Detector Purchase Choices Help

[gixxer007]

Hi,
I wanted to see what kind of advice and or suggestions anyone can provide in my final decision on which detector I should buy to begin my hunting adventures here in Connecticut please.

I have been looking at a couple of detectors to buy from one of treasurenet supporting vendors. I have spoke with them already for suggestions and would like to see what feed back I may get here also.

I will start with I don’t mind spending the money to get something really good so cost is not an issue at this time.

I have been looking at either the Minelab E Trac or the Whites V3i detectors so far. I have only came up with these two as options based on all I have read and watched videos on so far. My fear and questions are which do you think would be best in the Connecticut hunting area and also would be best to learn on yet grow into for its full capabilities it has. I would hate to buy the wrong unit for my expectations or to difficult to use as a beginner where it ends up in my closet not used cause of this.

Any help and suggestion would be great and I thank you in advance for your input.


Thank You
Brian From Connecticut

 

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[Toecutter]

Equinox 800 or the v3i where my choices i chose the NOX 800

 

[Iffy Signals]

Welcome to Tnet!! What type of hunting with you be doing next door in CT? Parks, Woods, Cella holes? If parks to coin shoot than V3I and Etrac will be fine if those are the two you like.. not so good for relic hunting. In mainly looking for relics than XP Deus or Equinox.

 

[gixxer007]

Welcome to Tnet!! What type of hunting with you be doing next door in CT? Parks, Woods, Cella holes? If parks to coin shoot than V3I and Etrac will be fine if those are the two you like.. not so good for relic hunting. In mainly looking for relics than XP Deus or Equinox.

I am thinking more so will be doing parks and woods type detecting. I would like to also be able to try and explore he relic hunts form time to time if that opportunity comes up lol.

I did see the Equinox also but was not sure if that was a good choice to add to my final decision.

 

[Roger Mn.]

Get the Etrac. An Indian Head cent at 14" deep will blast you ears as if it were on top of the ground.
Deeper than the others and better Discrimination once you learn it. Just practice on coins at first than pull tabs and aluminum caps.
I doubt any whites detectors can reach 14" deep.

 

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

If at all possible swing each machine you're interested in before making that final buying decision.

I bought the Etrac - didn't like it and sold it. Bought the CTX 3030 - didn't like it and sold it. Bought the V3i - still have it and love it.

Others have experienced the opposite.

My thoughts on the V3i...

On the heavy side, but well balanced and swings nicely. Can be a turn on and go machine, or a tinker to your heart's content machine. Too much tinkering can lead to an ineffective machine. It will get deep targets. Requires a slower swing speed - although that can be adjusted too. You can save a bunch of your own custom programs. Best screen on the market - it's really nice. Wireless headphones are worth every penny. Good assortment of coils available. Can be adjusted to suit nearly any hunting condition, or for nearly any type of targets sought (relics/coins/etc.). Stock programs are starting points - learn the machine using them and (once learned) then make adjustments to the stock programs to tailor the program to the type of hunting/conditions you wish. I know of no other machine that gives the user so much target information.

Not waterproof. Requires protection (against rain, etc..) if you're going to hunt where it can get wet (including salt water spray). Trigger pin-point - a big plus in my opinion. In soil conditions that vary quite a bit - either ground balance fairly frequently, or get a good ground balance and lock tracking.

I think of the V3i as a general purpose machine that can be adjusted (easily) to be a specialized machine (clad, silver, jewelry, deep silver, relics, etc..). You can choose to hunt in all 3 frequencies at once, or any one of the 3 frequencies. You can assign tones to each VID number, or blocks. You can discriminate individual VDI numbers, or blocks. You can hunt (mixed mode pro) with all discriminated targets signaling in one ear bud, and all accepted targets in the other ear bud. Pin-point mode tells you which frequency hits the hardest - an excellent tool for determining a good target from junk. Polar plot and sizing are other sources of target information (I tend to just use the pin-point mode).

Like all machines, the V3i has strengths and weaknesses. For my needs, the V3i's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Terry Soloman]

My suggestion is to save a bit of money, and get the Minelab Equinox 800. It will take 50-hours to learn, versus 100-150 hours to learn the V3i or E-trac. You will not be giving up much depth at all, and as you get better and understand the hobby more, you can re-sell the Equinox at a good price (although you'll probably keep it no matter what.)

 

[Roger Mn.]

The Equinox never found me any silver or gold just junk. The etrac cleaned out all the places I'v hunted.
I could tell the difference between a gold ring and a pull tab.
I knew when it was a rusty bottle cap.
If I went over a gold coin I knew it was a good target just like a silver dime.
With the Equinox you have to dig it all because you will never know if it's a gold ring or a one cent coin or pull tab.
I used a lot of detectors and most were junk finders with little odds of telling you what might be in the ground.
The Etrac gives high tones on good targets and if not sure to dig just go to all metal mode and you will see the numbers get big.
The Etrac will have a small pinpoint area on coins.
I run the Etrac in coin mode and high tones are mostly gold and silver' Lower tones nickels and lead.

 

[Escape]

If you're undecided. Just ask and shake.

