus 2 and upcoming Nokta MF units.  

[UtahRich]

Reasons to keep MY EQ800 - It finds stuff really well. 

I've had my 800 approaching 4 years now and have spent a lot of time with it in the field.  I use it mostly for coin shooting. It is easy to use, goes deep compared to other detectors i have used, separates good from bad well, is waterproof / resistant allowing me to spend time shallow water hunting for jewelry, and is MUCH lighter than my etrac, explorer XS, and other detectors I've been using since way back when in the 70's.  Oh, and i took it gold nugget hunting and it actually found a little nugget. 

It has been a good one. Arguably from my standpoint, the best I've had. Easily the best all round detector i've had. 

I purchased it because it did all the things my etrac did (except bottle cap ID), was much lighter AND allowed me to shallow water hunt as well and mess around with a little prospecting. It has done all that I've asked. 

I have a Deus, which is a pretty great detector in its' own right. Not quite as all round as my 800.  (it doesn't go in the water) Will this new Deus 2 eclipse my equinox?  Don't know.  I'll be watching.  It seems to match many aspects of my 800 (though it is pushing a price point 2x as much) and is as yet untested.  After having used a Deus, I am not opposed to the thought of using a Deus 2.

Lastly, i have a lot of positive experience using the 800 so i'm not real keen on tossing all that aside in HOPES that the latest greatest is up to the task. 

rich -

[☠ Cipher]

On 11/16/2021 at 10:24 PM, UtahRich said:

It has been a good one. Arguably from my standpoint, the best I've had. Easily the best all round detector i've had. 

And keep in mind, while Equinox is a high performance unit and we consider it as such, Minelab only considers it a mid level, mid priced unit, with bigger ideas and vision for its next unit, hopefully with lessons learned from their mistakes with Equinox. This next unit to me is the main event. It’s what makes me a little more reserved about jumping on others attempts to catch what Minelab has already done. I’m excited about what comes next if this is only mid level in their eyes.