I think a good head to head would be Quest Q30 va Simplex.

Jackalope

Full Member
Jun 27, 2009
243
167
Oahu, HI
Detector(s) used
White's, Garrett, Minelab
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Does anybody, have a Q30 and Simplex? Would be great to see these as they are in the same price range, very close frequency, waterproof, wireless headphones and can be updated.

The test data I have on the Q20 with the 9.5x5.5" coil @ 13Khz shows it to be slightly deeper and more sensitive to small low-conductors than the Quest Pro with the same coil. Neither was well-suited to dealing with co-located iron nails near non-ferrous targets without substantial masking and neither are particularly sensitive to small, thin low conductors. The Quest Pro with the standard 11x9" coil was about equal, if not slightly deeper, than the Q20 with the 9.5x5.5" coil and the Pro was about equal in masking and sensitivity attributes to the Q20.

The Simplex+ with the 11" coil is about 10-30% deeper, especially on small low-conductors than the Quest Pro with the 11x9" coil, and deeper than the Q20 with the 9.5x5.5" coil (and even deeper than the Quest Pro with the same coil). But, the Simplex+ has worse masking issues with iron nails near non-ferrous than the Quests. So, neither is ideal for old homesteads where nails are abundant. In cleaner parks/fields, the Simplex+ is probably the best choice if you want depth.

At $479 for the Quest Pro vs. $338 for the Simplex+, the Simplex seems to be the more economical choice. The ML Vanquish at $369 IMO is the better bang for the buck. It is 25-40% deeper than the Quest Pro with its 11x9" coil, especially on those small low-conductors. It is about 15% deeper than the Simplex+ and the Vanquish is far, far less affected by masking than either the Simplex or Quests (but it still masks, just not to the same degree).

-Jackalope
 

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