XP ORX Vs Equinox 900 - Coil Options And Gold Nuggets?

[D&P-OR]

Which of these makes the best gold (nugget) hunter----the Equinox 900 with Coiltek 5X10" & Minelab 6" coils---or the XP ORX with the 5X10 h.f. coil? 

[Steve Herschbach]

Either will get the job done, personal preference thing more than either being an absolute provable "best." I lean Equinox myself due to larger available coil selection and versatility, but would not argue with anyone who'd rather use the ORX for nugget detecting.

[Chase Goldman]

2 hours ago, D&P-OR said:

Which of these makes the best gold (nugget) hunter----the Equinox 900 with Coiltek 5X10" & Minelab 6" coils---or the XP ORX with the 5X10 h.f. coil? 

@Jeff McClendon or @abenson can probably do a deeper dive, but from a purely technical standpoint I think it breaks down like this...it depends.

Not trying to be snarky, it's just that the question as you presented it is a little open ended since you didn't specify whether you were primarily interested in just general nuggets or also being able to Sniff out micro, subgram gold.  Furthermore, ground conditions matter for this comparison. 

I'll give you my thoughts from a purely technical basis from a detector standpoint (I own both and have done some air tests), but avid gold hunters like Steve H., Jeff, Andrew, phrunt and others who have used both can weigh in with their practical field experience.

I think overall, it's a close call based on test and real world results I've seen posted here and elsewhere.  Probably a slight performance edge goes to the Nox because of the overall versatility that Simultaneous Multifrequency brings to the table in terms of hot ground handling.  Maybe Orx handles itself slightly better in ferrous trash situations.  I know Deus 2 does much better than the Nox 900 in that regard and also in regards to Target ID accuracy/stability.  The D2 is held back slightly, however, because the smallest available coil is the 9" round.

If you ignore ground handling, the Orx may have a slight edge in subgram gold sensitivity solely based on the higher frequency (80+ khz) it can achieve with the 10x5 HF coil.  I don't think the Nox 900 is far behind though, if at all, especially with the 6" coil (vs. the 10x5).

On larger nuggets I would probably give the edge to the Nox as that Coiltek coil has great depth for its footprint on larger gold targets vs. the Orx.  It's still close.

For hot ground handling, the Nox in Simultaneous Frequency Mode is better than the SF Orx and also has ground tracking unlike the Orx. But the Orx still performs ok in hot ground and is easy to rebalance with single button ground grab.

Finally, the Nox 900 is an overall more versatile detector vs the Orx for detecting in general.

So overall edge to the Nox.  Orx will cost you a lot less however ($550) vs. $1000 for the Nox (includes the 11" and 6" coil) + $235 for that Coiltek 10×5.

TBH however, based on the recent $500 price drop on Manticore down to $1200, I would also strongly consider getting Manticore over the 900 and pick up the $250 M8 5x8 coil which should give you everything you need (it effectively combines the best of the 6 inch round coil and the 10x5 coil with perhaps a incremental hit on depth and coverage).  The cost Delta is only about $200 even if you factor in the cost of the 10x5 Nox coil vs. M8 Manticore coil But you do end up with one less coil overall because the Nox package includes the 11" and 6" coils.  Also, the Manticore is just a better all around detector than the 900.  There is nothing the 900 can do that the Manticore can't.  FWIW.

My recommendation:  

For pure nugget hunting value, consider the Orx.

For overall performance Manticore + the M8 coil.

Splitting the cost difference (slightly, by $200) Nox 900 + Coiltek 10x5.

 

[D&P-OR]

Thanks gentlemen.-----I am now considering the Manticore (with extra M8 coil)---especially with Minelabs discounted price on the detector.-----However--I don't understand their "reasoning" for increasing price on it in Jan. & then doing a steep discount on it in April.----Buyers shouldn't complain about that though. 🙂

[Jeff McClendon]

I have found small nuggets with the ORX, Nox 800, and Nox 900. I haven’t had an opportunity to nugget hunt with the Manticore yet.

The ORX has great ergonomics and can be configured many ways including removing the lower shaft and coil from the rest of the detector and as long as the wireless signal stays connected I can just detect with the lower shaft and coil. It’s great for pinpointing and for detecting overhead or on the sides of cuts, etc. The ORX is not waterproof and the wireless signal will lose connection if the coil is submerged even in an inch or two of water unless you use the wired antenna. It has very acceptable sensitivity to really small nuggets, has ferrous/non ferrous 2 tone capability using its Gold modes and handles difficult ground conditions very well. Its audio is a little brash and cannot be adjusted or changed.

The Nox 900 with the 6” or Coiltek 10X5” coils using its Gold modes in Multi simply has another gear compared to the ORX. Running the 900 at 20 of 28 sensitivity, it can compete totally with the ORX but the ORX has to be run at 95 of 99 to stay competive.

The Manticore has yet another gear sensitivity wise that takes it past the 900 in its Gold mode if ground conditions allow.

The Nokta Legend is also an excellent gold prospecting detector that I would consider to be slightly better than the ORX.

Both the 900 and Manticore have much better stock ergonomics than the Nox 800 and easily compete with the ORX for balance and versatility in the field while being fully waterproof and having no issues going in or out of water. They are exceptionally versatile detectors for just about any kind of detecting.

[phrunt]

I have neither, but do have the 800, Manticore and Deus with both HF coils which is almost the ORX, I'd pick the Manticore first, Nox 800 second and Deus with HF coils 3rd.  

The Nox with 10x5" is more like the Deus performance wise on small gold in milder soils, with the 6" coil I find the Nox better for smaller gold.  

At this point for me, buying anything other than the Manticore is settling for second best.  I just hope the Manticore gets more coils in the future from Coiltek.