Minelab Equinox 900

Sometimes, all it takes to make something popular is a good TV show! The rise of Dungeons & Dragons (and board/tabletop gaming in general) due to a popular Netflix show, UFO sightings going up after a certain couple of FBI agents made us ‘believe’ (alright, I’m stretching with this one but it wouldn’t surprise me!) and, of course, the Detectorists, a fantastic, subtle comedy centred around two metal detectorists (NOT detectors – that’s what I’m about to review!) and their findings, or lack thereof… It certainly made me want to get out there and see what I could find (Ringpull, 83, Tizer.)!

The Equinox 900 uses Multi-IQ technology to help you identify what you can’t see beneath you. By utilising multiple frequencies simultaneously, you are able to pick up all sorts of subterranean treasures and you can be sure that you’ll uncover whatever is buried. If you don’t want to uncover everything (could get a bit tedious to be fair…) and want to focus instead on certain types of item, you can select the frequency you wish to search at (5,10,15,20 and 40 kHz) or take advantage of the all-metal shortcut button on the control pad if you literally just want to search for metal. Speaking of which, this metal detector has more than your usual 1-100 Target Identification range – it also includes a -19 to 0 range for detecting items with ferrous properties giving you a little more range than your average metal detector. You can also have up to 8 custom search profiles, well worth considering if you have several different types of area you are searching through.

As well as having the Mutli-IQ tech, you can also search underwater with this thing! It has an IP68 water and dust-proof rating meaning you can take it up to depths of 5 metres and continue your search off of beaches or in rivers – particularly handy if someone has lost an item of jewellery for example (If you’re struggling to find a reason that other people need for why you’re taking your metal detector on holiday, now you have one. You’re very welcome.)… And when you do need to transport this detector, it folds up in to a very manageable 2 foot long piece so can be stashed quite easily. It’s also made of carbon fibre and so comes in at a very easy to lift weight of about a 1 ¼ Kg’s, making prolonged detecting sessions far more feasible and enjoyable, not to mention very easy to transport in a backpack.

For listening features, you have the option of using the wireless headphones included or, if you have a wired pair, you can plug these in instead if you wish. You can also not bother with headphones at all if you wish and instead rely on the sound from the inbuilt speaker but where would be the fun in that? Although, if it’s a hot day I could understand – those headphones could get quite uncomfortable in the heat. As an aside, something to bear in mind is the operating temperature of this unit doesn’t exceed 40° C so, given the current heat trends in Europe, maybe not a good idea to take this out on a hot day! There is the usual volume control you would expect but as well as this, you can also set the tones to be dependant on what you find, making it easier to ignore what you’re not after and also giving you the ability to gauge the size and depth of your find just by listening. I can imagine Lance telling everyone to be quiet while he ‘hones in’ on the frequencies…RRP £1099

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