Which is the best??

[RelicMedic]

Hey folks. Looking at adding another detector to my arsenal, but also looking for the best machine for use in heavy iron. I'm currently using my faithful Minelab Etrac, but we all know it's a slow machine. I'm looking for the best recovery speed with minimal flashing. So far, I'm leaning towards an equinox 800 or a Deus. I'm really hoping for some input, especially from those who use a Deus and Nox. Thanks alot in advance

 

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[BC1969]

Ugh.. You had to ask this question.
Be prepared for an onslaught of mine is better than yours comments.
But since you asked.
Fisher CZ3D.. A 1021 model.
Nothing is better for old deep coins. Period.

 

[RelicMedic]

Ugh.. You had to ask this question.
Be prepared for an onslaught of mine is better than yours comments.
But since you asked.
Fisher CZ3D.. A 1021 model.
Nothing is better for old deep coins. Period.

Haha ok. I'll be more specific. Equinox 800, minelab etrac or xp deus in heavy iron?

 

[BC1969]

Okay. I'll put my 3 1/2 inch coil on my machine.
I bet that I can do equally as well as those machines.
Detector ability lies within the operator and their ability to understand what their machine is trying to tell them.
Ask any old school.
Target separation is not that hard.. No matter how much iron is present.
Ask yourself, can any of those machines pull a mercury dime at 12 inches with a 3 and a half inch coil? Nope.
Tried and tested.

 

[lairmo]

Here we go...again...lol Actually, I'm TOTALLY good with this, because I want a new machine myself and considering the same two...PROCEED...

 

[smokeythecat]

Please take a look at the banner with the guy in the hole. It's the one on the far left as of today. That's my buddy Tommy. This was the fourth day we dug this hole on an iron infested colonial site.

He has an 800. It is a good machine. In a wide open bean field, or whatever field you have, the standard coil probably goes a little deeper than my Deus with the 9.5" HF elliptical coil. Probably. It is also deeper in salt water. Fortunately for me, I don't go in the water. Too many monsters.

With that said. We were trying to pull out the last of the non ferrous items in this hole which got quite large. He had the 800 and it went berserk. It could not "lock" onto any of the signals and the iron just blew the machine's mind. The VDI was useless and I could the mish mash of tones he was trying to sort through. There was iron of all kinds in the hole and nearby. I finally said to just put it away and let's use this - the Deus. The Deus had no problems picking out the buttons and other small items out of the iron, without having to deal with the iron itself. And there was a LOT of iron in the hole, of all shapes and sizes.

In a CW camp in Virginia, the 800 dig pretty good in the hut sites, the Deus did a little better. They are loaded with small bits of iron, most of the larger stuff has been removed as of now.

If you're in a money crunch, get the 800. If you want an edge in iron, get the Deus and order it with the 9.5" elliptical coil, it is miles apart from the standard coil.

 

[RelicMedic]

That's what I'm looking for, separation, something fast that is tried and true for picking targets out of iron that the etrac misses. I've been using the etrac gir over 5 years and know it like the back of my hand. It's a slow machine (recovery speed). That's where my curiosity lies. Should I stick with the etrac, or pick up an Equinox 800 or deus. That's the million dollar question lol

 

[JoeVal]

I know just enough about detecting to be dangerous, so my opinion is probably not appropriate for this thread. But it’s interesting, nonetheless, as I worked a city park today that was loaded with iron and at least a bazillion pull tabs...new and old styles, with my Equinox 600. I run my machine "wide open" with full metal, max sensitivity and 11-12 threshold.

While sweeping in the heavily infested areas, if I heard a high tone I was able to "find it" among the trash almost every time, usually without the pinpoint function. The difficult high tones to sort out were the ones that were showing up full depth on the scale, which for this area is at least 10-12” deep. Without trash, I have dug several target the past two weeks on the beach that exceeded two pinpointers in depth.

As a casual hobbyist, I just can’t see spending the kind of money that a Deus commands, but I can appreciate that it’s probably a more sophisticated and deeper machine than my 600...at least it better be for that price point.

Good luck with your decision. I’m glad I’m not making it!

 

[mrwilburino]

My Deus with just the original 9" LF coil will pick up things in iron that my CTX with 6" coil won't. No matter how slowly I move that coil, it just can't make up for the CTX's slower reset speed. Not one of the strong points of the fbs units but they are definitely great machines in other ways. For hunting in dense iron, go with the Equinox or the Deus.

 

[RelicMedic]

My Deus with just the original 9" LF coil will pick up things in iron that my CTX with 6" coil won't. No matter how slowly I move that coil, it just can't make up for the CTX's slower reset speed. Not one of the strong points of the fbs units but they are definitely great machines in other ways. For hunting in dense iron, go with the Equinox or the Deus.

That was exactly my question; deus or equinox. Maybe there is no real answer. I wish I had the opportunity to try them both before I buy!

 

[Iffy Signals]

I have had the CTX, Equinox and Deus. Sold the CtX for the same reason as your concern with recovery speed. Love the machine just really slow. I hunt iron infested cella holes here in NE so fast is needed. Next step was the Equinox and Deus i bought both and tested in my yard and at a bunch of cellas side by side. Like the Equinox but it really likes iron. I tried all kinds of settings for it and would still get high tones in the iron so it was a little frustating to hunt with. I tested it at home with modern nails and it did fine but at the cella holes you are dealing with 200 year old hamd forged nails that ping on the nox like its a Barber Quarter lol. Multi IQ might play a factor in the high toning on iron. Not sure if everyone deals with it or i did not give it enough time. Deus excels in iron and minimal iron falsing... yes you will dig horse shoes and big iron but you can tell most the time that the tones are iron tones. Deus has many tonal changes to the audio where the Nox really just beeps. Both machines are great and if i was a beach/park hunter i would use the Nox. Where i hunt in deep iron the Deus is king. Hope this helps. Any questions let me know.

 

[RelicMedic]

That is bang on, 100% what I was wondering. THANK YOU! I hunt colonial cellar holes, exclusively. If I'm going to drop a bunch of money on a new detector, I want it to be the one that will benefit me the most for my style of detecting. Every decision to buy that I've made so far, has been based on other peoples observations and experiences, and I/you have not been wrong yet. I have an Etrac for farm fields, an excalibur II for underwater, for example, and those purchases were made with the knowledge and opinions of the people that used that specific machine as well as other brands. They chose those as the winners, so I opened my wallet. Same is true in this case. I'll see if I can find a gently used Deus with a 9" coil.

 

[Peter67]

Both are good but the last time i have the Deus more in my hands then my Equinox 800. The ID display from 0-40 on the Nox is a hughe negative for me. Don't get me wrong, i think that the Nox is a very good detector but i like the Deus more.

 

[Jacza]

Makro Multi Kruzer is the fastest machine :-)

https://youtu.be/ylmCePCJw_E?t=290