Equinox or Deus 2

ColonelDan

Hero Member
Jan 19, 2014
997
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Central Florida
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Deus II
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Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
I've read several threads on the soon-to-be-fielded Deus 2 and how it will compare to the Equinox. There have been many good views on this topic so I thought I'd share mine. As you read this, keep in mind the views expressed here are worth just as much as you've paid for them. :laughing7:

1. Wireless vs Wired: I'm 99% a salt water beach hunter with my EQX 800 and the way I grid a beach, I often go from the damp sand to the wet sand and then into the surf (only about 1 foot deep due to concerns over water intrusion so I keep the control box dry). Given that, a Deus II for me would have to be constantly wired from coil to control box in order to work in the surf. For that reason, a totally wireless capability would not be that enticing since the wire from coil to box would be a permanent configuration.

2. Waterproof: I owned a Deus and found it to be a solidly engineered machine so I'm not a skeptic where XP claims of being waterproof are concerned. Were I to make a wager, I'd bet on much better waterproof performance in the Deus II than was the original ML waterproof claim for the EQX. Being truly waterproof is important for me and not because I hunt deeper than 1 foot in salt water these days because I don't. Ours is an outdoor hobby so I think all detectors should be waterproof...at the very least, reliably weatherproof. How many times have you been caught in the rain or dropped your detector in a puddle of water? Even if you are a land hunter and never go near any water, replacing a damaged or inop machine due to moisture intrusion isn't a trivial thing.

3. Build quality: The Deus I had was quality built, rugged and reliable. No coil ear issues, wobbly shafts or arm cuff breakage. In my view, it was a much more rugged detector than Minelab products in certain areas. XP doesn't seem to pinch pennies as did Minelab on simple things. Recall the original skimpy gaskets they put in the CTX 3030 that caused flooding of the battery box. The issue was solved when they came out with merely a little thicker gasket! Their use of cheap coil ears, arm cuffs and wobbly shafts on the EQX series is another example. For a few pennies more per unit, they would have saved untold thousands in warranty replacement costs in both the CTX and EQX series machines. Although they are among the very best where software technology is concerned, I never understood that "penny wise pound foolish" approach in their physical build design.

4. Overall Performance: This is where the EQX was superior to my original Deus. The multi-frequency/multi IQ of the EQX vs the selectable single frequency of the Deus was an obvious choice in my salt water beach hunting environment. I eventually sold my Deus for that reason. Now, if XP has really overcome that limitation in the Deus II with their FMF feature, I'll be happily impressed.

5. Final Thoughts: I'm with the others who will take a "wait and see" approach. But, given my past experience with XP engineering, I have no doubt the Deus II will be a very capable salt water beach detector. Will it generally outperform the Minelabs? TBD. Will it be found that XP pinched pennies on their build quality? I say no. It will be a well built unit. Will it be more comfortable to use than the Minelabs? Yes. Will it be more complex in its settings options than the Minelabs? Yes. Will it's overall performance justify the higher price tag compared to the current EQX? TBD but that will be determined solely by and in the eye of the beholder as the saying goes.

Just a few thoughts from my foxhole...
 

Emil W

Sr. Member
Nov 4, 2021
473
1,081
Central New Jersey
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Deus 2
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I like your thought process. Although I personally would buy a Deus 2 over the Equinox, I don't have a need for a waterproof detector. So the multi frequency would be the only point of interest for me, but only if it truly is faster than other machines in multi frequency mode, which is implied in the "FMF" designation. If it's not noticeably faster than my current MF detector there's no benefit for me. I'll wait at least a year to see what others think after using it in the field.
 

Calabash Digger

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Apr 18, 2016
5,300
11,756
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Good post Colonel ! My thought is this....IF it only matches the performance of the Equinox on land and salt water beaches I am done with the Equinox. WHY? Ergonomics...I hate the way the minelab swings....You know I love the performance of the multi on the Nox but minelab could have done so much better on the design...
 

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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Maryland
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I can't swing an equinox due to the ergonomics, so it's game over for them. Getting old isn't for sissies. My current Deus is quite adequate for what I do and unless I find some more folks to dig with I won't be buying anything else. Anything else.
 

Calabash Digger

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Apr 18, 2016
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Smokey I heard that before ...Hmmm Will Smokey buy a Deus 2?? I am gonna store that though for a future date. I will have to use and test so will let everyone know what I think about.
 

louisianaman

Jr. Member
Jan 4, 2012
49
45
New Orleans Louisiana
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Nokta Simplex Plus,Garrett At-Pro, Tesoro Vaquero and Bandido 2 Micromax
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Good post Colonel ! My thought is this....IF it only matches the performance of the Equinox on land and salt water beaches I am done with the Equinox. WHY? Ergonomics...I hate the way the minelab swings....You know I love the performance of the multi on the Nox but minelab could have done so much better on the design...
I'm thinking you're gonna love the Simplex MF
 

Iron Buzz

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Oct 12, 2016
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South St Paul, MN
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XP Deus, Minelab Equinox 800
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I'm thinking you're gonna love the Simplex MF
How can you say that? We don't even know what it is yet. And you don't know what the Deus II is really going to be like. But if you want to compare the original Deus with the original Simplex... guess who wins.
 

