Jump to content

Equinox 800????


Donnyl

Recommended Posts

I have only owned a Whites and Garrett machine so far but I am looking at the Equinox 800 very hard right now. I have seen where some are having problems but for the most part it is mostly positive feedback. For those of you that own the 800 and have 50 plus hours on it how would you rate it overall?, 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. I have the AT pro right now and wondering if the 800 is considered a BIG upgrade? I do not get to hunt as much as I would like. I'm in North GA so I do have a variety of places to hit.

     Also, please tell me one thing you like most about your 800 ? Thanks for any input for a very interested detectorist thinking about an 800.

      Also , what is one thing you dislike about the 800?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I have over 100 hours on my Eqx 800.  In fact, since I got mine it's the only detector I've used.  I certainly can't compare it to any of the Garrett AT VLF's since I've never used them.  Here are some of my pluses and minuses:

Pluses

ergonomic/etc. -- rechargebale Li-ion battery, built in fast wireless system which can be used with both the provided headphones (pretty good themselves) and your favorite headphones/earbuds when combined with the WM-08 reciever module (provided).  Good balance with 11 inch coil; just under 3 lb weight.  (Can't comment on the other coil options since I don't have them, yet.)

Features -- 10 (!) modes which are in many ways different detectors, two gold modes included.  Adjustable tone frequencies, number of tones, tone volumes, tone breaks.  Simultaneous multifrequency and choice of five single frequencies.  Micro frequency adjustments ("noise cancel" to shift away from EMI frequencies).  Choice of four ground balance options (default, manual, grab, tracking).  Memory ('Profile') to make it easy to switch between two modes.

Affordable (in my world).

Capabilities -- excellent target separation which exhibits itself in unmasking prowess.

Minuses

The TID range is in places too compact, particularly around US nickels (which also is an issue for some European coins -- not from my experience but that of others as you can read on this site).

The detector is quite susceptible to EMI in my town.  I suspect our power lines just happen to transmit/leak stray fields that are close to the Eqx frequencies.  Even with that problem I can always make adjustments (particularly lowering the gain and if necessary on rare occasions, going to single frequency) to use the detector at a performance level that allows me to find desirable targets at reasonable depths.  Many other posters here don't seem to have as much EMI problems as I, which is why I've implicated the particular power transmission system where I live.  Also, my experience with other detectors has me thinking when I get the 6 inch coil this problem will shrink considerably with its use.

I could list some other minor inconveniences (as well as minor nicities), but all are livable withable so why nitpick?

Note:  I only dry land hunt so I haven't even mentioned the fact it is waterproof.  I'm sure others will comment on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have both an ATPro and the 800.  Love the ATPro, but I'm going over ground that I've pounded with the ATPro and finding stuff I missed with it now using the 800.  Deeper items mostly.  I bought the 800 to add saltwater detecting to the detecting mix.

800 likes:  Hot machine without a doubt.  Like the wireless phones, light weight and multiple detect modes in addition to features like volume control, back lit display, ability to select number of tones and tone break points, etc.  The list goes on.  It does everything except make coffee or open a beer.

800 dislikes:  Shaft wobble caused by very inadequate shaft locks that don't tighten down enough - common problem with the Equinoxes.  Minelab really needs to fix this problem as it gets worse with time, especially in the water.  The ATPro has 100 segments to cover the TDI range.  The Equinoxes only use 50 to cover the same TDI range.  Way too tight, there should have been a larger spread like the ATPro has.  Pinpointer does not always come on at full volume and occasionaly has to be turned off then back on again to use.

All that being said, the 800 is my go to machine.  I'd buy another and recommend it or the 600 hoping that newer production addresses some of the ills it exhibits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer the 800 over the 3 at Pros I’ve owned. I’m one that likes the 50 segments. At our beaches the TID’s are reliable. I can usually ID the target before I dig. Great machine.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/8/2018 at 5:23 PM, Donnyl said:

Also, please tell me one thing you like most about your 800 ? Thanks for any input for a very interested detectorist thinking about an 800.

      Also , what is one thing you dislike about the 800?

I have had many detectors that could coin, relic, jewelry, and nugget hunt well, but then had to have another detector for saltwater detecting. Now I can nugget detect one day and hunt in saltwater the next. There is no other detector I am aware of that can do so many different metal detecting tasks and do them all not just well, but in many cases better than machines dedicated to those tasks. Multi-IQ is very powerful.

Main dislikes? Handle grip is a little large for my hands, wish it had a 6" x 10" fully enclosed coil, expanded target id spread would be nice.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Overall Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Big Upgrade vs. AT Pro:  Short Answer - YES!.  The Garrett AT series is a solid detector series.  The AT pro brought pro features, including a completely waterproof detector, high reliability and stable operation to the mid price range and it is no wonder it became so popular but it is getting a little long in the tooth, never had stellar ergonomics, and is now falling behind feature wise with its competition and with the release of the value priced Equinox and Kruzer series detectors, can no longer claim the high feature to price ratio crown that kept it a best seller for years.   The AT Max added some bells and whistles (built in wireless, slightly improved ergonomics) and upped detector gain to placate the "depth is everything" crowd to its detriment (it appears to now be a mixed bag from a stability standpoint - be careful what you wish for, folks). 

The Equinox vs. AT Pro: 

Waterproof:  Both are fully submersible up to 3M.  Tie.

Ergonomics - Equinox is not the best machine ergonomically speaking (the First Texas F75/T2 machines retain that crown IMHO), but it is definitely better than the AT Pro.  Lighter, better balanced (though still nose heavy), much easier display to read, and intuitive menu navigation vs. AT Pro.  Backlit display a plus on Equinox.  Prize goes to Equinox.

Wet Salt Beach Performance:  Multi IQ multifrequency operation enables superior stability even at high gain settings vs. AT Pro on wet sand.  

