Deus II Or Equinox 900

[TexHunter]

If you had to choose between these two units, the Deus II and Equinox 900, for coin/jewelry hunting in local parks with a medium mineralization, which would it be? I know there are various conditions to consider, but in general, I'm just talking about your typical U.S. park coin and jewelry hunting, while also looking for missed deep targets. Yes, there are several other units that could be considered, but only interested in opinions on these two. Thanks for your input...

[abenson]

I have quite a bit experience with both the Deus 1 & 2 as well as the Equinox 800 & 900. I personally prefer the Equinox over the either Deus when park hunting. Can't really give you a specific reason why, I guess I just enjoy the audio of the Equinox better when park hunting. For other types of hunting, like ghost towns, I like the Deus better. Nice to have both.

[Jeff McClendon]

Otto, for me this all comes down to which of these two detector platforms you are most familiar with and have liked the most in the past. Their performance on everything except for very small targets is virtually identical.

The Equinox 900 is a very solid improvement over the Equinox 800. The 900 is extremely versatile like the 800 but it also has physical, feature and performance upgrades. Those upgrades, especially its improved ferrous and nonferrous target separation upgrades bring very close to Deus 2.

Deus 2 is from another planet compared to Deus 1 at least where I detect aside from the really small sub 0.5 gram and smaller target lack of sensitivity. It has depth capabilities using its FMF tech that bring it very close to the Minelab Multi IQ detectors even with just a 9" coil on normal sized targets. Its target IDs, tone choices and stock programs are outstanding and it easily rivals the Equinox 800/900 for target ID accuracy, pleasing tones and surpasses it for the variety of factory programs and custom program possibilities.

So, which platform do you feel the most comfortable with and trust the most?

Either way, you simply can't go wrong.

[Rob in (ca)]

It’s hard to beat the Equinox 900 with the 6 inch coil in a (Trashy park) it’s like a laser beam on isolating targets . 

[George Kinsey]

I like the detector with the Fast choice when I go into a very old park with lots of trash. The smaller coil matters.

[F350Platinum]

8 hours ago, TexHunter said:

I know there are various conditions to consider, but in general, I'm just talking about your typical U.S. park coin and jewelry hunting, while also looking for missed deep targets.

Nothing beats the separation of a small elliptical (10x5), I haven't used the 6" round, but have been successful to the best of my knowledge with an elliptical. Many of the sites I've hunted have nothing or next to nothing left. You're fortunate that your parks get replenished.

The conundrum in your quote is that using a small coil isn't going to get you "missed deep targets". Removing the junk and using a large coil might, but the sage among us insist that small coils don't find deep stuff.

I rarely have a problem finding anything deep with a smaller coil, you have to go for the "iffy" stuff sometimes, and silver is going to silver. 😀 It's the easiest stuff to find if it's there.

Another consideration is weight of the machine. The glaring difference between the Equinox and the Deus 2 is weight. Should you have the WS6 Master or the whole D2 kit, the heaviest configuration of the Deus 2 is lighter than the lightest Equinox rig.

If you're a geezer like me, that is what matters. Both are pretty darn equal, the D2 does all the work in the coil really, and transmits its findings to the RC, whichever you have. You can carry a second detector in a small vest pack on your back. 🙂

[TexHunter]

I wanted to take a couple of minutes to say that I appreciate everyone's comments, and I will reply to all. I've been in severe pain all day and will get back to you all, hopefully later tonight. I just can't relax or concentrate right now. Again, thanks, I really appreciate you...

[palzynski]

23 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

...

Another consideration is weight of the machine. The glaring difference between the Equinox and the Deus 2 is weight. Should you have the WS6 Master or the whole D2 kit, the heaviest configuration of the Deus 2 is lighter than the lightest Equinox rig.

...

I agree , even if the D2 had 10% less depth or separation than its competitors I would still go for a D2 simply because it is 30% lighter than the others ... I know that some people dont care about weight , but some others do , then it is a matter of personal preference ..

[F350Platinum]

Another consideration is the Deus 2's markedly superior resistance to EMI. I can use it in any of the areas where EMI is a problem, be it from cell towers or WiFi or other electrical presence. I don't have to go to single frequency much if ever.

Rattlehead's Silver Slayer program, for some reason, even allows me to hunt for coins directly under power lines, something I haven't been able to do with the Equinox. The machine goes silent but for the 62 range, and the 87 up range. 🤔 I'm sure other programs of equal value will come up over time, and a firmware update is due for the machine that will probably put it at the top of the list. 

[CPT_GhostLight]

I will add that I've had a Nox 800 for 3 years and since I got the D2 almost a year ago, I haven't touched the Nox, primarily because I wanted to thoroughly learn the D2, but also I've had no desire to use the Nox again at this point.

Also, I had the opportunity to test my D2 with the 9" coil on targets in mineralized park soil that a friend of mine was hitting deep with his White's TDI pulse induction machine and I hit them all. He would only call me over when he had "a deep one" but I have no idea how deep they were. They were probably on the edge of detection for the D2 and still sounded good enough to dig but the ID was iffy on some of them.