Just so those on Treasure Net don't think that I'm trashing the 900, I"M NOT. All I said was that every year new machines come out that are "technically" better than the last 30 years worth of machines.... and then new ones always make you think your going to "Go out and dig tons of stuff where you never found stuff before" and its kind of BS..
I'm sure the 900 is a Fantastic Machine, that was not my point. I did not know the price, but its more than the 800, so there's that... as for the features mentioned.. "A waterproof rating that is better" how can we actually determine such a statement ? and are you going to be diving ?? If your just wading or not going in the water (like me) its not a feature to consider. A red back light sounds really cool, and you can probably outshine your friends at night, when you detect at night, but only 5 of my last 15 machines had a backlight and I survived ha ha ha,
The carbon fiber shaft is nice as is the telescoping lower pole, both my DEUS's have that telescoping feature and its a great feature.. its been around for many years so why didn't Minelab give us that in earlier models ?
Sensitivity range has been increased..... How many people will actually use this feature and can you honestly say it will make a difference ?
99 numbers for target ID is much better than 40, and might be a good reason to invest here... But will it change the outcome of your finds ?
I've probably had to fix 2-3 armrests in the 30 years I've been hunting, is it something to consider for a higher price ? maybe, I will say I like the flashlight feature, not seen that on a detector, this would be great for night hunting...
Coils with sturdier ears I say is speculative, to say that in 30 years of hunting and 20 machines I've never had the ears on a coil break is a true statement, not that it can't happen... but I'm just saying...
The question was weather the 900 was better than the 800, and maybe it is, but like everything in this hobby you will probably do just as good with a cheaper machine and not to get lulled into the trap of buying a new one every year or the more or most expensive model because "It's a whole new and better machine this year" that was my point...
I'm only trying to help new people to this hobby make a rational and informed decision, not like me buying everything that always promised me more every time.. ha ha ha now I'm broke ...
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To actually answer your question, The 900 is much better in many ways over the 800. Not so much in actual depth, but, in the build and features. First, the 900 is $1100, not $1500. The waterproof rating has been improved, the backlight is now red to save your night vision, the shaft is now carbon fiber and telescoping with infinite adjustment with cam locks, the sensitivity range has been expanded to 28 over 25, the target I.D. numbers have been decompressed and now go to 99 instead of 40 on the non-ferrous side, the arm rest is beefier and has much more adjustment, EMI rejection is slightly improved, the 900 has a flashlight, and the new version of the coils have sturdier ears and it comes with 2 coils from the start. Unless you just can't handle the extra expense, there's really no reason to buy the 800.
ha ha ha
