Returning to hobby - want one detector for beach and dirt

The Equinox 800.

The Deus is not a true SMF machine, from what I understand. So it's salt capability will be more limited than the Equinox 800.

As for the AT Max...no, just no. It's a dated machine, but still a solid performer...but not for what Garrett is asking for. You're paying a $100-$300 premium for just the Garrett name. Think of it as a Simplex for double the price, but comparable performance. Oh, and it's also a single frequency machine. So while it can be used on a saltwater beach, you'll be limited in your search pattern, must deal with chatter and will need to ground balance often.

If you REALLY like AA batteries and S-shafts and don't mind the AT Max's limitations, then yes, get it. Honestly, if it weren't for its high price (for what you get), it would probably be my next machine (for reasons that go beyond its capabilities). But I just can't in good conscience, pay $600 or so for a machine that's only worth $300-$400.

My vote is for the Simplex. You’ll get lots of NOX recommendations on here, but the Simplex is a great machine for the price.


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Yeah Nox 600/800 or Simplex or used Minelab multi like Explorer, Sov, Safari, etc.

In case you haven't seen them yet here are some short but very helpful tutorials on the Equinox series I found online:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpymZHu8sv5nwrk34ID53OxszE8fjuDFC

(they cover both the 600 and 800)

If you're going to beach hunt, then a SMF (simultaneous multi frequency) detector needs to be in your future. The Nox 600, 800 and the Garrett Apex are the only current newer SMF detectors available. Both work very well on the beach. The Apex is cheaper than either of the Nox detectors.

Using SMF has upped my gold ring count significantly. The Apex is lighter than the Nox detectors but not waterproof.

David who owns River Team Six metal detectors and a forum sponsor has been great to me and my cousin when purchasing a new detector. Give him a call. Very easy guy to work with and is also an avid detectorist as well.

Definitely an Equinox, it's grrrrrreat!
Forget the At Max
I haven't had any problems with Minelab.
Good luck with whatever you buy.

OP, suggest you check out the Simplex. It checks all the boxes for you, at a fraction of the price of the others, and build quality is better. It even has a few additional features the other do not.

kajunman said:

If you're going to beach hunt, then a SMF (simultaneous multi frequency) detector needs to be in your future. The Nox 600, 800 and the Garrett Apex are the only current newer SMF detectors available.

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Oh but you forgot the very capable Vanquish series! I have a Vanquish 540 as a backup to my Equinox 800 and will say it's fantastic at both the beach and dry land and is very affordable!

I own or have owned and used these detectors.

The Equinox 800 and 600 are great detectors for just about any detecting situation. They are not quite the deepest detectors or the absolute fastest, or the most perfectly ergonomic, but they are the most versatile VLF detector made today. They may leak in heavy surf or from sudden submersion, their coil ears may break from stress due to use in heavy surf, use as a walking stick or from an accident, same with the plastic arm cuff. Three year warranty. If something breaks and Minelab USA has a replacement in stock (Covid 19 issues can make that iffy) they will replace it. I have owned five and have only had a minor problem with one and Minelab USA took care of it quickly. So, the Equinox is a heavy workhorse detector that can do it all pretty well on a daily basis.

Minelab Vanquish series have the same simultaneous multi frequency technology as the Equinox but with less settings and mode choices. They are great for dry sand, wet sand and very shallow, gentle surf with just the coil submerged on a once in awhile basis. They are good coin and jewelry hunters. They work well in most soil conditions but they do not have a way to manually ground balance them so they can be noisy in high iron mineralization. They don't have nearly as fast recovery speed or target separation as the Equinox so they are not the best for thick aluminum trashed areas, thick iron trash relic hunting and definitely not the best for small gold prospecting in moderate to high mineralization. The Vanquish are casual use detectors. I would not want it to be my number one 4 hours a day detector. They just aren't made for that.

