Really confused as to why everybody is acting like nothing compares to the equinox

Jan 24, 2020
10
15
Nj
Detector(s) used
Main: nokta anfibio multi
Backup: se pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
So my brother got an equinox 800 and I looked at it since it’s release and thought he should pick it up uprgrading from the safari.. I really wasn’t feeling the nox all to much so I did extensive research and thought about the deus and the anfibio multi... ended up settling on the multi I liked the style the easy menu navigation yet the amount you could tweak everything to your personal preference and owning the se pro I wasn’t all that I need simultaneous multi frequency as I had the se and found some fantastic things with it and the anfibio peaked my interest because of the performance while being able to get concentric coils for really iron infested sites without having to buy a coil to change frequency’s like on the deus and minelab only had the dd coils. Anyway to my point, my brother and I have gone out several times him with his nox and me with the multi and there has been three scenarios that make me wonder why everybody on this forum says nox and only nox.

Scenario one: field hunt this field has been haunted by three minelabs etrac, se pro, and safari and also hit hard with a whites mxt pro (all great detectors) we overlap each coil swing and grid out the areas in order to ensure that we find as much as we can he was running field 2 recovery 5 iron bias 2 ground balanced and noise cancelled in multi frequency I was running the anfibio in 5 tone mode 89 gain (really not a fan of three tone mode isn’t deep at all) 14khz in the pretty irony spots and 20 khz in the iron infested spots disc 0 with iron volume at 2 every other tone at 5 and ground balance at 72we both hit our sides of the field for about two and a half hours each finding approximately 10 non ferrous goodies neck and neck and then we switched sides running the same settings just opposite sides to see what each other’s detectors could sniff out gridding out his section of field I found a liberty cap lc (on edge) and two pieces of a pewter cap gun and one button he found 2 pull tabs and that was it pretty even with a slight edge to the anfibio!


Scenario 2 again we were hunting an old site this one with far more iron than the last and emi was hot due to power lines only 20 30 yrds from where we were detecting I took the front first again same setting except gain at 82 and and ground balance at 68 my brother and nox took the side this time in multi frequency,park 2 recovery speed 7, and iron bias at two or three can’t remember noise cancelled and ground balanced I found a 1841 token with a ship on it exact same size as a large cent about 8 8/12 inches down and only 2 buttons (this site again has been pounded by previous minelabs and Garret at pro 5x8 coil from every angle) my brother had found a few wheats and a button or two neck and neck again.. then we switched sides about two hours after the start of our hunt to each other’s section this time the nokta found 3 shotgun caps, one wheat, and a garter clip again not much but for running right behind nox 800 (the detector that would obsolete all vlf detectors) not bad at all the nox 800 pulled one clad dime and a rusty button from the 60s or so. So again slight advantage to the nokta

Scenario 3: and this was the biggest surprise for me because I was walking exact same footprints of my brother ( knew this because of snow) new virgin permission but a tiny yard not been hit that we know of. Very iron infested so both of us ran same settings as scenario 2 we both took our sides working to the back of the house then switching sides as this is our normal routine both of us finding clad and not much else up to that point and again we switched sides this time working to the front of the house walking in his exact footsteps I had 6 non ferrous signals a clad dime, zinc penny, and cap gun handle, the other three the ground was too frozen to get too so could be anything
Conclusion in my opinion both detectors have their niche and each one is probably slightly better than the other or equivalent in certain situations but to say that there is no vlf that compares to the nox is just wrong there’s places I’d rather have the nox and places I’d take the anfibio just showing anybody who wants to see real un biased results what my experience has been. I’ve always used minelab and my brothers too my cousin is a whites guy I wanted something different for once and it turns out I couldn’t be happier my se pro probably won’t be seeing much time unless I make a trip to the beach but just remember to keep your potions open it’s not the nox and nox only out here there’s some very capable detectors and if it wasn’t for the expensive coils to change the frequency on the deus I’d own one of them too every detector has its niche it’s up to you to decide on personal preferences not someone else’s. And weight on anfibio isn’t an issue for me and I’ve had a herniated disc in my back for last ten years and do masonry also if it don’t bother me 90% shouldn’t have an issue good luck and happy hunting
 

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Treasure_Hunter

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Jul 27, 2006
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I will take multi freq over single freq every toime.


Suggestion, please use some paragraphs....
 

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GoDeep

Bronze Member
Nov 12, 2016
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Welcome to TreasureNet! I personally haven't seen anyone claiming "nothing compares to the Equinox". What people have said though is it's a great all purpose machine for a great price with features never before seen on a sub $800 machine. At the time of it's introduction, it re-set the standards with a simultaneous multi-frequency, water resistant, wireless headphones, rechargeable with downloadable updates all for $600-800.

Using anecdotal scenarios such as "I found more then he did with my XXX" or "his machine wouldn't even register on my find" or who can forget the classic "I walked behind him with my XXX and cleaned up everything he missed" can be misleading. These types of scenarios speak more to the users skill and methods and the machine settings then it does anything else.
 

