The Minelab Equinox 800 is a Piece of Junk

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,682
40,650
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yes, they work great until they break. Of the other various brands of detectors I have had I never had to send one back to the factory, never broke a coil, or the ears off one and each of my machines ends up looking like a worse for wear dog chew toy. And I throw them around like beach balls. Once I got a coil bad out of the box, but that was not from use. I don't think the Equinoxes would take what I put machines through. Even dropped one in the Chesapeake Bay a few years ago which was NOT waterproof and it didn't die. I had an Equinox briefly. Once.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,682
40,650
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yes, they work great until they break. Of the other various brands of detectors I have had (over the last 40 years) I never had to send one back to the factory, never broke a coil, or the ears off one and each of my machines ends up looking like a worse for wear dog chew toy. And I throw them around like beach balls. Once I got a coil bad out of the box, but that was not from use. I don't think the Equinoxes would take what I put machines through. Even dropped a machine of a different brand in the Chesapeake Bay a few years ago which was NOT waterproof and it didn't die. I had an Equinox briefly. Once. I just didn't like it. But they do find stuff, that's for sure.
 

Grunter

Tenderfoot
Nov 11, 2011
9
5
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Problems solved with the issue of the Nox 700 and the 900.
 

pulltabfelix

Bronze Member
Jan 29, 2018
1,006
1,624
North Atlanta
Detector(s) used
Currently have CTX3030 and Vanquish 440.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
I laid my 800 in 13 inches of river water while I was recovering a quarter. Not in the water more than 1 min and the display leaked. Fixed under warranty, but never let the control head ever get underwater again.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,304
54,460
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I laid my 800 in 13 inches of river water while I was recovering a quarter. Not in the water more than 1 min and the display leaked. Fixed under warranty, but never let the control head ever get underwater again.
Mine has been underwater with no issues.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,682
40,650
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I think it's like buying a car. And yes I mean a real automobile. MOST times you get one that's fine, maybe needs a tweak or so, but essentially fine. That OTHER car, well it was made by gnomes on a Friday, last one of the shift, and that was the day after Thanksgiving and the gnomes really weren't in the mood to build a car that day. And they'd been drinking. A lot. Applies to ANYTHING we buy.

Now something that has a LOT of the same problem, on a car that's called a recall. My Chevy Equinox has a recall for wiper motors. I'll get around to it soon. Now that I'm thinking about it again. Will a new model car solve it? Maybe, maybe not, depends on the bean counters who are spending the bucks to make the car.
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,173
14,460
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I think it's like buying a car. And yes I mean a real automobile. MOST times you get one that's fine, maybe needs a tweak or so, but essentially fine. That OTHER car, well it was made by gnomes on a Friday, last one of the shift, and that was the day after Thanksgiving and the gnomes really weren't in the mood to build a car that day. And they'd been drinking. A lot. Applies to ANYTHING we buy.

Now something that has a LOT of the same problem, on a car that's called a recall. My Chevy Equinox has a recall for wiper motors. I'll get around to it soon. Now that I'm thinking about it again. Will a new model car solve it? Maybe, maybe not, depends on the bean counters who are spending the bucks to make the car.
If Chevrolet takes a lesson from the Minelab playbook, they'll give you the same crappy replacement wiper motor that will likely fail like the one you have now instead of making a better one that won't fail! Unless it's a safety issue.....then they'll be forced to make a better one.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,682
40,650
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
If Chevrolet takes a lesson from the Minelab playbook, they'll give you the same crappy replacement wiper motor that will likely fail like the one you have now instead of making a better one that won't fail! Unless it's a safety issue.....then they'll be forced to make a better one.
It is considered a safety issue. I have a 2nd vehicle to go if it rains. Or snows. Wait...I don't especially like driving in snow anymore.
 

OP
OP
Woodsy

Woodsy

Sr. Member
Oct 26, 2018
313
229
Michigan
Detector(s) used
Tejon, Outlaw, Mojave, Nox 800, E-trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
The guy that started this thread does not appear to be around any more. I wanted to tell him I know how he feels. My 12 year old grandson got in his dad's manual transmission jeep and ran it into the wall of their garage. What a stupid worthless jeep. It is no good! They should get rid of the jeep. Of course the fact my grandson had no idea how to drive it makes no difference.
Im here, just got busy on some stuff. I still have it, and it work's well.
 