The Nokta Makro Simplex works very well for the occasional salt water beach trip in or out of the water. Great for fresh water too. They are not as simple as their name implies and actually are full featured, great all around detectors for everything except small gold prospecting. I am not a fan of their too flimsy lower shaft or the stock coil for everyday use. If I had kept mine I would have bought a smaller DD coil and an aftermarket coil from Nel like their new Super Fly. I would have also upgraded the lower shaft to Nokta Makros carbon fiber shaft. I like the Simplex a lot and Nokta Makro plans to put their soon to be released simultaneous multi frequency detector in the Simplex housing but with carbon fiber shafts and a much better stock coil hopefully. Currently, if I was going to use a Nokta Makro detector for some serious saltwater beach hunting with some submersion involved I would probably use the Multi Kruzer or Anfibio instead. They can get a little chatty in salt water, but they do have saltwater/beach modes and they are bullet proof. The Simplex, Kruzer and Anfibio vibrating handle for underwater target indication or for use by people that have hearing problems is totally awesome.

The Deus and ORX are outstanding detectors that have selectable frequencies, salt/beach modes and gold prospecting modes which are threshold based all metal modes with a quite a few advanced features. The Deus especially has an incredible amount of adjustable features. I have used both at salt water beaches, for normal turf coin and jewelry hunting, relic hunting and for gold prospecting. These detectors have the fastest target recovery speed and best target separation on the planet. Relic hunting in thick iron trash is their specialty. Water hunting is not their specialty. It can be done but you need the accessory wired antenna that goes from the coil to the remote control. Otherwise, the moment you submerge the coil, the wireless signal goes bye-bye between the coil and the remote control whether you are at a beach, lake, creek or just investigating a shallow puddle.
I love my XP Deus and I like the ORX. I would not call them the most versatile detectors however and the Deus would not be my first choice for gold prospecting, salt or freshwater submerged hunting or thick modern aluminum trash hunting.

Some people have pretty good luck with Garrett all terrain detectors at saltwater beaches. I must be pretty stupid since I have not enjoyed using an AT Pro or an AT Max at the saltwater beaches I have taken them to. Any VLF detector will work okay in dry salt sand and somewhat damp salt sand. Very few including the AT Pro and Max that I used, work very well in wet sand and shallow surf. I still have my AT Gold for hunting in really bad weather and for lake and creek hunting. I totally trust the rugged construction of these detectors. They just don't have a good salt beach mode.

I have not used the new Garrett Apex at a saltwater beach. I have used one on turf and I was not impressed. I am a former White's DFX owner too, and the Apex simultaneous multi frequency system reminded me a lot of the one used on the DFX. It has anemic depth and not very good target ID accuracy. It has faster target recovery speed and better audio than the DFX but honestly, I preferred to use the single frequencies on the Apex. This detector has some really nice features, but it is still an ACE series detector.

hddeuce03 said:

Oh but you forgot the very capable Vanquish series! I have a Vanquish 540 as a backup to my Equinox 800 and will say it's fantastic at both the beach and dry land and is very affordable!

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Glad you're enjoying the 540. It appears to be a good detector and it will work on the beach. However it is limited with no true ground balance and doesn't have the ability to switch to single frequency settings. Both the Nox series and the Apex offer more. However if his budget is lower than any of those the 540 would be a solid choice.

kajunman said:

Glad you're enjoying the 540. It appears to be a good detector and it will work on the beach. However it is limited with no true ground balance and doesn't have the ability to switch to single frequency settings. Both the Nox series and the Apex offer more. However if his budget is lower than any of those the 540 would be a solid choice.

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I don't disagree at all. Just pointing out that when you stated "The Nox 600, 800 and the Garrett Apex are the only current newer SMF detectors available.", you forgot the Vanquish.

Well if your looking at a Deus I guess money isn’t an issue.
I would go that route or 3030 route.

I like a budget so I’m gonna go with the Vanquish 540 pro pack, get 2 coils and wireless headphones and have money to travel . I don’t need ground balance were I hunt.

