I'm just getting back into metal detecting I want to hunt land Beach and water mostly salt. My question is should I buy a new Equinox 800 or a used CTX 3030..I have been in thing for more than 30 years now but i know how a learning curve can be with a detector I have never used I have used minlab before but not the CTX or the equinox. It seems to me the Equinox would be easier to use and to get used to.... which would be better on the beach land and water out the two detectors.
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Big Question..
- Thread starter LS hunter
- Start date
Mr. Carolina
Member
LS hunter said:
The CTX is the far superior machine by far in my opinion. I own both.
TinCanBeach
Active member
The Equinox was way easier to learn (for me) just because of the way it’s set up. I understood the menus and the user interface faster than I did on the two 3030’s that I owned before the 800.
My vote is for the Equinox. Best of luck!
My vote is for the Equinox. Best of luck!
dewcon4414
Well-known member
The CTX is more of a chore to set up properly....... but you can do programs and save them..... and in most cases you dont have to do a lot of button pushing afterwards. The Nox is just more sensitivity to the smaller gold and gets better depth on gold period IMO...... and ive gotten a good bit of gold to test with both. The CTX dont like open gold like earrings or broken rings. Im talking mostly about what i find ...... because that is the bottom line for beach hunting. The Nox is a bit nose heavy as expected...... but in the water that works...... unlike the CTX which as mentioned is like a dragging a dead horse out there. Screen wise...... you just cant beat the CTX smartscreen and the information it provides hands down the CTX wins there. I personally like the tones of the CTX as well. The Nox introduced a nice feature of being able to turn down the tones which i like. Now...... price, no brainier there...... and 3 year warranty. You wont find a used CTX for the price of a new Nox...... which will have a 3 year warranty. IF the CTX were lighter and FASTER.......that might change the outcome.
Can't help with the CTX vs EQ decision on a personal level since I never used an EQ. Having owned a CTX in the past, for me it was a good unit but too heavy.
Basing what I see now, my friend having both a CTX with all the coils and a EQ800 with 3 coils, I don't see him using his CTX at all any more.
I would go for a new EQ800 and get the small coil as well as the stock. Don't look back and don't have second thoughts. My guess is you will like the EQ800.
Basing what I see now, my friend having both a CTX with all the coils and a EQ800 with 3 coils, I don't see him using his CTX at all any more.
I would go for a new EQ800 and get the small coil as well as the stock. Don't look back and don't have second thoughts. My guess is you will like the EQ800.
PryorCreekJoe
Member
Ok, my 2 cents. If you are older, have shoulder, back or knee problems then the Equinox is the winner. If you are in great shape and no health issues and love to fine tune things and have no issues with money, then the 3030 is the ticket. I had rotator cuff surgery on my left shoulder in 2014 (4 pins and the Dr said he almost was able to save it but did), rotator cuff surgery in 2016 on the right shoulder as well as a torn bicep, 2018 surgery on left knee with two tear on the meniscus. I have been swinging the 3030 since 2012 and mostly with the 17 inch coil but not beach hunting (yet) and just got the Equinox as an early retirement present from my detecting buddy. I love both and plan to use both depending on site conditions when I retire to the beach in 5+ months.
If money and health conditions are not a factor then I would go with the 3030. BUT if money or health are a concern then the Equinox is hands down what you should get. $2499 vs $899 (MSRP)
Lots of great points on the other post BTW.
Both are Minelab, so you know it's gonna be good no mater what you decide.
Joe
PS I dug silver the first day out with the Equinox and have 10 or so silvers in about 14 hunts. I will baptize it in salt water in a couple of week on my Christmas vacation and hope to bring home the gold!
If money and health conditions are not a factor then I would go with the 3030. BUT if money or health are a concern then the Equinox is hands down what you should get. $2499 vs $899 (MSRP)
Lots of great points on the other post BTW.
Both are Minelab, so you know it's gonna be good no mater what you decide.
Joe
PS I dug silver the first day out with the Equinox and have 10 or so silvers in about 14 hunts. I will baptize it in salt water in a couple of week on my Christmas vacation and hope to bring home the gold!
I vote with the majority here. I have both and I have not fired up the 3030 since the 800 stole the spotlight. The 3030 had many neat features I never used. You could buy 3 800s or 4 600s for the price of a new 3030. The coils are cheaper for the 800/600. I just don't see the need for what the differences are. Buy a 600 AND an 800 with the coils, pocket some gas money and go out to dinner. Your still money ahead!
