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Best Coil Covers and Control Box Covers: The Cheapest Insurance You Can Buy
Quick answer
A coil cover costs a small fraction of the coil it protects and a control box cover protects the screen, which scratches long before anything else fails. The Equinox Control Box Cover at $7.95 is the cheapest sensible purchase in this catalog. Covers are model specific.
This is the least glamorous page on the site and probably the best value. A coil cover is a moulded plastic skidplate that clips over the underside of the search coil and takes the abrasion from gravel, flint, tarmac edges and buried brick that would otherwise wear into the coil housing. Minelab sells the Minelab EQX 15 Coil Cover at $43.95 to protect the Minelab EQX 15 Coil (15 inch), which costs $290.00. That ratio is the entire argument.
A control box cover is a different item solving a different problem. The screen is the part of a detector that degrades first in normal use, from grit, sun and the general business of being carried through hedges, and a scratched screen is both harder to read in sunlight and worth less when you sell. Several of these are under ten dollars. Both types are model-specific, in the same way coils are, and the coils page explains why nothing in this category is universal.
Top pick
Equinox Control Box Cover
At $7.95 it is the cheapest item in this catalog and it protects the part of the machine that degrades first. The listing notes it can be used with the Equinox 700 and 900 and that it also covers the flashlight, so alterations may be needed.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
On this page
What does a coil cover actually protect against?
Abrasion, mostly, and impact occasionally. Detecting technique involves keeping the coil as close to the ground as you can manage, and on most real sites that means it is intermittently touching gravel, stubble, flint, tarmac and the edges of stones. Over a season that wears a flat spot into the underside of the housing, and once the housing is worn through the coil is finished, because the winding and the potting compound inside are not repairable.
The second thing it protects against is the single hard strike: a buried brick, a kerb, a tree root that the coil catches at swing speed. Minelab supplies a replacement skidplate in the box with the Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch) and describes a coil cover as included with the Minelab EQX 11 Coil (11 inch), which tells you the manufacturer treats it as a consumable rather than an accessory. That is the right way to think about it: the cover is meant to wear out, and replacing a worn cover is a normal maintenance job.
Garrett makes the same case more briefly on the Garrett 8.5 by 11 DD Coil Cover, publishing it simply as protecting the coil from harmful damage and fitting the stock coil on the AT Pro and the ACE 350. At $17.93 against $144.95 for the coil itself, that is not a decision that needs much analysis.
Beginner: cover the screen, it costs almost nothing
If you own a machine with an LCD and you have not covered it, do that first. It is under ten dollars on two of the most common machines in the hobby, it takes thirty seconds to fit, and the alternative is reading a sun-scratched screen for the next five years and then explaining it to a buyer.
Fitment is specific. The Equinox Control Box Cover is cut for the Equinox series and the Simplex Control Box Cover for the Nokta Simplex, and they are not interchangeable despite looking similar.
Equinox Control Box Cover
$7.95Cut for the Minelab Equinox series at $7.95. The listing notes it can be used with the Equinox 700 and 900 and that it also covers the flashlight, so alterations are possible if you use that regularly.
Best for: any Equinox
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Simplex Control Box Cover
$9.95Published as compatible with the Nokta Simplex Plus, in polyester and PVC, at $9.95. Cheap insurance on a machine that is specifically sold to be taken into water and sand, where grit on a screen is a constant.
Best for: Simplex owners
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Garrett 8.5 by 11 DD Coil Cover
$17.93Garrett publishes this as fitting the stock 8.5 by 11 coil on the AT Pro and the ACE 350, at $17.93. The coil it protects is $144.95, which makes this the clearest value argument in the whole catalog.
Best for: AT Pro, AT Max and AT Gold owners
Check price on AmazonIntermediate: the covers for the coils you actually swing
The stock 11 inch class coil is the one on the machine most of the time, so it is the one taking the wear. Minelab publishes a coil cover as supplied with the Minelab EQX 11 Coil (11 inch), which means the purchase here is a replacement rather than a first fit, and replacing a worn one is normal maintenance rather than an upgrade.
