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Took the kids to the lake for a couple days to hunt some gold. Equinox flooded in chest deep water after a few hours. This my second! Minelab is sending me another one customer service is great. I have dunked this detector before with no problems...

Hey guys, I've been using my Nox 800 underwater (salt water) for some days now (7 underwater hunts total, about 2 hours each), and thought I could share some first results, plus give a nice and cheap alternative to the minelab yellow headphones for underwater use if anyone interested. My first ever snorkel-dive with Nox in my usual pebble beach was by using just the speaker (no headphones) with my head submerged, and as expected, I soon realized that this wasn't enough...even with my head underwater was very difficult to hear through the speaker due to extremely low volume even in calm sea...(however, as already posted in my first topic in the forum, I was still able to get my first whote gold ring with Nox using just the speaker 🙂). Anyway, in my second hunt I bought the Minelab's yellows, but to my experience with them, again I wasn't able to hear the signals good enough underwater due to their low vol especially after some minutes underwater when the soft earpads and the space between was geting full of water. Furthermore, the yellows are huge headphones and I need to be more descret in my beaches this time of year. In my last hunts however, I tried something different and wanted to share my experience...I bought a pair of 100% waterproof and submersible swimming in-ear headphones especially designed for swimming and watersports that had some quite good reviews from athletes around... the product is the "H2O Surge+ waterpoof headphones" (company is "H2O") and bought them for $40 through Amazon...(arrived from amazon UK). Well guys, in my last underwater hunts with them, my experience is tremendously good....their sound quality underwater and their volume is honestly out of this world, and I'm not kidding...especially when comparing to Minelab's yellows. Volume is high enough to hear even the tinniest faint signal and you feel the tone inside your ear like hell... their earplugs completelly seal the external sounds also, and their sound-tones & bass quality is very immpresive for such a small pair of headphones. These small earbuds come with a 3.6ft straight cord so at least for me were comfortable enough while snorkelling and still able to leave the Nox in the bottom (chest depth max) while relaxing in the surface with my mask waiting for the "recovery fog" to leave. Their speakers are 100% waterpoof (IPX8 rating) and can be submerged to 3.5m depth no prob. The company states that maybe sometimes they need equalization (blowing air inside them) but sinnce now I didn't need it. However the cord is thin so you mast be carefull not to stretch it, and if you feel to you can make an easy mod to seal the hole-plug of the Nox where they are inserted (I made a simple yet effective mod by drilling a small hall to the original plastic protective threaded plug of the nox, and used 2 perfect fit o-rings inside to seal the 3.5mm jack connection while screwing the plastic plug...you already know that the nox is waterproof in that point also, but better safe than sorry and made the extra mile to seal it better). As already stated, the H2O earbuds are designed for athletes (especially designed for swimming and watersports) and come 5 sets of earplugs to fit perfectly in every ear...in my ears they fit so nice and they completely seal external sounds and water from my ear canal. Don't wanna say much more about them, and waiting to see how they handle overtime, but as for now I'm totally impressed with them and their volume and sound quality, and my finds went immediatelly up. Furthermore, In fear of flooding the Nox in the future as many other members experienced, and in order to make it more usable underwater while snorkelling, I made some extra mods. I totally water-sealed the machine by: a) using silicon paste inside the battery compartment inside the handle (removable if needed but should be a pain to remove)...b) used marine epoxy paste to seal the control box and screen perimeter where the plastic parts join together, and also sealed the point that the control pad meets the handle (critical point there).... c) completelly sealed and eliminated the external speaker (will never use it anyway)...d) made a custom shaft by modifying the original lower shaft to shorten it and also drilled a small drain hole near the bottom...I know I may void the warranty with my mods, but took the risk and now I'm using the machine underwater with piece of mind. Results: As already said, I have used my Nox underwater for 7 hunts till now...about 2 hours each. Attached some photos of the finds. In these +/- 14 hours I have: - 4 gold rings: All are solid gold (14k & 9k the smallest one), except the large and heavy one wich is bi-metal silver with 14k gold piece on top. (ps. the top white 14k gold ring with small diamonds is the one I posted some days ago) - 1 crusifix (silver with gold Christ) - Almost €22 in change - 82(!) old clad coins (all are pre-euro drachmas..no worth unfortunatelly, but yeap 82 of them in these 14 hours) - Good amount of lead sinkers (including some huge ones) - 2 spoons, 3 keys, a jank pin jewel piece, a junk watch, and a live HXP-95 military cartridge (strange to find it underwater though..!) - Aluminum junk: MINIMUM!..we're talking almost no junk comparing to dry hunt!!! I think I gonna love this underwater thing!!!!! 😄 Ps. My Nox settings if someone's interested are: Beach 2, Recovery @5, Iron Bias F2@0 , 2 tones only (pitch 1 for iron / pitch 23 for non-fe), notch only -9 to -7 to avoid ground/ceramic rocks underwater (all other is open and able to hear iron from -6 to 0 in low vol pitch 1), tone break @0, sensitivity @17, GB manual by pumping sideways (have uneven bottom), no threshold. That's all 🙂 Happy hunting everyone! Argyris

