Decided on the ORX instead of...

[Irishgoldhound]

Well, I’ve been doing a lot of research and watching lots of videos to best decide what I should upgrade to from my AT pro. I’ve been using the AT for quite a few years and I’m ready for a better machine. I have 2 more months of snow on the ground and ice on the lakes for sure b4 I can start my season hunting again. All winter I’ve been really interested and really sure about getting the Equinox but after watching and reading all about the Xp Orx for sometime now, it seems to offer a lot of good features. I really love the features of the Equinox as well but I just don’t feel confident in its durability as much as the Xp. I will eventually get the Equinox along with the Xp but I feel i would end up having problems with the Equinox sooner than the Xp. All the issues with water intrusion and battery gasket not up to par, it doesn’t seem to be an “actual” water proof machine that can withstand hrs of submersion. Now I realize the Orx is not water proof on its own but the after market water kit you can buy is pretty cool and makes it a game changer for sure. So now I can take my compact powerful remote and turn into a water machine that’s now submersible to 5 metres instead of minelabs 3 metres. Hmmmm. For some reason I feel more confident in a water proof case that’s made specifically to keep water out instead of dunking a machine that’s still questionable in this department. Xp is just as comparable in depth as the Equinox from what I’ve been hearing and seeing and it’s weight and recovery speed are hard to pass up with these features. So for me who is primarily a beach and water hunter I’m really loving how this machine can be set up to be so compact, lightweight and versatile..and it just looks and sounds more reliable and built with quality and durability compared to the Equinox. So I think the Xp orx fits the bill better than the Minelab right now as my first upgrade and the Equinox i will get later.

 

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[smokeythecat]

I went out with vferrari today to my honey hole and he brought his ORX. Now we've been over and over the ground, but the farmer disced late December and I haven't been up there much. In theory we shouldn't have gotten much but we did pretty good. He was using the ORX and it did great. I used the Deus and it also did great.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

I went out with vferrari today to my honey hole and he brought his ORX. Now we've been over and over the ground, but the farmer disced late December and I haven't been up there much. In theory we shouldn't have gotten much but we did pretty good. He was using the ORX and it did great. I used the Deus and it also did great.

Good to hear! Yeah I really would like the Deus but the cost of the Orx and it’s performance up to par with its big bro, are more than enough for my needs.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Good to hear! Yeah I really would like the Deus but the cost of the Orx and it’s performance up to par with its big bro, are more than enough for my needs.

I’m just wondering how the water kit works. I’ve watched videos but what I don’t understand is...the earphones that come with the kit, how does the cord for the ear phones go into the remote through the water proof pouch?

 

[RustyGold]

I’m just wondering how the water kit works. I’ve watched videos but what I don’t understand is...the earphones that come with the kit, how does the cord for the ear phones go into the remote through the water proof pouch?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yPQfAODytxw

 

[Irishgoldhound]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yPQfAODytxw

Thanks RG. I’ve watched that video b4 but now I see. I didn’t notice b4 the wire that connects on the inside and then another that is on the outside. Thank you!

 

[Irishgoldhound]

So does the antenna always have to be above water or when it’s attached to clip on the pouch with remote, and if that goes under water, will it still give signals?

 

[RustyGold]

So does the antenna always have to be above water or when it’s attached to clip on the pouch with remote, and if that goes under water, will it still give signals?

It must or it wouldn’t be an underwater kit.

 

[vferrari]

Well, I’ve been doing a lot of research and watching lots of videos to best decide what I should upgrade to from my AT pro. I’ve been using the AT for quite a few years and I’m ready for a better machine. I have 2 more months of snow on the ground and ice on the lakes for sure b4 I can start my season hunting again. All winter I’ve been really interested and really sure about getting the Equinox but after watching and reading all about the Xp Orx for sometime now, it seems to offer a lot of good features. I really love the features of the Equinox as well but I just don’t feel confident in its durability as much as the Xp. I will eventually get the Equinox along with the Xp but I feel i would end up having problems with the Equinox sooner than the Xp. All the issues with water intrusion and battery gasket not up to par, it doesn’t seem to be an “actual” water proof machine that can withstand hrs of submersion. Now I realize the Orx is not water proof on its own but the after market water kit you can buy is pretty cool and makes it a game changer for sure. So now I can take my compact powerful remote and turn into a water machine that’s now submersible to 5 metres instead of minelabs 3 metres. Hmmmm. For some reason I feel more confident in a water proof case that’s made specifically to keep water out instead of dunking a machine that’s still questionable in this department. Xp is just as comparable in depth as the Equinox from what I’ve been hearing and seeing and it’s weight and recovery speed are hard to pass up with these features. So for me who is primarily a beach and water hunter I’m really loving how this machine can be set up to be so compact, lightweight and versatile..and it just looks and sounds more reliable and built with quality and durability compared to the Equinox. So I think the Xp orx fits the bill better than the Minelab right now as my first upgrade and the Equinox i will get later.

