Minelab Equinox 800 – our review of a professional metal detector!

Greetings to all comrades, readers and visitors of my small blog! It just so happens that we have a lot of reviews, this is good, the search technology needs to be checked, tested and written your own conclusion, which some may not like. What can we do, that’s why we need to write reviews so that you, diggers, know which device you can trust and which you can’t.

One of our comrades recently purchased a new Minelab Equinox 800 metal detector; apparently, he succumbed to the advertising. I couldn’t pass by and asked him to help the blog – let me play and test the device, dig around, see what works and how it works. The comrade agreed to meet them halfway, and therefore – meet the review of Equinox, Knox, “Broom”, as the comrades just don’t call it now.

Metal detector equipment

The 800 model of the Equinox metal detector comes in a fairly rich package!

There is a big difference between the 600 and 800 models; it lies in the absence of several search programs and frequencies in the 600 model and in a slightly more stripped-down box configuration. The 800 comes with some nice extras that prove to be very useful in the field.

As you can see, everything is packed and packed very firmly, thoughtfully, and there is no need to worry that the contents of the box may be damaged during delivery. The device is completely protected from most problems that may arise during delivery.

In addition to the metal detector itself with an 11″ round coil, as in the photo below:

The metal detector comes with two instructions in English and Russian, there is a small guide (hint) – a Getting Started Guide, which easily fits in your pants or jacket pocket when you go searching, this helps you remember the settings and quickly understand how to control the metal detector.

The main difference in the configuration between the 600 and 800 models is the presence of a wireless adapter and a set of headphones in the 800 model.

It’s worth noting the difference right away – the wireless headphones in Equinox work via Bluetooth technology, while the WM 08 wireless adapter works using WiFi technology. The headphones have very minimal latency, which is interesting; during the investigation with Equinox, I repeatedly tried to notice at least the slightest delay in the voice acting through the headphones, but it didn’t work out for me – the headphones are fast, despite the Bluetooth/aptX Low Latency technology. Apparently there are differences between Bluetooth and Bluetooth. The second, no less important bonus of these headphones is that you can connect them to your smartphone and listen to music and answer and receive incoming calls, which allows you not to take off your gloves every time and once again get your phone dirty when answering a call. A small but nice bonus. You can also listen to music through them, but you don’t need to do this on a cop – miss all the signals. 🙂

Since Equinox metal detectors have a built-in battery, they also come with magnetic chargers; they are really convenient and easily attract to the charging socket. They are quite difficult to fly off and a couple of times I had difficulty unhooking the charger from the socket, you just need to easily adapt to this process.

Also, any kit contains stickers for the screen, they are in different languages and their main task is to provide the user with an understanding of the functions in the menu, because in the menu itself there is no text in the device, only icons, and the second function of the stickers is to protect the screen from scratches. We solved the problem more radically – we bought a cover and attached a sticker. Still, the metal detector looks better in a case, and the device itself will be protected from scratches and dirt.

Metal detector design

Equinoxes are built according to a fairly simple design – a straight bar with a protruding handle. The handle also contains a built-in rechargeable battery.

This design has its pros and cons. One of the advantages is that it is very compact, allows disassembly, the handle with the block can simply be unscrewed and installed on another rod, the main thing is that the diameters of the rod match.

The downside is that with such a rod it is more difficult to achieve good balance for the metal detector, because the coil takes the entire weight of the metal detector. If on an S-shaped bar the balance is still regulated by the load on the palm, then in a straight bar when installing a heavy reel, the entire load falls on the armrest, and the palm begins to pull back. This problem can be partly solved by making the armrest heavier, for example, by installing a cover with a powerbank in it, there will be a small counterweight that will help on the road.

The collet clamps on the rod are very strong and easy to tighten. Self-unwinding of the clamps was not observed during operation, everything holds for a long time and firmly, the rod does not play.

Of course, there is a balance in the direction of the coil and a little modification will be needed here, everyone will decide it in their own way.

The armrest is moderately strong, made of plastic. No shortcomings were found in it, the hand fits tightly even in a jacket, the armrest was subjected to certain loads and did not break from them, which should have been checked.