So, firstly, thank you for all of the replies. I appreciate the time taken to respond. mh9162013, thank you for pointing to the inequitable cost/value of the AT Max. I was leaning heavily towards this model going into this. Your post resulted in my doing research based on what you said and it seems well-founded. JMaclen, thank you for posting about your experience with each of the models. It was not lost on me that you only claimed to have loved the Deus (and that the ORX was only a "like") but your mention of the Equinox 800 being one of the most versatile machines out right now heavily swayed my decision. Knowing I'll end up with a 6" coil, the cost of the Deus accessories doesn't help either. I suppose another factor in my decision is the fact that XP has been making the same exact hardware for a dozen years and is still charging the same price for it. This may be the only market in which technology commands the same high price for over a decade with only software improvements. Imagine somebody trying to sell an Iphone 3GS for $700 today with software updates hahaha. I recognize it is still a quite capable detector so the argument is not 1:1 but it still seems highly unusual. I guess the market determines the price based on what people are willing to pay and they're still selling like hotcakes a dozen years later. Anyway... thank you all. I'm ordering the Equinox 800 and the Detect-Ed carbon fiber upper shaft to eliminate the wobble before it starts. I'm sure only honest people work in baggage handling and they would handle my bag with the utmost care, but I think as an extra precaution I'm going to carry that control module in my carry-on.

The XP Deus has gone through several software updates and additions to its coil choices. Some longtime users of the Deus have updated their software and coils and like the improvements while others prefer to stay with version 2 or 3 software and coils. To me as a gold prospector, the software updates and newer coils have been a great improvement and I probably would not own a Deus without them.

So, at least from your standpoint, the XP Deus may look on the outside like it has not gone through any changes in over 12 years. That is not the case, however. The current software version 5.21 has added many features and settings that were not available on the early Deus versions. The inclusion of the Mi-6 paired handheld pinpointer has been fantastic also, at least for me.

Nox 800, or if money is not an issue jump on a ctx. I use both and if I had to get rid of one or other I don’t know what my choice would be

Everyone is gonna say Nox even though some have never used them. It’s the latest craze in MD.

SlawSniper said:

Hello,

So, I had an old Whites DFX for several years. I tried upgrading and sold the DFX and switched to the Etrac and I got burned. Two faulty units from ML and I surrendered.

After that, I traveled constantly for work and just faded out of the hobby. With Covid, my work travel has come to a complete stop, and my wife and I travel to sunny beach places to escape Cleveland weather a couple of times each year (Cozumel, here we come!)

I'd like a detector that is at home in the dirt and functions reasonably well on the wet and dry beach (doesn't have to be in the water). Clad, silver, and I'd like the machine to have gold as an option. Not necessarily prospecting here in Ohio but still.

I'm in a 3-way split with a Deus, the Nox 800, and a much simpler AT Max. I'm hesitant with the quality issues I had with the ML (experienced e-trac users swapped me and confirmed they were both wonky for different reasons. One was too loud, the other didn't say much at all. Tried swapping coils with no success).

It doesn't matter which machine I'm going to end up with, I know by the time May comes and we leave I won't have enough time on any machine to be even remotely good with it, but with forums and videos showing settings as baselines for beaches, I'm hopeful to muddle my way through a necklace and a couple of rings I'm already familiar with the hobby and know I enjoy it so I'm not looking for an entry-level rig. I'd rather find the right one to grow into. I know the Deus is a machine that I could spend 2 years learning and still be a dummy. The AT Pro seems much more straightforward, leaving me more time to focus on the peculiar responses to similar targets rather than the 3 million settings (and the peculiar responses to similar targets) with the Deus but isn't very strong for gold (from what I've read). The NOX 800 sounds like a great middle-ground, but it sounds like they still have more than their fair share of quality issues and I have low patience for that. Please, share some wisdom. I'm thick-skinned, so don't hold any punches.

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Nokta Anfibio 19 or Anfibio Multi.

They make a 14khz version too, but you specified gold so I think youd want that 19khz option. The multi has both and is also submersible and is very well built. You might want to look into just how travel friendly they are. I have no reason to believe they are not. As a matter of fact I have seen people transfer their Anfibio shafts (or buy them second hand) to their other Noktas. I'm not absolutely sure but I think they may do that to make them more compact and/or strong. Actually, I'm considering Anfibio as my next major MD purchase. I'm not likely to spend more than the typical going price for Anfibio Multi anytime soon, usually the $700-800$ range. The build of Anfinio is also superior to the Nox, IMO, although I havent seen one in person.