Steve Herschbach

I won't argue with your general observations as it is what it is. I can testify from my own experience at least that regional loyalties to certain brands exist. Alaska was "White's country" for a long time and I had a lot to do with that as the local dealer. Garrett was near non-existent. In other places Garrett is big, etc.

I gave a talk to a local club (Reno area) with around 100 people in attendance and just out of curiosity asked how many had a Deus. Basically nobody. And Nokta/Makro? They barely exist outside the forums.

White's has been slipping but still has a huge loyal user base to work with if they can just start getting traction again.

You being at a hunt did make a difference, as the one area Minelab is weak in has been hunt detectors. Who wants to swing a CTX in a speed hunt? Even the X-Terra is a "slow" detector. Which is why you just saw the Equinox appear. That's all about trying to gain back mindshare that Minelab lost while they focused on gold detectors. That is truly where the real money is for them, not coin detectors. So they tend to be big with prospectors of course, and you can bet they dominate in beach areas with the Excalibur in particular. I just saw a picture from a Florida guy that has about ten Excaliburs, all rigged with different coils, etc.

Local dealers often have strong influence on clubs, at least if they are smart. Special discounts to local club members, etc. There are clubs that have their own in house "dealer" that gets everyone that hot deal that even internet dealers won't match.

No, one new detector model is not going to put anyone out of business. It will simply sharpen the competition. The only once "big name" fading fast is Tesoro. I don't even pay attention to them any more.

I have always tried to foster competition, which is why I tend to bounce on the forum from one brand to another and give them all airplay. Even after what I just said about Tesoro I featured their latest model here when it appeared, so I guess I do still pay attention.

It's all about value really. Yeah, people buy high end stuff, but what I personally sold piles of was good $700 detectors. Most people are not going to part with the big bucks for a detector and "good enough" works just fine. And Garrett in particular has huge presence on social media etc. while other companies don't answer email and tell you to call. Most seem to be stuck in the 20th century when it comes to marketing.

It is to me - packability, portability, whatever! And in case nobody has noticed it looks like another detector you can mount on any rod you want within reason.

53 minutes ago, AU_Solitude said:

Oh bummer. Well it still looks like a great machine - I may not be as quick to run and get one though. 

10 feet serves for most people but for diving the machines rated for 100 ft plus are they way to go. I have not done SCUBA for many years now so this fits my Hawaii mask and snorkel needs to a tee. And sure looks to be easier to pack in luggage than my CTX.

I doubt Minelab would care much if they sell 20 Equinox detectors instead of 1 CTX. That high CTX price puts it out of reach of the vast majority of people. Why do you think Garrett and First Texas are so slow to come out with high end detectors? Because for the general purpose coin and jewelry market the big bucks is in detectors that sell for under $1000. Minelab no doubt got tired of seeing Garrett sell a van load of AT detectors for every CTX sold. And no, that's not really an exaggeration.

I sure hope we see not only lots of coils, but Minelab for once actually helping aftermarket makers instead of hindering them. The more coils the merrier and it would do nothing but help them.

I can see a big market here for a couple aftermarket items. I mean really, how hard would it be to make a clip on counterweight to balance large coils? Being from Alaska duct tape and a rock might do the trick! 

5 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

are you forced into using the provided (wireless) headphones or can you use your own favorite chorded or wireless system?

Brandon's video he mentions you can still use wired phones also. In fact the 600 comes with wired phones.

29 minutes ago, AU_Solitude said:

Just read waterproof to 10 meters - looks like I'll be getting another detector soon!

Three meters - somebody misspoke.

You have a point about underarm weight and the way a machine balances John. The problem with adding weight under the arm is - you are adding weight. The market whether you like it or not is demanding light weight detectors. Most people just don't use large coils. I do and so right now it is the sole reason I am struggling with the decision about whether to sell my CTX or not. Same deal with V3i - the BigFoot coil is making me keep it, not the detector itself. 

It's kind of the same thing with top mount pods and tipping over. I agree and it is quite annoying with my Gold Monster. Again, however, people want easy to read in your face displays.

Anyway, a couple great points, but every design you have to make trades. Do you cater to large coils and so make the machine heavier to balance it? Or read the Deus tea leaves and understand that people were not screaming for the Impact to weigh twice as much just so it could handle the large coil well. And half blind guys like me want large, bold displays we can actually read with tired old eyes. Those are just basic market facts at the moment. Minelab has to respond to what the majority wants and light weight, large readable display is high on the list.

