Equinox 600 Now to Be Referred to Exclusively as *

[hbru123]

They are both SW upgradeable, but some user interface/physical hardware differences between the two means the 600 will NEVER become an 800 solely through a SW upgrade, paid or otherwise. I think ML should have provided a path where all 800 features could be unlocked/uploaded through a simple (i.e., user installed) paid SW upgrade down the road.

Thanks so much!

 

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[toasted]

Not in my book. I like finding small gold at the beach.

The 800 wont find it any better than the 600 IN the saltwater.

 

[Rick K]

Small gold (and all the AL foil on earth) will be easily found by singlefreaker detectors at 40kHz and higher. But that is only true in dry sand. GB that singlefreaker to salt water and the very small gold (and most golden chains) simply disappear. Likewise multifreakers are pretty blind to the same stuff.

 

[smokeythecat]

Tuesday I took my Deus to the frozen beach It is salt water there and in the wet salt sand near where it goes into the dry, but nothing was really dry, it found a tiny 2.5mm gold bead down a few inches running 28k frequency. Now when I get totally in the water (which I could not Tuesday as it was frozen hard), I have to go very slow to hear the gold. So, 28k will work for tiny gold.

 

[marjam]

VFerrari makes a good point. Just the wireless upgrade alone is almost worth the extra cost. The tone break and more tone options would easily make up the rest. Plus the fact you know you have the mac daddy of the model.

Kind of puts a person like myself in a difficult situation since I'd like one for old farm fields where foot deep+ coins are found. I too suffer from slight hearing loss due to my occupation and the adjustable tone feature is great. I absolutely use it on my F75 and I'm certain deep faint targets would have been passed by if not tuned to my hearing.

I guess it's like anything else. It's all what the individual can afford. Now days, $250.00 is a drop in the bucket. That's my cable bill for a month.

This is true. my cell phone bill is that much with the whole family having phones, but if the 600 is all you need for the type of hunting you do, why not save a few bucks and get it? I have said that I will get the 800, but I would like to see what type of targets the 800 picks up in videos that the 600 can't. The wireless feature doesn't mean that much to me, I have hunted tethered to headphones since I started, and really don't mind that. The selling point for me will be if the 800 will pick up things I usually hunt for that the 600 won't. That will be what sways me one way or the other.

 

[vferrari]

The 800 wont find it any better than the 600 IN the saltwater.

True. You need MultiIQ to take full advantage in saltwater and that is implemented exactly the same way on the 600 and 800, less the a ability to more precisely tweak reactivity and customize tones/tone breaks (800 only).

 

[George (MN)]

Outstanding post! I haven't seen anything else clarifying the differences. The 600 is most of my monthly income and the 800 is more than my monthly income. But we will see both offered used within weeks, as seller says unexpected major bill, must quit hobby due to injury or illness, lost job or whatever that has nothing to do with how good they are.

I live in a new area and don't drive, so I am dependent on detecting buddies. My research for your ride.

What I buy will also be determined by how much $$ I can raise selling a few of my detectors. Thanks! Best wishes!

 

[smokeythecat]

George MN, I know what you mean. I have purchased at least 5 detectors over the years that after a few uses, realized they just weren't right for me. Like Goldilocks and the three bears, too heavy, too light, too nose heavy, falses too much, beyond my budget but got it anyway, they said it worked in salt water but it doesn't, daughter needs another $300 and on and on and on. I'm down to two machines now and I still can't figure out how to swing both at the same time. At the height I had 5 machines.

 

[relicmeister]

After much contemplating I preordered the 800. I sold 2 detectors to prepay for the equinox. This leaves me my Omega
My f/75, and soon the equinox

 

[apenney]

I think maybe I need to try a demo. I have a v3i (bit overkill for a first detector) and I've never really gotten on with it. Despite doing a bunch of reading I never really understood what I'm doing and what it shows me.

It looks like I might be better off selling that and downgrading to something like a 600 until I can figure out what I'm doing. I've never found anything worth finding with the v3i, which was definitely a bit offputting.

Anyone who's seen these new models, are they more "user friendly" for beginners?

