My Take on the Equinox 800

[scubadetector]

I consider myself a pretty good detectorist although most my experience as of the year 2000 has been underwater. I started out in the middle 1990's with a Whites Eagle SL2. A great machine and I still own one. I then went to the Whites Spectrum and the Whites DFX. I brought the Spectrum to Michigan with me from Utah and drowned it the first year. Then I drowned a DFX. Got the DFX repaired and sold it. Went to Fisher underwater machines.

About 5 years ago, if I remember right I was looking at Craigs List and came across an E-Trac in original box for 500.00 including a Garrett pinpointer. I snagged that and have used it on land in the spring and fall when it was too cold to dive. A great machine for depth and identification. However my disabilities made it very hard to swing the last couple of years and I had to limit my out of water detecting time. So I was on the list for an Equinox 800 and got it a few weeks ago. I have used it about 4 hours a day 3 - 4 days a week.

First I have absolutely no real complaints about it. A fantastic lightweight machine I can swing longer than the E-Trac. I love the fast recovery speed as I hunt a very old campground absolutely full of trash. The VID isn't as good as the E-Trac but I really do not care. I am a tone hunter. I didn't pay attention to the E-Trac display anyway except to see where the cursor was.

This machine has been a pleasure to swing. I have a friend with an E-Trac and we were comparing them. I was able to find a lot of coins his E-Trac wasn't. He got very frustrated. I then suggested he use my E-Trac and we found out that day his E-Trac was defective. Every coin I could hit with the Equinox, my E-Trac would see. His has been shipped to be repaired under warranty and he is using mine for now.

Anyway, in ALL our comparisons there has only been one signal he got that I called junk in which I was wrong. We compared in the wild before any ground was dug. The first target he took from the hole was a short stubby heavy spring from a cot. Then he waved his coil over the hole and got a very sweet sound I could hear and I was about 20 foot away. He did get a wheat cent out of the hole also.

Anyway, the Equinox 800 is a great addition to my arsenal of detectors. I will be selling my E-Trac after Kevin gets his back. I think it is a great machine but it is just too heavy for me since I am disabled.

I came back from Cancun on March 21'st and my new toy was waiting for me that day. In this park I have pulled out 5 silver quarters including a 1926 SLQ, 10 mercs and 3 rosies. My E-Trac in Kevin's hands is also pulling out silver.

(Silver and Buffs in the last couple of weeks)



I have underwater headphones on order and I am waiting patiently for Pete at Anderson Shafts to have my dive rod ready. My first underwater spot will be the Detroit River. Some of you know I have a hot spot there. In 2016 I pulled 307 silver coins including 22 half dollars out of it, over 100 pieces of silver jewelry and 53 pieces of gold.







This spot is absolutely full of iron and even though my CZ-20's and my Tiger Sharks do a great job of target separation I feel the Equinox 800 will find things I have missed with the other toys. I am in 7 - 8 foot of water where I am playing and so I hopefully will not drown the Nox. This will be the ultimate test I can give the machine.

If it does well there, my next test will be at party central in lake St. Clair. I pull a good amount of gold out of that spot and I am hoping the Equinox will find gold chains I have missed. I did get a couple of big ones last year from there. Largest was 59.51 grams of 14K. We have found lots of pendants without chains there though. Hopefully the Equinox will find some nice chains for me and some smaller rings with broken shanks.


(Party central over 5 thousand boats and 15 thousand people)


(Last years gold)



Well, that about sums it up for me. I am enjoying the lightness of the machine and the fast target recovery. It finds a lot more trash targets and is noisier than my E-Trac with Mr. Bills Trashy Parks Program but I haven't discriminated anything out yet with it. I can handle the chirps it makes for now.

 

[Mark kus]

Nice I just bought a 800 to will be here this week I had a Etrac also found my first $5.00 gold coin with it
But I also had bad tennis elbow so I sold the Etrac and bought a Deus now my elbow has almost completely
Healed I went ahead and bought the Equinox for the water and beach I have no doubt it will be a great addition
To the Deus.

 

[dbado1]

Looking forward to you putting the 800 through the paces under water. Thanks for sharing your story and pics!

