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600 Vs. 800 Differences - More Than Just A Gold Prospecting Mode


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1 minute ago, Bayard said:

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the 600 is the bigger seller.  I suspect there are many more coin hunters than gold nugget and micro jewelry hunters.

As for prices of used machines, once the initial hysteria passes, a used 800 will eventually probably end up selling for no more than a brand new 600.  How many people will buy a used 800 for more than a new 600?  The extra features on the 800 are something the vast majority of users do not understand, appreciate, or need.  On the other hand, how low can the price of a used 600 go before it's a compelling deal as opposed to an AT Pro, AT Max, F75, etc.?

I called a dealer last week and they said they had 50+ pre orders for the 800 but only 4-5 for the 600.  I feel like the availability of the 600 will be better depending on how many units dealers are getting.

 I've detected on and off for about 15 years and have only used entry level machines (Whites Classic ID and Whites Prizm V).  I'm finally looking to upgrade and I think the 600 will fit the bill just fine.  Seems like it will have all the bells and whistles I will need for now.  I've never had a machine with a VDI readout, but look forward to learning this machine.  Maybe if I really get back into the hobby all the extra features of the 800 will spark an interest, but for the amount of experience I have and type of hunting I do (coin-shooting and relic), the 600 will keep me busy without a big dent in the wallet.  Just depends on the persons experience and what type of detecting they do.

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14 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Mike,

I missed the note on that diagram.  I believe you have it correct and I am incorrect in assuming 20 and 40 are not available in multi IQ mode.  When Steve clears it up for us, then I will correct my post.  I was apparently confusing Minelab’s 3Fx3 and 5Fx5 lingo with Multi IQ but they apparently only apply to single frequency mode.  I blame the marketeers for ambiguously translating the engineering speak into marketing speak.  Lol.  My sincerest apologies and thanks for teaching me yet another thing I did no know about the equinox.

ps. Steve confirmed your understanding of how Multi IQ works for both the 600 and 800 while I was typing this reply. Thanks for hanging in there and setting me straight.

Chase,

No worries!  I think we have all been pretty excited for this machine and this forum has been a great resource to help clarify all the information that is floating around out there!

HH - Mike

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30 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Fabulous explanation of your thoughts on why the equinox 800 is a better choice for you Chase, thanks! :smile:

There is this Equinox 600 Versus Equinox 800 and this Five Frequency Times Eight

From the second thread:

" However, both the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800 offer identical Multi-IQ modes covering the full frequency range. The Equinox 600 simply disallows direct access to the 20 khz and 40 kHz single frequency modes."

To clarify, the Multi-IQ modes on both the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800 are identical. In my opinion Multi-IQ is the true magic of Equinox, and the Equinox 600 is the bang for the buck in that it will perform every bit as well for most people as the Equinox 800.

The Equinox 800 offers a specialty mode by way of the Gold Mode that is optimised for finding very tiny items, think small gold nuggets or single post earrings. However, people are going to find that Multi-IQ offerings in other modes are quite capable of finding small items. Gold Mode is for people who need to push that small item finding capability to the limit.

I don't consider Gold Mode to be the big factor that differentiates the Equinox 600 from the Equinox 800. In my mind it is the advanced audio and discrimination functions as outlined in my first article above along with the extra control over the Detect Speed that make the Equinox 800 truly desirable for more advanced users. I can't imagine giving up the ability to fully customise all my tone breaks and tones as is offered in the Equinox 800.

I have to admit that when coming from detectors that costs many thousands of dollars I find the idea of "saving" $250 to not be even on my radar. I am many thousands of dollars ahead by selling the many machines my Equinox replaces. However, I do want people to understand that for raw horsepower, Equinox 600 will find virtually anything the Equinox 800 will find. There is no compromise on Multi-IQ going from one machine to the other. The advantage in Gold Mode is real, but it is like it is striving for that last 10% is all, not some magic blow you away oh my gosh I can't believe this sort of thing.

It is fairly obvious that because both machines offer so much capability for so little money that most people are going to just go for the Equinox 800 automatically. That being the case some savings on the purchase may be lost on resale because the Equinox 600 may not hold value as well as the Equinox 800.

 

Steve,

Thanks for setting me straight on Multi IQ for 600/800.  Since Multi IQ implements all 5 frequencies in both cases I am even more flummoxed as to why ML did not just include Gold mode on the 600 (sans the ability to individually select the two highest frequencies) or am I incorrect in assuming that Gold Mode uses Multi IQ?

