Who here bought a Kruzer and who here bought a Equinox?

Both of these detectors came out at about the same time and are competivly priced. So, who bought the Kruzer and who bought the Equinox? Why did you pick the detector you did and are you happy with your purchase? I picked the Equinox when I decided to get back into detecting based the fact that I hunt the saltwater beach and felt like the Nox would be a superior performer in that environment. I couldn't be happier despite some build quality issues.

I saw a lot of posts about the Kruzer but was and still am unfamiliar with the brand, so I went with the Equinox. No complaints as to the performance.

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I picked both the Multi Kruzer and the Equinox 800, different tools for different jobs IMO.

I use the impact it has more programs than the Kruzer and it is not waterproof so I think you get more bang for the buck on the impact and for me I think a better machine

LowBoy

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I bought both the Nox 800 and the MMK. As Cal cobra stated, Different tools for different jobs. I really like the MMK. The pros over the Nox to me are that the MMK Is more ruggedly built, is easier to navigate thru the menu, better balanced, and I prefer the sound or tones better. The MMK has more coils available and the coils are much less expensive. Both detectors work very well as "overall" detectors. The reason I have both is that there are a few areas that I prefer one over the other. This is my take on it:
The MMK - Outstanding at pulling non-ferrous targets out of iron infested sites. Super fast with great audio info. This is my go-to detector for Old lots, ghost towns, railroad sidings etc. I think the MMK with a small coil, is also outstanding at pulling targets from modern (aluminum) trashy parks.
The Nox on the other hand really loves round targets and the MF modes seem to get a little better depth so it's my Deep silver hunter and works well at the beach being able to go from the dry sand to the wet without issues.
I have a number of coils for the MMK, both DD and concentric, and I have the 6" for the Nox. Can the Nox with the 6" coil pull targets out of old lots? Sure it can. Can the MMK be used at the beach? Absolutely. Can a nail be hammered with a crescent wrench?
I had the Impact also. Really liked it. Along comes the MMK that would do everything I asked of the Impact, plus be lighter weight, waterproof, and less expensive. Bye, bye Impact.
If I could only have one detector I'd be happy with either one. Fortunately, I can have both (plus a couple more). If really pressed, I'd go with the MMK because I hunt more in trashy areas, don't get to the beach that often and where I live in AZ, there's not that many old parks to pull silver.
JMHO

You need to move back to the beach.

I have the MMK and had the Nox 800. I chose to keep the MMK because of the coil selection, mainly the 7in concentric which does extremely well for the old homesteads, railroad camps, ghost towns I hunt. I also have a CTX and XP Deus HF 9in and X35 9in so really saw no reason to keep the Nox. Nox is a good all around machine though, just not the best for the type of hunting I do. I also don't live near the beach.

Nox 800 was my last purchase. I hunt for jewelry and coins on land, fresh and salt water. So far so good.

Up to my ____ in Pulltabs, Grant

I have the Nox 600 and the 14KHz single frequency Kruzer and tested them both out on the Gulf beaches in Galveston this weekend.

The Nox in Beach 1 & 2 performed very well in the dry and wet sand and was very quiet even in the saltwater. It loves bottle caps though! The balance is better on the Kruzer "S" design...even though the Kruzer is a bit heavier than the Nox. I switched hands more often when using the Nox.

Although the Kruzer performed equally well...it was a bit chatty when going from dry to wet sand. If left in Beach mode...set with "00" GB...the Kruzer was very quiet in the actual saltwater. Also...it was easier to distinguish the difference between bottle caps and coins. The Kruzer gave a "sparkier" tone on most targets. The screen was very well laid out. It seems like one can get to where they want to be a lot quicker with the Kruzer.

The Nox felt less "beefy" and more like a toy. On the other hand...the Kruzer seemed to be "built like a tank" and I had more confidence in it's waterproof integrity.

So...which is better? They both perform equally well IMO. I just feel more comfortable with the Kruzer.

BTW...I had no problems with pairing of the headphones on either unit.

Hope this helps.

Charles

Nox 600 and Multi Kruzer for me. I like things about each but I like more things about the Nox. If i had to sell one today, hands down it would be the Kruzer.

I'm really only keeping it around for 2 reasons. 1, I don't trust the underwater build quality of the Nox and feel like every time I dunk it in the water that it's like playing Russian roulette. Keep doing it and sooner or later it ain't gonna hit on an empty chamber. 2, I have very little $ in it.

Which of the two mentioned detectors would be better on the Fabled thin gold chains? Based on actual finds.