Attachments

  • 20221124_091431.jpg
    20221124_091431.jpg
    1,014.3 KB · Views: 32

pulltabfelix

Bronze Member
Jan 29, 2018
1,006
1,624
North Atlanta
Detector(s) used
Currently have CTX3030 and Vanquish 440.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Mine has been underwater with no issues.
I only think a small % leaked, but those get all the notice, especially when it is yours. After the warranty ran out, I was afraid to dunk it. But then it really didn't matter that much to me, I don't do hardly any water hunting deeper than my knees and the 800 is fine for that.
 

McKinney_5900

Bronze Member
Jul 30, 2010
1,137
925
I only think a small % leaked, but those get all the notice, especially when it is yours. After the warranty ran out, I was afraid to dunk it. But then it really didn't matter that much to me, I don't do hardly any water hunting deeper than my knees and the 800 is fine for that.
I never "dunked" either my 600 or 800 machines during their warranties. I also never worried about a rain storm, and I have have several good, wetting rains during many hunts. Mine are good as new as far as any leaking.

I wash my Noxs freely all the time, and I never saw any leaks. Not dunked but definitely washed,,,washed way more than any of my other detectors I own.

If I'd bought them for actual underwater use, I'd be pissed too.
 

LawrencetheMDer

Hero Member
Feb 22, 2014
978
2,386
Ohio and Florida
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab CTX3030 w 11" and 17" DD coils,
Minelab Excalibur II w 10" coil, Equinox 800 (4) w 11" and 15" coils,
Troy Shadow x2 w 7" coil, Pointers; Garrett Carrot, Pro Find 35,
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
I sympathize as for the blue tooth connection on the Nox 800 since the version has to be right to work and loss signal can be a problem even w the newest version. I've had 2 Nox 800s in last 3 1/2 yrs and drowned the first one twice. I hunt mostly salt water and beach and early on w the wireless headphones I found that they would lose signal and I might not know it for several minutes particularly during Winter when targets are few and far between. My solution was wired headphones and once in a while wired ear buds. But the 800 has mostly replaced my CTX 3030 and Excal 1000 - much more expensive machines.
 

wildpig

Full Member
Jul 25, 2015
128
94
Eastern Oklahoma
Detector(s) used
Garrett Ace 350, Garrett AT Max, AT Pro, Minelab Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
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.
If my headphones won't pair, I turn everything off, and then start up the headphones, then the 800. This usually does it.
 

Grizz12

Sr. Member
Dec 22, 2018
314
516
Alaska
Detector(s) used
Nox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
My 800 used to pair easily and reliably but for some reason they are getting finicky.

things I've noticed-
-After a full charge and try to pair they will connect, disconnect, and repeat non stop
- not connect at all
- connect and after a while (hour or so) they will disconnect for no reason
- I've connected the wire to complete my day but dont like it

I never liked the tiny buttons and the lights are difficult to see with my old eyes so I figure this may be a good time to look into an upgrade wireless headset. Does anyone have a recommendation?
 

fishstick

Silver Member
Oct 28, 2012
2,639
6,708
Indiana
Detector(s) used
Fisher F5, T2SE, F2 for the boys, XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yeah a Deus lol. Never had any issues with connecting
 

SocalJim

Jr. Member
Sep 25, 2012
71
59
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Minelab will have a real reliability issue if Nokta Makro continues to up their game .
They're blowing out the Legend stock now with a hundred off any package . That's half the price of an 800 and probably close to it in capability.
Who would buy a machine for water use with only a 3 year warranty knowing the issue ?
Minelab would tell you only 1% of them have leak issues but I rarely see complaints from other brands.
Apparently they think only their customers over tighten coil bolts but only on certain models.
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,173
14,460
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yeah a Deus lol. Never had any issues with connecting
The 700/900 doesn't either. They're everything the 600/800 should have been from the beginning. Wonderful machine!
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top