Looking for tips on detecting tailing piles... I have the Equinox 800 and the Minelab 5000. and a lot of trashy tailing piles to detect !!! 🤠 _________________________________- BTW----- Looks like we are running low on masks 😷 and gowns here in LA--- but we will survive-- Vets have been exposed to tougher stuff than this!!! ______________________________________________________ Social distancing does not have to be social--------- but it should be physical-!!!---- I cant see why most of you would have to learn how to do that-??? -- you been practicing it with me for years🤣🤣 Carry on and thanks for any tips on the tailing piles.. paul

I am glad that Minelab included a lower price point Equinox that helps deliver MOST of the goods for those detectorists on a limited budget. But for those just shopping for a bargain, I cannot help but think that it may leave many a detectorist wanting for more once they realize that you may be leaving behind more than just a Gold Prospecting mode if you choose to invest in the economy machine and there is really no upgrade path even with the capability of software updates, other than ultimately purchasing the 800. Be careful about just focusing in on the high frequency capability difference, and dismissing the difference as an unneeded capability just because you may not be a gold nugget prospector. There is more to the differences between the two than meets the eye. Part of the confusion lies in the fact that there is not hard and fast comparison between the two that I can find online, at least in relation to the capability (not just feature) differences between the two detectors. Also, even if you are not a gold prospector, high frequency capability is not something that should be of interest to the gold prospector, it enables capabilities that are also of interest to the relic hunter and even the coin shooter (more on that below).The following comparative information is what I can ascertain from reviewing the Minelab 600/800 quick start guide and other online sources. Please respond with corrections or to point out omissions or misinterpretations that I may have included in the discussion below. I do not want to intentionally pass on misinformation.Waterproof: Both will be waterproof and submersible to 3 meters.Multi IQ: Both will incorporate the Multi IQ technology - the 800 will have the edge on the 600 because it will be able to simultaneously utilize the two higher frequencies of 20 and 40 khz as part of the Multi IQ scan signal whereas the 600 cannot, obviously, because it cannot transmit at those two higher frequencies. This is important not just for gold nugget prospectors but for those who are also relic hunters that detect small and mid-conductive targets like buttons and brass artifacts that will be more detectable when using the higher frequencies of the 800 in either discrete or Multi IQ mode. This is of less importance to coin shooters who focus primarily on high conductive silver coins (unless of course you are also into hammered coins or US nickels, both of which are considered mid-conductive targets). Furthermore, there is evidence based on recent experience with the new Deus HF coils, that doing general searching in the higher frequencies in areas with high iron concentrations and especially deep iron actually enhances the ability to unmask shallower mid AND high conductive targets such as buttons and silver coins. So, besides gold nugget prospecting, the HF frequencies also have a role in helping to unmask not-so-deep silver from iron, and that DOES matter to the coin shooter.Reactivity/Recovery: It is not clear that there will be a difference in the ultimate high-end or low-end recovery speed of the 600 vs. 800 but from what I can tell, you will have less adjustability with the 600 with only 3 levels vs. 8 levels of adjustability with the 800. Coming from the Deus, having a finer control over reactivity/recovery which enables you to balance separation vs. depth is a distinct