The Minelab Equinox 800 is a Piece of Junk

[Woodsy]

I went on a hunt today and decided to give the Nox 800 a shot. After about an hour in the woods around an old cabin where I found a lot of old coins with my Tesoro Tejon, I got tired of digging a lot of garbage signals with this detector, so I made my way out to the road where I was given permission by a woman to search around her 100-year-old farmhouse.

Early into the hunt, I dug a wheat penny and an old token. Nature called, and I went off into the brush to take a leak. When I came back the wireless headphones would not reconnect to the metal detector under any circumstances. It ruined my entire hunt and I wanted to bash this thing into the side of a tree.

My wish is that I would of had my Tejon. The Minelab Equinox 800 is a real Piece of Junk.

 

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[vferrari]

Great review. Did it take also only take an hour to become an expert on your Tejon? Maybe you're such a great detectorist that you cleaned up all the good targets with your Tejon and left nothing for the Equinox. Sorry modern technology got the best of you with those wireless phones. That is a pity. I wish you "would of" had your Tejon too, it would have kept us both from wasting time dealing with uninformed opinions of the Equinox. Hey, the good news is you won't have any trouble selling it to some sucker. It's the most popular detector sold over the past 3 years so Minelab actually felt they could raise the selling price, so there's that. Gotta keep looking on the bright side.. Happy Hunting.

 

[GoDeep]

Blaming the detector for digging junk after only an hour of use on it? That's like expecting your child to play Basketball like Michael Jordon after only a few hours on the court.

As far as pairing on the headphones, can't say, maybe they aren't a great match for the Equinox as i have headphones that pair effortlessly, even if i leave their range and come back in range.

 

[smokeythecat]

The 800 is not a piece of junk. Like V said...

 

[Woodsy]

Blaming the detector for digging junk after only an hour of use on it? That's like expecting your child to play Basketball like Michael Jordon after only a few hours on the court.

As far as pairing on the headphones, can't say, maybe they aren't a great match for the Equinox as i have headphones that pair effortlessly, even if i leave their range and come back in range.

The headphones are the minilabs that came with the detector. Just junk, you can't tell if they are on or off. I have an E-trac which is pretty good, but if you like rusty bottle caps and foil, then buy an Equinox. I paid a great deal of money for this detector. I am deeply disappointed.

 

[Woodsy]

The 800 is not a piece of junk. Like V said...

LOl. okay, Smokey, I will get out and hunt 100 hours with this thing, but I want the wireless headphones to work. Gosh, darn it!

 

[SultansOfSwing]

I'll take it off your hands for $400

 

[gunsil]

Your phones came with a wire to use if they run out of juice, you could have just plugged the wire in and they would have likely worked just fine albeit no longer wireless. Would have saved your hunt anyways. Did you even take the time to read the manual? You can download the manual free from the Minelab website and print it out. Then STUDY it. The phones also have an indicator light to tell you if they are on, and an icon on the detector to tell you if they are paired. Sultan, I just picked up an 800 that had been used five times for $500 off craigslist. An early one but it came with all the accessories and works just fine. Had to pair the phones since the original owner never used them.

 

[midalake]

LOl. okay, Smokey, I will get out and hunt 100 hours with this thing, but I want the wireless headphones to work. Gosh, darn it!

I don't think I got comfortable until after 50 hours. If you are just hunting land go cable direct and with quality phones.

 

[Woodsy]

I'll take it off your hands for $400

LOL, your like I give you $400.00 for it before you smash it into a tree, hehe, I've calmed down sense then.

 

[midalake]

I went on a hunt today and decided to give the Nox 800 a shot. After about an hour in the woods around an old cabin where I found a lot of old coins with my Tesoro Tejon, I got tired of digging a lot of garbage signals with this detector, so I made my way out to the road where I was given permission by a woman to search around her 100-year-old farmhouse.

Early into the hunt, I dug a wheat penny and an old token. Nature called, and I went off into the brush to take a leak. When I came back the wireless headphones would not reconnect to the metal detector under any circumstances. It ruined my entire hunt and I wanted to bash this thing into the side of a tree.

My wish is that I would of had my Tejon. The Minelab Equinox 800 is a real Piece of Junk.

I think the OP should share his settings. Also, were you using the wm08? Where did you have it located?

 

[smokeythecat]

Check all your connections. And NOBODY needs to really "learn" a new detector like in the old days. Use the factory presents, go slow and remember, if it's not there, you won't find it. Sometimes we find the gold mine, sometimes the mining shaft only. Familiarity with a detector is a good thing but if I didn't dig most "iffy" targets, with any machine I've ever had I would find nothing much at all. The 100 hour thing is for some folks, but you have to dig the iffy stuff. Our machines are now "computers on a stick", and if you trust the computer, you win. Going too fast, having a wide open swing and over tweaking a machine will lead to coming home with less. I dug twenty pieces of aluminum today before I hit a button and minie ball.

 

[vferrari]

...if you like rusty bottle caps and foil, then buy an Equinox. I paid a great deal of money for this detector. I am deeply disappointed.

Hey you know what I like?



All Equinox finds

 

[Woodsy]

I don't think I got comfortable until after 50 hours. If you just hunting land go cable direct and with quality phones.

Good advice, I think thats what I'm going to do. Thank you.

 

[Woodsy]

Hey you know what I like?

View attachment 1911107 View attachment 1911108 View attachment 1911109 View attachment 1911110 View attachment 1911111 View attachment 1911112 View attachment 1911113

All Equinox finds

Nice!!! Good finds my freind.

 

[smokeythecat]

That's cause I let him come to my permissions.

 

[Woodsy]

Check all your connections. And NOBODY needs to really "learn" a new detector like in the old days. Use the factory presents, go slow and remember, if it's not there, you won't find it. Sometimes we find the gold mine, sometimes the mining shaft only. Familiarity with a detector is a good thing but if I didn't dig most "iffy" targets, with any machine I've ever had I would find nothing much at all. The 100 hour thing is for some folks, but you have to dig the iffy stuff. Our machines are now "computers on a stick", and if you trust the computer, you win. Going too fast, having a wide open swing and over tweaking a machine will lead to coming home with less. I dug twenty pieces of aluminum today before I hit a button and minie ball.

As usual, I think your right. Thank you for the reminder.

 

[smokeythecat]

Being right sometimes isn't all that great...

 

[vferrari]

Woodsy - I know you had a frustrating first day out but put the time in to go slow and learn the different modes and audio and take it to a sweet site (Smokey helps me in that department) and you will ultimately be rewarded.

Look at my tips in the post linked below on how to approach starting out with the Equinox.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/equinox/596895-so-you-just-got-equinox-christmas.html

(Psst - don't tell anyone but I absolutely hated it on day one, too - but it clicked soon enough)

And if it still doesn't float your boat, it has great resale value.

 

[midalake]

As usual, I think your right. Thank you for the reminder.

I only salt water hunt. The first day out with mine [2.5 years ago] I thought the Equinox was a piece of junk. EVEN TODAY I was cussing it in certain places. There is things this detector does really well and other things........well lets say it is not perfect everywhere.