Minelab EQUINOX 700 Metal Detector with EQX 06 Coil

In our experience the Minelab EQUINOX 700 with an EQX 06 coil suits someone who searches both open parks or beaches and trashy ground around old buildings and wants a smaller coil for targets that sit close together. The EQUINOX 700 is a waterproof Multi-IQ simultaneous multi-frequency detector from Minelab for parks, fields and beaches, submersible to 5 meters (16 feet), with the EQX 11 coil and ML 85 wireless headphones in the box.

What is in the box with this Minelab EQUINOX 700 bundle

Minelab's standard contents for the EQUINOX 700

• Minelab EQUINOX 700 detector with three-piece carbon fiber shaft
• EQX 11 11 inch Double-D round Smart coil with skidplate
• ML 85 low-latency wireless headphones
• Multi-language screen protectors
• USB charging cable with magnetic connector
• Getting Started Guide

This Minelab EQUINOX 700 bundle also includes

• Minelab EQX 06 6 inch Double-D round coil with skidplate (Minelab part 3011-0462)

What the add-ons in this Minelab EQUINOX 700 bundle do

EQX 06 coil: a 6 inch Double-D round coil that Minelab describes as waterproof, alongside the EQX 11 from the EQUINOX 700 box. In our experience the EQX 11 is a sensible general-purpose choice on open ground, while the smaller EQX 06 has a more concentrated detection footprint, which makes it easier to isolate targets when several metal objects sit close together around an old foundation, and handier among trees and rocks. The tradeoff is less ground coverage and potentially less depth on some targets. See our metal detector coils.

The EQX 06 is the coil we would fit on the dense-trash sites in our settings advice. In a park littered with bottle caps and foil, or around a farmhouse foundation full of nails, the smaller coil sees fewer objects at once, so a coin next to iron is easier to separate. Swap back to the EQX 11 for open fields and the beach, where coverage matters more than separation.

Who the Minelab EQUINOX 700 suits

We like the EQUINOX 700 for someone who wants to search parks, fields, beaches and old home sites with one detector. It gives you most of the practical versatility a serious detectorist needs without the long list of adjustments on Minelab's higher-end machines. What we like most about the 700 is its balance of performance, versatility and manageable complexity.

About the Minelab EQUINOX 700

Multi-IQ runs multiple frequencies at the same time, which matters because targets respond differently depending on size, conductivity and the ground around them. An older park can hold modern coins, older silver coins, small gold jewelry, aluminum trash and rusty iron, and Multi-IQ gives you a versatile starting point for all of them without constantly switching frequencies, whether you search a park, a farm field or a freshwater beach. Minelab recommends Multi-IQ in every mode, and it is the default in every profile; Park and Field can also run a single 4, 5, 10 or 15 kHz frequency, while Beach always runs Multi-IQ. Multi-IQ does not automatically identify targets correctly or remove the effects of mineralized ground: it is a useful detection technology, not a guarantee of finding every buried object.

Minelab EQUINOX 700 search modes and key settings

• Six profiles: in an older park, Park 1 (General and Coins) is a sensible starting point, and Park 2 (Fine Jewelry) is worth trying for smaller, lower-conductivity targets once you know how common targets respond; it is not automatically better. On an old farmstead with nails, brass and lead, Field 1 (Coins and Artifacts) is a useful start and Field 2 (Fine Coins and Artifacts) improves sensitivity to smaller targets. Beach 1 (Wet and Dry Sand) and Beach 2 (Underwater and Surf) cover the beach. There is no Gold mode; the All Metal shortcut switches off discrimination.
• Recovery speed (0 to 4): sets how quickly the detector resets between signals; see our advice on it below.
• Iron Bias (-1 to 3, Multi-IQ only): controls how the detector handles mixed ferrous responses; see our advice on it below.
• Ground balance (Auto, Manual, Tracking): for typical park and field detecting, start with the factory ground balance setting or perform an automatic ground balance if ground conditions require it. Tracking is particularly useful when mineralization changes as you search, and Minelab also identifies underwater saltwater detecting in Beach 2 as a situation where Tracking may help keep the detector stable.
• Sensitivity and noise cancel: near overhead power lines more sensitivity can make random signals worse, so run Auto Noise Cancel, which picks the quietest of 19 channels, and set sensitivity where the detector runs reasonably quietly.
• Target ID: 119 Target IDs from -19 to 99, each one accepted or rejected; Minelab gives a US quarter as 89.
• Audio, ferrous volume and vibration: Target Tones 1, 2, 5, All Tones and Depth; we would start with the factory audio and add tones as experience grows. Ferrous volume makes iron quieter around an old farmhouse while you still hear where it is, and handgrip vibration on ferrous signals helps on a windy beach.

