Equinox 800 weight do carbon fiber rods make any significant reduction in weight?

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pulltabfelix

pulltabfelix

Bronze Member
Jan 29, 2018
1,006
1,624
North Atlanta
Detector(s) used
Currently have CTX3030 and Vanquish 440.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Here are the net results on my weight reduction to my 800:

went from 3.0 labs with stock coil.
changed to Coiltek 10 x 5 coil and replaced shafts with Steve's detector rods and total lost was 6.4 oz or a 13% lost if I calculated everything correctly.

Feels a little bit lighter, not a whole lot, but feels more comfortable. Maybe the lost weight reduced the nose heaviness of the stock 800.
 

sgoss66

Supporting Vendor
Supporting Vendor
Jan 11, 2011
1,084
1,394
Norman, OK
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab CTX 3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I do use a pool noodle on my scoop but I think it would be very much in the way if attached to the shaft.

Agreed, unless attached under the arm cuff...

Steve
 

sgoss66

Supporting Vendor
Supporting Vendor
Jan 11, 2011
1,084
1,394
Norman, OK
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab CTX 3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Here are the net results on my weight reduction to my 800:

went from 3.0 labs with stock coil.
changed to Coiltek 10 x 5 coil and replaced shafts with Steve's detector rods and total lost was 6.4 oz or a 13% lost if I calculated everything correctly.

Feels a little bit lighter, not a whole lot, but feels more comfortable. Maybe the lost weight reduced the nose heaviness of the stock 800.

Felix, you did reduce the nose heaviness, as a good bit of the weight (well over half) was SPECIFICALLY removed from the "coil end" of the shaft. When removing weight from the "coil end" (OR when adding weight at the "butt end" as "counterweight"), it's not so much the "absolute" weight reduction (or increase) that matters, but instead the improvement in BALANCE. Everyone focuses on ABSOLUTE weight, but "balance" is actually the more important factor! Let me see if I can "prove it" to you. I'll give you two examples, below -- one dealing with absolute weight, and one dealing with balance.

First, let's deal with "absolute" weight. Take a gallon of milk, for example. When full, it weighs about 8 pounds. Pretty much everyone can carry this gallon of milk, with no problem, right? OK -- now...pour yourself a nice glass of milk from that full gallon, say a normal, 12 oz. glass. You have just reduced the weight of that gallon of milk by 10%. Lift the jug, now. Do you feel the 10% reduction? Probably not really that much, right? It still feels "about as heavy as a gallon of milk." This is essentially what you did with your Equinox, IN TERMS OF "ABSOLUTE" WEIGHT. You reduced the "absolute weight" by just over 10%.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY you did something else, too, when you reduced the weight. SINCE most of the weight reduction was from the COIL END of the shaft, i.e. the "heavy end," you improved the BALANCE. And you often DO NOT notice improved balance all that much "immediately." You notice improved balance OVER TIME, DURING YOUR HUNT. Reason being, what an imbalanced, nose-heavy machine requires, is CONSTANT exertion of force by your wrist (which translates to your forearm, elbow, and even shoulder), to keep the coil constantly floating above the ground. This is not an "absolute weight" argument; what is happening, is the small muscles of your wrist/hand are forced to exert a constant, "backwards-directed" force on the handle of the machine, a sort of "torque," to "lift" the coil. Now, it's not hard to lift the coil by applying this "torquing force" by your wrist, for a few minutes. What is HARD, is to keep the coil CONTINUOUSLY lifted, for several hours! THIS is why you don't notice it so much "immediately." In other words, you can't simply grab your machine, and instantly be able to fully appreciate the improved balance; however you WILL appreciate it after two hours of detecting!

Let me now talk a bit more about balance, and I think this analogy will show why balance is so important. Say we are on a construction site, and there's an 8-foot-long 2x4 piece of lumber laying there, and I ask you to go pick it up and carry it over to me. That board weighs about 8 pounds -- about the same as that gallon of milk from our other example. As we noted above, most people can lift a gallon of milk with no problem, right? Same with the 2x4, BUT -- there's a caveat. Being a long object, that 8 pounds is distributed differently with the 2x4, than it is with the gallon of milk. The physics concepts of leverage enter into play, given the shape of the board (long and thin). BALANCE MATTERS, in other words, with the 2x4. So, given this, when you go to get that 2x4 for me, HOW will you pick it up and carry it? Instinctively, you'll bend down and grab the board NEAR THE CENTER. You intuitively know NOT to grab it near one end, and try to carry it. WHY, though, do you know this?

