The Equinox 900 is Minelab’s upper-mid machine and the one people agonise over, because the Equinox 700 sits £350 below it and does most of the same things. Having gone through both sets of specifications, the honest summary is that the 900 is a better detector that most UK detectorists do not need.
How we reviewed it: from Minelab’s own published specifications and UK pricing, the Amazon UK listing, and what UK detectorists report about the machine. We have not field-tested it ourselves, and we say so rather than pretending otherwise.
The short answer
- Buy the 900 if you want the 40kHz frequency and Gold mode, you detect sites thick with small low-conductive targets, or you want the 6-inch coil included rather than bought separately.
- Buy the Equinox 700 instead if your detecting is UK fields, pasture and beaches. It shares the same body, the same waterproofing and the same battery, and it costs £350 less.
- Do not buy either as a first detector. Both reward someone who already knows what a signal should sound like.
Minelab Equinox 900 (about £1,049)
Multi-IQ plus six selectable single frequencies to 40kHz, Park, Field, Beach and Gold modes, 119-segment notch discrimination, and two coils in the box. Waterproof to 5 metres.
Specifications
| Equinox 900 | Equinox 700 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Minelab UK) | £1,049.99 | £799.99 |
| Frequencies | Multi, plus 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40kHz | Multi, plus 4, 5, 10, 15kHz |
| Coils supplied | EQX11 11in and EQX06 6in | EQX11 11in only |
| Search modes | Park, Field, Beach, Gold | Park, Field, Beach |
| Custom profiles | 8 | 6 |
| Target ID | 119-segment notch; −19 to 0 ferrous, 1 to 99 non-ferrous | 50-segment notch; −9 to 0 ferrous, 1 to 40 non-ferrous |
| Weight | 1.27kg | 1.27kg |
| Waterproof | IP68, 5m | IP68, 5m |
| Battery | 3.7V 5100mAh lithium-ion | 3.7V 5100mAh lithium-ion |
| Collapsed length | 61cm | 61cm |
Specifications are Minelab’s own. Prices are Minelab UK list prices; Amazon UK usually sits below them.
What the 900 actually adds
Four things separate it from the 700, and only two of them matter to most people.
40kHz, and 20kHz. This is the real difference. Frequency selection is about target conductivity: low frequencies favour large high-conductive targets like hammered silver, high frequencies favour small low-conductive ones like thin gold, cut quarters and tiny hammered. The 700 tops out at 15kHz. If you hunt sites where the finds are small and gold is plausible, the extra range is worth having.
Gold mode. A search mode tuned for exactly that problem. In a British context this matters less than it does in Australia, where Minelab designs for goldfields, but it is genuinely useful on sites producing small low-conductive non-ferrous.
The 6-inch coil in the box. The EQX06 is the coil for trashy ground, tight corners and separating targets in iron. Bought separately it is not cheap, so including it closes part of the price gap on its own. If you were going to buy a small coil anyway, the 900 is better value than the headline numbers suggest.
119-segment notch against 50. The 900 resolves targets on a scale running −19 to 99 against the 700’s −9 to 40, and lets you notch out a single ID rather than a band. On a site carpeted in one kind of rubbish at a fixed ID, that is the difference between losing a band of good targets with it and losing almost nothing. On clean pasture it is close to irrelevant.
What it does not add
This is the part worth being blunt about, because the two machines are more alike than the price gap implies.
Same weight, at 1.27kg. Same waterproofing, IP68 to 5 metres. Same battery, a 3.7V 5100mAh lithium-ion. Same collapsed length at 61cm. Same Multi-IQ engine doing the work in the mode most people leave it in.
There is no depth advantage in the specification. Minelab publishes no detection-depth figure for either machine, and the frequency range is about what kind of target you favour rather than how deep you reach. Anyone telling you the 900 goes deeper than the 700 on a typical UK coin is guessing.
Who should buy it
Buy the 900 if you are hunting small, low-conductive targets — Celtic and early hammered, thin gold, cut coinage — or you want a second coil without a second purchase, or you detect sites where fine discrimination against one specific junk ID would save you real digging.
Buy the 700 if your sites are ordinary British farmland, pasture and beaches, where the targets are coins, buckles and lead. You get the same build, the same waterproofing and the same core performance for £350 less, and that £350 buys a very good pinpointer and a season’s petrol.
Look at the Manticore instead if your problem is difficult ground rather than small targets, and you have the budget.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Equinox 900 worth it over the 700? For most UK detecting, no. The 700 shares the body, waterproofing, battery and Multi-IQ engine. The 900 earns its £350 if you want 20 and 40kHz, Gold mode, the 6-inch coil in the box, or 119-segment notch discrimination.
Is the Equinox 900 waterproof? Yes, IP68 and submersible to 5 metres, the same as the 700. Rinse it in fresh water after any beach or sea use.
What coils come with it? Two: the EQX11 11-inch and the EQX06 6-inch, both Double-D with skid plates. The 700 ships with the 11-inch only.
How does it compare to the Manticore? The Manticore is the more powerful machine and costs considerably more, with a colour screen and a 2D target display. Our Equinox 700 vs 900 vs Manticore comparison works through the three together.
Is it good for beginners? It works, but it is more detector than a beginner needs, and more settings than a beginner will use. The best metal detectors for beginners start a lot cheaper.
Does the Equinox 900 find gold? It has a Gold mode and reaches 40kHz, which suits small low-conductive targets including gold jewellery. Hunting natural gold in Britain is a different and much harder proposition, covered in our guide to metal detecting for gold.