I basically disagree with you John on the effect this will have on the market. Why would I want a machine like an AT Max locked at 13.6 kHz when I can have a detector that let's me choose between one of several frequency options, or go full blown multifrequency? All with no real weight or cost penalty. I am assuming of course the performance is there - if not that's another matter. Anyone that bets against Minelab in that regard generally is making a bad bet.

Just to get it on the books history-wise so to speak, my prediction is Minelab really has just redefined what people will expect in metal detectors. Any detector in the future that runs at a single frequency will be looked at as entry level type stuff. There will also be some that occupy specialty niches, like the Gold Bug 2 has for so long. You may not like it but the writing is on the wall as far as I am concerned. The future belongs to machines that let you pick and chose the frequency options you prefer. Nobody ever said your MXT would stop working John, but if I was still in retail I would be looking real hard at what my stock was on the shelf and how this announcement just changed the game. It's your cash in the line John - you going to order more MXT Pros for stock or get these instead? Put the emotional attachment aside and read the market and you will see why this actually is a watershed moment.

Put another way, when I first laid hands on the MXT years ago I knew it was a game changer not because it was the most powerful detector on the market, but because of the overall features and versatility it packed into one easy to operate detector. And that is what I am seeing now in the Equinox. Like it or not the MXTs time has come. No reason to ever abandon yours and it will always be a classic, but the market moves on. That's just reality.

Anyway looks like we can count you guys out on the Equinox so I will leave it there. It proves again we all have different needs and wants in detectors. This one hit on many of my key desires so all that remains for me now is deciding how many other detectors will be going to eBay. 

I am glad you are on board with the forum Ammie and look forward to your future posts!

This video makes mention of a 6" and an 8" x 12" coil options.

I don't know Mitchel - I am not there. And the live feed never happened. Really am going back to bed now....

1 minute ago, mn90403 said:

Should I order an 800 or a Monster?  What do they really mean when they say gold?  How small and how good is the id?

You know the old saw about dedicated versus multipurpose. Then again there is also "good enough". I guess it all just depends how much of a rush you are in. This is an announcement - I did not see anything about availability.

Quite honestly, this is what I have been wanting for some time. The ability to run either in multifrequency or at various single frequencies in a light weight waterproof package and with built in wireless. Thank you Minelab!

Now I can go back to bed....

I need to get some detectors up for sale. The bottom is going to fall out of used prices for some models.

Six Frequency Options (5kHz, 10kHz, 15kHz, 20kHz, 40kHz) plus Multifrequency.
Bluetooth headphones and WM 08 Wireless Module supplied. Waterproof.

All for suggested retail U.S. $899! And the base model with most of that for $649.

I would say Minelab actually did make a lot of detectors obsolete. Maybe not all but a lot of them. And 40 kHz? Yeah, I will be getting one of these!

Click for closeup...

From http://www.minelab.com/usa/customer-care/product-notices?article=319462

The EQUINOX Series features Minelab’s STATE-OF-THE ART Multi-IQ simultaneous multi-frequency technology and combines fast recovery speed with low-latency wireless audio in a lightweight waterproof platform.

From the MarsMD website

As well as a look around there is a casual test done on a gold target between the XP Deus HF elliptical, Nokta Impact, and the new Quest 40.

Anybody have a list of speakers and their subjects? Which vendors will actually have representatives there?

If you include gold prospecting as part of the definition of "general purpose" which I do, then 8 kHz won't cut it. If you exclude gold prospecting that's another thing, but is it then truly general purpose?

To me anyway the 14 kHz MXT is kind of the definitive "general purpose" detector by way of that switch in the upper left.....

14 minutes ago, tboykin said:

A little rain can make getting there a lot more fun. Throw it in 4LO and put the hammer down!

I did that the first couple times I got into serious rain out in northern Nevada. Never again! Scared myself silly and really lucky it did not end badly. This desert dirt turns to genuine snot in the rain and will quickly pack any tire tread and have you running on slicks in mud. I told my wife if I get caught in a downpour I will pull over and not be home until things dry out. If that takes days so be it - I have the supplies just I case.

That truly is a first class video you shot Tom. Good going!

The temps sure are on a steep downward trend - got a might bit chilly last night! Currently calling for mid-sixties and lows around 40 on the 23rd. Still a week away though and they really have no idea around here what is going on a week out. Be prepared for the possibility of near freezing temps overnight however so pack your woolies.

I know last year was a huge event but the buzz seems a lot quieter this year.....