advantage. XP added another level of adjustability on reactivity/recovery in its latest software update to the Deus based on customer demand.Preset Detect Modes and User Profiles: Obviously the "Gold" Detect Mode is absent from the 600, but as I said before, the high frequency capability does not just enhance gold mode detecting. There is an instant user profile settings save button on the faceplate of the 800, this button does not exist on the 600. Both detectors are capable of saving up to 2 different custom search mode profiles for each search mode setting (Park, Field, Beach, Gold (800 only)).Non-Ferrous and Threshold Tone Selection: Only the 800 will provide the capability to customize Threshold Tone settings and Non-Ferrous Tone Volume, Pitch, and Tone breaks vs. the 600 which will only have a single default setting for these parameters. This is important to me because I have partial hearing loss and ability to adjust tone pitch and volume is critical. Adjustable tone breaks also enable me to better set up tones consistent with enabling my desired targets of interest to punch through the noise better.Wireless Audio: Both detectors support wireless audio including the connection of up to FOUR wireless modules (which means that you can have 4 sets of ears listening to a single detector - not sure how this could be used outside of a learning environment, but it may open up some interesting possibilities. First one to actually dig the target wins...lol). The 800 will include a wireless headset and WM08 module. The 600 will come with a set of non-waterproof wired headphones.Are the differences worth the $250 price differential? That is for each of us individually to decide (I know my answer) and of course for many, even if they wanted those capabilities, affordability is the key when resources are limited. I just wanted to point out that the differences between the two detectors is more than just a Gold Prospecting search mode. The way I think about those additional 800 capabilities is that it is like paying for an included additional accessory coil that is incompatible with the 600 (even if you were willing pay the extra $250 down the road after investing in the 600) because they consist of fundamental hardware and software differences and capabilities (extra faceplate buttons, additional transmit frequencies) between the two detectors that cannot be simply added on later with future software updates to the 600. So you are, in essence, kind of stuck with what you get and, for me, having that constraint is not worth the savings.HTH and HH welcome your comments, additions, and refutations. "Chase"

Hey all. So I've had my 600 for a few days now and have gotten out 3 times. I've made some great finds so far in my yard which I previously hunted numerous times. I've noticed that this machine is very noisy and chatters a lot. The machines I've used before were a lot older Whites machines and were nowhere near this noisy. I noise cancelled my machine, have the tracking ground balance on and even turned the sensitivity down to about 15 and this thing is very chattery still. I was mainly searching in Park 1 mode but switched to some other modes to see if it was the same... and it was. When I get over a good target, I know it. It's just very noisy otherwise. Not sure if this is something I just need to get used to or if I'm just doing something wrong. Does anyone else have any input with how noisy their machine has been or what they have been seeing/hearing? Thanks guys!

Found a 1926-D Mercury dime and a 1908 Barber dime today. Just about passed out from heat stroke in the process, but I got 'em.They were about eight feet apart and both about four inches under the surface. The Merc is in pretty good shape. It rang up 25-26 on the Equinox. The Barber is more worn and has a gouge in the rim on the lower right in the pic. That one rang a little higher at 26-27.Also found a very green 1936 Wheatie about a foot from the Barber dime.

