I got side tracked comparing the Nox 800 vs Excalibur II

[1k9]

I’m still in the hunt for my first MD, as I started on here I’ve been leaning towards the Nox 800. Since I want to use what ever detector I buy in the ocean (shallows) I started thinking the Excalibur II May be a better choice, and I’d use it both on land and in water.
Does this make since or will the 800 do just fine in shallow water? And if that is the case, do I just buy water proof head phones? And what kind?
The more YouTube video I watch it seems the Excalibur II misses a lot of small stuff.
I definitely want to be in the water with the MD and is the 800 being waterproof still the best choice?

Thanks for the input

 

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[ColonelDan]

I have both and have used both on the beach and in shallow water extensively. In the last three years since I got the EQX800, the Excal II has been hanging on the wall. The EQX has a much faster processor and is more sensitive to smaller targets. It’s lighter and not as cumbersome as the Excal. Now were I to detect in deeper water, the Excal would be my choice...it was designed for that.

Given what you’ve posted regarding your requirements, I would get the EQX 800 were I in your situation.

Just the view from my beach head....

Good luck

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I own both and still perfer the excal using reverse discrimination if I am hunting in the surf .

 

[WaterWalker]

Each detector has it own strengths. I own both and can make a recommendation for each. Size, weight, cost, control features, discrimination, audio sounds, object(s) being searched for in the environment it is being used in, accessories available, and the list goes on. Each feature is important yet none of the variables are worth a darn if the operator does not have the knowledge of their affect on the detector operation and how to optimize each for the search the operator is detecting at. Make a side by side list of the features important to you, go for the one you have the most features you will use, and buy that detector. Then learn the detector and how to make it work the best for you. Try to get ahold each detector and test drive it if you can. Good luck in your choice. One more point, the bluetooth connection is lost when the Nox800 control head is under water.

 

[cudamark]

If you only are going to have one detector, and only going in shallow water, the Equinox is the way to go. The Excalibur in not a fun machine on land. It works fine there, but, it lacks a depth meter, has no visual display, and no VCO type pin point function. It's also fairly heavy compared to the Nox, and won't find tiny targets as well as the Nox does. The Equinox coils can be easily changed too, something that is a pain to do on an Excalibur.

 

[vferrari]

Equinox and Excal are really apples to oranges. Equinox is like a Swiss Army Knife, Excal is a carving knife for water hunting.

To add on to what Cuda said, the Excal does not do fine on land if your soil is mildly to highly mineralized. If you want versatility on land and in water > Equinox. If you are a hard core water hunter (I don't mean just beach, but you are up to your neck in water or do snorkeling or diving on regular basis) the maybe the nod to the Excal because it is designed to be constantly submerged and at large depths. But it has limitations as Cuda and Dan mentioned above. Equinox will do fine in occasional water hunting and really well in knee deep salt water and can take the occasional full dunking, but it is not rated for constant repeated submergence (even at shallow depths, despite what ML says about its specs - because they apparently do not take into account hydrodynamic pressure stresses only the static pressure at 10 feet of water) and that can cause water intrusion into some of the weak points in their watertight design unlike the Excal that is rated to 100 ft+. Regardless, if you do manage to get the Equinox to leak (some small percentage of leaked under different circumstances), ML fully stands behind it with its basic no questions asked 3 year warranty.

 

[1k9]

Great information.. thank you