Settings that matter on the Minelab EQUINOX 700

Recovery Speed: around an old farmhouse full of rusty nails, a faster setting helps separate a coin from the nail next to it. In a clean field, a slower setting can give a better response from some deeper targets. Match it to how crowded the targets are; the fastest setting is not right everywhere.

Iron Bias: in a park full of rusty bottle caps, some caps sound like good coins, and raising Iron Bias can cut down those signals. A higher setting can also affect a good target lying close to iron, so we would start at the factory setting and change it only when the site calls for it.

Target ID: non-ferrous targets read from 1 to 99, against 1 to 40 on the older EQUINOX 800. More numbers still do not identify a buried object perfectly: orientation, depth, corrosion and nearby metal all move the reading, so learn the audio alongside the numbers.

Beach and water hunting with the Minelab EQUINOX 700

The beach is one of the biggest reasons we would recommend the EQUINOX 700. On an ocean beach the sand turns from dry to wet toward the water, and conductive saltwater produces a response that interferes with metal detection; the EQUINOX 700 combines Multi-IQ with dedicated Beach profiles, and in Beach mode Minelab gives residual salt a Target ID of 0. Pick the profile that matches the conditions; black sand, severe mineralization and electrical interference still affect performance. Minelab rates the EQUINOX 700 IP68, submersible to 5 meters (16 feet), so on a freshwater swimming beach after a busy weekend you can work from the dry sand to the shoreline and into shallow water for coins, rings and earrings. The ML 85 wireless headphones are not waterproof and wireless audio does not transmit reliably underwater, so for underwater audio Minelab specifies its own waterproof headphones. Keep the dust cap on the headphone socket when you submerge without headphones, and do not take the detector underwater while it is charging or running from a power bank. See our beach metal detectors.

Minelab EQUINOX 700 battery, weight and build

The carbon fiber shaft collapses to 61 cm (24 inches) and Minelab lists the detector at 1.27 kg (2.8 lb), easy to pack for a trip and lighter on long sessions. The 3.7 V, 5100 mAh battery built into the handgrip gives approximately 12 hours of typical use, less with the backlight or flashlight on; charge it before a longer trip. Charging from flat takes about 5 to 6 hours over the magnetic USB cable with a USB charger of more than 2 A at 5 V, and Minelab's manual says replacement batteries are supplied and fitted by a Minelab authorized service center. The EQX 11 coil is a sensible general-purpose coil for a large park or clean field; around a foundation full of nails it can hear several objects in one sweep, which is where the smaller EQX 06 helps.

Where the Minelab EQUINOX 700 works well, and where it does not

In a park laid out more than a century ago, older coins sit deep and close to rusty iron, and Recovery Speed, Iron Bias and the detailed Target IDs let you adapt. A high Target ID does not automatically mean a silver coin, though: a large iron object can sometimes read high.

One detector covers inland sites and the beach. It finds gold jewelry, but it has no Gold mode; for natural gold nuggets, see our gold detectors.

One mistake to avoid with the Minelab EQUINOX 700

Do not reject too many Target ID ranges. Say you are hunting gold jewelry and, tired of digging aluminum, you reject most of the lower-conductivity numbers. Gold rings can read in those same ranges, so aggressive discrimination walks you right past them. We would rather dig some foil than miss a ring.

Minelab EQUINOX 700, EQUINOX 900 or MANTICORE

Both EQUINOX models use Multi-IQ, are waterproof to 5 meters (16 feet) and share the 119 Target ID scale and updated construction. The Minelab EQUINOX 900 adds dedicated Gold modes, the 20 and 40 kHz single frequencies, more recovery speed settings, greater Iron Bias adjustment and the EQX 06 coil in the box. For someone who mainly searches parks, farm fields and beaches, the EQUINOX 700 may provide everything they need; for difficult iron-contaminated historical sites or natural gold prospecting, the EQUINOX 900's extras become easier to justify. The Minelab MANTICORE adds two-dimensional target identification for heavily hunted sites, but we would not suggest every MANTICORE owner will consistently find more than someone with an EQUINOX 700.

Minelab EQUINOX 700 specifications

Minelab covers the EQUINOX 700 control box and coil with a 3-year warranty in the USA.

Serious Detecting bundle (added free at checkout):

• Lil' Digger Double Serrated Shovel
• Serious Detecting Finds Bag with 42 inch Waist Belt
• Serious Detecting Carry Bag
• Serious Detecting Cap
• Double Serrated Hand Digger with Belt Holster

For our full EQUINOX 700 guide, settings advice and comparisons, see the Minelab EQUINOX 700 collection.