I do not have the Kruzer, but I had the Impact, Racer 2 and original Racer. All were very stable in salt water. The old thought of single frequency detectors not being stable in salt water is no longer true.

A few concerns.....


I now do own a 600. I have not hunted that much with it but I do hear bottle caps can fool it.
The depth of the 600 is not an issue.
The relations of the US and Turkey? A great great company, but some things are out of our control.
I never got good resale value on any Nokta/Makro detector. Part of that was probably due to my impatience, but some of it was definitely due to their continued release of better models.
I
Small gold? On the beach if it is repeatable and sounds good I dig it. But the idea of digging small gold which sounds like small foil just seems tedious. I don't live close enough to the water to invest that time. Others I'm sure do a more thorough hunt.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/2018 01:44PM by goodmore.

Good insight Goodmore on the used detector market---makes a lot of sense.

I have read your posts on beach hunting and feel that you are one who thoroughly checks things out----your reports on the 600 will be of great interest.

On Resale value I've got to think that the Nox 800 will do much better than the 600, and the Multi Kruzer will do much better than the 14 kHz Kruzer. Just a thought IMHO

I have both. I find the Equinox 800 is lot better balanced for me. I'm 5" 6" so maybe height has an affect. And the Multi Kruzer hurts my forearm in a short time. I hip mount the Kruzer in a fanny pack now. Works great in the water with the 4x7.5. The 7x11 coil is like swinging a paddle in the water. The equinox w/ 11" coil swings a lot better than the 7x11 coil in the water. I'm looking forward to getting a Mars coil for the Kruzer. Should be very good in the water.

Rick

I got the MMK. It is a sleeper. Trash sounds like trash and it bangs on coins. There are no relics in my area but I am hearing good reports that the MMK is a relic hound and goes deep.

I have the MMK and I'm glad that I picked it over the Nox from what I've been reading about both detectors. The MMK is one sweet machine especially with the 7 inch concentric search coil attached. That sucker is deep and works great at unmasking in iron. Also its ID is very accurate!

tabman

tabman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have the MMK and I'm glad that I picked it over
> the Nox from what I've been reading about both det
> ectors. The MMK is one sweet machine especially wi
> th the 7 inch concentric search coil attached. Tha
> t sucker is deep and works great at unmasking in i
> ron. Also its ID is very accurate!
>
> tabman

Tabman I remember a while back I was looking to get a Racer 2 and if I remember correctly you said that the R2 had given you a sore wrist. Well I got mine and it did the same for me, and was reason enough to get rid of it. Whats your thoughts on the Kruzer's ergonomics?

Mike C Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tabman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have the MMK and I'm glad that I picked it ove
> r
> > the Nox from what I've been reading about both d
> et
> > ectors. The MMK is one sweet machine especially
> wi
> > th the 7 inch concentric search coil attached. T
> ha
> > t sucker is deep and works great at unmasking in
> i
> > ron. Also its ID is very accurate!
> >
> > tabman
>
> Tabman I remember a while back I was looking to ge
> t a Racer 2 and if I remember correctly you said t
> hat the R2 had given you a sore wrist. Well I got
> mine and it did the same for me, and was reason en
> ough to get rid of it. Whats your thoughts on the
> Kruzer's ergonomics?


The ergonomics isn't great on the MMK, but it's not terrible. With the stock search coil after a few hours of swinging it begins to hurt some. However with the 7 inch concentric search coil its not bad at all. Even the 5 x 9.5 DD search coil swings pretty easily. It's a solid well built detector for sure. The 7 inch 'concentric' search coil will be my go to search coil and the 5 x 9.5 search coil will likely be my beach or large open field search coil. The open gated audio tones takes a little time to get used to, but once you do you'll really like it. It's amazing how you can hear both the iron and non-ferrous audio tones at the same time.

tabman

I went with the Kruzer over the Equinox. They're all good machines and I feel I'm only missing the multi-IQ feature of the Equinox.

The 14 khz. Kruzer has tone break/set not on the 600 but have to get the 800 to have. Cost of coils and customer service reputation were deciding factors as well. I did hear Minelab is getting better though.

I might as well jump in. I didn't get the Kruzer because I have the Impact.

As for the Nox, I bought the 800. Why? Minelab has THE best TID in the business. Plus, I knew that multi-freq would be a real game changer. When I get home tonight, I will try to post my latest finds. They should be a real eye opener!

lots of good replies. I was just wondering why I was seeing so many reports from Nox users and so few from the Kruzer camp. Seems to me like there are plenty of Kruzer owners out there.

