In the market for a new detector

[TheHbeast]

Hello, I am looking for an upgrade to a middle tier detector to replace my Garret 250 and I'd love some suggestions!
1)I want one that has a steady tone instead of single beeps.
2)I want one that gives numbers
3)RUGGED (really important, I am not a careful man)
4)good discrimination
5)all-round rather than specific function. I like to hunt copper/brass, but would still like to coinshoot and silver as well
6) not super heavy
7) deep would be nice, but not a super must
8) relatively large search coil

I know very little about frequencies and all that, so dumb it down please hahaha
Please let me know suggestions! I really loved the 250 if that helps at all, a hell of a detector (for what I know)

 

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[TheGreenBoy]

A steady tone...this sounds like a non-motion machine. Those a rare and i belive none with a VDI number. Look at the C.Scope series, such as cs1220 or similar. Or maybe some PI detectors where the non-motion is more natural, however, those are completely different tools and you might find difficult to get an affortable price with fair discrimination.

 

[A2coins]

I love my Nox but for all around heavy duty, easy to use not a ton of settings and works well in all terrain accept salt water the Garrett AT series its not a multi frequency machine but its deep water proof and I loved it like I said I have the nox but I miss my At .....Tommy

 

[cudamark]

I'm not there is one made that has all 8 of your desires. There will probably be a trade-off somewhere on your list (i.e. lightweight vs. rugged) I don't know what your budget is, but, take a look at the Minelab Equinox machines, as well as the XP Deus/Orx, and F75 Fisher. The Garrett AT Max is another option, but, I think the Equinox is a better machine and a better buy. If you plan on doing any salt water beach hunting, you can forget everything except the Equinox's. If you want/need it to be waterproof (I wouldn't buy anything else), the AT Garretts and the Equinox's fit the bill nicely.

 

[Centsless Detecting]

Hey Trashman. As a fellow Ace 250 guy I had the same questions. I have had a lot of fun finds with my machine over the last 3 years. Just see the posts ive made with it. Today, 5/17/2020, I pulled the trigger on a Equinox 800 through bigboyshobbies. Im looking forward to using it. It was $899 no tax no shipping charges and included a bunch of freebies. The owner called me a few hours after placing the order saying the carry bag was out of stock and he'd refund me $40 for the travel bag being out of stock. No big deal for me and I was greatful he gave me a heads up. Hope to recieve the machine soon and begin the next chapter in my treasure hunting career. Good luck to you and whatever choice you make with your next rig. TMD

 

[nuggetdog]

Hey Trashman. As a fellow Ace 250 guy I had the same questions. I have had a lot of fun finds with my machine over the last 3 years. Just see the posts ive made with it. Today, 5/17/2020, I pulled the trigger on a Equinox 800 through bigboyshobbies. Im looking forward to using it. It was $899 no tax no shipping charges and included a bunch of freebies. The owner called me a few hours after placing the order saying the carry bag was out of stock and he'd refund me $40 for the travel bag being out of stock. No big deal for me and I was greatful he gave me a heads up. Hope to recieve the machine soon and begin the next chapter in my treasure hunting career. Good luck to you and whatever choice you make with your next rig. TMD

Good choice, your going to love that 800. I probably will never use the carry bag Bart sent me, so ya, not a big deal.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Xp orx. Or Minelab Equinox 600. Those were my two choices to upgrade from the AT Pro. After a lot of research and decision making I chose the Xp Orx. Why? 1. Orx weighs one pound. 2. It’s faster than the Equinox. 3. It has a 5 yr warranty. 4. I felt the Orx was more solidly built than the Equinox. There were more things I liked better than the Equinox but these were the main reasons I chose it over the Minelab. You can also get a water kit with it that allows you to fully submerge it deeper than the Equinox. Xp will also warrant any damage if the remote should wet while using the kit. With all the complaints about the Equinox..wobbly shaft, breaking arm cuffs, coil ears and water intrusion issues I felt more confident choosing the Xp. Plus, I didn’t want to have to spend more money right after buying a Minelab to upgrade a shaft, arm cuff, or for coil ear problems. I would still love to have an Equinox one day but the Xp just fits better for me. Now,.. if it would only get here! I think the detector is stuck in transit, cause I haven’t had any tracking info since May 8th.

 

[cudamark]

Xp orx. Or Minelab Equinox 600. Those were my two choices to upgrade from the AT Pro. After a lot of research and decision making I chose the Xp Orx. Why? 1. Orx weighs one pound. 2. It’s faster than the Equinox. 3. It has a 5 yr warranty. 4. I felt the Orx was more solidly built than the Equinox. There were more things I liked better than the Equinox but these were the main reasons I chose it over the Minelab. You can also get a water kit with it that allows you to fully submerge it deeper than the Equinox. Xp will also warrant any damage if the remote should wet while using the kit. With all the complaints about the Equinox..wobbly shaft, breaking arm cuffs, coil ears and water intrusion issues I felt more confident choosing the Xp. Plus, I didn’t want to have to spend more money right after buying a Minelab to upgrade a shaft, arm cuff, or for coil ear problems. I would still love to have an Equinox one day but the Xp just fits better for me. Now,.. if it would only get here! I think the detector is stuck in transit, cause I haven’t had any tracking info since May 8th.