Because, you KNOW, intuitively, that BALANCE MATTERS. ALOT. And as a result, you will intuitively reach down, and grab that board near the middle (i.e. where it is BALANCED). But, what happens next? Well, you almost certainly will have "missed" the middle by a small amount, and the result is that one end of the board will begin to "fall" toward the ground; it's not QUITE balanced! And so you will (again -- intuitively) make an adjustment, by sliding your hand slightly, TOWARD the end of the board that is tilting toward the ground. And then, once you find the "middle," (i.e. you find "balance"), you will then, at that point, easily carry that board over to me (in a balanced, parallel-to-the-ground position) -- WITH NO TROUBLE. Easy peezy!

BUT -- what if I stopped you, and told you that you were REQUIRED to carry the board over to me by grabbing it 2 feet from one end, NOT right at the middle. NOW how hard would it be to carry that 2x4 to me? Most likely, you'd give up trying to carry it, as it's too hard to carry that way, and you'd simply "drag" it over to me. So, my question is: WHY was it EASY for you to carry the board to me, when it was BALANCED, but HARD -- nearly IMPOSSIBLE -- to carry it to me when it was IMBALANCED? Same board, same weight, WHY the difference?

When you answer that question, you will have your answer as to why a "balanced" machine is easier to swing, than a nose-heavy one, AND why I say repeatedly that "balance" is more important than "absolute weight."

Along these lines, let me know if you'd like to counterweight your machine, LOL! :)

Steve
 

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pulltabfelix

pulltabfelix

Bronze Member
Jan 29, 2018
1,006
1,624
North Atlanta
Detector(s) used
Currently have CTX3030 and Vanquish 440.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Steve,

Have been out on two hunts, 2 hours each with the coiltek 10 x 5 and your carbon fiber rods. Funny the numerical weight loss does not seem like much, but it is huge in terms of me not getting tired. In the hot and humid Georgia weather I would be tired in a hour. Now even at two hours not tired at all. Hot, yes, thirsty also. But feel like if it were not for the heat and humidity I could hunt for 2-3 more hours. Thanks Steve and Coiltek, making my hunting a lot more enjoyable. Plus switch to a 39" 2.0 lb shovel. That makes a difference also do do stand up digging which was hard on my shorter heavier stainless steel Lesche shovel. I now save that for the hard dry summers, now we are having a very, very wet summer.
 

sgoss66

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Supporting Vendor
Jan 11, 2011
1,084
1,394
Norman, OK
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab CTX 3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Felix,

THANKS for the feedback. It is terrific that you have experienced the ability to "hunt longer," and that will become especially noticeable when you lose some of the heat and humidity. That's exactly why I do what I do, with the shaft and counterweight building...I try to allow folks to enjoy the hobby just a little bit more -- in part, by hopefully allowing folks to lengthen the time they can hunt comfortably...

Thanks Felix!

Steve
 

bigscoop

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Jun 4, 2010
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8,689
Wherever there be treasure!
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Older blue Excal with full mods, Equinox 800.
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Just get a shoulder harness. Can even let go of your machine for those hands free moments. Detectors become like feathers.
 

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pulltabfelix

pulltabfelix

Bronze Member
Jan 29, 2018
1,006
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North Atlanta
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Currently have CTX3030 and Vanquish 440.
Primary Interest:
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I had my AT Pro shaft twist locks freeze up due to salt water and fine sand. could not get loose. Called Garrett they sent me new twist locks and instructions to use heavy pliers to remove old ones. They said salt water and fine sand from my ocean hunts form a type of concrete that binds the twist locks if you don't carefully wash the shaft after ocean hunting.
 

midalake

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Aug 25, 2014
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I had my AT Pro shaft twist locks freeze up due to salt water and fine sand. could not get loose. Called Garrett they sent me new twist locks and instructions to use heavy pliers to remove old ones. They said salt water and fine sand from my ocean hunts form a type of concrete that binds the twist locks if you don't carefully wash the shaft after ocean hunting.

I had an older Carbon Fiber set-up I just cut the twist lock off and installed a cam lock on it. No more twist locks for me!
 

bigscoop

Gold Member
Jun 4, 2010
13,373
8,689
Wherever there be treasure!
Detector(s) used
Older blue Excal with full mods, Equinox 800.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I had my AT Pro shaft twist locks freeze up due to salt water and fine sand. could not get loose. Called Garrett they sent me new twist locks and instructions to use heavy pliers to remove old ones. They said salt water and fine sand from my ocean hunts form a type of concrete that binds the twist locks if you don't carefully wash the shaft after ocean hunting.