Been using the ORX a lot lately over my Equinox and Deus and though I am not sure I would recommend the ORX over the Equinox for the water hunting situations you intend to use the detector for, I certainly recommend it as a capable, less expensive alternative to Deus for relic hunting and possibly even for coin shooting and it can hold its own with Equinox as well for land hunting. You can see more of reasons why I lean to ORX vs. Deus now in this post: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/deus/626956-orx-has-been-killing-lately.html

Certainly, if I were considering a Deus or Orx today for relic hunting, I would likely pick Orx for its simplicity and cost and because of the display and user interface enhancements. It really does what I need it to do for relic hunting. There are some fringe relic and coin situations where Deus' ability to tweak settings would come in handy, I like to have more than 3 tones (which is your only choice in the Orx coin modes) and the ability to tweak discrimination and tone breakpoints for those situations, but those are not really make or break features, just nice to haves.

But regarding salt water hunting, especially submerged water hunting, neither ORX nor DEUS would be my first choice over Equinox and it is not even close, frankly.

First of all, for salt water and wet salt sand hunting the Equinox is much more stable due to its salt beach optimized multifrequency profile. That enhanced stability means more depth because you are not fighting single frequency chatter. Yes you can manipulate Deus and Orx to lessen chatter in wet salt sand, but the fact is you are limiting sensitivity and frequency and as a result depth vs. Equinox or other multi frequency machines.

In fresh water, the I would say its more of a wash but that leads to the second reason why ORX and DEUS are not ideal water machines:

The Orx control module is not waterproof so you have to "trust" your expensive Orx or Deus control module to a plastic bag. Excuse me but no thanks. That is not more reliable nor robust than the Equinox, any way you slice this (the Equinox leak issue are few and far between, and if you have an Equinox with the leak due to a manufacturing defect, Equinox will replace the control head under warranty. Furthermore, for Deus/Orx you have to run the antenna claptrap above the water line which is just additional gack I don't need to deal with when going into the water. Finally, as far as Orx and and Deus are concerned, even though the wireless backphones are water resistant and can take a dunking, the other drawback with Orx vs. Deus, is that you can run the Deus WITHOUT the control module, so you don't even have to risk putting it in the water in the plastic bag. This is not the case with Orx as, unlike the Deus, you need both the control module and headphones to operate Orx in or out of the water.

Bottom line, Orx great option over Deus or Equinox for light weight, general purpose hunting. For water hunting, not my first choice by a longshot.

I went out with vferrari today to my honey hole and he brought his ORX. Now we've been over and over the ground, but the farmer disced late December and I haven't been up there much. In theory we shouldn't have gotten much but we did pretty good. He was using the ORX and it did great. I used the Deus and it also did great.

Your site has been pounded but is still showing plenty of signs of life. Love swinging my Orx there (or my Deus or Equinox, for that matter). Finds from our latest outing there.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Been using the ORX a lot lately over my Equinox and Deus and though I am not sure I would recommend the ORX over the Equinox for the water hunting situations you intend to use the detector for, I certainly recommend it as a capable, less expensive alternative to Deus for relic hunting and possibly even for coin shooting and it can hold its own with Equinox as well for land hunting. You can see more of reasons why I lean to ORX vs. Deus now in this post: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/deus/626956-orx-has-been-killing-lately.html

Certainly, if I were considering a Deus or Orx today for relic hunting, I would likely pick Orx for its simplicity and cost and because of the display and user interface enhancements. It really does what I need it to do for relic hunting. There are some fringe relic and coin situations where Deus' ability to tweak settings would come in handy, I like to have more than 3 tones (which is your only choice in the Orx coin modes) and the ability to tweak discrimination and tone breakpoints for those situations, but those are not really make or break features, just nice to haves.

But regarding salt water hunting, especially submerged water hunting, neither ORX nor DEUS would be my first choice over Equinox and it is not even close, frankly.

First of all, for salt water and wet salt sand hunting the Equinox is much more stable due to its salt beach optimized multifrequency profile. That enhanced stability means more depth because you are not fighting single frequency chatter. Yes you can manipulate Deus and Orx to lessen chatter in wet salt sand, but the fact is you are limiting sensitivity and frequency and as a result depth vs. Equinox or other multi frequency machines.