I was a tester for the Multi Kruzer and found it to be a good solid unit. It is built like a tank and am sure it will take more abuse than the Nox. I found the Kruzer had a bit more of a learning curve than the Equinox (I own both the EQ600 and EQ800) and I do not really think you get that much more out of it for the time it takes to learn. My first time out with the EQ800 I dug a 1861 Half Dime at 8" in a park that I and others have hunted for 30+ years. Since then I have pulled a good share of coins and artifact with the Equinox.
My biggest complaint with the Kruzer is the button layout, the pin point button is crammed in there with the rest of the buttons and in my opinion the buttons are way too close together. If you are wearing gloves then it is even more difficult to choose the button you need.
I gave feedback to Makro on my test unit but test units were sent out only 2 - 3 weeks from the actual release of the unit never really giving time for the feedback to actually be used in the production units. Makro was in a race to get the Kruzer to the market before the Equinox stole all the thunder. I truly think they could have made the Kruzer even better if they took the advice of the testers and incorporated it into the production units. I think today the mindset of detector manufactures is to get it out on the market and then take care of any issues with updates. Not really a good idea in my book.
If I had to keep one of the 2, I am confident that I would choose the Equinox 800.

choppadude Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was a tester for the Multi Kruzer and found it t
> o be a good solid unit. It is built like a tank an
> d am sure it will take more abuse than the Nox. I
> found the Kruzer had a bit more of a learning curv
> e than the Equinox (I own both the EQ600 and EQ800
> ) and I do not really think you get that much more
> out of it for the time it takes to learn. My first
> time out with the EQ800 I dug a 1861 Half Dime at
> 8" in a park that I and others have hunted for 30+
> years. Since then I have pulled a good share of co
> ins and artifact with the Equinox.
> My biggest complaint with the Kruzer is the butto
> n layout, the pin point button is crammed in there
> with the rest of the buttons and in my opinion the
> buttons are way too close together. If you are wea
> ring gloves then it is even more difficult to choo
> se the button you need.
> I gave feedback to Makro on my test unit but test
> units were sent out only 2 - 3 weeks from the actu
> al release of the unit never really giving time fo
> r the feedback to actually be used in the producti
> on units. Makro was in a race to get the Kruzer to
> the market before the Equinox stole all the thunde
> r. I truly think they could have made the Kruzer e
> ven better if they took the advice of the testers
> and incorporated it into the production units. I t
> hink today the mindset of detector manufactures is
> to get it out on the market and then take care of
> any issues with updates. Not really a good idea in
> my book.
> If I had to keep one of the 2, I am confident that
> I would choose the Equinox 800.

Hello and thank you for the feedbacks. Yes, you were one of the testers. We picked you as a tester because your name was recommended on the MDF forum by some members because they were claiming that our testers are all biased or paid for and they suggested that we pick somebody that they point out and we did. And the beauty of it is that we do not make our testers, including you, sign any kind of agreement and force them not to say anything negative about the product or to praise it – and we know for fact that such practice does exist in the industry. We trust the product and let it speak for itself and I can see from comments on this thread alone and that we are on the right path!

Please keep in mind that we sent this unit to more than 30 countries around the world in different continents. We collect all the feedbacks and then try our best to make changes if the majority of the testers see it as a vital move. Please also note that many things are very personal and subjective when it comes to design and layout. People on this forum would agree that we are very good in responding to end-user requests but what one likes, the other one dislikes so it is a tough call sometimes. We made a change on the handle angle of the Racer long time ago based on customer requests and ended up with others complaining about the new one.

We made a few updates on the device based on feedbacks but what you are referring to (button layout) is a major design change as it would affect a lot of other parts of the device, too.
Yes we do listen to customers but there are also limitations on what could be changed unless you throw a major part of the project away and start from scratch…and believe me no manufacturer could do that. Then again, all feedbacks are taken very seriously and if we cannot incorporate them in the current one, guaranteed you will see it down the line in another product.


Thank you for giving me a chance to explain all this!

Thanks Nokta for being sensitive to the forum and giving an excellent overview of company policy.

Now all we have to do is wait for Mine Lab to update us on their testing/listening to customers policy and we will be all knowing/seeing.

I'm sure we will be completely updated before the afternoon break.

