Equinox 600 first impressions

[Goldstar1]

Ok I just got the EQ 600 in today, I ordered the 800 from the cabelas deal and was of course back ordered so I am going to cancel and ultimately just get it in a few months when there is good supply. I saw metal Detecting Stuff had a few 600s for sale this week and decided to get one , Wayne shipped it out next day , no pre order , back order , wait list or other agonizing BS .

I wont bore anyone with more air tests , garden tests , nail tests ect. I was just so impressed I had to come on here and have a small rant about it, god knows my girlfriend and friends (that dont metal detect) are sick of hearing about it.

My first thought when I took it out of the box was that it seems quite a bit more solid and durable than I thought it would be , only time will tell but many of the places I go are pretty rugged and I was a little worried it might be fragile but it seems good so far . I read alot about people saying it is nose heavy so I sort of had a preconceived notion of that but after using it for a little while it actually seems pretty well balanced and doesnt really bother me at all , I think it will be about perfect with the smaller coil. All the connections seem pretty good too , I wouldnt say overly beefy but dont seem cheap either.

So I charged the battery and tested it for a few hours in my girlfriends yard, the original house was built in the 30s or 40s maybe so I just wanted a little test area that had not been hit before. I was expecting to be confused and have the machine take some time to get used to , but wow we really hit it off right from the start . I started off in Field mode 2, and just stuck with the default settings , this yard is in town with quite a few power lines so I when I turned it on it was a little chatty but the noise cancel worked great and it cleared it right up. I mainly stuck with digging targets in the coin range and sure enough the VDI and tones were pretty much dead on and none of the good signals were anything but coins and a couple small brass pieces . I did dig a few other trashy signals just to confirm and sure enough thats what they were . The one think is bottle caps which the ones I dug were 13 right there with nickles , but I am sure there are tricks to differentiate the two. I did end up with quite bit of newer clad; pennies , dimes, quarters a nickel and 4 wheaties from the 1940s (the wheaties were 6-9 inches deep, totally clear tone and vdi) .

The only odd thing I encountered was some odd chatter (much like one of the videos I saw) where it just kind of went spazzy all over the place even in the air for about a minute but it was almost right under the power lines , then it just went away. I went back again in the same spot later and it did not repeat that so I dont know what that was all about.

I have to say I have never felt this way so quickly about a detector before, it is even better than I expected , I think I am in love!
I really cant wait to get this out in some really good areas I have and see what it can do and I do not think I have even begun to scratch the surface with its capabilities. I hope someone enjoys reading this , I know there are much better reviews out there from much better detectorists but I just had to get it out there my first impression . I hope everyone that has been waiting gets there machines soon and enjoys them as much as I am so far.

 

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[hbru123]

Thanks so much for the review! I am loving my 600 also!!

 

[Goldstar1]

Oh one more quick thing about the pinpoint feature. I had read some people were haveing issues with the pinpointer on the EQ , it is a little different than I am used to but it actually seems to work quite well and was dead center and correct every time , I didnt notice any real sound dimming like others talked about but I will have to test it more.

 

[Wiganer]

That's good to here gold star, you answered a question I asked in another thread about emi, I was kind of nervous about the 600 ability to deal with it, but it sounds good. Good luck and have fun with your new beast.

 

[RustyGold]

Great review on the 600..Thanks!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Thank you for sharing!

 

[RW]

Nice read. As far as people having trouble with pinpoint button... I can't remember last time I used the PP feature on any machine, Etrac, Deus, Tesoro... quicker without it. I don't even like hearing PP on videos lol! So far loving what I am hearing about the EQ. If I lived closer to the beach I would already have one. Really curious how optional coils will perform as well.

 

[Timecop67]

Nice read. As far as people having trouble with pinpoint button... I can't remember last time I used the PP feature on any machine, Etrac, Deus, Tesoro... quicker without it. I don't even like hearing PP on videos lol! So far loving what I am hearing about the EQ. If I lived closer to the beach I would already have one. Really curious how optional coils will perform as well.