The XP's are not without their complaints too. I don't know if they've overcome some of the Deus woes with the Orx, but, charging clips were pretty weak at one point. The cost of extra coils is a lot higher than just about any other machine, and, have you actually used one of those water kits for one? Pretty hokey IMO, and since you're only using one frequency at a time, they don't do too great in salt water. The Equinox shaft wobble has been solved as far as I know. I think it was a bit overblown from the beginning, but, then again, I didn't have a problem with mine. As for replacement shafts, I have two of them. One for each coil for easy swaps. Steve's Detecting Rods makes and excellent one. I haven't broken an arm rest either, but, I admit, they don't look particularly strong. Upgraded replacements are readily available for those too should you need one. The coil ears are weak. So far, they've been sending you new coils for ones that fail. After the warranty runs out? Who knows what they will do. Orx is lighter.....sure by a little......and faster......maybe a hair. Water leaks? All water machines will have failures. So far Minelab has stood behind them and has been quick with replacements. Considering the number of them sold, the failure rate isn't all that high, and I understand it's a manufacturing defect, not a design flaw. So, when you get it, dunk it. If it's going to leak, it will do it right away probably not down the road, unless you break the housing. Don't get me wrong, XP makes a great machine too, but, it's not all sunshine and roses either. All makes and models have their strong and weak points.

 

[smokeythecat]

I replaced my clip once on the XP Deus, haven't had to do it again. They upped their game with the newest software version and it goes pretty deep now in wet salt beach environments. You don't really need extra coils with it. If you buy one with the High frequency coil, you can also use a lower frequency on it. It blows away old sites with the 74 khz setting, which is MUCH HIGHER than the Equinox or new Apex. What we need to remember is most of our sites have been hit with machines from 5 khz to 20 khz for decades now. A multi frequency machine in those ranges seems to be just yesterday's meatloaf, because lots of folks with lots of different machines have been there and done that. That 74 khz is the bomb. Other than that one cheap clip, I haven't been able to break my Deus. I have owned basically all of the above machines. The Deus, with practice will discriminate out most aluminum. No fooling. Tin cans have a "hollow" sound to them. I dig them anyway, to get them out of the way in case there is something else in the hole, but have never mistaken a CW belt plate for a can. And that one farm has both, sometimes a few feet apart! Pulltabs are a little tougher, but the signal breaks up somewhat. Haven't been fooled by one yet. Aluminum foil is a no brainer for my Deus. The only type of aluminum I have had problems with are melted nuggets and some of the screw on caps. Fortunately, I only run into a few of them every year. Since I tend to dig the aluminum just to make sure 'I'm not missing anything, I have not mistaken gold for aluminum and vice versa. The Deus sucked out a handful of Civil War buttons out of an exhausted camp today. Still in the pouch, I have to start cleaning and preserving them tomorrow. Under 2 pounds.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

The XP's are not without their complaints too. I don't know if they've overcome some of the Deus woes with the Orx, but, charging clips were pretty weak at one point. The cost of extra coils is a lot higher than just about any other machine, and, have you actually used one of those water kits for one? Pretty hokey IMO, and since you're only using one frequency at a time, they don't do too great in salt water. The Equinox shaft wobble has been solved as far as I know. I think it was a bit overblown from the beginning, but, then again, I didn't have a problem with mine. As for replacement shafts, I have two of them. One for each coil for easy swaps. Steve's Detecting Rods makes and excellent one. I haven't broken an arm rest either, but, I admit, they don't look particularly strong. Upgraded replacements are readily available for those too should you need one. The coil ears are weak. So far, they've been sending you new coils for ones that fail. After the warranty runs out? Who knows what they will do. Orx is lighter.....sure by a little......and faster......maybe a hair. Water leaks? All water machines will have failures. So far Minelab has stood behind them and has been quick with replacements. Considering the number of them sold, the failure rate isn't all that high, and I understand it's a manufacturing defect, not a design flaw. So, when you get it, dunk it. If it's going to leak, it will do it right away probably not down the road, unless you break the housing. Don't get me wrong, XP makes a great machine too, but, it's not all sunshine and roses either. All makes and models have their strong and weak points.