Whenever I become lax on routine maintenance my twist locks will freeze up. However, I just saturate them with WD-40 overnight (longer if really bad) and they will eventually free up. But the best course of action is to separate and flush them with fresh water after every hunt.
 

sphillips

Bronze Member
Jan 4, 2008
1,046
1,115
Western NC
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Equinox 800
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The Well folks, I bit the bullet and bought myself an early 71st birthday present, a carbon fiber shaft and counter weight from Steve. Did a 2 hour park hunt Saturday, and with the counter weight, the coil end feels lighter than the home made rig I was using. Real test will be next beach hunt, when I am swinging for much longer period of time, as opposed to the park where I am constantly setting the detector down to dig pull tabs:laughing7:. Heading to the mountains of NC Thursday for a week, hope to get some permissions while there. Thx to Steve?s Detector Rods for the very well engineered parts(Buy American).
 

sphillips

Bronze Member
Jan 4, 2008
1,046
1,115
Western NC
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Equinox 800
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All Treasure Hunting
Just get a shoulder harness. Can even let go of your machine for those hands free moments. Detectors become like feathers.

Hey Bigscoop, I have a Minelab harness and just couldn’t get used to it, hanging in the garage collecting dust. Maybe when my arm is way older than 70 I’ll shake the dust off and keep on hunting.
 

sgoss66

Supporting Vendor
Supporting Vendor
Jan 11, 2011
1,084
1,394
Norman, OK
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Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab CTX 3030
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sphillips --

THANKS! I appreciate your business, and glad to hear that you note improvement in balance (that's the goal!)

Thank you!

Steve
 

wallrat_1975

Full Member
Jul 19, 2018
124
166
Collinsville, Oklahoma
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 1000 (800 + Steve's Carbon Goodies!),
Teknetics T2 SE LTD,
Teknetics Omega 8000,
Garret Carrot,
Tek-Point, 2 x Teknetics TLD
Primary Interest:
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Steve's shafts are fantastic. I just wish I wasn't so greedy and waited until the "fancy" colored ones came out. I've been hunting with them and the counterweight for almost 2 years. I do keep meticulous care of my equipment (some may call it overboard) but so far I have had zero issues and the investment was well worth the money. It's just a bonus that Steve happens to be a hell of a nice guy!

HH,
-Bill
 

sgoss66

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Supporting Vendor
Jan 11, 2011
1,084
1,394
Norman, OK
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab CTX 3030
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Metal Detecting
Bill,

THANK YOU for the very kind words -- about my shafts, and about me personally. I'm humbled...

Thanks!

Steve
 

RustyGold

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Aug 16, 2013
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Southern California
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I just ordered a new 7” counterweight and 4” extension from Steve. Should be here Tuesday.
Steve is a super nice person and is great to talk to for the perfect setup.
 

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pulltabfelix

pulltabfelix

Bronze Member
Jan 29, 2018
1,006
1,624
North Atlanta
Detector(s) used
Currently have CTX3030 and Vanquish 440.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Just get a shoulder harness. Can even let go of your machine for those hands free moments. Detectors become like feathers.

I had a swing harness when I used the 800 15" coil. Yes it did what it was supposed to do. But I did not like being harnessed to the detector when digging or kneeling recovering a target. Same reason I like wireless headphones, you don't have to be bothered with wires.

My setup is perfect for me now 800, coiltek 10 x 5" coil, Steve's rods and wireless headphones. took me a while to figure out that these enhancements really enhance my hunting experience.
 

sgoss66

Supporting Vendor
Supporting Vendor
Jan 11, 2011
1,084
1,394
Norman, OK
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab CTX 3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Rusty and Felix -- THANK YOU both, for the kind words, and your support!

Steve
 

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pulltabfelix

pulltabfelix

Bronze Member
Jan 29, 2018
1,006
1,624
North Atlanta
Detector(s) used
Currently have CTX3030 and Vanquish 440.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Well, the Equinox is at least supposed to be waterproof.

From Minelab:

Waterproof. EQUINOX is fully submersible, ideal for detecting at the beach and in rivers, streams and lakes. (3m / 10-feet).
I promise you you cannot take that claim to the bank. But you can send your 800 in to get it repaired and I hope yours would still be under warranty. Mine is past 3 years and maybe in knee deep water, but most of the good stuff in lake beach hunting is in chest deep water. Just won't take the risk now. Besides 90% of my hunting is relic hunting on land or small creeks.
 

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