Garrett AT Pro or Minelab Equinox 600?

[SilverDreams]

Hey all, I'm wanting to upgrade detectors and was hoping for some advice. I've been using a Garrett Ace 250 for over 12 years now and have been in and out of the hobby. I'm wanting to get more serious into detecting and upgrade my machine but I'm not sure which to upgrade to.

I will mainly be detecting older sites for coins and relics and going back over past sites to see what I missed with the Ace.

The AT Pro and Equinox 600 are at my max price range at the moment. I've seen pros and cons for each machine and I'm mainly looking to find that deep, older stuff and to eliminate as much trash as possible.

Amazon currently has the AT Pro Sports Pack for $488.70 and the cheapest Equinox I see is $649. If the Equinox is the better machine, is it worth that price difference?

A follow up question for Equinox users....I've heard that Equinox is great at finding nickels. Is that true in your experience?

Thanks so much for the help!

 

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[Toecutter]

Equinox is the winner hands down...

 

[rjeffw]

I started with the AT Pro. Fine machine. I sold it and got a 800, also a fine machine.
The difference is the 800 is great at the beach the AT is not.
The At is easier to use. The 800 has many more settings to get used to.

Those are just a few things that really pop out.

 

[hbrown66]

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[Sandancer]

I use both. If you ever plan salt beach detecting then the Nox is a must over the pro. However if salt is not in the picture then the the Nox does not have much of an edge. Neither machine in my opinion will eliminate trash. In fact the Nox might increase your trash take. The pro is a grab and go machine with excellent versatility. Its traditional battery use is in my opinion a plus. It is sturdy, reliable and with a small coil very effective in trashy areas and hard to get to spots. The Nox is a bit more sophisticated and maybe with a great deal of learning and tweaking of various settings it has a slight edge on depth. Wireless is also a factor if you want to use it but involves another set of variables. Just my thoughts and somethings to consider. Either will do the job.

 

[Castiel]

I'm new at this and my AT Pro I'm happy with , I'm interested about intel of salt water with the AT Pro. Any info
From you guy would be appreciated. Ground balance is nice easy to use as waterproof to a point

 

[Sandancer]

I'm new at this and my AT Pro I'm happy with , I'm interested about intel of salt water with the AT Pro. Any info
From you guy would be appreciated. Ground balance is nice easy to use as waterproof to a point

I am very close to the beach and in my area of the north east the ATPro just can't cut it. In the wet salt the sensitivity needs to reduced to the point that effective detecting is very compromised, if not impossible. On dry sand it does work well, but I do mean dry, not low tide dry.

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Have you checked out the Vanquish line? Looks like a pretty good deal and a simple step up from your ACE.

 

[halfstep]

The AT pro doesn't have a backlight so if you like hunting in low light conditions, you will have difficulty seeing the small display. They equinox has a backlight and a lot larger display which is easier to see in low light conditions.

The AT pro doesn't have a rechargeable battery. You can buy a rechargeable battery which will add to the price. The equinox has a rechargeable battery and good battery life.

You can also buy some aftermarket Bluetooth headphones for the equinox. The equinox has a built in transmitter so all you will need is a set of compatible headphones.

You can also buy the z-lynk for the Garrett and make it wireless. It will be a bit more pricey but you can also get the wireless pin pointer with it and you can hear the pin pointer in your wireless headphones which also comes with the z-lynk kit. It runs around $250+

By the time you go wireless with the AT pro and buy a rechargeable battery, you will be paying a lot more than an equinox 600 and some wireless headphones.

If you like the Garrett detectors, the better way to go is with the AT max as it comes with the wireless Z-lynk. Plus the max has a backlight. Find a package deal that includes the wireless pin pointer. All you would need to do at some point is buy a rechargeable battery.

After all is said and done, the equinox 600 will be the cheaper way to go and a better bargain.

 

[GoDeep]

I had an AT Pro, used it for two years and then Purchased the Equinox 600 and with my military discount it came to about $550.00. I can't really name one thing that is better about the AT Pro. The Equinox 600 for me outperforms the AT Pro in all aspects. Just get your self a pair of low latency wireless headphones (I got them off amazon for like 35.00 and they automatically connect wirelessly to the EQ600, no adapters needed).

