Equinox 800 or Excalibur?

OBN

Gold Member
Dec 30, 2008
6,529
7,010
Maryland Waters
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1
Detector(s) used
"Excalibur"..
"AQ" Impulse
Primary Interest:
Other
Another Happy Nox owner, Best bang for the bucks.

Now I have to get my azz in gear...:BangHead:
 

dewcon4414

Bronze Member
Mar 22, 2006
2,138
1,237
Gulf Coast, Fl
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
4
Detector(s) used
MDT, Nox, Blue Xcals and CTX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Deb I’m using the Nox in the water because of the repairs needed on the Xcal. I believe the Nox May be a bit better on small gold too even in the water. Depth about even. BUT ....running PP the Xcal has the silence factor and some will do better with it especially in PP mode.
 

slider66

Supporting Vendor
Supporting Vendor
Nov 14, 2013
1,483
1,988
Treasure Coast Of Florida
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Minelab CTX 3030
Garrett AT Pro
Minelab Excalibur 1000 with SEF 10x12 coil
3 Minelab Excalibur II 10 inch
Deus II
EQuinox 900
Manticore
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Hunting directly behind my buddy (same line in the wet sand) who is very experienced with the Excal, I'd say the equinox. I came home with way more stuff even running behind him.

Also, it's nice to be able to skip over pennies and dimes when you are in a hurry racing the incoming tide because it's easy to identify them.

After the firmware update which fixed the coins on edge problem, I sold off all my other machines.

It is not as nice on the ears though.

I have found rings at TDI 20 .I know it's pennies but there are rings too.
 

ColonelDan

Hero Member
Jan 19, 2014
998
2,163
Central Florida
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Deus II
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Obviously everyone has their personal preference, but for me, I haven't used my Excal since I got the EQX 800. The EQX has a much faster processor, more sensitive to small targets than the Excal, lighter and it's easier to swing for long periods so it fits my needs on the beach better than any other machine I've ever owned or tested.

Since I no longer go into deep surf, the Excal has been hanging in my hobby room for over a year. Were I into diving however, I'd take the Excal.

Just the view from my foxhole...
 

Earlafindit

Jr. Member
Nov 19, 2009
61
91
Mid Atlantic Coast DE.
Detector(s) used
f75se,CTX3030, , Deus ,Excal blue 800 & 1000 , Manticore , TDI BeachHunter
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
I like my Excalibur blue's with pp, and skullie's ,this set up has shed new light , deeper whisper's, and sparked an interest with the Excal's, on hearing deeper gold which i could never hear before, yesterday i was using the Nox with the 15 inch coil , and the wireless , at time's it drove me nut's with the chatter, even making adjustment's, it was the EMi from certain condo's , i might try Tony's phone's on it next hunt ,even though i am not going past ankle deep, just to see if it's the Blue Tooth interference i am getting , along with the emi from the condo's , i like both machine's, i like the lightness of the Equinox, however i probably will never submerge the head, i have a cover over it, does a nice job keeping the salt off the screen , i also had a few times the coil flipped up under the water , just ankle deep, the 15 is not recommended over the 11 in water, in my opinion, i will also say i was not using a ML lower rod, it was the Carbon Fiber Lower , with Plugger upper, both machine's have there use, happy hunting, Earl
 

dewcon4414

Bronze Member
Mar 22, 2006
2,138
1,237
Gulf Coast, Fl
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
4
Detector(s) used
MDT, Nox, Blue Xcals and CTX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Sure way to see if its EMI....... put Tonys on and put the box underwater. You can also hold the coil in the air..... chatter still there? Thats EMI. But ...... more than likely what you are hearing is surface minerals that the salt water really lights up. The salt balance appears to be off just a bit on the Nox so minerals react much like HOT ROCKS do when you run to much sensitivity. Try going out neck deep...... you really pick up the chatter then..... because there is a greater concentration of minerals and black sand.
 

LawrencetheMDer

Hero Member
Feb 22, 2014
984
2,395
Ohio and Florida
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab CTX3030 w 11" and 17" DD coils,
Minelab Excalibur II w 10" coil, Equinox 800 (4) w 11" and 15" coils,
Troy Shadow x2 w 7" coil, Pointers; Garrett Carrot, Pro Find 35,
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
You have to ask about longevity when talking about the Nox 800 and when comparing the Excal to Nox 800. Many have had their Excals for 20+ yrs. I have had mine for about 7 yrs and other than just recently replacing the coil cable it has been great with many wonderful water finds. The Nox 800, and I just bought one, has a scheduled life of a few years based on battery life as noted in the Instruction manual (page 8). And, the battery has to be replaced by an authorized dealer. On one blog, the author tried to open the Nox 800 case and destroyed it. Just saying...did I mention that you should also charge it every 3-4 months to preserve the battery to last a few years (page 8 of Instruction manual)?

PS Just read Andy Sabisch's brand new book on the Nox 600/800 and it provides some wonderful insights and suggestions and is considered a must read if you get the Nox 800. [The Nox 600/800 book is not as good as his book on the CTX 3030, primarily because the Nox had not been around that long before the book was written, I think.]
 

dewcon4414

Bronze Member
Mar 22, 2006
2,138
1,237
Gulf Coast, Fl
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
4
Detector(s) used
MDT, Nox, Blue Xcals and CTX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Lawrence...... the Nox has a 3 year warranty.... the Xcal, one then you are paying the bills..... how many repairs have you done? Even the battery on an older Xcal needs replaced. Now..... after 3 years i could buy another Nox....good for 3 more years.... and im barely at the cost of an Xcal. You can change the coil (3 options) and headphones on the Nox YOURSELF. Ill bet you the cost of a NEW head wont be much more than a coil change on the Xcal. You want an eye opener....... take a WHITE gold band about 3 grams and bury it in the WET salt sand on edge. You can use PP or disc...... now tell me which machine you want to use. Im willing to bet you the Nox gets at least 2" on the Xcal even in PP mode on that ring. The TID screen is a plus. Never got to test the Xcal (yet) in the salt water...... but the Nox will get about 10" maybe on a 3 gram YELLOW gold ring depending on your skill to hear it.

Andy writes a good book..... but the simplicity of the Nox compared to the CTX is day and night. The Nox manual ... you have to admit is one of the best ML has written as well.
 

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