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LawrencetheMDer

Hero Member
Feb 22, 2014
978
2,386
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Like ALL metal detectors, their success is based on the hands of the holder and their niche in the complex interaction of their features and environment in which they are operated.

:laughing3::rolleyes:
Larry; put the drink down, I think you've had enough....

2020
Gold - 14
Silver - 17
 

OP
OP
K
Jan 24, 2020
10
15
Nj
Detector(s) used
Main: nokta anfibio multi
Backup: se pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I will take multi freq over single freq every toime.


Suggestion, please use some paragraphs....

Clearly you would either your a minelab guy or you do a more beach hunting than land hunting minelab is far more stable on the beach and just plain better than vlf on the beach that is why I haven’t sold my se pro..... but I’ve seen plenty of times my cousin with his mxt pro wipe the floor with my fbs multi frequency se pro and my brothers e trac and my other brothers safari.. don’t be close minded my good sir!

Will use more paragraphs in the future this is the first thread I posted lol
 

OP
OP
K
Jan 24, 2020
10
15
Nj
Detector(s) used
Main: nokta anfibio multi
Backup: se pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Welcome to TreasureNet! I personally haven't seen anyone claiming "nothing compares to the Equinox".
I agree that you don’t hear people say that but you don’t see them mentioning anything other than the nox when asking about new detectors lol that’s all you see “have you looked at the nox” it’s an amazingly versatile machine... just would like to see some people mention something other than the nox its good to get multiple perspectives!!

And 99% of the time I would agree with you on the following behind him and finding stuff may be the user or knowledge of the detector except I’ve been detecting with my brother since the beginning I know he doesn’t take any shortcuts and he’s had his machine months longer than I have had mine and researched everything there is to know about the nox for about a year before buying it and not saying he doesn’t find a ton of goodies was just exposing there are times where one frequency can be as productive or slightly more productive than simultaneous multi is all
 

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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A lot of folks think the Equinox is the best thing since white bread for one of several possible reasons. They could be Minelab fanboys. Then of course its a given. It happens with all companies. They upgraded from a $199 machine. Then yes, it would be the best thing since white bread. They slowed down and paid more attention to the targets trying to learn the machine and so found more stuff. Their techniques changed, for the better. Instead of running through a site, they walked slower, thus turning their "Z" pattern with the open unsearched areas in the "Z" turning into tighter closed zipper lines. The ground conditions changed. They just got lucky. The Equinox is a good machine. I had one. It got used. It didn't live up to the hype and I sold it and kept the Deus and Cibola. Regarding my statement about techniques and ground conditions here is a case in point. I went back to one of my Civil War sites and in 4 days pulled out 38 buttons! I had been over and over this area, but the soil conditions were just right and I nailed it.

You can change frequencies on the Deus without changing a loop.

GoDeep has some good points.

I have gone behind every machine known to God and man and found more items. I use the Deus, but my Tesoro Cibola did the same thing. Multi frequency is a sales pitch. It is real, I THINK it's one frequency with two harmonics running off of it. If my life depended on me designing or understanding a detector, I'd die pretty fast. The Equinox is a good machine, but it didn't make anything obsolete. It is still a vlf machine. Go with what machine you like best.
 

OP
OP
K
Jan 24, 2020
10
15
Nj
Detector(s) used
Main: nokta anfibio multi
Backup: se pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
A lot of folks think the Equinox is the best thing since white bread for one of several possible reasons. They could be Minelab fanboys. Then of course its a given. It happens with all companies. They upgraded from a $199 machine. Then yes, it would be the best thing since white bread. They slowed down and paid more attention to the targets trying to learn the machine and so found more stuff. Their techniques changed, for the better. Instead of running through a site, they walked slower, thus turning their "Z" pattern with the open unsearched areas in the "Z" turning into tighter closed zipper lines. The ground conditions changed. They just got lucky. The Equinox is a good machine. I had one. It got used. It didn't live up to the hype and I sold it and kept the Deus and Cibola. Regarding my statement about techniques and ground conditions here is a case in point. I went back to one of my Civil War sites and in 4 days pulled out 38 buttons! I had been over and over this area, but the soil conditions were just right and I nailed it.

You can change frequencies on the Deus without changing a loop.

GoDeep has some good points.

I have gone behind every machine known to God and man and found more items. I use the Deus, but my Tesoro Cibola did the same thing. Multi frequency is a sales pitch. It is real, I THINK it's one frequency with two harmonics running off of it. If my life depended on me designing or understanding a detector, I'd die pretty fast. The Equinox is a good machine, but it didn't make anything obsolete. It is still a vlf machine. Go with what machine you like best.