I was out for a beach hunt this morning for about two hours! Hunted mainly the wet sand! On the return trip back down the beach, i switched to the upper dry sand! Nothing i haven't done before! After about ten minutes, i got an Err 41 and the unit shut off! Tried to turn on several times, and the error code would repeat and shut off! Did full reset a few times, but same thing! I still had two bars on the battery, so i didn't think it was a power problem! I thought maybe an overheat problem in the coil or control head! Went back to the surf to cool the coil off! And kept the control head in my shadow as i walked back down the beach to the stairs (about 8 minutes)! Tried turning the unit back on, and presto! It was working again! I detected another 5 or so minutes without any more issues! OK all, any ideas for the issue! And what is Err 41?? I can't find a reference! Thanks!!👍👍

I'm taking it in the water tomorrow out deep and find out if it leaks or not. I'm going to use it in the water till my 2 year warranty is up.

its just an old brass shotgun shell , but if you knew how hammered this spot is you would be impressed to . Took the 600 and small coil out to iron hill and nver exepted it to pull another target out of this pounded spot but it did, i was using the 6" coil and had it in park 1 sweep speed 3, and 0 iron bias , all metal and you get low and high tones of the ends of the cut nails but only in one derection. wel in the mist of this mayhem i got a mid tone but was weak in one derection but becuase it seems more solid i dug it and from 6" down comes a very old brass shot shell . wich blew me away because ive hit this spot so hard its a grassy ovel about 30ft long and 25 ft wide just amazed

In my now bone dry ground I buried this target at about 3inches,maybe a tad more.With the earring lying flat on the ground and the post facing me I might get a weak signal one way but it is so soft and not repeatable that it would be hard to hunt this way with the GMX and 4by6 coil.It is hard also to tell it from a false signal.This coil with the cover on is a fail for me in this test.The earring is 10k at 2.8 grains.

HI Guys! I know it's comparison apples with oranges but was curious about depth in mild ground between these two machines.I know in mineralized ground ATX is deeper than Equinox,thats for sure.I'm going to hunt a lake with no mineralized ground and in this condition I will know which detector is deeper.Any tips???

I've been discussing qualities of Minelab lately (mostly in a negative light) and I decided to step back and ask myself why I use their Equinox 800 almost exclusively. It's worth starting out by saying I'm an old coin hunter (where 'old' is meant to refer to 'coin', although it also applies to 'hunter' 😁) the majority of the time, and and native gold hunter when the opportunity presents itself (not often enough). I've never detected near salt water and only occasionally (in shallow creeks) detected in water. Relics and jewerly aren't ignored but they typically only show up when I'm coin hunting, as peripheral bonuses. I want to emphasize from the beginning that I'm not reviewing/comparing these two for all conditions or even conditions that might apply to the average detectorist. This is all about me, well, about my conditions, particularly my hunting preferences/goals. Although that may seem selfish/uninteresting/unapplicable to readers here, in the least it might get you thinking about how different detectors 'weigh in' for your type of detecting. A Minelab GPX 5000 might be well worth the cost and backbreaking swings for someone, but if it doesn't fit your intended targets and locations then you wasted a couple thousand $ and may not even be maximizing your intended finds. I'll put some more caveats at the end, but basically I've broken this into three parts. The first are some quantitative/qualitative properties that are easily measured/stated. Next are the less quantifiable features/performances that mean the most to me. 3rd I list qualities that I determine are important but for which I don't see a significant advantage for either model based upon my usage. And finally I'll mention some of the things which most comparisons emphasize but for which I don't because..., well, you can read the reasons I give then. For completeness, the Fisher F75 is a 13 kHz single frequency IB/VLF detector whose initial model was released 11-12 years ago. Although I own the F75 limited (Black), I'm instead comparing the F75 plus since it has all the features I use at a lower price. The Minelab Equinox, both a simultaneous multifrequency and selectable multifrquency (5 kHz to 40 kHz) was released early 2018 with two models which continue to be the only ones available. The 800 model has more features. That is the one I own and compare here. One final clarification: in the second section, '++' means a feature/performance which is very important to me, and '+' means important, but less so. I emphasize 'to me'. That is, it might be a small or meaningless difference to many but it matters a lot to me. I suspect many of you have noticed I haven't included such fundamental features as waterproof/submersible and multifrequency/single frequency. The former is because it doesn't affect my hunting requirements. The latter is a bit more complicated. Rather than mentioning operating frequencies, I chose to emphasize the performance features. I don't really care what frequency/frequencies are being used as long as the detector performs (or outperforms) in the categories that matter to me. For example, simultaneous multifrequency improves the accuracy of the TID for deep/weak targets. The Eqx 800 got a ++ there. It should be clear that in the center section, which IMO is the most important, the Eqx 800 clearly outperformed the F75. My preference for the Eqx 800 as my primary and the F75 as my backup is thus justified. Update 1: based upon some questions that follow in this thread, I will do more detailed depth test comparisons to clarify my claim that F75 has more raw depth. I'll report those results in this thread as soon as I finish and will put another update on this post to call attention to it. Update 2: I've done a detailed hybrid (in-ground + air above ground) depth test in my test garden and those results can be found later in this thread. As such I've removed the 'raw depth' line in the above table since it's been superceded in much greater detail in the later post. If interested you should read that.