In fresh water, the I would say its more of a wash but that leads to the second reason why ORX and DEUS are not ideal water machines:

The Orx control module is not waterproof so you have to "trust" your expensive Orx or Deus control module to a plastic bag. Excuse me but no thanks. That is not more reliable nor robust than the Equinox, any way you slice this (the Equinox leak issue are few and far between, and if you have an Equinox with the leak due to a manufacturing defect, Equinox will replace the control head under warranty. Furthermore, for Deus/Orx you have to run the antenna claptrap above the water line which is just additional gack I don't need to deal with when going into the water. Finally, as far as Orx and and Deus are concerned, even though the wireless backphones are water resistant and can take a dunking, the other drawback with Orx vs. Deus, is that you can run the Deus WITHOUT the control module, so you don't even have to risk putting it in the water in the plastic bag. This is not the case with Orx as, unlike the Deus, you need both the control module and headphones to operate Orx in or out of the water.

Bottom line, Orx great option over Deus or Equinox for light weight, general purpose hunting. For water hunting, not my first choice by a longshot.



Your site has been pounded but is still showing plenty of signs of life. Love swinging my Orx there (or my Deus or Equinox, for that matter). Finds from our latest outing there.

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I’m only using in fresh water. I already realize the Xp is not a suitable for salt water hunting. I don’t think I would ever use it in salt water. I will also be buying the Equinox after I get the Xp for trips down south for saltwater. Xp and Equinox will be a great combo. I just think the Xp could be a demon in the water. As far as the water proof kit that Xp makes, it’s rated to 5 metres and if you use their case, you’re also buying insurance. Xp will cover your remote if water gets in. I realize also there are more qualified machines for this application but the Xp to me with this set up will be killer in my lakes. I have an At pro that isn’t getting the stuff I know is there and the Xp could be a beast for my fresh water lakes. I would consider other water machines but nothing really comes close as far as performance in the price range as the Xp and the Equinox.

 

[vferrari]

I’m only using in fresh water. I already realize the Xp is not a suitable for salt water hunting. I don’t think I would ever use it in salt water. I will also be buying the Equinox after I get the Xp for trips down south for saltwater. Xp and Equinox will be a great combo. I just think the Xp could be a demon in the water. As far as the water proof kit that Xp makes, it’s rated to 5 metres and if you use their case, you’re also buying insurance. Xp will cover your remote if water gets in. I realize also there are more qualified machines for this application but the Xp to me with this set up will be killer in my lakes. I have an At pro that isn’t getting the stuff I know is there and the Xp could be a beast for my fresh water lakes. I would consider other water machines but nothing really comes close as far as performance in the price range as the Xp and the Equinox.

OK. Orx will likely work as well as Equinox in freshwater, the only drawback being the extra water kit which is just a hassle to deal with IMO, but workable. I was mainly reacting to your Equinox water durability statement when compared with Orx, the Equinox was just designed from the ground up to work in the water, while submerged water hunting with Deus/Orx was frankly an afterthought, though XP did come up with a workable solution. I think when you do eventually get the Equinox you will indeed have a killer combo and the Orx will do everything you need it to do in the (fresh) water and out in the mean time. Equinox will complete the equation with multifrequency. Post back with your opinions on the Orx in the water once you have a chance to dunk it and on land. I agree ORX will be a step up from the venerable AT Pro because of its superior recovery speed and adjustable frequency options. Good luck and enjoy that Orx.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

I will definitely post when I get a chance to get in the water and land.
Will be purchasing in the next couple months and it might not be till early May when I can get into my frozen lakes. Thanks!! [emoji106]

 

[Fskafish]

As far as the build quality of the equinox i have had mine for i guess 2 years now and i have beat on it and its held up just fine, i also have the orx and i just cant say the build quality is really better, the shaft is nicer then the stock equinox shaft but i def would not say its built stronger..love both machines heck of a one, two punch with this combo.

 

[relicmeister]

I agree Fskafish ( nice avatar By the way)
I’m feeling like I have every detecting need covered with the ORX and equinox 600.
Actually, either one alone will get the job done for my mostly relic hunting, but it’s nice to have some variety.
I was going to get the Deus water kit until I got the equinox.
As for the build quality, XP is A+ and
Equinox I’d say B+ I don’t really get how so many talk about the Nox like it’s junk. I acknowledge the early wobbly shaft issue since corrected, and the thinnish coil ears,
but I think it’s fine. Upgrade with after market shafts and cuffs if you want- the equinox is worthy of investing in.
I hope I don’t let tempted to buy any new detector models that get introduced over the next few years, I just want to gain more and more experience with these two.

 

[Fskafish]

Yes sir, once i put my carbon fiber shaft on the nox its tough as nails.