 

[zoumou]

Hey there, i have been looking everywhere and quite everybody says the equinox is better, i didn’t have any of them at hands but i would consider the what the majority’s experience with those machines.

I wish you luck with your future detector

 

[cudamark]

I can't think of one thing that the At Pro does better than the Equinox, plus it's lighter.

 

[Stringtyer]

I had been away from detecting for many years and re-entered with a Equinox 600. I had a long learning curve but really like the machine now that I have a few hours of experience with it. If you are looking for deeply buried treasures, the EQ-600 is a depth monster. My "best" find at depth is a cadmium plated siding nail at about 14".

 

[pulltabfelix]

AT Pro is a very good machine, easy to learn and use. Proven over time to be a solid machine. Equinox will be harder to learn. Stay in the default modes and you will be fine and have an easier learning curve. As you really learn the settings and theory behind the settings then you can adjust them a little from the default setting. Usually that is all you need to do.

To answer another reply about ocean beach hunting:


AT pro is pretty worthless in salt water. Little better in ocean wet sand and really ok for dry beach. For ocean water (moving salt water) need PI machine or Equinox. I have used both on the ocean beach in the moving salt water.

 

[Dancer]

If your just hunting dirt, fresh water and not great on modern Technology I go with the Pro. Get the 5x8 coil for trashy sites.
If you like tinkering your machine for a little more performance, and hunting salt water, go with the Nox.
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[MetalArchSC]

I agree... the AT pro is a good machine UNLESS your going to do beach hunting. The Nox is a great machine BUT I find it to be not a user friendly and takes more time and effort to really “mesh” with the machine.

I often wish I still had my AT Pro. I’ve found stuff just as deep with it as with the NOX.

The deciding factors for me would be based on answers to these questions.

Do I plan on hunting on wet beach?
Do I plan on hunting in highly mineralized (red/orange) soil? ( example:Virginia)
If you answer yes to either get the NOX.

I think the AT pro would be a good upgrade for you otherwise.

 

[LawrencetheMDer]

Love my Equinox 800 for saltwater beach hunting and hunting mostly yards during the Summer. Talked a sister into getting a AT Pro last yr for her neck of the woods (Ohio). Both are great machines, however, after working with the 800 for 9 months I'd go with the new technology and get the 600; it can pick good targets out of trash (if you go slow enough), above, below and all around.

2020
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[Capncrunch]

I had an AT Pro, used it for two years and then Purchased the Equinox 600 and with my military discount it came to about $550.00. I can't really name one thing that is better about the AT Pro. The Equinox 600 for me outperforms the AT Pro in all aspects. Just get your self a pair of low latency wireless headphones (I got them off amazon for like 35.00 and they automatically connect wirelessly to the EQ600, no adapters needed).

Hey GoDeep! Specifically which headphones did you get off Amazon that worked? And Thanks!
BTW- Can anyone tell me how to change my Username ON THE SITE? I fat-fingered it and it should say capncrunch, NOT caoncrunch, lol!

 

[Capncrunch]

I had an AT Pro, used it for two years and then Purchased the Equinox 600 and with my military discount it came to about $550.00. I can't really name one thing that is better about the AT Pro. The Equinox 600 for me outperforms the AT Pro in all aspects. Just get your self a pair of low latency wireless headphones (I got them off amazon for like 35.00 and they automatically connect wirelessly to the EQ600, no adapters needed).

Hey GoDeep! Specifically which headphones did you get off Amazon that worked? And Thanks!
BTW- Can anyone tell me how to change my Username ON THE SITE? I fat-fingered it and it should say capncrunch, NOT caoncrunch, lol!

 

[RustyGold]

Hey GoDeep! Specifically which headphones did you get off Amazon that worked? And Thanks!
BTW- Can anyone tell me how to change my Username ON THE SITE? I fat-fingered it and it should say capncrunch, NOT caoncrunch, lol!

The Moderators can help you with a name change. Good luck!