First off, these issues are real, but they are not common to all Equinox, only some of them. Some people are reporting excessive play or slop when the rod twist locks are twisted all the way down. This is not normal. Mine and most others are quite firm when the twist locks are in the full tightened position. There are some early units which apparently are not made to spec. Minelab is aware of this, and if your rod is excessively loose or wobbly when the twist locks are fully engaged, then u