Hi Lea_P, welcome to the forum.
I have both the GM 1000 (purchased 2 weeks ago) and the EQ 600, the Equinox is definitely going to be better for coins and is capable of gold in the right conditions, the Equinox gives you good flexibility for discrimination, beach, parks and fields, and gold fields (depending on location), it will be a bigger learning curve but there are many tuition video's on this detector, if you are able to go out with someone who knows the detector it will help even more.
I use my Nox 600 for coins in parks while on work breaks, it does this very well, I haven't really used it in gold fields yet but will be giving it a try soon.
The GM 1000 is more a simple to use dedicated small gold detector, there's no real reliable discrimination and in the right areas on the gold fields it is a very underrated capable detector, I've been out 3 times in the 2 weeks I've owned it and found 2 bits on Friday and 3 bits yesterday as well as 15 lead shot.
You have to use it in the right areas though.
My thought's are that if you want to hunt coins with occasional gold get the Equinox, if you want to hunt gold alone get the GM 1000, I really don't think the GM 1000 would be suitable for coin hunting, but that's just my thought's, others here may have different thoughts.
Cheers.