I would have to agree and disagree. I own both machines and am currently hunting with them in Myrtle Beach.
When I use the Equinox no harness needed and switch hands with ease. With the 3030 (17" coil) I use the detecting buddy harness and going 3+ hours is not an issue (I'm 68 with some issues). The deepest Nox target recovered in the last 2 outings was about 10" with most being maybe 6 or 8 inches (or less). With the 3030 I am routinely digging 10 to 15" targets in addition to the more shallow ones.
One possible reason for the depth is the CTX has the ability to amplify deep targets while the Nox does not.......they are much quieter. So maybe my hearing is missing the signals. If that is the case it really does not matter because the bottom line is they do not get dug.
Unless my back is acting up the 3030 is my choice. The Nox is a backup and/or if I just don't want to or feel like digging deeper targets.
When I use the Equinox no harness needed and switch hands with ease. With the 3030 (17" coil) I use the detecting buddy harness and going 3+ hours is not an issue (I'm 68 with some issues). The deepest Nox target recovered in the last 2 outings was about 10" with most being maybe 6 or 8 inches (or less). With the 3030 I am routinely digging 10 to 15" targets in addition to the more shallow ones.
One possible reason for the depth is the CTX has the ability to amplify deep targets while the Nox does not.......they are much quieter. So maybe my hearing is missing the signals. If that is the case it really does not matter because the bottom line is they do not get dug.
Unless my back is acting up the 3030 is my choice. The Nox is a backup and/or if I just don't want to or feel like digging deeper targets.
Both here. Sold CTX. I don't get to beach hunt much, mainly coin and relic on old sites. CTX is a good machine but it's achilles' heel for me was recovery speed. On iron laden sites its slow recovery speed would mask closely located targets. And it's HEAVY! All my hunted out sites are producing new finds because of the Nox, it's just that good.
RayinAlaska
New member
tcornel said:
I watched a video of a guy in the UK setting an Equinox 800 for deep targets, Roman coins in this case, and he showed examples of strong signals from deep targets by lowering the recovery speed. So in an area that is not littered with iron, I would play with the recovery speed. I will have to give that a try next summer. However on the factory setting for the Park One search mode, I was digging very deep targets out of the sand of a fresh water beach. I was quite surprised how deep some of the points were.
tcornel said:
Yes, but an increase in depth also. You need to decide what is more important for your conditions, or find a balance.
Recovery Speed 5 for example still has decent speed but is also very deep.
I hang out between 4 -7 and might change several times during one hunt.
Bryan
dewcon4414
Well-known member
I water hunt and try and use 3 or 4 recovery. I hear a LOT of minerals and iron in the water since i hunt in AM. This machine is crazy fast.... sometimes to fast. Higher recovery speed can make you miss a near target id think if you are running 7..... thats a pretty trasy site. In those sites it becomes very important how you move that coil. I would think it would also be like wiggling your coil over say a nail.... eventually it sounds pretty good to you. Slowing your sweep speed sometimes helps. To me higher recovery shortens the tones as well..... some of the younger guys have better ears than me thou.
Yeah, the notion of weight can't be ignored...at least over the long haul. In my other life, I'm an amateur astronomer with several scopes of different sizes. The one that gets used the most, even though it is not as "powerful" as others, is the lightest and most portable one. Granted, I'm also 68, but ease of use will always play a significant role. So it's the Nox for me, but yes I have a heavier unit (GPX) that remains an essential part of the equation.
Each has their place. For the $ the Equinox is a great machine and will recover most of the targets that the ctx might find. For the semi-serious to recreational detectorist is a great bang for the buck.
If I had to pick one machine there is no question the ctx would be it although I love the light weight of the Equinox. Part of that decision is the amplification of the weaker signals. With the Equinox I find myself hearing a good tone at barely a whisper level and then trying to find it because it is at the limits of the machine. Sometimes I can and sometimes I cannot so I just move on to easier targets.
That is hard for me to swallow as I hate to pass on any potential good target. I really do not care how deep it is or how long it takes to recover it........if the tone and/or id is good it is coming out of the ground.
If I had to pick one machine there is no question the ctx would be it although I love the light weight of the Equinox. Part of that decision is the amplification of the weaker signals. With the Equinox I find myself hearing a good tone at barely a whisper level and then trying to find it because it is at the limits of the machine. Sometimes I can and sometimes I cannot so I just move on to easier targets.
That is hard for me to swallow as I hate to pass on any potential good target. I really do not care how deep it is or how long it takes to recover it........if the tone and/or id is good it is coming out of the ground.