thinking about selling my Equinox 800

Why not a tesoro vaquero? Crank up the disc and just dig coins,, or lower the disc and dig relics..I mean that machine has it all, simplicity, depth, speed etc..Some people say they're outta business and no warranty..never had a problem with a tesoro and used vaquero is like $250.
I'll say this, I have never had as much fun as I have with a tesoro, just beep and dig and finding what others have passed over because of visual ID.

I'm in the process of trying to decide between the Deus & NOX 800. I hunt mostly Tot lots and parks with the occasional fort site. As far as fort sites the VDI plays no factor at all to me. If it's not iron, you recover. Tot lots are pretty much the same as far as using the VDI. I pretty much recover everything. Parks are the only place where VDI matter to me.

Also important are ergonomics. I want the lightest wireless detector I can between the two. I find the Deus a tad more comfortable on my shoulder but I find the 800 more stable. The Deus is a bit noisy. I know I can turn things down to make it quiet but what am I loosing in the process? The 800 is a bit on the nose heavy side.

I think the Deus is easy to navigate through the menus and settings and it’s very light to use but I don’t believe it’s any simpler to use than the Equinox.
My favorite XP Coils are the HF Elliptical and HF 9” Round Coils. The HF Coils are Quiet compared to the other Deus Coils.
The X/Y screen is my go to mode/screen to hunt in. All in all my number one detector. Good luck!

Great answers so far. You know I really like the Nox, the ORX and the Deus and I use them all. Nox is an excellent all round hunter for just about any situation. Relic hunting, I prefer the Deus or ORX. If I am prospecting, Nox for the first 8 ", TDI SL for the deep stuff an ORX for final check of anything shallow and tiny i might have missed. Beach hunting, Nox and TDI SL. Coin and jewelry, I like the ORX and Deus for the shallow stuff (down to about 5" where everything coin sized starts registering as 99 on the VDI and just high tones no matter what it is) and the Nox for the deep stuff. I still get good tones and VDI at 10"+ with the Nox.

I am with woodbutcher on the Vaquero and my favorite the Cibola. Fantastic, easy to use, simplify your detecting life detectors. Maybe there will be a Nokta Makro Simplex in your future speaking of simplified!!!!!

Jeff

I still prefer my Makro Multi Kruzer over my Equinox 800 for most hunts. And I agree with the learning curve, I'm still trying to get a grip on the Nox. I mostly coin shoot, and tend to like how the Kruzer handles most targets. However, I really don't like it's pinpoint function compared to how well the Nox does it for me. At the moment, with only 3 coils being out for the Nox, and only from Minelab, I haven't changed out from the 11" it comes with. IF Nel puts out coils for it, then I'll change up. Not holding my breath on that though.

Down the road a season or two from now I may pickup a Deus and see how well that does for my needs. Pretty sure I've only heard glowing reviews on the Deus. I'm not a beach hunter, and the creeks and rivers here are mostly trashed up. Should I get to the point of water hunting, then I'll start looking into a PI scuba unit I can dive with.

I think you will find that the Deus has a much bigger learning curve than the EQ800 especially if you use all the options available on the Dues as there are tons of settings. Don't get me wrong, I love my Deus and have made most my topshelf finds with it but I think you will be very disappointed if you think it will be a simpler machine to master.

choppadude said:

I think you will find that the Deus has a much bigger learning curve than the EQ800 especially is you use all the options available on the Dues as there are tons of setting. Don't get me wrong, I love my Deus and have made most my topshelf finds with it but I think you will be very disappointed if you think it will be a simpler machine to master.

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this is why I posed the question. I like to take advantage of other's experience with different machines. No longer will I just trust manufacturer's hype.

I have come to realize, it is not necessarily expensive machines to consider but to consider a machine that is easy to use and fits my needs.

Would another machine miss some targets you would find with the 800? Possibly but for my type of hobby hunting I have found I prefer to keep things simple and just enjoy the hunt. I really haven't found the 800 to be a great improvement over my AT Pro. This could partly be my hunting skills with the 800 are not there or the 800 is just not that great for where I hunt. Most of my hunts are in a suburban area of Atlanta where trash is a constant.