My feelings are the exact opposite of Choppadude. The button placement isn't an issue for me. I live in AZ and never detect with gloves. I find the pinpoint button to be in the perfect spot to reach easily with my thumb. I also disagree about the learning curve being longer than the Equinox. With the Kruzer, The entire menu is displayed on the screen. There is no need to remember how to access a particular setting. Just press the button to scroll down to the feature you want to adjust and then using the plus or minus buttons to increase or decrease the setting. Easy Peazy. With the Nox, you have to remember how to access the feature. Want to access the Tone Breaks. Press the Settings button, then toggle over to the Reject/Accept picture, then hold down the Settings button again(remember two seconds) until the Accept/reject pictures gets an underline under it, then use the Plus & Minus buttons to make the adjustments. Really - tone breaks are hidden under the Disc adjustment? I had the Kruzer adjustments figured out in the first ten minutes. On the Nox, I still have to carry around a cheat sheet after using it for a few months so I can remember how to access everything. I think the Kruzer is much easier to navigate thru the menu. Why do we have to scroll thru all the Modes on the Nox to get back to the one you want? JMHO. Different strokes for different folks.

I like the fact that Makro is coming out with a audio receiving module for the Kruzer so you can use the headphones that you like. I hope that they pattern it after the Z-Lynk receiver. It's about the right size and shape so you can Velcro it to your larger headphones if want to.

tabman

Tom Slick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My feelings are the exact opposite of Choppadude.
> The button placement isn't an issue for me. I live in AZ and never detect with gloves. I find the pinpoint button to be in the perfect spot to reach easily with my thumb. I also disagree about the learning curve being longer than the Equinox. With the Kruzer, The entire menu is displayed on the screen. There is no need to remember how to access a particular setting. Just press the button to scroll down to the feature you want to adjust and then using the plus or minus buttons to increase or decrease the setting. Easy Peazy. With the Nox, you have to remember how to access the feature. Want to access the Tone Breaks. Press the Settings button, then toggle over to the Reject/Accept picture, then hold down the Settings button again(remember two seconds) until the Accept/reject pictures gets an underline under it, then use the Plus & Minus buttons to make the adjustments. Really - tone breaks are hidden under the Disc adjustment? I had the Kruzer adjustments figured out in the first ten minutes. On the Nox, I still have to carry around a cheat sheet after using it for a few months so I can remember how to access everything. I think the Kruzer is much easier to navigate thru the menu. Why do we have to scroll thru all the Modes on the Nox to get back to the one you want? JMHO. Different strokes for different folks.

Tom you pretty much echo my sentiments on the ease of use on the Kruzer vs Equinox. The single menu system on the Kruzer makes it a breeze to configure anything you want, but the Equinox is a bit of a PITA if you don't have a cheat sheet or download the manual to your phone so you can figure out an advanced setting out in the field. I think the PP button on the Kruzer could've been better thought out, or at least a raised point so tactically you could simply feel the button with your finger without having to look at it (it's a PITA if night hunting for example). As with anything, the more you use it, the more your muscle memory will recall the menu system, but that would be my one complaint about the Equinox, I personally feel the menu is pretty clunky, particularity for this day and age, but it's a very capable detector, as is the Kruzer, both have produced some great finds for me since their release, and I anticipate they'll make many more

Nokta/Makro any "previews" of what you'll unveil at Detectival next month? Detectival is exactly one month away, should be interesting to see what it brings



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2018 11:01PM by Cal_cobra.

The Kruzer menu reminds me of those super compact vehicles on the road today; everything is jammed right in there with no space to spare. I do think it needs a little tweaking; the font is still super small. There's no menu/sub menus which is nice but I don't like a cluttered screen either. Again, a preference thing. To me, the Equinox menu is not complicated or hard to navigate...everything is right there and it only take a push of a button to see where you are and then you know where you need to go. It didn't take long at at to get familiar with the layout, and I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer either.

I downloaded the latest Kruzer update last night but have not used the machine since then. From the update notes, I don't think it does anything to the performance of the machine...although mine was still on the original version and had not had the previous update either.

----------------

I really hope someone makes a 9 inch coil for the Kruzer and Equinox both. The 7 inch is OK on the Kruzer and I prefer it in the water over the stock coil for shallow drops. It swings better and is easier to pinpoint & scoop targets up with in murky water when you are scooping blind. I don't find it to be that deep though...unmasking and pinpointing is its strong suit for sure, as it should be.

Both machines have their individual strengths and weaknesses. For the kind of hunting I do though, the Kruzer's weak points seem to outweigh the strengths. But both machines seem to compliment one another and make it balance out.

I have the Nox, and it's hard to see any current machine, including the Multi Kruzer, doing any better for the price. Time will tell--opinions seem evenly divided at present. I do give Nokta/Macro credit for bringing out accessory coils at the same time as the Kruzer, and for furnishing firmware updates to fix discovered bugs. Minelab has been remarkably slow with coils, and given its past history, I'm not sure we'll ever actually see bug fixes for existing machines.