In any event, ML may inadvertently be highlighting Gold Mode as THE prime delta between the 600 and 800 models because it is the most visible difference as highlighted in the marketing materials.  While I agree with you 100% that it is the other missing features (non-ferrous tone adjustments and finer reactivity control) that are the real difference makers that should matter to even the casual coin shooter.  I would gladly pay the cost difference for the 800 to be able to have them.  A previous poster stated that these features are nether understood, appreciated, needed by most detectorists.  I agree with the “understood” and “appreciated” part of the above statement but not with the “needed” part.  I consider these features to indeed be needed and the fact that detectorist may miss that point because of the focus on the Gold Mode difference is a pity IMO.

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5 minutes ago, Mike Buck said:

I called a dealer last week and they said they had 50+ pre orders for the 800 but only 4-5 for the 600.  I feel like the availability of the 600 will be better depending on how many units dealers are getting.

I'm planning to buy a 600.  If Minelab would make an even lower priced model without the ability to select single frequencies, I'd buy that. 

After years of using an Etrac, and avoiding crown caps with FBS, I have no use for single frequencies.

I would expect preorders to be larger for the 800 than the 600.  The only people who know about the Equinox right now are hard core enthusiasts who want the latest and greatest.  Once their orders have been filled, the remaining mass market will likely gravitate to the less costly 600.  The world is full of AT Pros and Aces because of low price, and those price sensitive buyers vastly outnumber the membership of all metal detecting forums combined.

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26 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Since Multi IQ implements all 5 frequencies in both cases I am even more flummoxed as to why ML did not just include Gold mode on the 600

If you have two models based on the same unit you have to differentiate them. There is a place for both models because what matters to one person does not matter to another. I do really think the Equinox 600 is a remarkable value, but I also know very well as somebody that sold detectors for decades that the Equinox 800 will initially be the big seller by far. A big part of detecting is psychological, and people in general like to tell themselves they own "the best".

Baynard has a pretty good view of it for the longer run. Serious detectorists will gravitate to the Equinox 800, but the truth is knowledgeable hardcore detectorists are actually one of the smallest market segments. The vast retail market out there thrives on lower cost detectors, and the Equinox 600 has to appeal to people looking at the current crop of top-of-the-line VLF detectors going now for only $499.

It is easy to get into this Minelab versus that Minelab, but all Minelab cares about is Minelab versus the competition. Compare the Equinox 600 at $649 to the Garrett AT Max at $722 and the real picture becomes clearer.

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2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The Equinox 800 offers a specialty mode by way of the Gold Mode that is optimised for finding very tiny items, think small gold nuggets or single post earrings. However, people are going to find that Multi-IQ offerings in other modes are quite capable of finding small items.

This is one of the things I've been waiting to hear (read).  There was speculation when JP showed tiny gold found with the Eqx800 that he was in multi-mode, not single 40kHz, but I never read a confirmation/denial from him.

Another thing I'm still wondering about regarding single frequencies (on either model) is what the single filter options are.  First off I'm going to quote Dave Johnson:

Most VLF prospecting is done in an all-metals mode which may be variously described as "single-filter", "first derivative", "autotune", or by trademarked names.  (from http://www.fisherlab.com/hobby/davejohnson/goldprospectingmetaldetectiontechnologies.htm)

In the US this is often called simply "all-metal" but Minelab in particular uses that term differently; for example on the X-Terras there is an all-metal setting on the discriminate side and a separate "prospecting mode" which is similar to what many US detector manufacturers refer to as all-metal.

So now to my question:  do the single frequency options on both the 600 and 800 give you the ability to go into single-filter mode?  If 'yes', does that carry advantages similar to single-filter vs. discriminate mode advantages in traditional single frequency VLF's?

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I don’t know how Equinox works under the hood. I think we may have passed the point where all that stuff matters with Multi-IQ. What matters to me is what the detector can detect or not detect in various modes and determining which modes to use for which applications.

Park, Field, and Beach mode are discrimination modes, and “all metal” in those modes simply means everything is set to accept. Whether in multifrequency or single frequency this does not change. Your example of the X-Terra coin mode and the horseshoe “all metal” button is spot on.