Thank you that’s pretty much all I was getting at I like minelabs but I don’t think they obsolete anything maybe other than an at series or ace series lol wasn’t bagging on any detectors either just wanted to make an honest thread about my experiences with the Anfibio and nox800 and if I had to make a choice between the two again after putting thirty hours on the anfibio I’d choose the anfibio again my se pro will do just fine for me at the beach
 

smokeythecat

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I'd kind of like to try an Anfibio but won't buy a detector at this time.
 

A2coins

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Dec 20, 2015
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Smokey nailed it use what you like alot of it is getting your coil over the target treasure hunting is about fun I like working and restoring old cars but I have more than 1 tool in my box..... I have the Nox 800 but I had the AT series also a good machine depending what your hunting whos using it ect ect. Cant live happy worrying about others opinions right or wrong!!!!!!!!!! I see great finds posted using just about every machine out there just have.fun and thats treasure in itself...
 

Terry Soloman

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It is always more about the operator than the machine. Now the Anfibio is a single-frequency, high kHz machine, which the Equinox 800 can mimic easily. The Anfibio, is worthless on a saltwater beach. I will give the edge to ANY operator that has 200+ hours on whatever machine they are using. :skullflag:
 

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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I think I'm going to take up collecting sea shells I buy off Ebay!
 

djackson7348

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Mar 30, 2013
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I have had various machines from several manufacturers over the last 38 years. I am extremely happy with my Equinox. By far the best machine I have owned to date, and it should be since it is the newest technology I have had the chance to use to date. I can say I have some great finds made with every machine I have owned and dug tons of trash as well. But bottom line, You can make finds if you have a machine, learn how to use it and get out in the field. The newer technology is just icing on the cake.
 

RustyGold

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Aug 16, 2013
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Thank you rusty gold

Sorry Had to repost...
Very good write up Kevin and I have to agree. When I take my Deus and equinox to the beach my Deus finds me more goodies because I guess I just know the Deus better. Where my Nox is telling me a completely rusted out bottle cap is a ring the Deus tells me it’s a rusty bottle cap.
 

Tahts-a-dats-ago

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Apr 30, 2014
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IMO the important thing is that you found the right machine for you.

While the Equinox is a popular machine (on the forums anyway) it just doesn't appeal to me. Of course some of my favorite machines aren't all that popular with those that visit the forums. That's OK, because as long as I'm the one paying for my machine(s) I'll buy the machine(s) that I believe will best suit my needs/whims - whether my choices are the more popular machines or not.

If I didn't own a Multi Kruzer I'd buy a Multi Anfibio, but as it is I don't believe the Multi Anfibio offers a significant improvement over the Kruzer so I'll stick with what I have for the time being. Others may well disagree - and that's fine with me - but it is my money, my whims, and my choice.

I'm not knocking anybody's choice of machine - I assume that they bought the machine that they believe will best fit their needs/whims/wallet - but I don't feel compelled to own the most popular machine either. If they're happy, I'm happy for them.
 

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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Yeah, I'm not sure why each manufacturer thinks everyone in the world will buy their newest model. The math never works that way. Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Too hot, too cold, too grey...whatever...
 

pulltabfelix

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Jan 29, 2018
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I have had the 800 since March 2019 and here is some of what I have learned.

It is a very good all around detector for the person who will do coin shooting, relic hunting, beach and gold hunting. Not many detectors do all these four types of hunting as well as the Equinox 800.
Are there better relic machines? Probably the XP Deus. Are there better beach machines. Of course. Are there better gold machines? again yes. But for the person who thinks they might want to do 3 out of 4 or 4 out of four of the above types of hunting, the Equinox is tops.

Minelab engineers decided that we have probably reached the depth limits of modern metal detectors due to physics. Thus on the equinox they decided to put a lot of effort on unmasking coins. Masked coins in the past have been hidden from a lot of detectors. The equinox using Multi-IQ or multi-frequency technology has very good unmasking capabilities. Using the standard modes with some modest tweaking of the recovery speed, iron balance and sensitivity will increase you ability to unmask coins, rings etc that other detectors have been unable to find.

The truth is a lot of these masked good targets in trashy environments are often really not that deep. Less than 7 inches. To exploit these capabilities of the 800 you really have to understand your 800 and what the settings for recovery speed, iron balance, sensitivity are really intended to accomplish. Only then can you employ them effectively on your specific hunts. Hint: Really understand what the different modes are, what are the default settings and why they are what they are. Then only modify them a little to fit your situation. On recovery speed for instance, you rarely have to move it more than one level up or down from the default setting. The reason is that the default mode settings when used with a 11" stock coil are almost spot on for that mode's type of hunting.


I have proved that to myself many times with my 800.

Conclusion is that many detectorists who specialize in one type of hunting will generally get the best machine for their type of hunting, and it is not always going to be an Equinox.
 

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pa-dirt_nc-sand

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Sounds like you are rocking the Anfibio, awesome! Welcome to Tnet. Post your finds and have fun with your bro.
 

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