Glad I Waited For An '800'

[Andy2640]

The Nox is bringing much needed happiness to the world ? Nice finds Aurum.

 

Andy.

[Cal_Cobra]

Nice digs!!
 

I went with the 800 vs 600 because I wanted the prospecting modes AND I wanted the ability to be able to run 20khz or 40khz independently at some of my really tough mineralized relic sites.  Everything else was icing on the cake, and we did a group buy on the 800's so the price difference between the 600 & 800 was so small, it was really a no brainer.

 

[Aurum]

I have to say that I was pretty surprised from the responses of a couple of 600 owners. One of the reasons for the post was to help others who are considering purchasing an Equinox but who are having difficulty deciding which model to purchase like many of us did. Seems the consensus amongst most Equinox users is that both models will pretty much perform the same for a majority of detecting scenarios. Some of the differences between the models is fluff to some and perhaps not so much for others. For me, the convenience of not being tethered to the detector, which both models offer, was a major consideration, but also having the option to use my old headphones which I'm comfortable with, and/or if either of the wireless options were to fail, still have a wireless backup. These options are also available for the 600 but at a price which when combined with a decent set of headphones makes the price difference between the two models about the same. So it comes down to the fact that if I hadn't cared about being wireless, or cared about some of the advanced settings, and/or didn't think I might want to do some future nugget hunting, and/or had no interest in micro jewelry hunting, then it would have been a no-brainer to buy the 600 model, but none of those reasons applied to me. Lastly, I will say unashamedly, that like a many, if not most serious detectorists, I wanted the model that offered the most options and settings that may POTENTIALLY help of make more good or great finds. I think either model Equinox is a leg up if not more ahead of the competition. Good Hunting!

[Chase Goldman]

I decided that with ML and dealer discounts etc. the way to go was to not have to decide and get both.  600 dedicated for salt water and beach hunting and as a backup to my land-based 800 for relic and park hunting.  Saltwater hunting subjects any detector to a the repeated abuse of a harsh environment, so the 600 will be a capable sacrificial anode.  The kicker is that buying both together still cost less than what I have sunk into my revered XP Deus (not getting rid of it) and I can't reliably run the Deus stable in wet salt sand.  Doh!  Either the 600 or 800 are capable of getting the job done under a majority of circumstances, but I like having the 800 for those outlier situations.  For example, even though I don't prospect for gold, I have found gold mode to come in handy for relic hunting in highly mineralized soil conditions and I do find the user profile button to be invaluable for interrogating targets in the field by enabling quick switching between two disparate search profile modes (e.g., Field 2 and Park 1).

[Happa54]

Hey Aurum... I wasn't trying to shake the tree or seem overly defensive re your post. I sincerely apologize if I came off this way. 

Re the 600..... Well, I've become extremely comfortable and confident with it that I didn't see a need to change up in machines again. But the more I think about it... I would like to hunt side-by-side with and 800 user so they can show me how some of the settings work. I may like it or I may not. Hey, you never know, I may do an upgrade.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with the Nox and as always... happy hunting.   

[Jeff McClendon]

Hi

I started with the 600 so I could learn the detector and compare it to my other detectors. I spent $39 on a set of low latency bluetooth headphones and haven't regretted my decision. The 600 is such a great detector!!!! I sold a Makro Multi Kruzer, Makro Gold Racer, Tesoro Vaquero and Whites MX7 in the meantime. I just didn't enjoy using them anymore.....Recently got the 800 with a military discount and hopefully along with my TDI sl I'm done detector shopping until First Texas brings out some truly new detectors????????? I love the flexibility of the 800 like the original poster and enjoy using the wireless module with my favorite headphones without being tethered to the 600 or 800. During all day prospecting I have backup headphones ready or earbuds when it's super hot like today by using the wireless module. I also like the freedom to setup my own personal hunting program, the more flexible audio options, and the expanded recovery speed/iron bias levels that the 800 offers. However, if I wasn't an insanely avid prospector I would have been totally satisfied with the Equinox 600. For the price and with a 6" coil it promises to be an incredible machine and bargain. 

[Dubious]

I bought the 600 way back when because the 800 simply wasn't available. I don't regret it, and probably won't bother trading it in for an 800, now that the 800 is available everywhere. I have better headphones than I would have had with the 800. I use 50 tone mode for everything, so the adjustable tones would not have helped. I am doubtful the extra speed adjustments would matter in any practical way. The LCD backlight adjustments might be nice, but I rarely need backlighting, anyway; and I would probably still find the backlighting too bright at night.

Buy whichever you like, and the accessories that come with the 800 are worth a good part of the difference in price, if you can use them; but anyone who thinks the 800 has snob appeal over the 600 is nuts.

[dewcon4414]

At first it appeared as thou the 600 was going to be much like the 800 Xcal that was recently discontinued.   But then more information on their ability/similarity to the 800 came out and people started buying them as back up or solely for water use .   Honestly....... not a bad choice for beach hunting especially for a vacation machine as well.    It also appears ..... more are slimming the herd of detectors they have on hand.   Most serious hunters have a few machines they just arent using..... if sold would pay for a 600 easily.

[Daniel Tn]

I initially had both the 600 and 800.  In testing them, I decided the 600 was more than enough detector for what I do and could match the 800 in every area I tested it.  I didn't like the gold modes on the 800 nor any of the single freqs. The bread and butter of the Equinox is the Multi mode anyway.  I picked up a pair of the Miccus SR71 wireless phones for $40 new and a pair of the yellow Minelab waterproof phones.  I sold the 800 since demand for them was so high.  I do hope someone comes out with an 8 inch coil for the Nox. That would be perfect for freshwater hunting...the 11 inch is too big and I think the 6 inch would be a tick too small.