Why a Equinox 600

wmgeorge

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When I have a perfectly good Whites M6? I like the M6 it works well and is easy to use. Mostly dirt here in Iowa, maybe some sand on the freshwater beaches. We go to Florida for a few weeks i the winter and I hit the beaches, saltwater of course. I can buy a new MineLab with my military discount. So why not.... and whats my M6 worth used?
 
I had an M6 for awhile. My dirt in Colorado is mineralized and the M6 had trouble with depth and solid IDs past 4" no matter what coil I used. Otherwise, it was a very dependable, solid detector and I had no complaints.

My prospecting/water detecting addictions meant I wanted to try an Equinox. The Equinox is an outstanding, somewhat complicated detector that took some getting used to, multiple manual reads, and patiently using Park 1 default for a month with a lowered sensitivity level because of the mineralization here. I now have over a thousand hours on it and I know what I know about it very well. It truly is a great coin/jewelry detector, can go plenty deep in mineralization, works well at salt water beaches and has found gold nuggets for me. I haven't done much relic hunting with it so far. There is still plenty on it that I have not explored yet.

I am not going to say that it made all of my other detectors obsolete. It did become pretty obvious that three of my detectors were not going to be needed anymore so I sold the M6, a Fisher F19 and an X-Terra 705. I kept my gold detectors and recently picked up an XP ORX which is pretty awesome too.

Jeff
 
I had an M6 for awhile. My dirt in Colorado is mineralized and the M6 had trouble with depth and solid IDs past 4" no matter what coil I used. Otherwise, it was a very dependable, solid detector and I had no complaints.

My prospecting/water detecting addictions meant I wanted to try an Equinox. The Equinox is an outstanding, somewhat complicated detector that took some getting used to, multiple manual reads, and patiently using Park 1 default for a month with a lowered sensitivity level because of the mineralization here. I now have over a thousand hours on it and I know what I know about it very well. It truly is a great coin/jewelry detector, can go plenty deep in mineralization, works well at salt water beaches and has found gold nuggets for me. I haven't done much relic hunting with it so far. There is still plenty on it that I have not explored yet.

I am not going to say that it made all of my other detectors obsolete. It did become pretty obvious that three of my detectors were not going to be needed anymore so I sold the M6, a Fisher F19 and an X-Terra 705. I kept my gold detectors and recently picked up an XP ORX which is pretty awesome too.

Jeff

"and patiently using Park 1 default for a month with a lowered sensitivity level because of the mineralization here. I now have over a thousand hours on it.

Seriously? A thousand hours?

Again! A thousand hours in a month? I don't think there are a thousand hours in an endless month of detecting.
 
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Using the M6 is like second nature to me now. How hard or or difficult is the 600 to learn?
 
"and patiently using Park 1 default for a month with a lowered sensitivity level because of the mineralization here. I now have over a thousand hours on it.

Seriously? A thousand hours?

Again! A thousand hours in a month? I don't think there are a thousand hours in an endless month of detecting.

I'll try to keep it "Friendly" Martin_V3i

I've had my Nox 600 for 16 months and the 800 for 14 months. I'm out almost every day for at least 3 hours and have had several 10+ hour days prospecting with the 800. So, 68 weeks times 18 hours per week = 1224 hours.

Jeff
 
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Using the M6 is like second nature to me now. How hard or or difficult is the 600 to learn?

I detected with a Tesoro Lobo Super Traq for many years for prospecting. It was easy to use. I had an X-Terra 705 for a couple of years too. The tones and operation of the 705 are similar to the Equinox. So, I was not a newbie but I wasn't a coin and jewelry expert either. For me, it wasn't too complicated. Like I said, I took it slow for the first month and didn't push myself or the Equinox too hard until I had gotten the basics down.

The M6 is not as complicated as the 705 but some of the tones are similar. There are a lot more adjustable features on the 600 and even more on the 800. For most detecting scenarios default Park 1 should be fine until you get used to it.

Jeff
 
OK well I thank all that replied and one more question, about the long term reliability of the Equinox design? We see detectors that are 10, 20, 30 or more years old and still kicking. Drops, or bangs on the floor no problem. What about this design which looks honestly like a IPhone on a stick?

Anyone had issues with getting some wear and tear, now not working? Just wondering how durable?
 
OK well I thank all that replied and one more question, about the long term reliability of the Equinox design? We see detectors that are 10, 20, 30 or more years old and still kicking. Drops, or bangs on the floor no problem. What about this design which looks honestly like a IPhone on a stick?

Anyone had issues with getting some wear and tear, now not working? Just wondering how durable?

Good machine, Build quality could use some tweaking tho
 
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Other than shaft wobble on both my 600 and 800 (teflon pipe fitting tape takes care of that)
I have had no problems. I have operated both in desert, snow, rain, beach and steep mountain side high altitude conditions. They have taken plenty of knocks and have always worked perfectly after 16 months of constant use.

Jeff
 
OK well I thank all that replied and one more question, about the long term reliability of the Equinox design? We see detectors that are 10, 20, 30 or more years old and still kicking. Drops, or bangs on the floor no problem. What about this design which looks honestly like a IPhone on a stick?



Anyone had issues with getting some wear and tear, now not working? Just wondering how durable?
They are plenty durable. I've beaten the hell out of my 600 and the only cosmetic damage is some peeling of plastic on grip and a paint scrape on original shaft. (I've since replaced factory shaft with a carbon fiber shaft)
I've dropped it and banged it. A lot. When I dig a plug, I sometimes drop the machine flat on ground so I can grab digger with same hand and not have to bend over to the ground.
The control box has held up great. Best purchase was to buy a quality control box cover. I took it off yesterday for a washing and the control box looks brand new. Amazing since I'm now on my 3rd control box cover.

The one thing I do, which probably contributes to a longer life, is I wash my machines after a couple of hunts.

My AT Max is a very rugged machine but I've now used the Equinox longer and it shows less wear and tear.

Only thing I wish was different would be that the control box was removable from handle. Would make flying with the machine a little easier. It would pack even smaller in my carry-on.

My 2 cents.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
Thanks folks, I am ordering the 600 tomorrow am with the Minelab veterans discount.
 
Congrats on your decision. I have the 600 and love it. Get the 6" coil and you are set.
 
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