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Equinox = Disappointment Coming For Dedicated Salt Beach Detectorists?


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I thought that Steve set up this section of this forum as an "Equinox Fan Club" but as I watch many negative post about the machine which has not been used by most of the members and the same people quoting comparisons with other detectors even though no comparing test have been carried out yet.

Even the title of this thread is poor judgement in my eyes, I wonder why people can't wait for their purchase of the Equinox to form a comparison test report.

Patience is a virtue.

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He also wanted constructive, honest criticism too and set up a thread for that purpose. I explained the purpose of the thread title, as an attention grabber to stimulate robust discussion, not to bash.  I wonder if some of the issues arise, too, when folk’s don’t read through the threads thoroughly.  Even Steve joined in on this discussion and didn’t seem to take it in a negative light.  But I agree with you on the patience piece.  However, I didn’t sense folks in this thread were complaining (again) about the Equinox not being here yet.  In fact, the back and forth seems like a healthy way to talk and learn about Equinox pros and cons in the mean time before it’s release.  Sorry the discussion is being perceived as negative by you, not the intent at all. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite as I perceived that some folks were forming possibly unrealistic expectations about some aspects of Equinox performance.  You can imagine the negativity that would result if those expectations are not eventually met (you are already sensing it by the tone of some of the postings on the forum).  Realigning to more realistic expectations of performance through discussion was the purpose of the thread.

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I can see how people can view the thread either way, but I don’t think simply pointing out what Minelab themselves is saying is being negative.

I do feel a bit sorry for Minelab though when the Equinox is being constantly compared to a couple much more expensive detectors made by the very same company. When people are looking around at detectors they usually have budgets, and are looking at detectors within those budgets. Therefore when comparing anything most people feel that comparisons are only fair when items are similarly priced.

Fair question - how does Equinox compare to detectors in the $650 - $900 range. Not quite so fair - how does Equinox compare to detectors in the $1500 - $2500 range. Maybe quite well, but one has to presume there is something to the higher price of those detectors that allows for their continued existence. 

Anyway, this thread does fall more into what could be expected of the Detector Advice & Comparison Forum and has been moved there now from the Equinox Fan Club. The Fan Club actually is primarily for people who have already decided they want a Equinox and who are not terribly interested in threads that question that decision. Plenty of that to go around elsewhere.

On the other hand it is certainly a question of obvious interest to people and so of value, especially to people who are pre-ordering. All I can say is if this sort of question is really tops on somebody's mind then they really should be waiting for Equinox to hit the streets and independent evaluations to roll in.

No harm, no foul, no worries, just a change of venue.

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Sorry guys it must have been a lapse in my judgement.

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How many salt water machines do you know that cant compete out there even against the CTX?  Whites BH maybe.   MLs  says that it wont be as good as BBS/FBS in the salt water...... I wouldnt make that statement until you put it in the hands of some of the Gurus out there....... they have a way of making things works better than expected.   Look whats been done with the Xcal...... the ability to hunt in PP and our own headphones still has it as the top dog out there that every things compared to.    Like the Xcal ..... this machine is simple.... light and has some bells with a TID screen and fast recovery .... AND can hunt the dry sand with some new freq that the BBS/FBS cant.    Like most people who water hunt...... or hunt period, its a matter of knowing what the machine is telling you.   It can be a matter of matching the man to the machine as well.  Even a blind squirrel can find a recent drop gold if he goes over it.   The guys who will tell us in a few month will be those guys who can find a piece of gold with a stick......they may just surprise ML.    BBS works different than FBS....... we can PP hunt and gain depth...... and its all about the tones.   CTX/FBS2 brought us some really nice options for smartscreen programs, tones, splatter just to mention a few.......but at a crazy price.   This machine sends the message it does something even different.   BBS is OLD tech..... yet its still here in the Xcal.   Honestly...... targets are where targets are, you dont know what you missed if you missed it.... all you can do is say .... ya i would have gotten that with the other machine at that depth.    This time of the year im looking for older gold from moving sand....... not recent drops which is a bit more challenging........ ill know pretty quick if its a keeper.

Dew 

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I'm not expecting the EQ-800 to do better and or deeper than my Xcal or 3030 on a salt beach for depth.  Lets be real folks.