 

[smokeythecat]

apenny, I started off with a Tesoro Cibola and the little inexpensive beastie found a gold coin six months after I bought it. That was almost exactly 4 years ago. It found another one in 2016. I'd try going through the manual of yours again, they are supposed to be good machines. Also, if the targets aren't in the ground, you're not going to recover them. If you want another machine, see if you try it before you buy it. I did that with the last two machines I bought and it worked out fine. Doesn't matter which machine or manufacturer. You can't believe most of the hype. If you have a local dealer or club, that would be the ticket. I have bought at least 5 machines over the years I have parted with because they just weren't right for me, and it's a pretty big waste of money to do that. Now I test them first or don't buy. What state are you in? That makes all the difference too.

 

[vferrari]

Yes, the Equinox will be A LOT MORE straight forward to use vs. the V3i and perhaps more capable.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

I bet it’s just as easy to operate as the AT pro. Only better and with more features.

 

[sgoss66]

I second vferrari's and Irishgoldhound's posts. The Equinox will be a lot simpler, and -- as they said -- possibly more capable, as well. I can't know for sure, of course, as the machines have not been released yet, but I am confident that what you are thinking (selling the V3i and getting a 600) will be a good move for you...

Steve

I think maybe I need to try a demo. I have a v3i (bit overkill for a first detector) and I've never really gotten on with it. Despite doing a bunch of reading I never really understood what I'm doing and what it shows me.

It looks like I might be better off selling that and downgrading to something like a 600 until I can figure out what I'm doing. I've never found anything worth finding with the v3i, which was definitely a bit offputting.

Anyone who's seen these new models, are they more "user friendly" for beginners?

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello apenney,

Not trying to sway you either way...how many hours do you have on the V3i? The machine definitely take a 100+ hour to learn and more to learn all the settings and how they interact with each other. It is a fun machine, but as you can see from my signature I use many machines. I too am looking at the Minelab Equinox 800 for something new to try.

Good Luck in your decision.

GL & HH

Doc

 

[sprailroad]

A really good thread on the EQ's, and vferrari's post have been pretty informative for me, a couple of things I was not fully aware of. For me, I'll go with the 800, only because of having options that the 600 does not have, even if I may not use them, just knowing they are there if a situation comes about that they might come in handy.

 

[HighVDI]

A really good thread on the EQ's, and vferrari's post have been pretty informative for me, a couple of things I was not fully aware of. For me, I'll go with the 800, only because of having options that the 600 does not have, even if I may not use them, just knowing they are there if a situation comes about that they might come in handy.

I was even thinking about if someone decided to sell their 600 soon after they bought. Might be a sub $500.00 machine. An 800 I'd bet would hold its value better being the top end of the two.

Again, most thoughts on here are speculation currently and my cabin fever is at a crazy level already. If it doesn't warm up this week I may go crazy.

 

[smokeythecat]

No matter which machine comes out or has been out and is new to someone, numerous people always decide for numerous reasons they don't want it and sell. I've done that myself. The one day I realized I had 5 machines, I had to let go of some.

 

[☠ Cipher]

I think maybe I need to try a demo. I have a v3i (bit overkill for a first detector) and I've never really gotten on with it. Despite doing a bunch of reading I never really understood what I'm doing and what it shows me.

It looks like I might be better off selling that and downgrading to something like a 600 until I can figure out what I'm doing. I've never found anything worth finding with the v3i, which was definitely a bit offputting.

Anyone who's seen these new models, are they more "user friendly" for beginners?

The V3i is a top notch machine, but is definitely not for everyone. Seems people either love or hate it. Steve H sold off nearly all his machines after testing the Equinox, but the V3i was one of a couple he did hold onto. I think that for you the Equinox is just what the doctor ordered. The capability of the V3i (and maybe more in some ways, who knows) in a user friendly package. I'm going to hold onto my V3i for now, but the Equinox 800 will definitely be replacing my MX Sport and maybe even my V3i as well depending.

 

[marjam]

It will have to go a long way to replace my etrac. But if it does, then great. I hope one day we have detectors that can distinguish gold from aluminum. I hear they are close to being able to do just that.

Technology grows by leaps and bounds, who knows what we will have 5 years from now. I just hope that the equinox is the next evolution that the hype claims it is.