Premium depth machine or budget starter? The real winner is clear

Display

The Minelab Equinox 800 wins here because its interface is more informative and more useful once you start chasing repeatable target IDs in the real world. You get a modern control layout with a clear target ID scale, multiple search profiles, and more advanced discrimination feedback, which matters when you’re trying to separate a hammered coin from iron chatter in ploughed ground. The Garrett ACE 300i has a simpler LCD with basic target ID and notch information, which is fine for beginners but much less nuanced. If you want a screen that helps you make better digging decisions, the Equinox 800 is the better tool.

Performance

This is not a close contest. The Equinox 800 operates with Multi-IQ simultaneous multi-frequency plus selectable single frequencies, giving it a huge advantage in mineralised UK soil, wet pasture, and on the beach. It also offers proper ground balance control, including automatic and manual options depending on mode, which is exactly what you want when the ground changes from clean topsoil to iron-rich clay in the space of a few metres. The ACE 300i runs at a fixed 8 kHz single frequency, which is perfectly workable for shallow coin hunting and general detecting, but it is much less adaptable and will lose out on target separation, saltwater handling, and depth on smaller targets. The Equinox 800 wins decisively for depth, recovery speed, iron handling, and overall target ID accuracy. If you detect in the UK with any seriousness, this is the machine you’d take to a ploughed field at 6am.

Build quality and design

The Equinox 800 is built as a premium detector: fully waterproof to 3 metres, with a carbon-fibre-style shaft system, wireless audio support, and a more refined balance in the hand. At about 1.34 kg, it is not the lightest detector around, but it carries well because the weight distribution is better thought out. The EQX 11-inch Double-D coil is a strong all-round size, giving good ground coverage without becoming unwieldy. The ACE 300i is lighter at roughly 1.27 kg and has the familiar Garrett simplicity, but it is not waterproof beyond the searchcoil and lacks the same rugged, all-weather confidence. For wet fields, surf edges, and winter detecting, the Minelab is the tougher and more capable design. Winner: Equinox 800.

Battery life

Garrett wins on convenience for some users because the ACE 300i uses 4 AA batteries, which are cheap, easy to replace, and familiar. Runtime is generally around 20 to 25 hours depending on battery quality and volume settings, which is solid for a detector in this class. The Equinox 800 uses a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a typical runtime of about 12 to 15 hours, and it includes USB charging. In pure endurance and ease of swapping batteries in the field, the Garrett has the edge. But if you value modern charging and don’t mind plugging in after a session, the Minelab’s battery system is still practical. Winner: ACE 300i.

Price and value for money

The Garrett ACE 300i wins on price by a landslide. At £275.99, it is £1,610.92 cheaper than the Equinox 800, and that difference buys an enormous amount of performance elsewhere. For a newcomer who wants to learn the basics of discrimination, sensitivity, and target ID without spending a fortune, the ACE 300i is much easier to justify. However, value for money is not just about the sticker price; it is about what the detector can actually do. The Equinox 800 is expensive at £1,886.91, but it brings multi-frequency performance, better waterproofing, more advanced ground handling, wireless headphones, and far superior versatility. If you will use those strengths, the Minelab is the better long-term value. If you only detect occasionally, the Garrett is the sensible buy. Winner: ACE 300i for budget value, Equinox 800 for performance value.

Features and user experience

The Equinox 800 is the clear winner for features. It offers 4 search modes, wireless headphones included, multiple frequency options, stronger discrimination control, and better target separation in trashy sites. Its target ID accuracy is also more trustworthy in mixed ground, which means less digging junk and more confidence when a signal is borderline. The ACE 300i is much simpler, with five search modes and a straightforward digital target ID system that is easy to learn. That simplicity is a benefit for beginners, but experienced detectorists will quickly hit its limits when working modern rubbish, iron-infested pasture, or wet sand. The Minelab is the more capable and more enjoyable machine once you know what you’re doing.

Overall user experience

If you want a detector that can genuinely grow with you from beginner to advanced user, the Equinox 800 is the better overall experience. It is more adaptable, more accurate, more waterproof, and better suited to UK detecting conditions where mineralisation and iron are part of everyday life. The ACE 300i is friendly, affordable, and easy to pick up, but it is ultimately a simpler detector with a narrower ceiling. In practical terms, the Garrett is the better entry point if budget is tight; the Minelab is the better investment if you are serious about finding more and digging less. Overall winner: Minelab Equinox 800 by a wide margin for performance, versatility, and long-term use.