Depth:  Deep as any machine I have used.  I have not been limited by its detection depth so far in any situation, except unusually highly mineralized soil conditions where no VLF machine performs well (most people use Pulse Induction machines in this particular relic hunting situation).

Recovery Speed:   Variable recovery speed settings enable the Equinox to be used in a variety of site conditions from a very trashy home site, where you can separate the keepers from the junk to deep silver seeking in a relatively pristine park.  AT Pro recovery speed is decent but fixed so separation in high trash environments suffers even with the smaller "sniper" third party coils.  

Multi IQ vs. Single Frequency - Multiple Multi IQ profiles enable the Equinox to be optimized for specific targets such as high conductive silver, small jewelry, gold nuggets, mid-conductive relic buttons, deep nickels.  It is like having a multiple machines in one package that enables you to tackle a variety of detecting situations.  The AT series has even fallen behind discrete "single frequency" machines at similar price points  like the Nokta Impact and Makro Kruzer that enable multiple different individual frequencies to be selected one at a time depending on the targets of interest  (low frequencies for high conductors like silver or mid frequencies for all around detecting and high frequencies for mid-conductive targets like gold jewelry and relics).  Equinox takes that to the next level by enabling the multiple frequencies to be transmitted SIMULTANEIOUSLY which enables stable target ID acquisition, precise, yet forgiving ground balancing, enables signal processing filters mitigate iron falsing, and gives the stable salt beach operation I described previously.  It is like having the AT Pro and AT Gold plus a higher frequency gold machine all wrapped up in one machine.  Equinox wins this one.

Third Party Coil Support:  Right now, ML has only announced three coils for the Equinox, two are now available (the stock 11" DD and a 6" round DD), with a larger 15 x13" elliptical open coil being available soon.  AT Pro has been around long enough to have a number of third party coil manufacturers make a variety of coils beyond the Garrett OEM coil lineup.  So at this time the edge goes to AT Pro, but this will not last long.  High praise so far for the stock Equinox coil and 6" coil, and the third large coil should have 90% of the bases covered.

User Settings and Future Upgradeability:  First of all the default user settings work great out of the box.  So, it is a great turn on and go detector.  You simply, choose the search profile desired,  let the Auto EMI noise cancel choose the quietest detecting channel, ground balance as necessary, and start swinging.   With all the built in search profiles you can explore different areas of detecting you might not have thought about because of the limitations of your current machine (like gold prospecting, or relic hunting in highly mineralized soil).  But you have the flexibility of exploring and adjusting advanced settings and customizing the tone settings to your liking.  Finally, the Equinox has a connection that enables you to upload future firmware updates that either fix bugs or that may allow future performance enhancements.  Other than adding accessory coils, you will not squeeze much more out of the AT pro as it ages in your detecting arsenal.

Rechargeable Battery:  The battery lasts a long time (at least 12 hours continuous detecting), is user replaceable, (should last 3 to 5 years or more under normal usage), and charges quickly (fully charges within a couple of hours from "empty".  You can even charge the battery on the go (i.e., while detecting) from a portable battery USB power source affixed to your detector shaft if you are so inclined.  I know that there is something about the ability to pop in some AA batteries in a pinch, but I have never had this detector let me down because of a rechargeable battery problem.   On an all day detecting run I have not gone below 2 bars.  So if you forget to recharge your battery from the last detecting session, you likely will have more than enough juice for a couple 3 to 4  hour back-to-back hunts on separate days.  Neutral on this as this is more of a personal preference thing because you can go back and forth for hours debating the merits of "built-in" rechargeable batteries that cannot be substituted with conventional batteries "if something goes wrong with the rechargeable".  I prefer the Equinox rechargeable even though a few folks have reported battery or charging circuit failures.

Built-In wireless audio using both readily available Bluetooth accessories you can buy from Amazon (800 includes a wireless headset) and also proprietary wireless receivers (included with the 800, into which you can plug your favorite headset).

I could go on, but we would start getting into the weeds.

What Do I Like Most:  It's versatility.  I have been able to get rid of a few "specialized" machines as a result of its ability to be a jack of all trades, and a near master of some (shallow water salt beach hunting, relic hunting in trashy plowed fields).

What Do I like Least:  The shaft design seems like an afterthought and seems to be a weak link although ML is honoring their warranty, the issues are relatively minor and can be addressed in various McGyverish ways (duct tape anyone?), don't manifest on every detector, and their are some great, superior third party shaft options out there which even if you spend the extra bucks to buy one of these still enables you to spend less overall than you might have on arguably less capable machines because of the excellent value pricing.

Do I recommend it as an upgrade to your AT Pro?  Yes.

One last recommendation:  Peruse this forum especially Steve's compilation of other Equinox info in the first sticky post and determine whether the Equinox 600 or 800 is the right choice for you.

HTH

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

THANKS, for all the great replies. I have been watching alot of YouTube videos lately on this unit. I would still like to see some videos using the 800 in the middle of a river, lake, ocean under water. Any special precautions to take before sticking one under water? Not saying I would do that but it's just something to know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Donnyl, check out Gigmaster's latest YouTube vids if you want to see an Equinox under water.

I've had mine submerged in the FL Gulf of Mexico saltwater with no problems while using the wireless headphones other than the BT won't communicate with the wireless headphones if the control panel is too deep underwater.  I'm waiting for the waterproof wired headphones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love it's versatility. 

I can have the detector in the vehicle and not worry about where I decide to detect That's quite a luxury. 

Multi-frequency is amazing.

The Eq. has its own tonal language - it's a fun machine to learn and to run. 

I do not like the handgrip, it's too big around (you can always make it bigger if it's too small but not the other way around), and the shaft wobbles even though it does not really affect my hunting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...