Dean

 

[NormS]

I put my E-Trac in mothballs and will likely sell it. I have both an 800 and a 600. I love the 800 and the 600 will be here tomorrow. In less than 24 hours on the 800 I found $78 is clad and probably $3 in pennies. I had to get the 800 repaired so I used my E-trac while in for repair. I had to work twice as hard with the E-Trac but then again I am really getting used to what the 800 is telling me and after 2 yrs I still haven't got used to the E-Trac. I sold my V3i to get the 800 and now I will sell my E-Trac. I had previously sold my ATP when I bought the E-Trac and I was darn good with my ATP. I found close to $3000 in clad with my ATP in 2yrs. I take to some detectors and some I don't. I can't explain why but that's the way it is.

 

[Always Curious]

I put my E-Trac in mothballs and will likely sell it. I have both an 800 and a 600. I love the 800 and the 600 will be here tomorrow. In less than 24 hours on the 800 I found $78 is clad and probably $3 in pennies. I had to get the 800 repaired so I used my E-trac while in for repair. I had to work twice as hard with the E-Trac but then again I am really getting used to what the 800 is telling me and after 2 yrs I still haven't got used to the E-Trac. I sold my V3i to get the 800 and now I will sell my E-Trac. I had previously sold my ATP when I bought the E-Trac and I was darn good with my ATP. I found close to $3000 in clad with my ATP in 2yrs. I take to some detectors and some I don't. I can't explain why but that's the way it is.

I'm keeping both, I think. But whatever works, I say. Sometimes one person will click with a machine that another person just can't stand to use.

 

[looknforgold]

I consider myself a pretty good detectorist although most my experience as of the year 2000 has been underwater. I started out in the middle 1990's with a Whites Eagle SL2. A great machine and I still own one. I then went to the Whites Spectrum and the Whites DFX. I brought the Spectrum to Michigan with me from Utah and drowned it the first year. Then I drowned a DFX. Got the DFX repaired and sold it. Went to Fisher underwater machines.

About 5 years ago, if I remember right I was looking at Craigs List and came across an E-Trac in original box for 500.00 including a Garrett pinpointer. I snagged that and have used it on land in the spring and fall when it was too cold to dive. A great machine for depth and identification. However my disabilities made it very hard to swing the last couple of years and I had to limit my out of water detecting time. So I was on the list for an Equinox 800 and got it a few weeks ago. I have used it about 4 hours a day 3 - 4 days a week.

First I have absolutely no real complaints about it. A fantastic lightweight machine I can swing longer than the E-Trac. I love the fast recovery speed as I hunt a very old campground absolutely full of trash. The VID isn't as good as the E-Trac but I really do not care. I am a tone hunter. I didn't pay attention to the E-Trac display anyway except to see where the cursor was.

This machine has been a pleasure to swing. I have a friend with an E-Trac and we were comparing them. I was able to find a lot of coins his E-Trac wasn't. He got very frustrated. I then suggested he use my E-Trac and we found out that day his E-Trac was defective. Every coin I could hit with the Equinox, my E-Trac would see. His has been shipped to be repaired under warranty and he is using mine for now.

Anyway, in ALL our comparisons there has only been one signal he got that I called junk in which I was wrong. We compared in the wild before any ground was dug. The first target he took from the hole was a short stubby heavy spring from a cot. Then he waved his coil over the hole and got a very sweet sound I could hear and I was about 20 foot away. He did get a wheat cent out of the hole also.

Anyway, the Equinox 800 is a great addition to my arsenal of detectors. I will be selling my E-Trac after Kevin gets his back. I think it is a great machine but it is just too heavy for me since I am disabled.

I came back from Cancun on March 21'st and my new toy was waiting for me that day. In this park I have pulled out 5 silver quarters including a 1926 SLQ, 10 mercs and 3 rosies. My E-Trac in Kevin's hands is also pulling out silver.

(Silver and Buffs in the last couple of weeks)

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j234/robertg_g/2018/IMG_20180411_073802272_HDR_zps8dswcmze.jpg

I have underwater headphones on order and I am waiting patiently for Pete at Anderson Shafts to have my dive rod ready. My first underwater spot will be the Detroit River. Some of you know I have a hot spot there. In 2016 I pulled 307 silver coins including 22 half dollars out of it, over 100 pieces of silver jewelry and 53 pieces of gold.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j234/robertg_g/DSC00686_zpsbn2rbpyi.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j234/robertg_g/DSC00683_zps1l0weavb.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j234/robertg_g/DSC00684_zpscn2wzw2f.jpg

This spot is absolutely full of iron and even though my CZ-20's and my Tiger Sharks do a great job of target separation I feel the Equinox 800 will find things I have missed with the other toys. I am in 7 - 8 foot of water where I am playing and so I hopefully will not drown the Nox. This will be the ultimate test I can give the machine.