Gold Mode does act differently than the other modes (patience please) but is not bereft of discrimination capability. The X-Terra 705 Prospect Mode is about the closest similar mode to Gold Mode but they are not the same. Gold Mode is better.

I am sorry to be so circumspect on the modes and differences between modes, but this is one area where Minelab is very specific that they do not want people (testers) who do not know exactly what Multi-IQ does and how it does it to be speculating about things they really don’t know about.

So what are the technicalities of Gold Mode under the hood? I could speculate but then I would have to be shot.:biggrin: I will leave it for a Minelab engineer to explain. I can tell you this. I can find gold nuggets weighing under a grain (480 grains per Troy Ounce) in Gold Mode running the stock 11” round DD coil in real world conditions. I know this because I have done it. That should tell most people what they need to know about Gold Mode.

The point also is other mode options are no slouch on small gold either...

https://www.minelab.com/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk/found-in-the-fields-equinox-gold

Field Mode will be the go to alternative for Equinox 600 owners going after small targets and frankly for a lot of nugget hunters who use the Equinox 800 also. Sometimes when hunting gold in trashy areas you want a good tones based disc mode and Equinox is as good as it gets in that regard.

Other than that - patience please :smile:

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As a shallow water hunter who travels to hunt, I'm finding the NOX 600 attractive.  First I travel with 2 machines and will need 2 sets of waterproof headphones... this as back-up.  Imagine arriving at your final destination only to discover your machine quit!  The price of 2 600s and 2 sets water phones is less than the price of 2 800s.  

ML says on a wet salt beach the prospecting mode will not work.  So do I need it or any of the other 800 extra bells?  Perhaps?  If the NOX meets my expectations, then for the first time that I can recall, will be able to travel with a great detector (600) where it will only take 1 or 2 gold ring finds to fully pay for the machine!  Which means most likely paid for on my first day in the water!  OK the 800 is not that much more, but with the 600 one can almost view it as disposable!  Before you all pounce on me by that I mean.... If my CTX 3030 gets broken, run over or stolen on a trip... there goes $2400!  If customs or some Island cop decides to confiscate it, there goes $2,400!    Were I to lose a 600, well that's far less hurt and won't cut as much into my trip profits... or add big to losses!  Losing an 800 there is just a bit more ouch factor than a 600.

From years experience, if something can go wrong on a trip it will.  Like everything being stolen out of your room, including your passport!  So I see the 600s as having less Ouch Factor for my style detecting.  Plus it's not that far fetched to sell the 600s after 2 or 3 trips and replace them with new ones- just for better reliability.   Now for those who need a Jack of all Trades machine, 800 all the way!  Or if it turns out the 800 for some reason is better in saltwater than a 600, again the 800 wins.      

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2 hours ago, Cabo Chris said:

As a shallow water hunter who travels to hunt, I'm finding the NOX 600 attractive.  First I travel with 2 machines and will need 2 sets of waterproof headphones... this as back-up.  Imagine arriving at your final destination only to discover your machine quit!  The price of 2 600s and 2 sets water phones is less than the price of 2 800s.  

ML says on a wet salt beach the prospecting mode will not work.  So do I need it or any of the other 800 extra bells?  Perhaps?  If the NOX meets my expectations, then for the first time that I can recall, will be able to travel with a great detector (600) where it will only take 1 or 2 gold ring finds to fully pay for the machine!  Which means most likely paid for on my first day in the water!  OK the 800 is not that much more, but with the 600 one can almost view it as disposable!  Before you all pounce on me by that I mean.... If my CTX 3030 gets broken, run over or stolen on a trip... there goes $2400!  If customs or some Island cop decides to confiscate it, there goes $2,400!    Were I to lose a 600, well that's far less hurt and won't cut as much into my trip profits... or add big to losses!  Losing an 800 there is just a bit more ouch factor than a 600.

From years experience, if something can go wrong on a trip it will.  Like everything being stolen out of your room, including your passport!  So I see the 600s as having less Ouch Factor for my style detecting.  Plus it's not that far fetched to sell the 600s after 2 or 3 trips and replace them with new ones- just for better reliability.   Now for those who need a Jack of all Trades machine, 800 all the way!  Or if it turns out the 800 for some reason is better in saltwater than a 600, again the 800 wins.      

 

OK, Does Minelab not say you need all of the frequencies of the 800 to do beach mode?  Or do both machines have a beach mode?

 

Dave

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