RobNC

This makes me chuckle a little. Risking health and safety?? A battery change?? C'mon now. I've handled far more hazardous things than silicone, sealant, and batteries. This old boy has tasted 400 Volts DC. I can't even count all the things I've done to engines since I was a kid or the fumes I've smelled.. LOL Yeah I think anybody that has used caulking in their house or mixed and used epoxy could do the battery swap.

To me it looks like the plastic material was brittle. From looking at how the cable connects it is sitting right out there and can easily be bumped or hit. I really think they need to use a different type of plastic or reinforce it with some other material. I would like to make a suggestion to you going forward. Try using temflex on that entire external connection point, wrap it around and encapsulate it. At the very least it will dampen any shocks and also add an extra layer or reinforcement so as not to put additional stress on the inner plastic piece. Of course it could be as simple as you not knowing your own strength.. SUPER STEVE Just thought of something else. Why not put some sort of boot or grommet like apparatus on that connection and exposed cable to cover it up? Hmm. I LOVE to Frankenstein things.

I can't blame you for not wanting to take a chance with ruining it. I am not a water hunter, strictly land only. Even if I go to the beach there is no way I would take the detector underwater. Even in a freshwater condition, would have no intentions of going into water deep enough to hit the control pod.

On the other hand, if you want something done right do it yourself! People are more "professional" depending on how they "feel" that day. We all know this to be true. How many times has a "professional" took shortcuts and truly screwed something up worse than you EVER would? It is a delicate looking surgery but personally I'd do it myself.

I see quite a bit of talk about First Texas buying White's out. In reality that would not be much help as they too astronomically price their products also. They too are doing the "let's slap a new decal or two on the outside and different name while putting in the same old board from an old model." Nah, can't see them buying White's and even if they did it would not benefit the customer a bit. Who knows, they might soon drop the "hobby line" also. Just ever can tell about such things.

Bad news indeed. While he did not close the door in the notice, we all know it is over. The fact they've stopped production alone is the truth teller. I feel bad for all the people that recently purchased the newer detectors. There is not going to be any support for all those "warranties". While it has been talked about a while on forums about their inability to change, this is verification of what not adapting to change equals in the metal detector manufacturing world- The End, sadly. I'm not happy about it at all, Whites did make some really robust machines. But like Steve mentioned there was brain drain and an old manufacturing process still in place. I don't think COVID-19 was the final nail at all. I believe the final nail was hammered in some time ago when they refused to adapt and change their machines to meet market and buyer demand. Sad to see an American company famous for metal detectors fold up.

This is a good case about "having backup detectors". Everyone direct their wives and girlfriends to this post.

*grunt* followed by "That's gotta be trash" A few moments pass then the ring pops out. Metal detecting is such a cruel mistress sometimes.. lol

I can imagine that they saved maybe 3 cents on the sealant skimping.

At the very least, they should include accurate release notes that describe what has been updated and how it may affect the operation of the detector. Instruction Manual updates should also be uploaded to the internet that reflect new features and how to use them.

baking soda (just a little bit) with water will shine that silver way up. Congrats on your finds!

Poor Ozzy, he's really pushed the edge of things for a very long time. The dude has made some great songs, been a part of Rock/Metal history, and I think he owes it to himself to just relax now.

To quote Ozzy Osbourne " I'm just a dreamer, I dream my life away oh yeah I'm just a dreamer, who dreams of better days"

I think common sense might be banned there. It's not like they are really trying hard to get interest in their "hobby" products anyway. Sad to see.

Yes that would explain it.

This dude has really been pumping the iron. On the bright side of things for Garrett, if Minelab starts any trouble over this new Apex they can send out this guy to beat some sense into them. "Our engineer will be in touch with you to discuss this". They should also use this guy to attract more women to the detecting world. Early yet to tell but it sure seems like Garrett hit a home run. This is a very good thing to see. White's has went beyond being asleep now. It's more like they are in a coma. I wish Garrett the best with this, and seriously it may be the thing that pushes me to try another Garrett after many years.

I am truly impressed with the appearance and features of this new Apex. The Multi Frequency surprises me the most. They are not resting on their laurels riding out the single frequency train. Actually think it looks good too, just enough to be interesting. Rainproof not waterproof. I could live with that. This little morsel may help Garrett out a lot and secure their longevity in this cut-throat industry a little bit. Can see the the AT Line going Multi-Frequency also in the future. They "get it", people want multiple frequencies. Seems Nokta/Makro firing a shot over the bow woke Garrett up! I wish them the best with this and will wait a little bit to see how these things perform in the field. It MAY warrant me selling my T2 LTD and replacing it with this new Apex. Happy for Garrett, this looks really good.

