New & Improved Equinox Grip & Fix!

FelixtheCat

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My Noxy has been wearing through at the grip. Well, since I have a little bit of time to kill it was time address it with an idea that came to me months ago. :newidea: I had saved one of my punctured bicycle inner tubes to make a grip for it. First you cut your inner tube down the entire length. Then you cut it into a long strip about 1¼ - 1½ wide. I started by the back firmly winding it around like a tennis racket handle. At the front, near the control box, I tapered the end, trimmed it and then used some orange electrical tape that I like to use to secure it in place. Voila! New & improved grip! It feels really good and I’m pretty sure it’s going to work great. :good: I might even go this route when the foam grip on my Excal wears out. :yes:
 

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I wrap the handles on my detectors with 3M Vetrap. Lasts a while and when it gets so ugly I am ashamed I replace it. It sticks to itself but does not stick to you. Doesn't collect sand either.
 
Sweet work Felix!! I've been wrapping my grips with rolls of self adhesive athletic sports tape that I find abandoned and in abundance on soccerfields...Well, in these past seasons anyway...probably not so much this year for obvious reasons...

Innertube makes more sense for a water baby though...
 
I got tired of my hand slipping up into the control box. It was causing two pressure points on my hand. This is a night and day difference.

IMG_1680.jpg


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Why not golfers tape. It comes in many different colors.
I don’t grip my handle like everyone else because that would ware my wrist out after an hour.
When I go detecting it’s always for 6-8 hrs
I grip my handle lightly.
I vary from one to two fingers below the shaft and actually let the detector float in my hand.
This is on my equinox 800.
My hand never rider up the handle.
Doug
 
New & Improved Equinox Grip & Fix!

I might not need my grip mod now that I have a Steves Rod with counterweight but still plan on leaving it on. Just too comfortable.


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Grip Tape

I used silicone self adhesive tape. In the Navy we called it F4 tape. Works and feels great with no goo or sticky stuff.
 
I used silicone self adhesive tape. In the Navy we called it F4 tape. Works and feels great with no goo or sticky stuff.

F4 tape, thanks for the idea. I have quite a bit of the stuff and didn't even consider it.
 
Why. After many hours mine looks Ike new.
I don’t grab mine like a tennis racket or baseball bat.
My detector floats in my hand. I don’t use the arm strap and I have one or two fingers
Below my shaft and the rest of the fingers lightly around the head shaft and the detectors kinda floats in my finger. If we’re to grab my detectors the normal I'd be done in two hours.
I say I’m going for a couple hours and end up going for 6-8 hrs.
I do have Steve’s carbon fiber shaft with the short counterweight that I believe helps a lot on fatigue. I myself believe minelab missed the boat on the angle of the head angle.
The way I do it did took me a while to get use to but now it works for me.
Just my opinion.
Doug
 
Why. After many hours mine looks Ike new.
I don’t grab mine like a tennis racket or baseball bat.
My detector floats in my hand. I don’t use the arm strap and I have one or two fingers
Below my shaft and the rest of the fingers lightly around the head shaft and the detectors kinda floats in my finger. If we’re to grab my detectors the normal I'd be done in two hours.
I say I’m going for a couple hours and end up going for 6-8 hrs.
I do have Steve’s carbon fiber shaft with the short counterweight that I believe helps a lot on fatigue. I myself believe minelab missed the boat on the angle of the head angle.
The way I do it did took me a while to get use to but now it works for me.
Just my opinion.
Doug
Are you hunting dirt or water? There's a whole different level of stress in water hunting.
 
Why. After many hours mine looks Ike new.
I don’t grab mine like a tennis racket or baseball bat.
My detector floats in my hand. I don’t use the arm strap and I have one or two fingers
Below my shaft and the rest of the fingers lightly around the head shaft and the detectors kinda floats in my finger. If we’re to grab my detectors the normal I'd be done in two hours.
I say I’m going for a couple hours and end up going for 6-8 hrs.
I do have Steve’s carbon fiber shaft with the short counterweight that I believe helps a lot on fatigue. I myself believe minelab missed the boat on the angle of the head angle.
The way I do it did took me a while to get use to but now it works for me.
Just my opinion.
Doug

Counterweighted shaft sounds like a good way to go. 11" coil and short weight on yours with Steve's shaft?

Planning to use a mil surp belt and load bearing suspenders with bungee to help with weight. Low budget version of the MD sling rigs out there by Doc's and others. Will likely also counterweight (for 15" coil) to help with center of balance. Voyager32 on another forum uses a ram mount and fishing weight on the top end of his. Looks like it works well.
 
I an not sure but I think Steve’s is the only one that is available with the nice counterweight.
It takes a while to get use to the way I hold my detectors but I have a lot less strain on wrist, arm, and shoulder.
 
Regarding the F4-type recommendation for mastic grip tape, a fairly available option for this is 3M Scotch 2228 Moisture Sealing Electrical Tape.

This stuff is just like the F4 tape - no adhesive on either side, but you wrap tightly in order for it to self-adhere. Then it's nice and grippy. Used on one of my grips today.

Personally, I prefer this rubberized grip over other types like the skateboard sandpaper like tape, but that's another option that could be good for gloved users.
 
20 Years USN and never heard of F4 Tape. E B Green was the tape of choice on submarines. E.B Was Electric Boat the builder of Submarines. We sometimes called it 100mph tape. If EB Green could not fix it then it wasn't broken.
 
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