The pinpointer tip belongs in this tier for the same reason. It is the part of a pinpointer that wears out first, because you are pushing it into soil and grit hundreds of times a day, and the lanyard in the same pack is why the pinpointer is still with you at the end of the session.
Minelab EQX 11 Coil Cover
$24.45Minelab cuts this for the Equinox series and the EQX 11 coil, at $24.45. The 11 inch is the coil most Equinox owners swing most of the time, so it is the one taking the abrasion, and a worn cover is meant to be replaced.
Best for: any Equinox running the 11 inch coil
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XP Deus II Control Box Cover
$23.00Published as a precision fit for the XP Deus II control unit without interfering with buttons or display, in durable polyester with an integrated clear TPU film that stays elastic in heat and cold, rated IP44 for splash and light rain, with a ring for an anti-lost strap, at $23.00.
Best for: Deus II owners, since the remote is a separate item to replace
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Pinpointer Tip Protectors and Lanyard
$13.99Three 60 mil orange 1.5 inch tip protectors published as fitting the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT and Pro-Pointer II, plus a grey PVC lanyard extending from 8.5 to 51 inches, at $13.99. The tip wears out first and the lanyard is why you still have the tool.
Best for: protecting a Garrett Pro-Pointer AT
Check price on AmazonExpert: covering the expensive things
The argument gets stronger as the thing underneath gets more expensive. The Minelab EQX 15 Coil (15 inch) is the priciest coil in this catalog at $290.00 and it is also the one most likely to catch a rock, because a 15 inch coil covers more ground per sweep and therefore meets more of what is in the ground.
The Manticore Control Box Cover protects the largest and most expensive screen Minelab sells. Its listing publishes dirtproof and splashproof protection and a special TPU film that does not lose elasticity at any temperature, which is the detail that matters, because the cheap covers that go brittle in cold weather are the ones that crack and then trap grit against the screen.
Minelab EQX 15 Coil Cover
$43.95Minelab publishes this as a black replacement skidplate for the EQX 15 Smart Coil, compatible with the Equinox 600 and 800, at $43.95. The coil beneath it is $290.00, and a 15 inch coil meets more buried stone per sweep than any other size.
Best for: Equinox owners running the EQX 15
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Manticore Control Box Cover
$25.00Published as a custom fit for the Minelab Manticore control box, giving dirtproof and splashproof protection, in a special TPU film that does not lose elasticity at any temperature, at $25.00. The cover only, with no detector included.
Best for: Manticore owners
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: Do not buy a coil cover for a coil you do not own. This is the category where people waste money most reliably, because an Minelab EQX 11 Coil Cover and an Minelab EQX 15 Coil Cover look nearly identical in a listing photograph and fit entirely different coils. Do not buy a control box cover at all if you hunt exclusively in dry, mild conditions and you keep the machine in a carry bag between hunts, since a covered box in a padded bag is protecting against very little. And do not fit a coil cover and then never take it off, which is the one way this category can genuinely cost you.
Which cover fits which machine or coil?
Check the coil size as well as the machine name. A cover is cut for one coil, not for a brand, and this is where the money gets wasted in this category.
Every cover in this catalog is cut for one specific coil or one specific control box, and the cheapest of them costs less than one percent of the machine it protects.
| Cover | Price | Type | Published fitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equinox Control Box Cover | $7.95 | Control box | Minelab Equinox series, including 700 and 900 |
| Simplex Control Box Cover | $9.95 | Control box | Nokta Simplex Plus, polyester and PVC |
| Pinpointer Tip Protectors | $13.99 | Pinpointer tip and lanyard | Garrett Pro-Pointer AT and Pro-Pointer II |
| Garrett 8.5 by 11 Coil Cover | $17.93 | Coil | Garrett AT series 8.5 by 11 coil, ACE 350 |
| XP Deus II Control Box Cover | $23.00 | Control box | XP Deus II remote, IP44 splash rating |
| Minelab EQX 11 Coil Cover | $24.45 | Coil | Equinox series, EQX 11 coil only |
| Manticore Control Box Cover | $25.00 | Control box | Minelab Manticore, custom fit TPU film |
| Minelab EQX 15 Coil Cover | $43.95 | Coil | Equinox 600 and 800, EQX 15 coil only |
Fitment is as published in each manufacturer listing. Where a listing names only some models in a series, that is what the cell reports. Check your exact coil size and control box against the maker page before ordering, since covers are not returnable once fitted.
