Equinox 900 vs The Manticore

Equinox 900 vs The Manticore Review

We hope you’re here because you want to know, WHY the Manticore is better than the Equinox 900, and not, IF, it is better. And we say this because we want to say now, categorically, that the Manticore is a better metal detector. And why wouldn’t it be! It costs £700 more, so it should be. But, nevertheless, here’s how the two machines stack up, so that you can decide if it’s worth you spending the extra money to buy the Manticore, or to stick with an Equinox detector.

Two great machines, one dilemma!

Physical Differences

The Equinox 900 and the Manticore are both part of the new generation of Minelab detectors, and so they both benefit from the same overhaul in terms of hardware. Both are light, compact and have carbon fibre stems. Each machine now weighs in at approximately 1.2kg and they collapse to around 61cm. This means that both are now around 100g lighter than the Equinox 800, and on a slight side note, they also both extended to a slightly longer length. This will be great for those who want a longer reach, or who are a little taller.

So, in the unlikely event that a detector being light and compact is the main priority for you then, just get the Equinox 900.

1 point to the Equinox 900!

The arm cup is new on both machines, but if we’re honest, the Manticore arm cup (the, ‘scorpion arm cup’ as we like to call it) looks and feels better. It is more angular, wider and just slightly more comfortable. They can both be easily adjusted with a new, ‘ratchet’ styled clip on the inside of the cup. This is better for cleaning too as it removes really easily. So, both have an improved arm cup, but the Manticore one looks and feels better.

The waterproof ratings on both machines are also the same, now reaching depths of 5 Metres, as opposed to the standard 3 metres that Minelab previously delivered on Equinox and CTX3030.

Both machines also come with a torch, and a vibrating handgrip. It’s worth noting here that the handgrip is slightly longer on both machines than the previous Equinox 600 or 800 models as to allow for more comfort and control. Vibration and torch function are optional, and so can be turned off to prolong battery life.

Overall, on physical composition and build, the Manticore nudges the win slightly. It’s ‘tactical black’ colour just looks cooler and the tweaks in it’s design mean it feels better.

Compatibility

If you’re already an Equinox user then this is where things get a little interesting. Existing Equinox coils will fit the Equinox 900 and Equinox 700. Whereas, with the Manticore, the coil electronics are completely different, and so all new coils will be needed. Manticore has its own range of coils too!

This is a point to the Equinox 900.

Discrimination

Discrimination is difficult to assess as both machines process and report in very different ways. The Equinox 900 works in the standard method of other Equinox machines of having target Id’s and target tones, but with an extended range of -19 through to 99, giving a lot more detail than the Equinox 800. The Manticore however uses 99 target ID numbers which would sound more limited, but due to the 2D ID mapping, provides more sophisticated information. The 2D ID screen on the Manticore allows for another level in discrimination.

The position of target on the ID screen can tell how ferrous an object is, how conductive it is, and even information about its formation/shape – all at the same time! This sounds complicated, but the way the shapes appear on the screen couldn’t be simpler.

To simplify, the closer to the centre line (x-axis) the more likely the target is to be non-ferrous. The further across from left towards right a target appears, the more conductive. And finally, a simpler shape suggests a more solid, uniform target, whereas a, ‘splodge’ suggests a more erratic shape.

Here are two examples:

Example A: tight dot, close to the centre X-axis, far to the right of the screen – could be a silver coin or ring. This is a high-conductivity, non-ferrous target!

In contrast, Example B: a loose shape, moving away from the X-axis (above or below it), and far to the left could be an iron nail. This is a low-conductive, ferrous target.

• Equinox 900 = -19 to 99
• Manticore = 0-99 target ID numbers 

To summarise this information – The Equinox 900 has an improved target ID system from the Equinox 800 which allows for great detail. But, it’s not a patch on the way that the Manticore reports information. It’s intelligent, intuitive and easy-to-use.

Manticore mapping is brilliant, it provides greater detail about the target, and is effortless to read – a point for Manticore here.

Processing

The Equinox 900 uses the same Multi-IQ technology as in the Equinox 800, but it has been slightly tuned. The Manticore however uses Multi-IQ+.

Multi-IQ+ uses the same multi-frequency bands as Multi-IQ, but processes that information in different ways. The Multi-IQ+ allows more power in the processing and a greater range of both general and custom search modes (more on this later). Multi-IQ+ is like upgrading your black and white TV to colour.

