Did you buy, and why?

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digger460

digger460

Silver Member
Sep 19, 2015
2,972
3,295
Southeast Grundy, Illinois
Detector(s) used
EQ600, EQ800 and a Carrot
Primary Interest:
Other
I dug a grapeshot yesterday. A buddy later came over and tested his machine on the now excavated grape. He commented - I don't dig signals that low. I still think its the operator, not the machine. And for fill. One word. Shovel. And a big one. The CW stuff I got the other day I took out an area the size of my living room (which is small), all the way down to undisturbed soil. It was tough, but well worth it. The machine "saw" a few targets, but I figured with the 1,000,000 pieces of scrap iron there I needed an advantage, hence the shovel. I also put everything back real purty so the landowner would be happy and decorated the area with nice rocks, limbs and leaves! Fill stinks if you can't dig through it. And this only works if you have a REAL GOOD relationship with the landowner or it's your property. Although, once you get the trash out, you should be able to find stuff underneath. My Tesoro Vaquero is a killer machine for deep relics, especially in horrible ground.

And yes, I wouldn't even consider the CTX due to the weight. Anybody looking for a good used machine is going to be in luck the next few months. Of all brands.

:laughing7:The one farmer that let's me hunt said I could use his bobcat, he doesn't care. And that's in the yard too! 1865 property. Don't think it's not tempting:laughing7: Just set me a relic sluice, and I'm on my way:tongue3:
 

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Timecop67

Jr. Member
May 22, 2017
95
58
Kansas
Detector(s) used
XP Orx, Teknetics 8500, Treasure Baron with Gold Module
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Originally posted by vferrari

"I am primarily relic hunting and the separation vs. depth is a key attribute because we are typically trying to recover targets from thick iron (the remnants old long since vanished home sites or encampments). It is a constant balancing act depth vs. separation. Deus and Equinox are the only machines that I am aware of where you can have fine control over reactivity/recovery speed to be able to adjust this balance to your needs."


Don't forget about the Polish Rutus Alter 71 where you can have control over reactivity/recovery speed also.
 

tjarrett

Jr. Member
Jan 14, 2016
75
103
Montgomery, Alabama
Detector(s) used
Minelab EQ 800
BH Land Ranger Pro
Vulcan 360 pinpointer
Garrett Carrot
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Well for me it was time for an upgrade so why not get the new stuff that’s out. I’ll be doing some creek detecting and maybe some relic hunting. Plus this will be a huge upgrade, swinging the BH Land Ranger pro right now and I’m tired of it.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,721
40,804
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ok, you win. Never heard of a Polish Rutus Alter 71.
 

parkgt

Full Member
Feb 19, 2013
183
63
Western AR
Detector(s) used
NOX 800, XP Deus, previous CTX and 705
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I dug a grapeshot yesterday. A buddy later came over and tested his machine on the now excavated grape. He commented - I don't dig signals that low.

How do you decide whether to use your Deus or the NOX? What would make a Deus user switch for land hunting?
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,721
40,804
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For me - nothing. I'll wait for next year for the new upcoming surprise.
 

vferrari

Silver Member
Jul 19, 2015
4,910
8,377
Near Ground Zero for Insanity
Detector(s) used
XP Deus with HF/x35 Coils and Mi6 Pinpointer/ML Equinox 600/800/ML Tarsacci MDT 8000 GPX 4800/Garrett ATX/Fisher F75 DST/Tek G2+/Delta/Whites MXT/Nokta Simplex/Garrett Carrot
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For me, Deus vs. Equinox its just detector diversity for relic hunting perhaps with a slightly deeper TID in mineralized soil. But I think it will be superior to Deus at the beach.
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,237
14,603
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For me, Deus vs. Equinox its just detector diversity for relic hunting perhaps with a slightly deeper TID in mineralized soil. But I think it will be superior to Deus at the beach.

Certainly in the wet sand it will be.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,721
40,804
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Should be good underwater at a salt water beach. Wet salt water beach was no problem for my Deus yesterday.
 