The metal detector is assembled quickly, the bolt for the coil is strong, the rubber washers for the coil are drop-shaped and cannot be inserted incorrectly; other metal detectors usually have round seals. The disassembled Equinox fits into a regular 30 liter backpack along with an 11″ coil and a case with headphones.

Menu and search characteristics

The menu is very simple and easy to remember, especially in the process of constantly changing characteristics during a dig to check the effectiveness of certain settings.

Equinox 800 has 4 search programs – park, field, beach and gold, and each program has two additional subroutines, for a total of 8 search modes. The difference is quite obvious and lies in the point of the cop.

Search modes

Modes can be switched with one button – this is very convenient, there are no unnecessary or additional clicks.

Park mode

Designed for searching in littered places, especially those full of modern garbage, such as foil, caps, and pull tabs from beer cans. It is recommended to use this mode for learning a metal detector, especially if you are taking your first steps in searching. I didn’t use this mode for long, because I mostly walked through fields that were not very littered, but if you are digging fields along roads that are very littered, then I recommend this particular mode with submode 2 – Jewelry, so the metal detector becomes more sensitive to small things and various specific scales , ancient medieval coins.

I do not recommend using discrimination and cutting; all useful and interesting finds, depending on the type of metal, size and depth, very often fall into those sectors that other diggers and the manufacturer recommend cutting. You need to dig more, then the finds will not pass you by. 😉

Field mode

This is the mode in which you need to work as much and as often as possible, if only because it is the most universal. It doesn’t matter whether you are conducting reconnaissance or finishing off your spot, this mode should be used as the main one. I walked the most in Field 2 (Antique Coins/Artifacts) mode. Of course, it is always better to change the pre-installed programs and tailor them to suit you, the conditions of the cop and your soil. In the “Field” mode it is recommended to look for historical relics and ancient coins, but in our soil all the finds are mixed and the “Field” mode is still more suitable for our conditions than other preset modes.

Beach mode

It doesn't take a KO to realize that this mode is designed for beach searching. Its main difference from others is a finer adjustment to the ground – for salty sand, wet sand and the surf zone (wet sand + salt). This mode is also used for searching underwater (Equinoxes can be submerged underwater). It has two submodes – wet/dry sand and underwater/shallow water.

Gold mode

Mode for searching for gold nuggets with fine tuning for the ground. It can also be used to finish off a promising location, especially if the soil at the digging point is difficult. It has two submodes – normal soil and heavy soil.

Of the interesting modes in the menu that should be used are the functions in the advanced settings. For example, a correctly set tone break will help you not miss a useful target in the third hour of digging, a correctly selected pitch for your hearing will help you hear this target better, and the volume of the tone (iron/non-ferrous metals) will allow you to configure the metal detector for maximum functionality in the trash. Take the time to look at the getting started guide.

You can also save your settings in your User Profile and turn them on at any time when your own program may unexpectedly be needed on a mine.

Among the standard functions for a professional metal detector, all Equinox models include pinpoint, ground balance and threshold tone, as it should be.

Frequencies can be changed by pressing one button – also very convenient. I mostly used Multi-IQ, but sometimes I didn’t disdain the low frequency of 5 kHz, which perfectly detected medium coins in a grassy field. I haven’t used frequencies of 20 and 40 kHz; they are good for beach searching, which I don’t do very often.

My search experience with Equinox 800

I have already driven Equinox for at least 10 kopecks, and this is quite enough for me to understand all the main pros and cons of metal detectors. Of course, the longer you use the device, the better you understand it, and some shortcomings or advantages may only be revealed with two seasons of searching, but this happens relatively rarely. I have long been convinced that the best device is the one that the user knows best and knows how to work with it. That’s right, a lot of comrades are running around looking for the best device, but this doesn’t exist in the world, otherwise most metal detector manufacturers would have died out long ago with the advent of a panacea device.

