Can I Be Critical Of The Equinox Here?

[Sourdough Scott]

I just purchased a new Equinox 800 today. I was threading the armrest/ stand screw through the shaft. Well, the threads were tight. Then the plastic nut over the screw stripped out. Hopes this isn't a bad omen to start.

[MineBlab]

The 800 is not perfect.

[Chase Goldman]

16 hours ago, Sourdough Scott said:

I just purchased a new Equinox 800 today. I was threading the armrest/ stand screw through the shaft. Well, the threads were tight. Then the plastic nut over the screw stripped out. Hopes this isn't a bad omen to start.

Omen for what? Things can break on Equinox just like any detector, it is not immune to that (like someone else said, it’s not perfect).

ML will likely send you a replacement under warranty if you phone it in.

When something breaks on Equinox and it isn’t your fault, use that relatively generous 3-year warranty, as needed. 

Equinox appears to be about average as far as reliability is concerned.

[Sourdough Scott]

Omen for what. The 1st frickin thing you thread on breaks. So you tell me. This aint my first rodeo with detectors. I know the routine. But minelabs technology is the best hands down. But the strength of it's outer body components are obviously getting thinner and less strong. I just stated my opinion. Really don't need your opinion back. 

[midalake]

12 minutes ago, Sourdough Scott said:

Omen for what. The 1st frickin thing you thread on breaks. So you tell me. This aint my first rodeo with detectors. I know the routine. But minelabs technology is the best hands down. But the strength of it's outer body components are obviously getting thinner and less strong. I just stated my opinion. Really don't need your opinion back. 

Well I just broke a coil ear, AND when I rinsed the unit off that day enough water made it inside to fry the unit. So minelab will be sending me a new unit and coil. 😡

 

Dave

[Chase Goldman]

2 hours ago, Sourdough Scott said:

Omen for what. The 1st frickin thing you thread on breaks. So you tell me. This aint my first rodeo with detectors. I know the routine. But minelabs technology is the best hands down. But the strength of it's outer body components are obviously getting thinner and less strong. I just stated my opinion. Really don't need your opinion back. 

Hope Minelab promptly addresses your issue, then. 

I get you are pissed and the hassle of having to get a warranty replacement component sucks right out of the box.  Don't take it out on me. 

My point was that what you experienced is not an "omen" but unfortunately an Equinox fact of life from what I gather based on postings and first hand experience and feedback.  Equinox's mechanical design and overall reliability is average at best compared to similarly priced detectors.  It is apparent ML is cutting  some corners on the mechanical design of Equinox to drive down cost for the sake of competition and there are apparently some quality control issues that are letting defective material escape the factory.  It doesn't take long to realize the board is full of folks selling and folks (including myself) buying third party stems, shafts, coil ear tab supports, and armrest products, even before stuff breaks, to overcome these Equinox design shortcomings.   And units like Midalake's above are falling apart after a couple years of intense surf usage.   Make them honor their warranty to you and in the mean time consider a more robust third party alternative armrest and shaft for the long haul.  It is one of Equinoxes not so secret shortcomings and it is not pretty nor satisfying, I know.

Oh, and by the way, whether you need it or not, I am free to express my opinion here also, without getting your permission, so feel free to take it or leave but most of all, have a great day...

[midalake]

42 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

And units like Midalake's above are falling apart after a couple years of intense surf usage.   Make them honor their warranty to you and in the mean time consider a more robust third party alternative armrest and shaft for the long haul.  It is one of Equinoxes not so secret shortcomings and it is not pretty nor satisfying, I know.

😉 Well......lol...…  Won't be 2 years old until July. Not so sure about the intense surf? Yes we have intense surf  [here] but that control head has not been under 1" of water once!  But that is why I have a metal arm cuff and custom carbon fiber rod. I can tell you when I get my new coil, my coil ears will NEVER break. [will provide pictures].  AND YES, there is no secret and the shortcomings are not pretty.

Speaking of rough surf, yesterday a swimmer died from a broken neck when getting dumped by a wave.  

Going out for the next three days starting tomorrow, gonna be some good digging!

Dave

[Joe D.]

Minelab will fix all these issues!! When they release the new coil sizes for the Equinox!!😂🤣😅 

Life is short! Don't sweat the small stuff!⏳⌛🍺🍺👍👍

[Chase Goldman]

45 minutes ago, midalake said:

Well......lol...…  Won't be 2 years old until July. Not so sure about the intense surf? Yes we have intense surf  [here] but that control head has not been under 1" of water once! 

I wasn't really talking intensity of the surf per se or referring to your control head leak issue, but the intensity of the loading surf and shallow water hunting puts on coil ears in general.  Starting to see more frequent reports of coil ear snapping by avid shallow water hunters and I think that is no accident but reflects the cumulative fatigue effects of submerged coil drag combined with a likely insufficiently robust coil ear design by ML that didn't fully account for the fact that people might actually want to frequently use their "waterproof" detector in the water (go figure).  I figure the control head issue you experienced was related to the same poor manufacturing quality control shortcoming  gotcha that has bitten other early units that have reportedly failed after the first few immersions or exposures to streaming water intrusion.  ML's public silence on the issue speaks volumes.  I'm guessing they hope it just eventually fades away as they quietly replace the control heads of the affected units under warranty, but no one really knows how many folks have actually submerged or exposed their control heads to water intrusion or the extent of the quality control issue that led to the failures in the first place.  In either case, it is disappointing.  But as Steve says, he hasn't encountered a water detector design that didn't eventually suffer some degree of leakage or degradadation as especially salt water hunting just results in accelerated wear and tear on a detector vs. solely using it for dry terrestrial hunting.

[Joe D.]

The control head is the only thing i haven't replaced with aftermarket parts, or warranty replacement! 

Its all good though! I'm in good company!

Love you guys! (and gals)👍👍