I was detecting about 8 years ago when someone walking on the beach handed me a earring they just picked up on the shoreline.That was the easiest gold I ever got. This is the test target which is .53 grams and 3/4 inches in diameter thin hoop yellow 10k earring that I buried a little over 4'' with open clasp which is way more difficult.I tried the GMX with a 10 sens. and boost 2 with sat in middle setting and I got a soft signal on the target and I could lift the coil and still get it in 1 direction but in other angles it was a little weaker.It seems you need more coil control on this machine for tough targets with the sat.This test is a pass.

https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Receiver-Simultaneously/ (From the ad:) APTx LL, 10 hour run-time. Looks like you could pair 2 of these together for a build-your-own (Garrett) Z-link. What am I missing?

The screen protector with English language finally decided its going to lose it's stick and fall off ages ago so I salvaged the button description bit, but a couple of weeks ago it gave up too and kept falling off, once dirt gets under them it's all over. I didn't want to buy a new pack as they're not easy to come by in NZ and I don't want anything but english anyway so I decided I'd look for an alternative option. Even though I use my Nox constantly I still can't remember button functions 🙂 I need the writing under them. I settled on this Nox Keypad Cover from the UK from a place called Detecting Innovations, it arrived pretty quick, a couple of weeks with free postage. It was simple to install, and has transparent bits where the buttons are like pinpoint and so on so they're protected too. I left an older screen protective thing on, I should get around to replacing it as it has a couple of bubbles in it. I have the Detect-Ed carbon black shaft so the pattern matches it. These vinyl stickers come in a range of colours, and for various detectors. I noticed tonight they now do a Vanquish one, also in various colours, I've narrowed it down to two options, not sure which I'll get for my Vanquish. They're only a few dollars with free shipping so I can't go wrong really. Where the button holes are is clear vinyl to protect the buttons. I like them, good products for a cheap price.

I took the 11inch coil off because it was on backwards and I finally noticed it. I did good with it on backwards.I put on the 6" coil and tested my tough targets.I tested the 5'' deep 18k yellow gold chain first in pk2 and it was great.In multi freq. It hit the chain solid with a great id of 1-2.Same mode but in 20kz.I get a good hit with mostly up average numbers where I would dig if I was chain hunting.I put it in 40kz. and it hit better with better sounding up average numbers.I then put it in gold 2 mode and could run multi freq. up to 23 and it slammed it with great id numbers .I put it then in 20kz. and it hit it good with nice up average numbers.I put it in 40kz. and it slammed it with great up average sounding numbers.The 6inch coil is a winner on this target in many different settings.I will do a write up on the small deep white gold ring next.The 6inch coil has it's place for small gold.

Is it possible to inadvertently program the Nox 800 over the Factory Preset(FP) mode.