I can see where today's machines have faster recovery speed so it may not be as critical.......but in the 90s using my Teknetics 8500 I could detune the audio a few times and pinpoint to a dime and use a narrow coin probe to find targets. This saved me from digging a manholed sized plug just for a zinc penny in a well manicured yard. I see many Equinox videos today of people doing just that. So in a way still prefer the older audio detuning method of old and when I buy a new machine that is one thing I will look for.......ease of recovery from a dime sized hole using machine. Guess the Tesoro Outlaw uses audio detuning and a few other companies as well. The Equinox I guess double blips on shallow targets so would help having detuning in that case also.

 

[vferrari]

The pinpoint feature of the Equinox auto detunes.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Nice read. As far as people having trouble with pinpoint button... I can't remember last time I used the PP feature on any machine, Etrac, Deus, Tesoro... quicker without it. I don't even like hearing PP on videos lol! So far loving what I am hearing about the EQ. If I lived closer to the beach I would already have one. Really curious how optional coils will perform as well.

Agree PP just slows you down esp with a DD coil

 

[tnsharpshooter]

Your Equinox going sorta bonkers all at once, then a little while later settling down. I suspect aircraft overhead and near.
I have had this happen a few times out in the sticks, and every time the cloud ceiling was non existent, and sure enough I could see Aircraft at altitude passing by.

 

[Timecop67]

The pinpoint feature of the Equinox auto detunes.

From the videos I've watched it has the VCO pinpointing which raises the pitch as it gets closer to center. Guess I'd have to have the Equinox in hand to compare but doesn't seem as accurate and more time consuming compared to audio detuning methods of old where you push the button a few times to narrow the signal. The Etrac and CTX have different methods of pinpointing from what tnsharpshooter was saying.

 

[Goldstar1]

I was able to get out several times now and do some good tests with the 600 , I am really loving it and getting to understand it much better. The first tests were detecting in a few yards which was really fun and a breeze with this detector . The first real test was in a great place because it has a riverpark area that knowone really goes but has alot of modern trash but is right next to what seems like and old homestead that burned down probably very early 1900s . It is probably the most iron trashed place I have ever detected , I think there was metal roofing that burned and then desentagrated over time leaving , small and large iron shards , nails , cans , you name it every square centimeter is trashed , I would have never even thought of detecting this place a few years ago. I have detected it quite a few times with a gold bug pro with 6" coil and learned to do it pretty well , then I used a f75 and that was really frustrating but I never really learned the machine very well , it was either learn that one or get the Equinox, which I did .

So anyways , I stared in the river park and lots of aluminum trash, bottle caps ect. but every time it locked onto a good signal it was clad coins of all types. I then started towards the trashed homestead area and hit a good signal mid 20s vdi so I started digging and it was a kind of rectangular copper or brass plate , maybe part of a buckle (about 1 1/2" x 2") at almost 14 inches , that was deeper than I am used to. So I go to the trashed homestead area and it is always frustrating with the machine gun tone blitz but every time it locked into a good signal sure enough it was non ferrous, I was really impressed how well this did in that area with a 11 " coil ! The only thing that i did end up digging quite a few of was round nails , they would give of a few high tones and I just had to dig , I kind of thought that was going to be a problem because other detectors I have used never had an issue discriminating them out buuuut now I have learned a few tricks One thing I learned that trip which I still think is relevant is if it is a jumpy signal its probably trash , all the non ferrous locked on with solid numbers. I was using field 2 standard settings with iron bias at 1, sens at 18-20 . Here is a few interesting little relics from that hunt, of course I was a little bummed I didnt find any gold coins or silver bars but hey I am just testing the machine right .