Underwonder

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Jul 31, 2017
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RI
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Please do give your opinion on the new machine. When are they supposed to be available? I seriously haven't been out for 4 months now.
Hmmm Are you alright?
 

relichound

Full Member
Aug 25, 2004
154
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Northern Virginia
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Good discussion: For me personally, I only started using the XP Deus 2 years ago this month (Nov 2019), but in the 2 "short" years of using the Deus I have found more period civil war/colonial bullets/relics and coins then in the 5 plus years of using the Nox 800 and AT MAX. I sold the Nox 800 last year because I found bullets/coins/CW buttons that the Nox 800 missed that my Deus did not. I live and hunt here in Virginia and I have been relic hunting since 1999-the XP in my humble opinion (MHO) is the best detector I have ever had the privilege of owning. My only "gripe" really is the lack of multi-frequency (MF) capability that Minelab is known for on the Nox 600/800; you never had to second guess if you're missing something in the ground using the MF option.

Now it appears Deus II has developed Fast Multi-frequency (FMF) into their "new" Deus II platform; did XP Deus develop their own proprietary FMF technology or did they purchase royalty rights from Minelab? Really I don't care so long as it delivers FMF capabilities for our detecting needs.

Also swinging the Nox800 all day at 3 pounds is like detecting with a telephone pole! The lightweight ergnomics of the XP Deus in itself is a plus and the fact they have kept the Deus II to 1.75 pounds bodes well for us diggers who dig 8 plus hours on the weekend. I have already pre-ordered the Deus II, but I am not getting rid of my current Deus, I am sure it will not be so much of a learning curve since Deus I believe is using basically the same platform layout in the Deus II that we are familiar in our current XP Deus. The jury is still out whether the Deus II will deliver as expected, but as the top dog in the metal detecting world, I am sure XP engineers/testers have put the Deus II through a myriad of real tests short of breaking the machine to see if it delivers as expected and I am sure it will. Unfortunately for the US market it appears we may have to wait until the end of the year/early 2022 before they are delivered to US markets. Happing Hunting Diggers-Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We all have a lot to be thankful for this season.
 

Iron Buzz

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Oct 12, 2016
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I heard there will only be 120 Deus II released in the US this year.
Where did you hear that?

Actually, given the current state of the supply chain regarding other things, I think that 120 is probably a very optimistic number.
 

relichound

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Aug 25, 2004
154
736
Northern Virginia
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I can't swing an equinox due to the ergonomics, so it's game over for them. Getting old isn't for sissies. My current Deus is quite adequate for what I do and unless I find some more folks to dig with I won't be buying anything else. Anything else.
Smokey -

I thank you two years ago this month for “strongly” suggesting that I pony up and buy the XP Deus and forget about the Nox800 I was currently using. Hands down I have found more period coins/bullets and CW buttons/colonial in 2 short years of using the Deus XP than my previous 5 plus years using the Nox800/AT Max.

I have ordered the new Deus II but I will not get rid of my current XP Deus.
 

Last edited:

CarsonChris

Sr. Member
Feb 11, 2019
486
1,992
Carson City NV
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Equinox 800, AT Pro
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All Treasure Hunting
Where did you hear that?

Actually, given the current state of the supply chain regarding other things, I think that 120 is probably a very optimistic number.
From a friend that was at a detecting meeting. Andy Sabitch(sp) said that at the meeting.
 

Underwonder

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Jul 31, 2017
1,645
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RI
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White's XLT Spectrum, TRX Pin-pointer, Garrett AT Pro Pin-pointer, Eagle II SL with Bigfoot, Equinox 600, Equinox 800
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Relic Hunting
I am considering pre-ordering the XP Deus 2 but I have a couple of hesitations besides the cost.
1. It requires a PC for updates and I use a Mac.
2. It is scheduled to come in at the end of Dec. but I wouldn’t really get to use it until spring.
3. I understand there are 3 things to charge…which means any one of them could run out of charge in a hunt.
4. i haven’t even tried the original XP Deus but have heard it is light and easy to swing…but it also means getting used to a new detector, settings, sounds etc…

I am pretty much just using the Equinox 600 right now and am pretty satisfied except for EMI situations…
 

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