BuffaloHunter

Full Member
Jun 26, 2017
192
156
Oregon
Detector(s) used
Equinox 600. Garrett ProPointer.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I bought the 600 primarily for the beach. I had an AT Pro, but they don't do well in salt water so I sold it. No regrets loving my EQ.
 

1942 merc

Sr. Member
Sep 14, 2012
413
755
sd
Detector(s) used
xp deus , Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I hear ya on swinging the stock coil on the AT. My guess on the bigger coil for the EQ, I'll be using my harness for sure. Unless there's some new tech in the bigger coil for the EQ, I still think around $250.


A harness for me transfers the wear and pain to my shoulders . Nox 800 will run $900 and a six inch coil $250 = w/ tax almost $1200 . I bought my deus new for $1400 .Depending on how the nox six inch coil stacks up and weight wise will make me decide on it or a HF coil for the deus .
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,424
30,111
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I bought it because it obsoleted six of the machines in my stable. The Equinox 600 replaces all single-frequency VLF machines operating from 5kHz - 15kHz, AND multi-freq machines like the Safari, Explorer, Excalibur (for on beach, not SCUBA), CZ21 - and does things the XP Deus simply can't at a saltwater beach. At $650,00 the machine absolutely changes the game. :skullflag:
 

Wiganer

Full Member
Jan 30, 2017
129
104
Nova Scotia
Detector(s) used
Whites dual field beast, with Anderson shaft.
Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
I've just ordered 2 x 600 for me and my wife to replace our P I machines, terry's soloman feedback had a huge influence on the decision, I wonder if he will get a referral cheque:notworthy:
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,424
30,111
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I've just ordered 2 x 600 for me and my wife to replace our P I machines, terry's soloman feedback had a huge influence on the decision, I wonder if he will get a referral cheque:notworthy:

No, but I wish! Thank's for the kind words. I really like the Equinox. It is everything I have wanted in an "All-Around" metal detector for many years. :headbang:
 

Wrecka

Full Member
Jun 22, 2017
182
451
Gold Coast Queensland
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I took the plunge and dropped a $400 deposit on a 800 yesterday. Mainly because after 6 months i have had a bad run with my AT Pro, random times of it going crazy for no discernable reason , last week the headphones started dropping in and out and now both the 2 Nel coils i bought for it keep dropping out as well , all points to major issues with the control box , oh yeah my Garret Carrot is also playing up , seems Garret products are substandard sorry to say.

The 800 has many features that are attractive to me , the wireless headphones , the rechargeable battery and the stability to use it in the surf , as an amateur it'll be a big learning curve for me to get the most from it but that's something i look forward to.
 

chappy(IN)

Jr. Member
Feb 14, 2017
46
43
Central Indiana
Detector(s) used
Ctx 3030; Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I bought the 800 and sold my Deus because it did not handle the saltwater very well.
 

1942 merc

Sr. Member
Sep 14, 2012
413
755
sd
Detector(s) used
xp deus , Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I bought the 800 and sold my Deus because it did not handle the saltwater very well.


Did you try a $425 HF coil on the beach ? I am not selling my deus as it is lighter and can update to play catch up if need be . If I buy the nox I will be keeping the deus . I do not hunt water anyway .
 

poptabs

Newbie
Mar 2, 2018
1
4
Indiana
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Compadre, Tesoro ElDorado, Minelab Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I bought a 600. Shipping says I will be hunting with it this weekend.

I have a handful of Tesoro machines but none I could get in the water with unless I took them apart and wrapped the control box in plastic and tape (even then it was splash proofing and anything I'd dare submerge). Instead of buying a Tesoro machine just for the water, it made more sense for me to go with something I could get in and out of the water with. Most of the videos and reviews look very promising. I might have waited on an 800 for some of the extra settings/features, but prospecting isn't really in the mix for me. Add to that that getting an 800 in hand at this point is a crap shoot, which doesn't play well with my upcoming 9 trip to Georgia. I'm hoping to get back out on a property I've hit 4 or 5 times with my other detectors and also get it near and in the salt water.
 

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