Don’t get me wrong about the Equinox. The Xp just seemed to fit the bill better for me. I only have fresh water lakes where I am so salt water capability right now is not a requirement. The orx can be used in mineralized areas as well. Maybe not quite as good as the Minelab but I’ve also heard stories of the Equinox struggling in wet salt where the sensitivity has to be turned down. Location also plays a part. I took my AT pro down to Mexico hunting in the salt water and surprising how good it handled not having to sacrifice a lot of sensitivity. Those charging clips aren’t a big issue, cheap fix. A lot of the problems were people wiggling them thinking the coil wasn’t charging so they would keep wiggling them and the probes would loosen from this and break. can also make your own charging clip. As far as the water kit which I ordered and got here b4 the detector, is quite durable. I have a water proof case for my phone that is very similar in material and has never leaked while water hunting. I’ve never heard anything yet about an Xp flooding from a bad water kit. Maybe you think it’s hokey but I think it’s just a simple, plain, effective water proof case that works and made to do one thing only,..seal and keep dry. The case is rated for even deeper than Equinox or AT pro, so I’m not worried about dunking it. Heck if one wanted to, you could put the remote in a small ziplock bag first then into the water case and have extra security. Lol. Sure too like you say, water machines will have failures but not all do. I’ve had my AT pro over 10 yrs and it has been under water more than a duck, and not one problem. I had the original stock coil go on me 2 months after I got it and that was it all. As for the coils, sure they’re pricy but everything is pricy these days and the way Ive always found it, you get what you pay for.

 

[smokeythecat]

Irishgoldhound, I am staying out of the water this year. I braved the Virginia woods today, and don't think I picked up any ticks. I have been home since 2 pm and am STILL searching for ticks. Whew! Those AT pro's take a lickin' and keep on tickin'!

I sold my Equinox because of the now infamous shaft wobble and it being nose heavy and hurt my wrist and arm. I would assume they have fixed the wobble, but you have to get an after market shaft for it and of course pay for it. Two things I found annoying about the Equinox, if you got several pieces of metal under the loop at the same time, it got real confused (my best site you can easily have 10 under the small XP Deus coil at the same time, like my buttons from today), and the pinpointing was ok. Just ok doesn't cut it for me anymore. I guess I'm spoiled now.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Irishgoldhound, I am staying out of the water this year. I braved the Virginia woods today, and don't think I picked up any ticks. I have been home since 2 pm and am STILL searching for ticks. Whew! Those AT pro's take a lickin' and keep on tickin'!

I sold my Equinox because of the now infamous shaft wobble and it being nose heavy and hurt my wrist and arm. I would assume they have fixed the wobble, but you have to get an after market shaft for it and of course pay for it. Two things I found annoying about the Equinox, if you got several pieces of metal under the loop at the same time, it got real confused (my best site you can easily have 10 under the small XP Deus coil at the same time, like my buttons from today), and the pinpointing was ok. Just ok doesn't cut it for me anymore. I guess I'm spoiled now.

Those darn ticks don’t waste any time. The snow doesn’t even fully melt here and the ticks are out already. Wood ticks, Corona Virus, mosquitoes..oh my!!
That’s another reason I went with the Xp, I heard the Equinox was hurting a lot of guys wrists and being a bit nose heavy. After swinging the heavy AT pro for 10 years I know all about that, so I wanted to spoil myself and get a really light weight detector.

Nice job on the buttons!! Tick checking definitely comes first though then clean your buttons.

 

[smokeythecat]

No ticks. But I itched mentally for 8 hours last night!

 

[marjam]

There are a lot of light machines out there now. All that are mentioned by others are good. If you say you want something durable, in reference to the lower shaft, I would try to get one that isn't made of flimsy plastic. I have tried some where the lower shaft flexes a bit if you push the coil just ever so slightly on the ground while pinpointing, and the shift was made of very flimsy plastic. It felt like a little more pressure and it would snap. I won't mention the brand but you can probably research and find out. Don't want to open that can of worms.

If your definition of durable includes waterproof, include your decision with that aspect. If i were in the market right now for a detector, I would look for one that was waterproof even if you don't plan to water hunt so you can hunt in the rain if you choose with no worries. And there are more and more choices with that aspect. But do your research. All of those aren't equal. Get one that has a good size coil, good recovery speed, and relatively accurate vdi/target id. As far as brand, go with the most popular brands mentioned, because for one, there will be many videos and reviews to look at and gather information from.

The most important thing to make sure you are happy with what you get is, if you have the opportunity, is get your hands on one you have your eye on before you buy, that way you will know if you like it or not before purchase. Good luck in your decision, and happy hunting...

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Hello, I am looking for an upgrade to a middle tier detector to replace my Garret 250 and I'd love some suggestions!
1)I want one that has a steady tone instead of single beeps.
2)I want one that gives numbers
3)RUGGED (really important, I am not a careful man)
4)good discrimination
5)all-round rather than specific function. I like to hunt copper/brass, but would still like to coinshoot and silver as well
6) not super heavy
7) deep would be nice, but not a super must
8) relatively large search coil

I know very little about frequencies and all that, so dumb it down please hahaha
Please let me know suggestions! I really loved the 250 if that helps at all, a hell of a detector (for what I know)

Fisher F-75 run in All-Metal mode lets you set an audible threshold. As far as "discrimination" however, you'll have to use the display to decide because it does not mask-out while in All Metal. (But you'll have a killer Discrimination mode as well - just no audible threshold signal). You can set something like 18 different pitches so you can minimize the annoyance.



I sometimes run this way when searching fields and woods. But it drives me nuts anywhere there is a lot of trash and junk.