 

[xr7ator]

Can you start by renting or borrowing a decent machine and go out and put say 20 hours in to see if this hobby is really something you want to spend that much money on? A local dealer may be of great service to you. Or, a friend/acquaintance that is into it and has a machine they'll lend.

I guarantee that there are many many e tracs and v3i's in the closet to never be used again due to "just finding trash".

Both of those machines have a big learning curve.
Whatever you decide, have fun and good luck!

I guess if I were a newby right now I'd probably jump on the Equinox as it is the newest and greatest currently.
If you're into spendy machines, don't forget a looksee at the Deuce.

 

[smokeythecat]

Your question is an open ended one. Your types of sites have a lot to go into the decision as to which detector to purchase. I have seen guys with etracs and they love them. Same with the V3i. My best gold coin was found with a $329 Tesoro Cibola and the MOST items I have ever found without digging trash has been with my XP Deus. I have owned Garretts, the Equinox 600 and 800 and a slew of other machines. My best advice is to trest drive any machine you are considering. There is no such thing as a perfect machine. There must still be some dealers you can visit, Like Xr7ator suggested.

 

[fyrffytr1]

I have to cast a vote for the XP Deus. I used Whites detectors for over 35 years but an auto accident left me with a fused neck and lower back problems. I found that swinging my DFX for more than an hour or two was all I could stand. After much thought I ordered the XP Deus and I no longer have a problem. I can hunt almost all day now. The Deus, with an 11" coli weighs in under 3 pounds. And, it can be updated over the internet.

 

[SusanMN]

One thing to keep in mind is the weight of the machine. There is at least a pound difference between the lightest (like the Equinox) and the heaviest (like the ETrac) and that can be a huge difference when it comes to your ability to swing for hours. And then there is waterproof multifrequency (Equinox) vs land only (Etrac), so of you think you might like to try water hunting, salt water in particular, go with an Equinox.

 

[Roger Mn.]

You might like the Nokta Marko Anfibio Multi . Under water .
I just got one and I'm liking it so far.

 

[Zincoln Miner]

I would go with the V3I if your patience equals your willingness to learn through trial, and error. You can go with the presets, and down the road customize the settings for your preference along with your conditions. I have had my XLT for over two decades with no problems, and the V3i has the extras I dreamed about. I just don't want to spend the money yet though my XLT certainly more than payed for a V3i.

 

[gixxer007]

I ended up going with the Minelab Equinox 800 today. It’s on its way to me so hopefully I will be able to update how I am making out by the end of this weekend if it shows up on time this Friday.

 

[Iffy Signals]

I ended up going with the Minelab Equinox 800 today. It’s on its way to me so hopefully I will be able to update how I am making out by the end of this weekend if it shows up on time this Friday.

Congrats! Great Choice.. Newest multi freq technology out there. Good luck with it and happy hunting!

 

[fyrffytr1]

My buddy just got the 800 and he whipped my butt on our last hunt. But, in my defense I found out today that my X35 coil may be defective. I have one more thing to try tomorrow before I send it back. I liked the 800 but it is a little coil heavy just like my White's DFX. That is why I went with the Deus.

 

[JoeVal]

Welcome to TN! It’s a nice place with nice people.

Congrats on your decision. I bought the Nox 600 previously owned for an excellent price, thinking I would be able to sell it and upgrade to the 800 down the road. It’s been 200+ hours of swinging and I see no need for the other bells and whistles that make the 600 into an 800. Both have identical performance specs, with both operating all five frequencies in Multi-IQ. I have yet to find a need to go into single frequency, so isolating 20 & 40 kHz is a non issue, and there’s no gold prospecting in this boys future.

If you haven’t found her already, Relic Dirtyhands YouTube channel has excellent, brief tutorials on the Equinox. Each 2-3 minute video helps to understand each area of the owners manual, without simply reading the manual.

Be sure to download the manual an go through it. I have it on my iPhone as a reference if needed to understand a feature.

Happy Hunting

Here’s a little cheat sheet to get you started. FYI, pull tabs show up 13-16, along with the gold. That’s a sick trick to get you to dig pull tabs.

 

[gixxer007]

Welcome to TN! It’s a nice place with nice people.

Congrats on your decision. I bought the Nox 600 previously owned for an excellent price, thinking I would be able to sell it and upgrade to the 800 down the road. It’s been 200+ hours of swinging and I see no need for the other bells and whistles that make the 600 into an 800. Both have identical performance specs, with both operating all five frequencies in Multi-IQ. I have yet to find a need to go into single frequency, so isolating 20 & 40 kHz is a non issue, and there’s no gold prospecting in this boys future.

If you haven’t found her already, Relic Dirtyhands YouTube channel has excellent, brief tutorials on the Equinox. Each 2-3 minute video helps to understand each area of the owners manual, without simply reading the manual.

Be sure to download the manual an go through it. I have it on my iPhone as a reference if needed to understand a feature.

Happy Hunting

Here’s a little cheat sheet to get you started. FYI, pull tabs show up 13-16, along with the gold. That’s a sick trick to get you to dig pull tabs.

View attachment 1711204

Thank you for this sheet that will help out for sure at least for getting started. I got a chance to mess with it a little yesterday for the first time, but the weather around here has not been to good. Hoping I can get out tomorrow for a while and see how it goes.

Thank You
Brian