Yes Sir, I seen your post and agreed with you 100%. Wish they wouldn't just pretty something up that already exists. Add something.. anything at this point that might enhance it.

Would be nice if during this office closure time they have designed something new to sell. Oh wait, that ain't gonna happen.

If it is indeed an upgraded "Ace Series" I sure hope they make the display bigger. One thing I never liked was how small it was. Even with good eyes back then I had issues with it. Little tiny stuff. Make it visible. I am not against Garrett units and have had multiple Garrett units in the past. GTAx 750, GTAx550 (wife), and ACE 250. The 750 had tiny display items that were like threading a needle. That unit also had issues with the coil and simply netted me no coins past 3 inches. The Ace 250 was a wee bit better on the display but still bad. I DID find a gold ring with it once. Oh, btw, the ding-dong coin sound is a real let-down when it is junk under the coil. Will be truly SHOCKED if they do something different beyond slight appearance mods. If by chance they pull off something unique I just may be inclined to try one.

Either my machine or myself are insane because the ID received on a 1944 war nickel a little over a week ago in the ground was 15 for me. *shrugs* maybe it had something to do with the soil, or the fact it was in dirt that was rocky (old ball field gravel stuff).

I've had a number of detectors over the years. Got out of detecting a few times and back into again for the last year or so. On this last re-run (getting back into detecting after a very long time away) I did try an Equinox 600. For whatever reason it simply did not agree with me. I despised the audio and flutey tones. Maybe it just was not time. At any rate, I tried a couple other detectors after getting rid of the EQ 600- notably the XP ORX and Teknetics T2Ltd. The multiple frequencies available on ORX fascinated me. What I found was that it was a very sensitive detector, very light, but sort of limited when it came to tones and you can't adjust them. If you ever hit a target deeper than around 6" on the ORX it more than likely won't show a Target ID at all. I ditched it. I decided to give the Equinox 800 a go. And ya know what? It really has worked out nice for me. I adjusted the tones like I want them and set up break points for how I like to hunt. I've began to understand the flute wavering tones mean "hey this is a piece of can slaw or a pull tab" vs. a nice solid round sound. Still learning it , but must say I took the 800 over places detected by the EQ 600, XP ORX, and the T2 with a couple different coils and STILL found things they missed. In particular the 800 has the ability to sniff out masked targets the others could not do. I'm perfectly happy with the Equinox 800, so much that I even use the WM08 module and gray ghost headphones instead of the included wireless headphones. To me they just sound better. The only thing "up" would be the CTX but from all reports they are heavy beasts. And honestly I feel they are overpriced, so a CTX is not in my future. Laying all jokes aside and being the particular a-hole I am about anything I buy can truthfully tell you it would be really hard to beat the Equinox 800 at any price range. And THAT is coming from an Equinox "hater" once upon a time.

Will try to get it to a jewelry shop this weekend, time permitting.

Got out again today since I had it off from work. Could not resist. Found this ring that rang up 12-13 on the EQ800. Although it looked promising there are no markings on the ring. Where there should have been a marking it looks "repaired" in that area. Can't figure out whether it is plated or just some old junk ring. Will try to get it tested at a jeweler tomorrow if possible. Also found a quarter, couple dimes, some pennies and loads of can slaw with wonderful pull tabs. I also noticed since updating that corroded clad pennies ring up low, 17-19. The previous version never did that for me in the couple times I used it. So dunno if I will stick with the update or not. For fun I also ran this ring over my Teknetics T2 and it read 55. *shrugs* it may be a low karat gold but will not know til it is tested.

After last weekend's miserable trip and very few finds today I was off from work and simply had to try out a couple places. The first place was a new permission. All I found was a clad dime, 1 wheat penny, and a copper lincoln. Lotsa junk targets though at that place. Frustrated I left there and hit another place on the way back home I've been to numerous times. It's the same place other silver has been found. The T2 and ORX both had ran over this place and not found anything else worth digging. What a perfect place to test the new Equinox 800 at, huh! First couple targets were assorted junk items like thin wires and can slaw. I then decided to cherry pick and only dig high tones. Horseshoe mode engaged could hear all kinds of iron garbage in the ground. Turned that off and went to disc. Got a sweet high tone and it was repeatable. Dug it and down 9 inches popped out a 1934 Mercury Dime. Also found a crusty wheat penny but unable to determine date yet due to crud on it.Although the face is scratched up (I did not do that) the sides still have very pronounced ridges. The back edge is worn down a bit. Very happy to see this coin with the Equinox. The other detectors never seen this dime and I ran over that same spot multiple hunts with both the T2 and the ORX. This one place has been good to me but really think there is no more silver left now. Today was another one of those days where working hard was necessary to pull finds. One thing I am learning is that the Equinox 800 will punch deep down into the dirt to get the goodies.