Equinox 900.. Yes, No Or Maybe?

[Erik Oostra]

I’ve been searching my soul and endured sleepless nights trying to decide whether to buy an Equinox 900.. My gut is telling me not to, it’s still feeling queasy after it jumped the gun on the Deus II.. I realize that buying an Equinox 900 will involve another learning curve but that is not what’s putting me off..  

I’m just wondering how useful the thing will be.. I have all the detectors and coils I could ever possibly need.. The Deus II and PulseDive cover my every scuba detecting desire, and an Equinox 900 will not be any more useful (even with its 5-meter waterproof rating it's got nothing on the PulseDive’s 60-meters).. In my mind if its ‘Beach 2’ setting is anything like its Equinox cousins, then the Deus II with its dedicated “Dive’ and ‘Salt’ settings has nothing to worry about..  

On my beaches I rarely stress about target separation, they’re usually already separated by a few giant leaps.. I’m yet to find a bottle top next to a gold ring.. If this ever becomes a problem, I’m pretty sure a new Equinox 900 wouldn’t be any more useful than my old Equinox 800 at separating iffy targets.. Even if it was, I can’t justify spending $1700 on negligible differences between Equinox models..  

Same goes for its 119 TID.. Is it of any use? Will it clearly identify a bottle top, a 20 cent coin and a pull tab, which all ring in around 16 on the Equinox 800 and 600.. Do each of these now ring in at separate TIDs? Or is it still the guessing game it’s always been? Where after a while you realize that a 20 cent coin is more likely to ring in where it’s supposed to, and the others tend to jump about a bit more.. If that’s the case then an Equinox 900 won’t be of any use, here it doesn’t fill the gap between the Manticore with its 2D TID..  

Likewise, is the Equinox of any use for finding deep targets? Does it have that extra bit of oomph under the hood that’ll make it punch much deeper than its rivals? Maybe an extra 50% more spark? So far there’s been no indication that it outshines all that came before on deep targets.. If finding them was the job for the day, then my other detectors would be just as useful..  

For all my whining, I can see some useful things about the Equinox 900.. Firstly, the vibrating handle idea that Minelab nicked from Nokta is a winner.. This will be handy for wading and surf as well as windy beaches.. But it’s a dumb move by Minelab to ditch the WM08 on their new Equinoxes, no amount of shaking will make up for it.. Still, the red display and lit up keypad together with the flashlight will be useful for hunting low tide at night.. The all carbon-fibre collapsible shaft might make it a bit more useable as a scuba detector than its Equinox stable mates..  

As always, it’s turning out to be a battle between ‘usefulness’ and ‘needfulness’.. Where the question of how useful the thing will be gives way to a need to own the latest model, even if it has no real edge in performance.. Thank you for any guidance you can offer..  

[Chase Goldman]

Eric,  For what you do 900 is more about the physical improvements (CF shaft, better watertight integrity) and literal bells and whistles (Flashlight, vibration) than performance.  There is nothing in performance save for a few mm in depth perhaps when using dP (pitch) audio that would make it perform any better than what you have now.  If Deus 2 fills the performance and dive gaps of the 800 and 800 fills the Deus 2 gaps on dry sand and prospecting, not worth the Xtra dollars for the 900 until you've worn out your 800.  Certainly not worth it to consider the Manticore.  JMO.

[Guest]

44 minutes ago, Erik Oostra said:

As always, it’s turning out to be a battle between ‘usefulness’ and ‘needfulness’.. Where the question of how useful the thing will be gives way to a need to own the latest model, even if it has no real edge in performance.. Thank you for any guidance you can offer..  

Erik,

This is the eternal question you already know the answer to. A question you have already answered many times, you need only look to your previous satisfaction with how you answered it before.

It is not at all about usefulness or need, only a question of want. Trying to answer want is tough in this situation because more remains to want no matter what you do. The Manticore lies beyond the 900, and it is only a matter of time till the Deus III comes out.

A simplex has a vibrating handle.

[abenson]

Eric,

I've used both the D2 and 900 at the beach. D2 100 hours or so, the 900 about 30 hours. My personal preference is the D2. Your not going to gain anything by getting a 900. As far as raw depth goes, I'd say the D2 has the advantage by about an inch. Target ID is more stable on the D2 as well.

[GB_Amateur]

You don't mention a PI detector in your aresenal.  (I don't know the current market on the waterproof versions of those.)  Is there a reason you don't have one already?

[Jeff McClendon]

Why are you only looking at the Equinox 900?

It seems to me from your detector usage that a 700 would make more sense.

[cjc]

That's true.  I want to get a  900 to replace my ailing 800 but will it help me to find more gold?  Don't think so.  Nice upgrades though--it's what the  NOX should have been to  start with.  I also notice reps referring to the Manticore platform as "A" Multi IQ.  Hope this means there's a difference--but I have not heard anyone raving about it yet.  Can't help thinking that the years of deflections / denials on the NOX's problems have hurt M/L credibitly overall and it will be a while before it returns.  Still have my CTX better the devil you know...

cjc

[Chase Goldman]

3 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

You don't mention a PI detector in your aresenal.  (I don't know the current market on the waterproof versions of those.)  Is there a reason you don't have one already?

He used to have a GPX and sold it because Nox was adequate for the gold on Magnetic Island and it brought nothing to the table over and above the Nox he was using beach detecting.  Also, the Pulse Dive he uses for deep dives is a PI based pinpointer but also has larger mono coils that he utilizes.

[fogrider]

Ever thought about a used CTX 3030? Clean ones pop up now and then, for a similar price as a new 900. 

[Erik Oostra]

9 hours ago, abenson said:

Target ID is more stable on the D2 as well.

On my beaches both the Equinox and Deus 2 have the same stability on iffy targets.. Both struggle with identifying smaller deeper targets and jump about without settling on a TID until you've got the target out of the hole.. I think it has more to do with working out a detector's nuances over time than any inherent stability problems of a particular model versus another.. There's so many variables that come into play in the 'wild' that only experience can make sense of what the detector is really telling you.. I've dug targets where the TID and tones were telling me it was another bottle top, but there there was something about the detector's reaction which told me it was a gold ring.. I suppose spending time with an Equinox 900 would achieve the same results, it's just that I've also got a Deus 2 demanding quality time.. It's already jealous of my bromance with the Equinox..