 

[vferrari]

Great Report and great finds, Goldstar1. Looks like you are locking into the Equinox's language. One thing that helps with those nail high tones is Iron Bias, but I don't recommend it at your site because of the thick iron, as you will likely be unable to unmask as well as you are able to now with Iron Bias engaged. So I have another tip you can try beside the jumpy ID thing. When you hit a high tone, punch in the All Metal button. If the target is iron that is giving off a non-ferrous tone component, going to All Metal should be a dead giveaway for an iron nail because you will get the ferrous tone mirroring the non-ferrous tone. If it is purely non-ferrous, you should get no "mirroring" iron tone though you may get other iron tones due to nearby ferrous targets. Make your dig decision, punch ALL METAL off and move on to your next target. Let us know if this works for you

 

[Echoplex]

I was able to get out several times now and do some good tests with the 600 , I am really loving it and getting to understand it much better. The first tests were detecting in a few yards which was really fun and a breeze with this detector . The first real test was in a great place because it has a riverpark area that knowone really goes but has alot of modern trash but is right next to what seems like and old homestead that burned down probably very early 1900s . It is probably the most iron trashed place I have ever detected , I think there was metal roofing that burned and then desentagrated over time leaving , small and large iron shards , nails , cans , you name it every square centimeter is trashed , I would have never even thought of detecting this place a few years ago. I have detected it quite a few times with a gold bug pro with 6" coil and learned to do it pretty well , then I used a f75 and that was really frustrating but I never really learned the machine very well , it was either learn that one or get the Equinox, which I did .

So anyways , I stared in the river park and lots of aluminum trash, bottle caps ect. but every time it locked onto a good signal it was clad coins of all types. I then started towards the trashed homestead area and hit a good signal mid 20s vdi so I started digging and it was a kind of rectangular copper or brass plate , maybe part of a buckle (about 1 1/2" x 2") at almost 14 inches , that was deeper than I am used to. So I go to the trashed homestead area and it is always frustrating with the machine gun tone blitz but every time it locked into a good signal sure enough it was non ferrous, I was really impressed how well this did in that area with a 11 " coil ! The only thing that i did end up digging quite a few of was round nails , they would give of a few high tones and I just had to dig , I kind of thought that was going to be a problem because other detectors I have used never had an issue discriminating them out buuuut now I have learned a few tricks One thing I learned that trip which I still think is relevant is if it is a jumpy signal its probably trash , all the non ferrous locked on with solid numbers. I was using field 2 standard settings with iron bias at 1, sens at 18-20 . Here is a few interesting little relics from that hunt, of course I was a little bummed I didnt find any gold coins or silver bars but hey I am just testing the machine rightView attachment 1563629.

Awesome relics!

Yes the jumpy/glitchy tones that you have to keep swinging over and over again seem to be junk to me like bent nails, twisted little pieces of wire, etc. Double check them by switching to All Metal and listen for the iron grunts that surround the tones. If you hear iron grunts at the edge of your swing, then its most likely a rusty something. Cranking the bias up to 5 or higher will eliminate most all of those high tone nails too, but I prefer to switch to All Metal to check the iffys.

 

[tnsharpshooter]

Good hunt Goldstart.

Your detecting venue chosen, allowed you to grow with your unit.

 

[Goldstar1]

So yesterday I decided to go to and old ghost town for a real test , this place supposedly had several hundred structures in the 1890s but now there is nothing left but glass , tailings and iron trash. It is in a secluded little valley that knowone ever goes far from any civilization, just the type of place I like and the perfect place to test the new Equinox. I had to hike in several steep miles through quite a bit of snow and mud but the southern exposed areas were dry and not frozen.

