For those of you thinking of jumping ship to the Nox...

[ewtaylor]

Just went out in the backyard and dug a 10" hole. Dropped a "shot" 3 ringer in first and covered up the hole. Checked with At Pro using Cors Cannon aka Nel Thunder (10.5 x 14.5). Pro mode, zero discrimination, iron discrimination 10. Sounded off beautifully. vdi reading was around 80 each swing.

Next I dropped in a thin silver 2R. Once again, At Pro sounded off with a reading of 53. No question about the solid tone, anyone with half a brain would have dug these targets.

Now with Nox 600. Field 2 with the only adjustment I raised the sensitivity up a few digits and hunted in all-metal (horseshoe button). Sounded off on the 3 ringer with numbers below 12 but solid tone. Switched over to Park 2 and same result.

Dropped the silver in the hole, covered it, Rough sound in Field 2 and I'm not so sure I would have dug it. The vdi was all over the place but would sometimes read silver. Tones were flutey. Sounded much better in Park 2 with a signal of mostly 13.

Granted, this was a fresh dug hole and recovered so no "halo" effect. I was also getting some feedback on the Nox (maybe from the At Pro?) which effected the sounds and numbers a tad. Also, this section of the yard was trash/iron free.

If you are worried about the depth of the At Pro, just get a bigger coil. This was the first time I compared them side by side and if I decide to do any relic hunting it will be with the At Pro and Cannon coil.
Hope this helps.

 

[ewtaylor]

-- moved topic --

 

[Nauti]

ewtaylor,
These sort of posts are very helpful to those reading all the hype that surrounds any new machine that comes onto the market.It is good to counteract all the glossy adverts that promise a great new detecting experience with the views of someone with over 30 years experience of using different machines in real world conditions.
I've read the adverts that minelab have put out with this machine and as usual,they contain the stereotype reviews of how this machine found loads of targets on a field that had been done to death and how it will find targets that no other machine can.......laughable.I even saw a quote that said the nox had the potential to make all other vlf machines obsolete........this seems to have disappeard now which was probably a good move.
The nox is undoubtably a good machine,but again it is'nt the miracle machine that manufacturers like you to think their latest offerings are.
Good,helpful post ew.

 

[Willee - Texas]

Minelab says the Equinox is not designed to replace or be "better" than the CTX 3030.
Why would Minelab kill the sales of a $2500 detector in favor of selling a $700 detector with the same performance?
Its all up to the user ... personally I like the multi freq performance offered by the Equinox for shallow salt water beach hunting.
I like the light weight, the low cost, and the performance of the new Equinox machine.
Not ready to sell my Sovereign GT yet but am using it less and less.

For dirt fishing in school yards and sport fields looking for coins and jewelry I prefer the XP Deus and AT pro.
Never forget metal detectors are just tools and there is no single tool perfect for all uses.

 

[Nauti]

I don't think they meant their own machines......i think that particular quote was aimed at other detectors.
I'm not knocking minelab detectors by any means....i've had five and still own an explorer se.....what i am knocking is the.....to be quite frank......bull that surrounds new machines that come on to the market whatever compaby it is.

 

[HaroldILL.]

Yep it seems all the Nox love is cooling down like all new Machines when they first come out. I said the same thing why would they make a better machine than a CTX at less than half the price? They would have to be stupid?

 

[chuck ky]

Because a lot of people, myself included, would never think of spending $2500 for a detector but at $700 its very tempting.

 

[sprchng]

The hidden quantity that seems to come with the NOX is an unavoidable trend by the owners to be overcome with defensiveness and justification for their purchase and a tendency to migrate to areas of waste deep lickspittle and self appointed "professional" classifications.

 

[DaveNV]

Well, my love for the NOX isn't cooling down and judging by the number of used NOX 800s for re-sale, it doesn't appear that others have lost their ardor, either. As has been stated over and over, it's doubtful that Minelab was intending for the NOX to replace their higher-end machines. What they were intending, IMHO, was to attract folks who wanted to own a high-performance machine, but who were not willing to put out a grand or two to own one. I sold an ETrac to buy my 800 and the quantity and quality of my finds have increased. I'll be the first to admit that I was no expert with ETrac; although I've been detecting since the early 1970s and have owned machines from all the major manufacturers, the weight and complexity of that machine kept me from utilizing it to its maximum capability. On the other hand, the NOX weighs considerably less, seems to be able to make good finds without the operator needing an engineering degree to operate, has a wide range of applications and features and is reasonably priced. If the more expensive and complex detectors are your preference, by all means, have at them. Not sure why folks feel the need to bash other people's choices and trumpet theirs. As they say, the "proof is in the pudding," or in this case, the finding. Go, have fun with your detector and I'll do the same. After all, this is just a hobby.

 

[hunt2day]

Well said, Dave !

 

[D&P-OR]

Huh?? Run that by me again John (slowly)!

The hidden quantity that seems to come with the NOX is an unavoidable trend by the owners to be overcome with defensiveness and justification for their purchase and a tendency to migrate to areas of waste deep lickspittle and self appointed "professional" classifications.

 

[vlad]

The Equinox has many good features, not the least of which is the ease of programming. Back a few years ago I could fly through an XLT or DFX (others complained) and I
believe that was near the limit of (easy) programming functionability. I DEFY anyone to do that with a V3i (a degree in sorcery and another in computer engineering would help);
and its more than programming-its real life performance in the field (not the living room), and figuring what to increase or decrease. I guarantee NASA Tom did not learn it in 3 days,
including fine tuning for site requirements, (learning those hot keys is a must.)
To put things in perspective, had this Equinox been out in the mid to late '80's at $2500 (in 82-83 a Tek 9000A was around $1200) everyone would have found
a way to afford one----and they would been in short supply.
You have choices if the Equinox does not meet expectations; go the preowned route and get a CZ or ML multi of your choice-and a Impact or Multi Kruezer.
No you are not matching Equinox features in one unit--but just maybe getting the higher level of performance (you think you need in a minimum of two.)
Its still going to cost more though. (and remember the biggest limiting factor with any detector may just be the user's interface-you don't believe that.....grab a V3i)

 

[lytle78]

Good summary. Your emphasis on simplicity is why after having used both at the beach in wet salt sand and in the water, I prefer my CZ6 to my Nox 600. The CZ is bloody simple and doesn’t find every fly-speck of foil - it also pinpoints perfectly, especially with the 8” coil.

Inland, I still need more time with the Nox compared to my T2+. To early to call, but the T2 KILLS the Nox on ergonomics. The T2 is designed for humans, the Nox’s mechanical design is designed to look cool.

It’s early days, but the whole idea of “just one detector” reminds me of guys woodchuck hunting and grizzly bear hunting with a 30–06. Great caliber - arguably none more versatile, but not the optimum tool for every job.