If it does well there, my next test will be at party central in lake St. Clair. I pull a good amount of gold out of that spot and I am hoping the Equinox will find gold chains I have missed. I did get a couple of big ones last year from there. Largest was 59.51 grams of 14K. We have found lots of pendants without chains there though. Hopefully the Equinox will find some nice chains for me and some smaller rings with broken shanks.


(Party central over 5 thousand boats and 15 thousand people)
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j234/robertg_g/Raft-Off-2016-141_zpskgmwfuka.jpg

(Last years gold)
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j234/robertg_g/IMG_20170929_215902266_zps1cfkmrhu.jpg


Well, that about sums it up for me. I am enjoying the lightness of the machine and the fast target recovery. It finds a lot more trash targets and is noisier than my E-Trac with Mr. Bills Trashy Parks Program but I haven't discriminated anything out yet with it. I can handle the chirps it makes for now.

Whew! For a moment there when I seen all of those pics, I was thinking you wiped out "MY" spot in Cancun, lol. Well, it's not actually in Cancun, but close, or is it?

Anyways, I loved the pics and the finds. I hope my EQ 800 will replace my Excal... It will be great for the tot lots, lakes & volleyball courts here....AND, in the saltwater for when I head south. Most of my finds come in waist deep water and I would say 99% of my finds come "FROM" the water.

No way this machine will ever replace my Etrac, I just know it, it's not the same machine. I can tell my other machine is just better (The Etrac). but I can still dump my Excal, maybe.

I do like the Equinox though, it's a keeper, it has it's purpose

 

[scubadetector]

Unfortunately it has to replace my E-Trac. I can swing my E-Trac for less than two hours before I have to call it quits. It has really been a good machine but my neck and right arm can't swing it.

No in Cancun I found a whole 10 peso coin and a 20 euro coin. Waves were pounding me hard. That is all Michigan gold.

 

[looknforgold]

Unfortunately it has to replace my E-Trac. I can swing my E-Trac for less than two hours before I have to call it quits. It has really been a good machine but my neck and right arm can't swing it.

No in Cancun I found a whole 10 peso coin and a 20 euro coin. Waves were pounding me hard. That is all Michigan gold.

The weight of the Etrac does make the nox appealing for sure. I've been using it the last 2 hunts. I wonder how my arm is gonna feel after this weekend after swinging the Etrac for 4 hours? I've got a spot that I really need to use the TTF setup, so I'm going to feel the pain.

As far hunting the area I'm talking about in Cancun, you've got to go and hit the local beaches. I've tried the resort beaches......The sand is deep, the waves are huge and the crowds are large. It's amazing that 99% of my finds come from the water, but I did get lucky this last summer and I found 2 gold down south of Play Del Carmen around the loungers, blind luck I guess. My scoop had broke and I was limited to the beach with only a broken scoop to dig with, Grrr!.

Looking forward to taking the EQ 800 to the beach, but I need some good waterproof headphones, not earbuds.

 

[doc holiday232]

Ever try switching arms while detecting?? Been doing it for years and it works.

 

[scubadetector]

Ever try switching arms while detecting?? Been doing it for years and it works.

Yes but I have problems with my neck that affects both arms. I have been classified as 100% disabled. My neck is really that bad.

That is one reason I am underwater so much. No weight on my neck, no pain. I can swing all day if only I didn't need to eat, sleep and use the bathroom!

 

[Explorer.se]

I put my E-Trac in mothballs and will likely sell it. I have both an 800 and a 600. I love the 800 and the 600 will be here tomorrow. In less than 24 hours on the 800 I found $78 is clad and probably $3 in pennies. I had to get the 800 repaired so I used my E-trac while in for repair. I had to work twice as hard with the E-Trac but then again I am really getting used to what the 800 is telling me and after 2 yrs I still haven't got used to the E-Trac. I sold my V3i to get the 800 and now I will sell my E-Trac. I had previously sold my ATP when I bought the E-Trac and I was darn good with my ATP. I found close to $3000 in clad with my ATP in 2yrs. I take to some detectors and some I don't. I can't explain why but that's the way it is.

I'm keeping both, I think. But whatever works, I say. Sometimes one person will click with a machine that another person just can't stand to use.

I agree I love my explorer Pro and would not part with it.