My skills with the 800 at identifying the wide variety of trash I encounter kind of make me a dig all type hunter. pop tops, pull tabs, foil, can slaw everywhere, shotgun shells from the area being rural farms 40 years ago, all kind of electrical wire and connector trash from linemen who just seem to discard the stuff at will, tons of pennies after 1958, lots of bits of aluminum siding, untold buried soft drink cans and spam cans, and those metal wine caps that ring up always like coins and old rusty nails that sound like a coin.

I know I sound like I am whining, but that is my hunting environment unless I find some wooded area that people have not frequented, which is rare.

for me not which machine is the over all best, but which machine can ID trash targets the best.

maxxkatt said:

this is why I posed the question. I like to take advantage of other's experience with different machines. No longer will I just trust manufacturer's hype.

I have come to realize, it is not necessarily expensive machines to consider but to consider a machine that is easy to use and fits my needs.

Would another machine miss some targets you would find with the 800? Possibly but for my type of hobby hunting I have found I prefer to keep things simple and just enjoy the hunt. I really haven't found the 800 to be a great improvement over my AT Pro. This could partly be my hunting skills with the 800 are not there or the 800 is just not that great for where I hunt. Most of my hunts are in a suburban area of Atlanta where trash is a constant.

My skills with the 800 at identifying the wide variety of trash I encounter kind of make me a dig all type hunter. pop tops, pull tabs, foil, can slaw everywhere, shotgun shells from the area being rural farms 40 years ago, all kind of electrical wire and connector trash from linemen who just seem to discard the stuff at will, tons of pennies after 1958, lots of bits of aluminum siding, untold buried soft drink cans and spam cans, and those metal wine caps that ring up always like coins and old rusty nails that sound like a coin.

I know I sound like I am whining, but that is my hunting environment unless I find some wooded area that people have not frequented, which is rare.

for me not which machine is the over all best, but which machine can ID trash targets the best.

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I can relate to this ..Honestly I don't find the at pro to be a deeper or a better unmasker than the equinox..i do find the at pro to be a better machine at finding things due to the ease of use, quite ride until it hits something that's notched in, and I just find more with it in general between the 2.

Get a Simplex. It sounds Simple. It is cheap.

I have used Deus loads relic hunting.
Have used EQX 800 quite a bit relic hunting.

EQX is easier in my opinion.
The way EQX gives no brainer tone works for me.
And you get a plus with EQX, target ID.
You can infact do select digging (even at depth) with EQX.
Try this with Deus - can’t be done.
When using EQX one can say key on ID of items say 8 and higher.
This will generally keep you from digging let’s say less worthier finds.
Could a person miss a good find by doing? Certainly.
But it beats the heck out of digging every single deeper junk target, ie smaller lead, etc.

Could Deus have an advantage in some situations (sites) due to iron density ?
Yes. Since Deus has few more coil options size wise.

To be honest in the hands of a skilled operator in a relic field.
I would hate to hunt behind a field where either detector model had been, assuming Deus application wasn’t with using LF coil.

Deus behavior (tone, ID, etc) can be affected by settings used. Takes some time to get acquainted with.

Ergo wise Deus with either 9” Hf coil or the elliptical coil feel better to me than EQX with 11” dd coil.

Folks hard of hearing the EQX gives advantage on the deeper stuff.

Both nice detectors.
EQX will get a beginner hunting better faster imo.
In areas with above medium levels of mineralization EQX can give advantage over Deus.

I have run X35 coil some not a lot.
For an all arounder coil for Deus that’s the one to get.
For coins, jewelry, hunting in trash, relics, etc.

goodmore said:

Get a Simplex. It sounds Simple. It is cheap.

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Absolutely, and a powerful machine at that from the videos I've seen... The well known names in this hobbie who had the opportunity to try it talk very highly of the simplex.

I currently have a CTX, Nox 800 and Deus. I rarely use the Deus anymore. For general hunting and coin shooting I almost always reach for the CTX 3030 first... mainly because of the tones, accurate ID and depth meter. With my worn out knees and spine issues, selective digging is a lot more appealing these days. For that type of hunting, FBS is king IMHO.

The little 6" coil lives on my Nox 800 and I only use it on extremely trashy or iron infested sites. I break out the Deus occasionally for scouting or relic hunting just because its fast and light. Had an AT-Pro as well but barely used it.