I'm not expecting it to do (as good) on depth as those above mentioned detectors.

BUT.... I have a sneaky suspicion and in fact am pretty sure it will win over my CTX and Xcal on Salt Water Beach in 4 different ways & will get me MORE GOLD.

1st and most intriguing is the Multi IQ's SENSITIVITY and ability to find smaller gold jewelry, earrings, chains and bracelets or even a broken gold ring.  The FBS and BBS are known to perform poorly on those targets.

2nd way to find more gold with the new EQ-800 over my Xcal and 3030.  RECOVERY SPEED.  I like to hunt around docks, old piers and they seem to be loaded with iron.  My CTX and a 6" coil do ok, but when testing , I see the need for Faster Recovery Speed.  The delay of target response after going over an iron target is not that good on BBS and FBS.  The EQ will find me more gold.

3rd is based on the previous 2 above.  Since I'll be finding more gold and the detector is quite a bit less money, it will allow me to go more often with the wife (who is the gold bank).  So I will eventually get more gold.

4th is compact detector is easier to get into luggage, so the wife will let me sneak it in her bag (big scoops are in mine).  It also will cut the water easier with less drag and so I can hunt longer and more hours on each trip.  I know for a fact the 3030 can get pretty tiring after 8 hour days in the water around the 4th and 5th day.  The faster the machine cuts the water, the more swings I get per hour and the longer I can hunt with less fatigue, getting me more gold.

So in the end, the EQ-800 may not be the deepest, may not be the smoothest...but to my ears, my style and knowing what my Xcal and 3030 miss?  I'm pretty sure the Equinox will be stuffed in her luggage (she might not even know it).

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Gary....... im thinking a lot like you... minus the wife lol.   I currently have to choose the best time to use the CTX.   On those big swell days you sure dont want to try and push the CTX..... its not worth the effort because you just dont have the coil control needed.   Lucky im on the Gulf side.   Its nice for those 4am hunts with the lite screen........ unlike the Xcal.   Ill likely put the machine on my own CF straight shaft.... the longer swing covers more sand/water as well.   I hunt in PP with the Xcal..... so there really isnt a lot of recovery speed like in disc.... and for the most part recovery isnt a problem for me....... BUT THEN, you dont know do you until you start finding targets?   It may come into play a LOT more in the dry sand with those higher freq....... all that tiny stuff.   You can bet ill be testing it on small chains......i might actually have to buy a PPer.  I have no expectations of it being deeper either ........ but maybe better if its more efficient out there by covering more sand faster, getting smaller targets, or those near iron missed by the other two.   We may look at how this machine out performs BBS/FBS differently than ML.   How will we judge this machines water real potential?   Im thinking an end of year count.   Ill be running mine full time...... thats a lot of hours in a year and should have a good handle on where its strengths lie.   I often hit a beach 2 or 3 days in a roll with different machines.   Im sure ill get a hunt with another guy i know to do some target comparisons as well who knows his CTX.   Im hoping it noise cancels as well as the CTX.   You cant even get in the same neighbor hood with two Xcals lol.   But the CTX does a nice job allowing you to hunt near someone.

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My understanding of BBS/FBS is that it's not all that we've been led to believe it is. The idea that FBS would transmit, receive and process 28 frequencies simultaneously is pretty ambitious. On closer consideration, Minelab only claims to transmit 28. Carl Moreland, formerly of Whites, now First Texas, is convinced beyond doubt that based on his tests FBS only uses (transmits, receives, and processes) 2 frequencies, and the same 2 (3.25khz and 25khz) with the rest being harmonic echoes of the base frequencies that any multifrequency machine could claim to transmit and which serve no useful purpose other than marketing. The clever stuff to him is the sequence in which those frequencies are fired and the way the half life of the 3.25khz frequency is utilized. So it will be interesting to see, if all this is true, how a machine that actually uses (transmits, receives, and processes) 5 frequencies does in saltwater and if Minelab is downplaying it there for obvious reasons. One thing I found curious is when Steve reported what seemed to be no loss of depth from single frequency mode to Multi-iQ. This almost suggests to me that Multi-iQ may not be so much "simultaneous" as sequential, in rapid succession. 

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