CTX or Equinox

[Normsel]

I been wanting a CTX 3030 for about 3 years but since I have seen all the hype about the Equinox 800 I am kind of torn between which one I want now. I have an Etrac and a Spectra V3i and like them both but I don't need a new detector it's all about want and the challenge of a new detector. I am afraid if I buy a new detector I will be in divorce court.

She still reminds me of the AtPro I needed because the Ace 250 was good but the ATP was better and then the V3i was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then of course the Etrac that would bring home the bacon. I gave the Ace 250 to my grandson. I am thinking I may have to find a buyer for the V3i and the AtPro but used detectors don't bring much. I am not advertising them on here it's just my thoughts at the present.

I need a excuse to bite the bullet and buy a CTX or Equinox. I know that no matter which one I buy I will still long for the other one. I seen the pre release videos on the Equinox but they didn't prove much. I know a cpl guys that own the CTX and they swear by them but even with all they can do they miss stuff but that's more due to user error than the detector.

Maybe I should stay off Tnet because I have spent in excess of 3k following recommendations of guys from Tnet....lol

If I don't log on I won't be tempted

 

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[Agent Green]

I am getting the Equinox.. CTX was my first.. its a great machine... With the new technology who knows if Minelab isn't already
working on upgrade? If you get the CTX you will not be disappointed..

 

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[Benjamin52]

My 2 (euro)cents:

I have a CTX.
Unlike most others here I hunt in Europe, so the situation will be a bit different.

Someone said the Equinox was made to outclass the At max or something like that I read.

I personally believe the Equinox is the Minelab answer to the XP Deus. If you look at the price, design, functions, it's basically a juiced-up waterproof XP DEUS.
And I think I know why.
I hunt with buddies who mostly have the XP DEUS and I know the CTX very well but I do not find significantly more. I have to say, we hunt mainly fields and forests and do not want to miss tiny celtic or medieval coins. It is not like in the US where deep silver or relics are priority.

So minelab had to counter the XP deus for european hunters and also compete in the US and Australia where the Deus is getting more and more popularity also..

If I were to buy a new detector now, I would probably buy an XP deus or wait and buy the Equinox because the 2000 bucks for the CTX is just not worth the tiny improvement and extra features it brings. If I were a beach jewelry hunter, maybe the CTX might be better, but other than that I have yet to hear a good argument.

Don't get me wrong, I love my CTX and found all kinds of ancient stuff, but the weight just kills you after 4 hours and you see your buddies whippin' their Deuses all over the place and making the same finds you start to think...

Good luck with whatever detector you buy!

 

[marjam]

I have said that hope the equinox is great, but we won't know for sure until it is tried out in the field. we will see how it does in tests and reviews. I am looking forward to them. The other top models have proven their worth already so comparing them with the equinox will be the litmus test.

 

[rickbrk]

I'm gonna wait till the equinox is out a while before I even think about it. Of course there is a lot of hype since it's a we machine and most videos out now are minelab sponsored so of course it is going to be the greatest machine ever. So far I am not totally impressed yet.

 

[smokeythecat]

Marjan and rickbrk are correct. We will know...sometime this year. The hype is getting annoying. The Equinox will be like every other machine out there. That is, good for some people and their sites, not for others. I have purchased at least 3 machines I plain did not like. They were all sold within 3 months. There was nothing at all wrong with any of them. I just plain did not like them. One was too hard to learn, the other too nose heavy, the other oversold due to the hype. Didn't live up to the expectations. Expect the same to happen with this one. It's just how it is and has nothing to do with how good or bad any given machine is, or any manufacturer. One interesting thing. At the retail price, what did they leave out?

 

[Normsel]

I actually think the equinox is going to be the test detector for the ctx replacement I would guess that will be out in about 2 yrs. I think the new ctx will use upgraded equinox technology along with the other features the ctx already has. The ctx came out in 2012 and I would think 2020 would be the target date for the ctx replacement. I am getting the equinox no matter what. Being 73 I don't think I have many detecting years left in this old body

 

[pearson]

The CTX is a beast. It’s the baddest detector on the market to date.

I have one, and I’ve never regretted buying it.

Just ask Gary Drayton, the metal detection master. He uses the 3030 on the Curse of Oak Island.

It out performs anything on the market right now