I agree with what others said above. Equinox is easier to learn than the Deus IMHO.

maxxkatt wrote:

"My skills with the 800 at identifying the wide variety of trash I encounter kind of make me a dig all type hunter. pop tops, pull tabs, foil, can slaw everywhere, shotgun shells from the area being rural farms 40 years ago, all kind of electrical wire and connector trash from linemen who just seem to discard the stuff at will, tons of pennies after 1958, lots of bits of aluminum siding, untold buried soft drink cans and spam cans, and those metal wine caps that ring up always like coins and old rusty nails that sound like a coin."

Alright, now I really understand your issues better. The Equinox is setup right out of the box to hit every single target from flea sized to as big as you want with consistent target ID down to about 11 to 12". It does not have some kind of magical ability to separate bad targets from good targets. Simultaneous multi frequency operation is just going to enhance the ability to detect more targets than most detectors. It won't discriminate them perfectly for us too. Only lots of practice, experience and a good set of ears will do that part of the equation.

I just finished a hunt in a trashy public park in Denver. Two hours of mostly frustration with people who litter the park (2 acre park with a dumpster and 10 trash cans, can it be that hard to walk to a trash can?????). I have found silver in this park at the 8"+ deep level. Lots of 1958 to 1982 pennies and older clad down to 7" along with plenty of iron fragments that are either manmade or natural. Above that and all over the place are 40 years of aluminum can shards, pull tabs, wire, foil, you name it from lazy park users and maintenance staff who refuse to pick up aluminum cans before obliterating them with their huge grass cutters.

So, I have used the Nox, Deus and Orx enough to know which places to use them in. If I took the Deus/Orx to this park I wouldn't be frustrated, I would be wrapping it around a tree. All of the good coin and heavy jewelry targets are beyond their depth of detection with any kind of accuracy in the moderate to high mineralization in my area. I would literally have no clue what was under my coil and would probably resort to turning down the sensitivity so low that only surface to 3" targets could be detected. That is how most of my Deus friends hunt here in Denver........cherry picking the shallow stuff. The Deus is incredible at separating good shallow targets from junk at 3" or less due to its fantastic audio responses.

With the Nox, I have practiced and worked it enough to know what is under the coil. Like TNSS said, I ignore most targets below target ID number 6 when I'm coin and jewelry hunting, I am very selective about digging any single target that is less than 8" deep and has really jumpy numbers, and any target that is bigger than coin sized when I pinpoint it, I try to ignore. Any target that is coin sized, has solid numbers that stay within 3 digits (like 19, 20, 21) or that locks on to the same one or two numbers from all swing directions and again is coin sized..... and doesn't have any iron grunts (use the horseshoe button!!!!!) I am digging it! Yep, the Nox if set up right will go really deep. Dug several 7 to 8" pre 1982 pennies, some wheats, some early 60s nickels and some deep late 60s quarters today. I knew exactly what they were before I dug them. No surprises. I dug a quart bag full of junk too and did so under the iffy signal or I've got to get this junk out of the way incase something good is under it excuses.

When I'm tired, don't care or just want to have fun, I'll put the Nox in Park 1, discriminate out everything up to 22 (might leave 12 and 13 in for nickels) turn sensitivity way down to about 8 and go cherry pick the recent drops. Nothing wrong with that.

thanks for reading.
Jeff

Teknetics T2 - super easy to use - like three buttons and you are detecting. And it has a great fast response, works well in trash and iron and goes pretty deep.

The Nox is an incredible unmasker. If you use it like an At pro, F75, or any other machine ,,,, it is not any better than any other machine. You need to work slowly like a FBS machine. If you hear a desirable tone , even a peep stop work the spot in a tight warble , circling the target if you continue to hear the good tone if only peeps watch the ID if you see desirable ID's and only glimpses of them and it is steady dig. This is where the multi IQ is a game changer. If you ever get the hang of it , it will open your detecting world up like never before. It is not easy. I hunted with a friend , we both had NOX 800 and i found 40 plus old coins to his one. I even set his machine up for him and he still could not get the hang of it. Once it clicked with me i starting finding lot's of targets at spots i had previously hunted with many other machines. You can use the NOX as a beep and dig machine but honestly until you learn how to use the multi IQ your not gonna do any better than if you had an AT PRO or any other beep and dig machine.