Multi-IQ is ace, but Multi-IQ+ wins! - Point to the Manticore

Sensitivity & Depth

The Equinox 900 now ramps up to 28 as opposed to 25 in previous Equinox models, but the Manticore can go all the way to 35. This means an increase in depth! In many environments, running either of the machines at its maximum sensitivity would not give great detecting results. If we can use another metaphor, we all like driving a sports car sometimes for those moments when you get to, ‘open it up’. You can’t do 70mph on a windy road (mineralised ground) but you can on the straights (clean ground). You can really, ‘open these machines up’ when you need to. And this is when having 28 or 35 is amazing!

More depth when you need it is better - another point to the Manticore.

Search Modes

This is another area where the Manticore really dominates the Equinox 900. The Equinox shares the same classic search modes as its predecessor.

• Equinox 900: Field, Beach, Park and Gold.
• Whereas the Manticore has the following modes.

The Manticore: All-Terrain General, All-Terrain Fast, All-Terrain Low Conductors, All-Terrain High-Conductors, All-Terrain Trash/Reject, Beach General, Beach Low-Conductors, Beach Deep, Beach Surf and Sea Water, and Gold Field General.

The standard Equinox presents have always been brilliant, with many detectorists using them all the time with great results. However, the Manticore has so much more to offer here. As you can see the Manticore has far more modes, which allow greater detail and provide simple options for detectorists. This is where Multi-IQ+ really delivers, with the processing power capable to calibrate the detector differently and decipher the huge amount of information gathered. Multi-IQ has always performed particularly well on the beach, as the simultaneous data filters out the problems which the conductive, saline environment hosts. The Sophistication on the newer, Multi-IQ+ allows for a wider range of search modes which are all available to customise and save. The increase in search modes could be compared to moving from the old days of four TV channels and then suddenly getting cable.

Great Search Mode options on the Manticore. They now cater for far more situations and are as well-designed as ever.

The Control Box

We don’t know if it’s just because it’s new, but the Manticore control box, just looks and feels better. We like the contrast of the red and black and the menus and screen are really easy to navigate and are clean and crisp.

Both machines have a backlight which can be used in various modes, but the Manticore has an automatic light sensor which can be employed to adjust the backlight intensity in conjunction with the ambient lighting. The Equinox 900 control box does have the advantage of being virtually identical to the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800, and so those that really don’t want any learning curve may prefer this, but most will be comfortable navigating the Manticore menus in no time.

We prefer the Manticore control box.

Audio

The Manticore has the option to enable Polyphonic audio. This means the detector emits multiple tones at the same time which depict different attributes of the target. This is once again a much more sophisticated method of presenting target information.

The Manticore comes with the ML-105 Headphones, which operate on Minelab’s own proprietary wireless system. They are a low-latency audio option and are quicker than low-latency Bluetooth. The Equinox 900 comes with the ML-85 headphones which also operate on the same system, but are on the same chassis as the previous ML-80 Bluetooth headphones that we’re accustomed to which support detectors such as the Equinox 800 and Vanquish 540 pro-pack.

In terms of audio speed, it’s a draw. However, the increase of audio settings within the Manticore put it ahead in this race.

And the Winner is......

At a glance, the physical similarities between the Equinox 900 and the Manticore might suggest that they are comparable detectors, but the devil is in the detail, and this is not the case.

The Manticore is currently priced at £1,799 and the Equinox 900 at £1,099. The £700 price difference is considerable, and for some will not be deemed as a value for money, especially considering how well the Equinox 900 performs, however, whether you deem it worth £700 or not, there is quite a performance difference between the two machines.

In terms of performance, the Manticore will go deeper, it has more options for beginners out-of-the-box, it has more detail for the experts to immerse themselves in. But from a physical perspective, the Manticore is more pleasant to use, more comfortable, looks better and is far more intuitive. It’s about the depth, but also about how immersive and intuitive the Manticore is. It just illustrates things easily.

The bottom line is you can take an Equinox 900 out all day long, find stuff and have an amazing time using it. But, once you have used a Manticore, you will want to detect with a Manticore.

To coin a Minelab phrase, ‘You will find more with a Manticore’.

Check out the Comparison Table below to see the Equinox 900 and Manticore side-by-side. 

Order yourManticore here – Manticore

Order yourEquinox 900 here – Equinox 900

Contact us now if you have any questions! Tel: 01724 845608