I really learned some tricks with hunting in iron trash. My first test with the EQ I used 5 tones but for this one I started using 50 tones and I am really likeing what the tones are telling me , it was a little intimidating at first but I think most of my hunting will now be in 50 tones . I still like using field 2 but am starting to warm up to park 2 in these trashy areas as well ,cant really say which I like better yet . So the first hour or so were kind of frustrating trying to locate a good area as 80 percent of the place is still frozen then going down a steep frozen tailing pile I took a major fall and took a really sharp rock right on my left buttcheek , Ouch that really hurt ! it is really swollen today I actually felt sick at first and almost stopped detecting for a few minutes , but hey nothing was broken so why take such a drastic measure. In the split second that it happened I actually was more concerned with not breaking my new detector so I took the brunt of the fall , I think I hit my knee with my Lesch shovel too which I didnt realize until later, and yes I know your worried but my detector was unharmed.

I ended up going over to the dry area that seemed like is had alot of activity back in the day , broken glass and can slaw everywhere and quite a few old timbers that once made up structures littered about. this was a great place to try out some tricks as there was junk nails and can slaw everywhere , the cans with lead seals that really throw off the vdi numbers. Thanks to TNSS and Vferrari I used some tricks they posted about that worked really well in this type of environment. When I woiuld get an iffy signal jumping into the high vdi I tried switching into 5 and 10 KHZ and sure enough if it was ferrous the numbers would jump up and if non ferrous they would stay pretty stable, another one was to switch into all metal and if it was ferrous you hear the low tone iron dance , every time I would use these the outcome was very consistent . Now the all metal trick is only really useful if the trash is not super condensed because if there is non ferrous right on top of ferrous you still get the low tone , but it has a way of mimicking the high tone sound so you know the actual target is non ferrous , its hard to put into words but this seems to be very effective. The last target I dug of the day was near the entrance of an old mine shaft , low 20-21 vdi , I thought alright this is gonna be a good Indian cent , i dug it up sure enough it was a penny but 1995 ! Damn the only piece of modern trash I dug all day and a 1995 penny ? oh well I really hope others will find these tricks usefull and maybe even come up with others . l can say this machine was extremely well thought out I am looking foreword to really learning it I think it is going to be killer in these iron infested areas, cant wait to see what the 6" coil will do.
Here is a picture of the finds , nothing really special but i always like nice 45-70 shells or any old 1800s casings its just a weird thing I like . I really am having fun with machine , some detectors I felt like I am constantly fighting against in trashy areas and this one I feel like it is working with me if that makes sense . Have fun out there!

 

[Echoplex]

Beautiful place! I'm definitely going to do some backpacking with my Nox this year.

 

[Goldstar1]

Great Report and great finds, Goldstar1. Looks like you are locking into the Equinox's language. One thing that helps with those nail high tones is Iron Bias, but I don't recommend it at your site because of the thick iron, as you will likely be unable to unmask as well as you are able to now with Iron Bias engaged. So I have another tip you can try beside the jumpy ID thing. When you hit a high tone, punch in the All Metal button. If the target is iron that is giving off a non-ferrous tone component, going to All Metal should be a dead giveaway for an iron nail because you will get the ferrous tone mirroring the non-ferrous tone. If it is purely non-ferrous, you should get no "mirroring" iron tone though you may get other iron tones due to nearby ferrous targets. Make your dig decision, punch ALL METAL off and move on to your next target. Let us know if this works for you

Thanks VF , this is a really great point on the all metal mode , "mirroring" that was the word I was looking for . If it mirrors the non ferrous tone it is definitely hitting off the same target , if not it is probably nearby iron. Very good point I hope this is helpful to others as it has really helped me in the iron trash.

 

[Goldstar1]

Thanks Echoplex, yep those are exactly the stuff I was digging that put off some iffy high tones, nails , twisted wire , fence nails ect. The all metal method works great , I have set the iron bias up to 1 and 2 (on the 600) it does seem to help but I did some air tests with a nail fragment in front of a coin and the higher the iron bias the less I could even hear the coin and on the highest iron bias setting 3 , it almost completely masked the coin. Still learning how all these functions work together and having a great time doing it. I am really curious to hear any tricks people are using to differentiating aluminum trash like pulltabs or melted campfire globs from say gold items.