All - wondering if any of you out there have any experience with using either of these detectors inside hardrock mines or on hardrock ore, veins, etc. I recently purchased both of these detectors and I am interested in the discrimination on gold in an old hardrock mine area. I have found that the Equinox will find arsenopyrite very nicely in samples, and I have found the GM does not respond at all to large chunks of pyrite in samples I have. However I am interested in discrimination on gold in rock and veins where there are arsenopyrite, pyrite, large amounts of chalcopyrite, lead, zinc, etc. Anyone with any experiece with the Equinox in prospecting mode sounding off on any of these minerals (besides gold)? Anyone with experience with the GM 1000 on any of these minerals in Gold non-ferrous mode? Since some of the veins have extensive pyrite, chalcopyrite and base metals, I was hoping I could discriminate gold from the other elements in some of the hardrock areas and tailings I've come across in my wanderings. Thanks in advance for sharing any thoughts around these detectors on minerals like that in hard rock and how they would likely respond to them.

The chain I am testing is the type a Fbs machine can 't hit or barely gets it . An 8 gram 20 inch 18k yellow gold rope type chain.The xterra ground reading for my testing site is about 24,000. At 0-10,000 =mild ground,10-100,000= moderate ground,100, 000-1,000,000 =hot ground.The ground phase is about a 8.At a reading over 20 you should use a concentric,under 20= dd coil. That is for xterra machine which is single frequency machine that switches frequencies.I tried the 48 kz. Gmx first an it hit the about 5inch deep chain with no problem and above 50 id numbers and I could raise the coil about 3 inches.That is very good.I then tried the Nox in pk.1 and that was a no go.I then tried pk.2 in multi freq. and 20 sens. and got a nice 1-2 id in mulit tone.I tried 20kz. in pk2 and got average hit with up average id.I tried 40kz. and got a better hit with more solid up averaging in the id.I then went to gold 2 mode and mulit freq. and 20 sens. and got great hit with solid id. In 20 kz. in gold mode it did pretty good with up average numbers.In 40 kz it hit harder then all because I could crank sens. to 24 with up average numbers that would make me dig. With this machine you could hunt silver with the best of them then change modes and hunt tough gold with the best of them.I tried the xterra with the 9inch 18kz .concentric and in coin mode I got a wrap around signal that might make me dig.In prospect mode I got good soft signal with 2 inches of air over target to spare. The test for Nox is with 11 inch coil. The Gmx had 6 inch concentric.

First time longtime prowler, and first want to say thanks to Steve H. For the wealth of info I have obtained from him. I’ve recently traded in my 705 for the EQ 600 and have my first 20 hours on it. I def love it but I do have one pending concern that I’ve researched quite heavily to no avail. I’m in central Texas(we have thick dark clay soil that balances at 22 to even 80 sometimes) and mainly hunt old parks or homesteads but will be hitting the beach in a few days now that the virus has subsided. First off, I’m proficient in proper initial set up(noise cancel, manual ground balance, etc.). I’ve ran a test garden and have checked many good targets I hit, and this is the conclusion I’ve come to of late: multi doesn’t touch 5 kHz on depth and Id/tone. 5 kHz has slammed 7 wheats that multi couldn’t see at all? I’ve toggled every option(FE, Speed, hunt pattern) and the same holds true. The primary reason I got the EQ is for the multi tech. Now I find myself using 5 kHz only. I know multi may be better for low conductors but if it doesn’t see a 6” coin flat that gives me A LOT of concern. Please help.

I've been using an Equinox 800 since they first came out. I was one of many that were really hoping that Minlab would release other coils for the Nox. I bought all three and sold the 15" shortly after buying it as it didn't do anything for me in my type of hunting in my sites. The more I used the Nox, the more impressed I became with just how well the 11" coil works. For most of my past and present detectors I've had a whole collection of accessory coils for different situations. With my Multi Kruzer as well as most of my past Makro detectors I've had 4 or 5 extra coils for each. As much as I'd still like to see some other Nox offerings, I can honestly say that if Minelab does release any other coils for the Nox, I probably won't buy one. For an 11" coil, it does remarkably well at unmasking. Going over the same areas with the 6" afterwords seldom pulls out extra finds. Maybe one here or there but for the most part, I think the 11" does great. During this Codiv-19 break, and the fact that's it's just too darn hot to detect, I've had a chance to do quite a bit more testing and the Equinox with the 11" coil can really hold it's own. My XP ORX is a hair faster, but in testing the Nox with 11" coil against quite a few other "Iron Hunters" The Nox is a real winner. Is it the coil, the detector, or both? I don't really care as long as it works.