Can a coil cover ever make things worse?
Yes, in one specific way, and it is worth knowing because almost nobody mentions it. Sand and fine grit work their way into the gap between the cover and the coil housing and then sit there, trapped, grinding against the housing every time the coil flexes. On a beach that can do more damage over a season than leaving the cover off would have done, which is the opposite of what you bought it for.
The fix is simple: take the cover off periodically, rinse both parts in fresh water, dry them and refit. Do it after every salt session and every sandy one, and once a month or so on inland ground. NEL makes a related point about the NEL Hunter 12.5 by 8.5 Coil for AT Pro, publishing that the coil body is filled with epoxy resin under a marine-grade black coating and that this makes it possible to use the coil without a cover at all. That is a legitimate approach on a coil built that way.
The second small cost is weight. A cover adds a few ounces at the far end of the shaft, which is where weight is felt most, and Minelab's published figures include the skidplate for exactly that reason: 10.68 oz for the Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch) and 1.46 lb for the Minelab EQX 15 Coil (15 inch), both stated as including the protective skidplate. On the big coils that is worth knowing about, and a sling or harness is the usual answer.
How we chose
We did not test any of these covers in person. Fitment, materials and protection claims are taken from each manufacturer listing and stated as such, and where a listing does not name the machines it fits we say so. Picks were chosen on published fitment first, because a cover that does not fit is worthless, and on price second, since the whole category is an insurance argument.
Sources
- Minelab EQX 11 and EQX 15 coil cover product listings
- Minelab EQX 06 and EQX 15 coil listings, for supplied skidplate details
- Garrett 8.5 by 11 DD coil cover product listing
- Equinox, Manticore, Simplex and XP Deus II control box cover product listings
- Detector Warehouse pinpointer tip protector and lanyard product listing
Frequently asked questions
Is a coil cover actually necessary?
Necessary is strong, but the economics are hard to argue with. Minelab sells the Minelab EQX 15 Coil Cover at $43.95 to protect a coil costing $290.00, and supplies covers or replacement skidplates in the box with several of its coils. Treat the cover as a consumable that wears out and gets replaced, which is how the manufacturers clearly intend it.
Does a coil cover reduce detection depth?
Not measurably. A cover is thin non-conductive plastic and it lifts the winding a few millimetres further from the target, which is far less than the variation you get from how close you actually hold the coil to the ground while swinging. Sweep height discipline matters vastly more than the cover does, so fit it and forget it.
Will an Equinox coil cover fit my 15 inch coil?
No. Covers are cut for one coil size, so the Minelab EQX 11 Coil Cover fits the 11 inch coil and the Minelab EQX 15 Coil Cover fits the 15 inch, and they are not interchangeable despite looking alike in photographs. Check the coil size on your own machine before ordering, since this is where money most commonly gets wasted in this category.
Do I need a control box cover on a waterproof detector?
Waterproofing and scratch resistance are different properties. A machine rated IP68 to 16 feet will keep water out perfectly well and still end up with a sun-scratched screen that is hard to read in bright light and worth less at resale. At $7.95 for the Equinox cover the question barely deserves consideration.
How often should a coil cover be replaced?
When it is worn thin, cracked or no longer clips firmly. On stony ground that can be once a season and on soft turf it can be several years. Check it whenever you rinse under it. A cover that has cracked is worse than none, because it flexes and holds grit against the housing rather than shielding it.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.