Of course, if you compare a professional metal detector and a device for beginners, the difference will be obvious, but comparing professional metal detectors with each other is a completely thankless and unnecessary task – each device is more or less tailored for its own type of search, and a universal metal detector is a kind of middle option for searching for antiquities , both for the beach and for searching for gold nuggets. And the middle option has the corresponding characteristics.

In fact, Equinox saw deeper than I thought. At first, we all thought that Equinox was the same Grater 705, but with new functions and improvements. No, the Equinox is a new development, and the only thing it has in common with the Grater is a new armrest and collet clamps. Equinox in all modes consistently sees 20 silver kopecks (Russian Empire) at 25 cm, and this is a good result for a professional metal detector. For example, Deus cannot see this target in all modes, but Deus is very sensitive to small things and small targets.

Another big bonus of Equinox is interference rejection. It is well tuned out from the operation of other metal detectors, the operation of power lines and other interference, but there is no need to test it indoors – not a single metal detector is protected from this interference. But other metal detectors very often react to the work of the Equinox, so stay away from this device. 🙂 Honestly, nothing can overcome such interference.

I dug with Equinox on different soils. I walked along the beach, plowed fields, swampy soil, fields with different soils – I always worked quietly and steadily. It’s generally a pleasure to walk around in wireless headphones – you can hear any weak signal and have no problems with missing targets.

The old man climbed in places where it seemed to everyone that everything had already been knocked out. But we must not forget – there are no knocked out places, my experience also confirms this. The device sees copper coins consistently up to 30 cm in depth, depending on the size of the target.

Interestingly, I was digging in one field, where the edge of the field next to an old drinking house was simply strewn with small aluminum debris of unknown origin. My comrades couldn’t dig there and just went a little deeper into the field, and I stayed to check this trash, as a result – in literally forty minutes I pulled out three ancient coins, and Equinox freely coped with the identification of this garbage, although I was digging it anyway – such You can’t miss stable colored targets, you’ll dig up garbage 100 times, but on the 101st time it will turn out to be some kind of interesting and rare find! It may sound funny, but it happens often – there was a story about how, on a broken, broken forest path, among garbage and traffic jams, one local digger picked up Catherine the Great's silver. Will you be digging for plugs after this? I do!

The battery in the device, although built-in, lasts for a long time. I dug for three days and didn’t drain the battery, but then I decided to recharge it, I don’t like walking around with half a charge. The manufacturer assures that the battery lasts for 12 hours, and for additional recharging you can use a portable battery.

Headphones fit tightly to your head, so much so that if you are digging in a place with strong wind, you will clearly hear the detector signals, and this is very important. You can also receive calls from your smartphone and talk using the headphones, which is another big bonus. The charge on the headphones is enough for a day of digging, I always recharged them after a dig, which I advise you to do. There is no signal delay, this is confirmed by the fact that I never used the Pinpoint button with Equinox, even when digging out small targets.

Depth test at the range

I specially filmed a depth test at my training ground. As you can see in the video:

The Equinox 800 hit all the targets and quite easily! This shows that the metal detector is really deep and interesting.

My total for Equinox 800

Equinox is a true professional metal detector that can be used for all types of everyday searching. It doesn’t matter whether you’re digging antiques, a local park, or on the beach, this device will be sufficient for most of your tasks. One of the key factors is the price, if it were a little lower, the device would be even more interesting, but this is Minelab, their equipment is rarely cheap, but it works well, I saw about defects and problems on Facebook in communities on the topic, but they were resolved they were fast and the users were happy. In addition, the number of problems was within reason; my comrade, the owner of this device, has no problems with the metal detector.

Overall, I had a good experience with this metal detector. Yes, a certain “hype” was created around this model, but I didn’t have high expectations about it, but waited for the moment when it fell into my hands and I checked it. The device passed the test perfectly, it can be used to dig and find, and this is the most important thing! I would not recommend it as a first device, but if you look at the budget, the 600 model may be enough for most types of search. It’s better to take the 800 model when you already want to buy additional wireless headphones, which will also cost quite a lot separately.

Do you use this metal detector? Do you have anything to add or tell? Write in the comments – let's discuss!