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thinking of buying a Deus don't know about it to much would like some opinions and recommendation on how they perform and what accessories
- Thread starter Oldbob67
- Start date
Oldbob67
Member
I live in st Matthews south carolina planning on doing a little beach hunting in the water also some rivers here and relic hunting
Thanks for all your help
Bob
The Deus is a great DRY sand beach detector. It not a good saltwater or saltwater wet sand detector. You'd be better off with a Equinox 600 or 800. These will work great on the dry sand as well as on the wet sand or in saltwater. I have the XP and the Minelab. Minelab all the way for hunting saltwater beaches. Nox is equally at home hunting relics and freshwater lakes and beaches.
Oldbob67
Member
Thank you I just was wanting a detector that was water proof and again thank you for all the input
I agree 100% with what Tom recommended. I am a big fan of the XP Deus and XP ORX, but their completely wireless operation makes them less than optimal for water hunting. They do have salt water beach settings and they do make a waterproofing kit as an accessory, but I tried it and was not really impressed.
You did not include your previous experience metal detecting. The Equinox can be a handful in the beginning. So can other mid-range waterproof, saltwater capable detectors like the Nokta Makro Kruzer and Anfibio series. These Nokta Makro detectors have a vibrating handle that lets you know you are over a target when the detector is submerged which is a great feature. The Simplex is their beginner to intermediate level fully waterproof detector and is a possibility for use in mild dirt and in saltwater situations if you are less experienced.
The Equinox is the best "do everything really well" detector made at the moment. In is not the best detector for any one scenario but it is a close second or third in all of them which makes it the most versatile detector on the market today.
Jeff
You did not include your previous experience metal detecting. The Equinox can be a handful in the beginning. So can other mid-range waterproof, saltwater capable detectors like the Nokta Makro Kruzer and Anfibio series. These Nokta Makro detectors have a vibrating handle that lets you know you are over a target when the detector is submerged which is a great feature. The Simplex is their beginner to intermediate level fully waterproof detector and is a possibility for use in mild dirt and in saltwater situations if you are less experienced.
The Equinox is the best "do everything really well" detector made at the moment. In is not the best detector for any one scenario but it is a close second or third in all of them which makes it the most versatile detector on the market today.
Jeff
Oldbob67
Member
I have been detecting for about 10 years but had to give it up because of back problems now that I'm ok I am getting back into it I have a whites MX7 and a omega 8000 witch I like
That you for your helpful comments I will research on the other ones you and Tom told me about
Thank you
I am a big fan of the Whites MX7. In the right soil conditions the MX7 is super deep and a lot of fun to use. The MX7 tones are similar to the Equinox. The recovery speed, target separation, tone ID, numerical target ID and saltwater capabilities are not. The Equinox is really really fast compared to the MX7 and has much better target ID accuracy on deeper targets. The Equinox also feels a lot lighter too but nothing like the Deus/ORX which are incredibly lightweight. With your back issues I can see how the Deus/ORX would be tempting. They just would not be my first, second or even third choice for submerged fresh or saltwater VLF detector hunting.
Jeff
Jeff
Any mild to moderate soil conditions that won't make it constantly overload. Where I hunt my former MX7 would overload in any search mode at a sensitivity setting above 4 or 5 which killed depth and target ID accuracy big time.
I totally disagree with xindaris above. A PI is not the "best" for someone that has had back issues. Yes, they will go deeper in saltwater wet sand but you need to be prepared to dig every nail, bolt, washer, bobby pin, bottle cap and anything else that is metal. The PI detectors are also a PITA to use on the dry sand. For all around beach performance both wet and dry, on both fresh and salt water beaches, the Equinox or even the Vanquish series are hard to beat.
If you read my recommendation it was for salt water hunting. If you have hunted with VLF machines in salt water you know they don't perform all that well and if you want to find gold jewelry with a VLF and you use much discrimination in a salt environment your going to miss a lot of it. Which means if you use a VLF and want gold your going to be digging everything just like a pulse. But the pulse will go deeper and changing ground conditions and black sand at beaches is much better handled by a pulse. That is why I think it is a better choice. If all you hunt is dry sand then just about any machine will work.
I have hunted dry, wet and in the saltwater surf near the original poster's location with the Equinox and Vanquish. Those simultaneous multi frequency VLFs handled the local conditions just fine with sensitivity near max and good discrimination. Unless you can get your hands on a Whites Beach specific PI detector which may get a lot harder since they closed, your options are limited for ergonomic friendly PIs for someone with a bad back.
i use the EQ 800 for parks coins jewelry civil war relics here in east tn kingsport tn. and saltwater beaches dry sand wet sand in oak island, nc have 20 year experieence start with the whites 5000-D coin master, dfx ,mxt 300 ,V3i i moved to the Minelab eq 800 is the best for my hunting
I've been metal detecting since the 1970's. I have used many brands of detectors, they all have their strong and weak points. The Equinox 800 is a good machine, it works in salt water up to a point. It doesn't do as good as a pulse in high salt content water or salt water hunting where there is black sand. I still prefer my Garrett Infinium when hunting in salt water. My buddy has an Equinox 800 but he prefers his Garrett ADX when hunting in salt water. If you are using discrimination much above iron you are missing some gold and VLF's don't have the depth of the pulse. Just remember a shovel is still the best discriminator. Dig it all.
It doesn't matter how long you or I have been detecting. The original poster wants to hunt relic sites, turf sites and sometimes use a detector at the beach. He did not say he wants to just saltwater beach hunt. He needs a versatile, lightweight detector that has some discrimination. He did not say he wants to dig all targets. He has a bad back. He wants something lighter and more versatile than his Whites MX7 not heavier and less versatile like an Infinium or ATX. Not taking shots at those good PI detectors. Just trying to help out a guy with some health issues. That's why he asked about the XP Deus and ORX in the beginning. Hopefully he has already made his decision.......
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You’re right they are heavy but hunting in salt water is physically demanding especially for anyone with a back problem. I know because after an aircraft accident I am in that category. Weight of the machines in the water is not as big a deal as time in the water, wave action and current. The best I can advise is pick calm days and limit hunting in the water to short durations no matter what metal detector is used. When it comes to hunting most of the time out of the water weight becomes an issue then the Equinox would probably work better for him .