Help with my first detector.

Iln143

Tenderfoot
Feb 8, 2020
6
13
Reno, Nevada
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I am looking for advice on my first metal detector. I want somthing with a gold option so I dont have to buy a 2nd one in a few months. I have been looking at the Equinox 800, whites vx3, and the xp orx. If anyone has experience with these machines and has some advice I would apriciate hearing it.

Thanks
Ivan
 

Upvote 0
Of those choices, I'd go with the Equinox. Welcome to Tnet!
 

Thank you. I am open to any sugestions. Those are the ones in my price gange of 700 to 800 dollars. Used is fine too.
 

Equinox is a good machine it has some preset modes which help for starting out before you tweak some changes to it. I dont know of any machine where gold is easy to find.
 

Welcome to tnet from Mi Tommy
 

I agree with Tommy. The Equinox is great for a starter and it can customized for the advanced user. I have had many machines over the years and now have an Equinox 800 and love it. BTW, Welcome from North Carolina.
 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I live in Reno, Nv so I have access to California gold areas and Rypatch here in Nevada. Also Lake Tahoe beaches so I dont know what type of detecting I will enjoy most. I just dont want to get somthing and find out it does not do what I need.
 

I've owned all 3 - I'm a huge fan of the ORX (The 9" HD coil - is the best all purpose coil I have ever used)
Plus the added benefit of it being able to collapse it and swing it all day (so light!)

With the exception of beach hunting (submersion) or black sand (which I know nothing about) - The ORX is hard to beat

Yesterday I hunted while it was snowing and then it turned to freezing rain (I had the control box in a zip lock bag) still attaches to the shaft and when I got home everything was covered in mud. Took the box off and washed everything off in the shower - piece of cake

* Plus for $650 you get probably the best pinpointer on the market (custom settings and works through your headphones)
The only downside to the Deus is coils are very expensive and if you want to upgrade the control box to full Deus the control box is also very expensive.

The Vx3 V3i is too slow and heavy (Has some really nice features but needs an update - which is never going to come)
 

Well I am a Garrett guy swinging the Pro or the Max, frankly they are really simple machines to learn, now having said that the NOX is most likely next on my list (as soon as I can figure away to sneak another machine past COMNAVHOME):laughing7:
 

Welcome to Tnet . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .:hello:
 

The Deus can be complex but it has a beginner program. Good luck.
 

I recommend the minelab 705. You can get the package with the concentric or the elliptical 18khz frequency. Basically just need a coil for whatever you are searching for. Plus you'd have enough left over to buy a garrett carrot.
 

Thanks everyone for all the advice! I am going out Sunday with the local club to try them a few different detectors.
 

I was convinced I would like the Nox 800 the best but I think I prefer the Deuse. Copact light and picked up very small gold samples better than the Nox 800. I also had trouble locating detected items under the larger coil of the Nox. The deus had the white hf elliptical coil. I will give it another go this weekend to be sure but I put off buying the Nox 800 this week based on my first experience.
Any thoughts?

Thanks
Ivan
 

My personal preference is using the ORX with the white HF coil (locating items is super easy I wiggle the coil back and usually where the red xp logo is located on the coil is where the item is at)
- I also hunt 95% of the time in Deus Fast with no custom settings and find no issue in my soil. Where with the NOX I was always second guessing if I should be in Park 1 or 2 or Field 1 or 2 and now you have Fe and some other iron rejection.. I'm sure knowing and using that has some real practical advantages but I prefer the simplicity of turn on and go.
 

I also prefer my XP Deus. This week it found a platinum ring in the sand. Of course I had the luck to swing my coil over it.
The Deus is so lightweight and is a very capable detector. I use it at the beach with both HF Coils. Good luck!
 

I own or have owned many detectors in the past 17 years. My Nox IMO has its place but I prefer my Deus 90% of the time. The 9in HF coil will serve you well.

If I’m in Virginia’s super mineralized soil, the GPX5000 comes out. Now that is the best gold machine for land hunting but not easy to swing all day and not easy to separate in high trash areas... great for farm fields though and goes deep.

I’ve used the Deus with the water kit and it works great in fresh or beach water. Great all around machine IMO.
 

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