I agree with trashfinder, unless it's clicked for you, you won't reap the benefits.
I use my nox slightly different as many of the targets I'm hunting for ID under 10, and bang in the small trash range, so i discriminate by tonal quality over TID numbers.
Your lucky that most of your coinage are higher conductors, you have ID numbers for them and there well outside the 0-10 range, it makes me jealous!

Trashfinder said:

The Nox is an incredible unmasker. If you use it like an At pro, F75, or any other machine ,,,, it is not any better than any other machine. You need to work slowly like a FBS machine. If you hear a desirable tone , even a peep stop work the spot in a tight warble , circling the target if you continue to hear the good tone if only peeps watch the ID if you see desirable ID's and only glimpses of them and it is steady dig. This is where the multi IQ is a game changer. If you ever get the hang of it , it will open your detecting world up like never before. It is not easy. I hunted with a friend , we both had NOX 800 and i found 40 plus old coins to his one. I even set his machine up for him and he still could not get the hang of it. Once it clicked with me i starting finding lot's of targets at spots i had previously hunted with many other machines. You can use the NOX as a beep and dig machine but honestly until you learn how to use the multi IQ your not gonna do any better than if you had an AT PRO or any other beep and dig machine.

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Excellent post and info. The Nox isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy tweaking a machine to make it work the best for you, it seems like a machine you can have fun with.

Trashfinder said:

The Nox is an incredible unmasker. If you use it like an At pro, F75, or any other machine ,,,, it is not any better than any other machine. You need to work slowly like a FBS machine. If you hear a desirable tone , even a peep stop work the spot in a tight warble , circling the target if you continue to hear the good tone if only peeps watch the ID if you see desirable ID's and only glimpses of them and it is steady dig. This is where the multi IQ is a game changer. If you ever get the hang of it , it will open your detecting world up like never before. It is not easy. I hunted with a friend , we both had NOX 800 and i found 40 plus old coins to his one. I even set his machine up for him and he still could not get the hang of it. Once it clicked with me i starting finding lot's of targets at spots i had previously hunted with many other machines. You can use the NOX as a beep and dig machine but honestly until you learn how to use the multi IQ your not gonna do any better than if you had an AT PRO or any other beep and dig machine.

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Hi trashfinder. Thanks for this excellent post. Can you go into more detail or maybe share a link that can help a Nox nube like myself?
I just picked up a EQ600 and am trying to learn the machine.

Trashfinder said:

The Nox is an incredible unmasker. If you use it like an At pro, F75, or any other machine ,,,, it is not any better than any other machine. You need to work slowly like a FBS machine. If you hear a desirable tone , even a peep stop work the spot in a tight warble , circling the target if you continue to hear the good tone if only peeps watch the ID if you see desirable ID's and only glimpses of them and it is steady dig. This is where the multi IQ is a game changer. If you ever get the hang of it , it will open your detecting world up like never before. It is not easy. I hunted with a friend , we both had NOX 800 and i found 40 plus old coins to his one. I even set his machine up for him and he still could not get the hang of it. Once it clicked with me i starting finding lot's of targets at spots i had previously hunted with many other machines. You can use the NOX as a beep and dig machine but honestly until you learn how to use the multi IQ your not gonna do any better than if you had an AT PRO or any other beep and dig machine.

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I strongly suspect you are correct and this is my problem. A couple of days ago I heard a fleeting 25 on all directions. Dug up a rusty nail. Swung over the hole again and it was a stronger 24-25 and dug out a penny.

If I am out in the woods hunting relics, no problem. Nox is pretty clear on what it is reporting. But in most areas in the suburbs where for the last 40 years people have been littering, life with the 800 gets more challenging.

Another part of my problem is I have a slight hearing lost of the higher frequencies. I don't like the 800 wireless headphones. sounds too dull. I have telex headphone which sound very good, but are not comfortable and are wired.

I bought Miccus SR-71 headphones and found they will not pair with the 800. Earlier shipments (last year) do work. Now new ones don't. So I use the SR-71's with the WM-08 module. kind of strange, but it works. In my opinion they have better fidelity than the ones that come with the 800 and do not sound muffled.