Whites MXT All detection combat versus Minelab Equinox 800 on gold programs ... on the Top Digin test field. Who will win? Will it be a 20-year-old Single-Frequency Sophisticated Detector Whites MXT ... or a Modern Multifrequency Detector Equinox 800? .. The terrain of the test is mineralized and the target detectors are masked with iron .. so the task for these detectors will not be easy ... This test is from my colleagues from Top Digin ... both colleagues Jack and Mike have already had something to do with various detectors, among others, in recent years with Equinox, both of whom I consider to be an excellent detector. You can see for yourself which detector can play a better result ....

On Sunday 25th March I returned to one of my permissions where I have found Roman bronze coins in the past few weeks using my Equinox and on this occasion I ended up with 24 and one of them was a large silver but badly mangled most of the bronzies are 10mm - 14mm across. The Roman bronze coins are on the small size and are difficult to locate even though this field is low in mineralization it has quite a lot of small iron about which is typical of sites of past Roman occupation and this was my 4th 8 hour session on my Roman fields using my Equinox since I got it almost 6 weeks ago. As I always do I "Noise Cancel" and use "Manual Ground Balance" with "Recovery Speed 3" and "Iron Bias 3" and if the field is quiet I try to keep the "Sensitivity at 20 - 22", over the previous weeks I have used different settings but found these to be most beneficial for getting the maximum depth and more Roman coins.

A few weeks ago, I started conversing with Steveg (www.stevesdetectorrods.com) about building me a complete carbon fiber shaft replacement with counterweight attachment for my Equinox 800. Well it arrived today, and I thought I would share my impressions. First of all, let me say that the entire process of ordering a shaft from Steve was absolutely wonderful! Extremely thoughtful, articulate, and maybe most importantly, timely communications. From the very first email, I felt I was valued as a customer, and that Steve truly cared not only about me, but about the product he produces as well. The shaft arrived today via priority mail, and was very well packaged. I ordered the bright blue option because, hey, I like blue! The material is stunning, and the workmanship on the shaft is impeccable. Fit and finish are gorgeous. The Equinox weight before disassembly came in at 1354 grams with the stock shaft and stock coil. The stock shaft components on their own weigh 295 grams, while the new carbon fiber shaft weighs 225 grams without the counterbalance. Final weight of the detector with the new shaft sans counterbalance is 1284 grams, for a 70 gram weight reduction. Assembling the Equinox components onto the new shaft was a piece of cake. All the hole locations for mounting the components were perfectly aligned and properly sized, and the cam-lock hardware works flawlessly. The 70 gram difference is very noticeable when swinging the detector, but it really starts to shine when you add the counterbalance attachment. With the stock coil, swinging becomes almost effortless and the balance is such that the coil feels weightless. It really is quite amazing! My shoulder and neck are already thanking me.😍 And there is no wobble or flex in the shaft at all. If you are looking for an upgrade to your Equinox, I can't recommend this enough! And doing business with Steve is truly a joy. My only regret is I don't have another detector to upgrade! When I do, I'll be giving Steve a call! Bash says, run, don't walk, to your computer or phone, and order one for yourself! You won't regret it!

The first one I had, it had no problem underwater. The 2nd one leaked. Now when I get my replacement I'm thinking of only hunting to waist deep with it. And use my Gold Kruzer, XP Orx or CZ20 out deeper. I don't want this one to leak. I was worried about my first one leaking and it didn't. Now it happened on the 2nd one. I guess they don't test them for leaks before they go out. Is this a good plan or not. Or should I take it out deep and use it and find out if it leaks? Minelab just got my leaky Nox yesterday. Don't know when I will have another one back. Haven't heard anything yet. I don't have trust in it right now. Does anybody know the percentage that have leaked?